5 Ways for Managing Employee Wellness Amid the Pandemic

As provinces across Canada are experiencing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, managing employee wellness has become a priority for business owners.

This is a crucial time when individuals are seeking inspiration and assistance in managing their personal health and well-being both in and out of the workplace.

How are you and your employees managing as lockdowns tighten, work from home measures are invoked, and the effects of isolation settle in? If you are struggling, you are not alone.

In this blog, Benefit Strategies offers five ways for managing employee wellness as well as your own personal wellness including:

  1. Self-Care
  2. Avoiding Overload
  3. Eating Well
  4. Taking Breaks
  5. Sharing Stories of Resilience

Maintaining Energy, Focus & Motivation – 5 Tips

  1. Self-Care – Self-care is essential for optimizing personal wellness. Self-care can include eating healthy, exercising often, taking breaks or vacation time, meditation, and prioritizing hobbies and hygiene routines. Social interaction with friends and family as well as colleagues is also an important piece of the self-case puzzle and can include virtual gatherings and meetings and online exchanges.
  2. Avoiding Overload – Know when it is “Enough”. When managing employee wellness, tune in to the signs of overload. Every employee responds to pressure and stress differently. Business owners and managers need to understand and be proactive in searching for the signs of when energy and motivation are at a low. Signs of overload could include lack of sleep, irritability, irregular heart patterns (or increased blood pressure), unusual aches and pains, difficulty focusing, or an increase or decrease in appetite.
  3. Eating Well – Eat consistent meals. It may seem easy but stepping away from work (even if it’s your sofa!) to eat a nutritious meal offers an opportunity to recharge and refuel both physically and mentally. Take a break to prioritize fueling your body with the nutrients it needs and be rewarded with a full belly and fresh take on your tasks when you return to your desk. Skipping meals can be the start of a slippery slope into poor health and hygiene routines and set a poor president for wellness.
  4. Taking Breaks – As part of managing employee wellness, be intentional about letting them take periodical breaks throughout the day. Productivity can actually be enhanced by taking periods of rest and moments to meditate, walk, stretch, and engage the body and mind in a non-work-related activity.
  5. Share Stories of Resilience – Leadership teams should share their tools and strategies of what is working for them in terms of building resiliency and better wellness mechanisms. Set a positive example by implementing healthy coping strategies and transparency in navigating anxiety, worry, and wellness during difficult circumstances. In managing employee wellness, encourage them to be open about their experiences, and to have health and wellness “check-ins”.

It’s impossible to perform at work when employees are exhausted, overwhelmed, and unmotivated; especially, if they are distracted by anxious thoughts, worries of financial or job insecurity, and health concerns.

You, your managers, and your employees will benefit when you ensure there are opportunities to incorporate these five tips into the workplace and into your company’s daily routines. For more on this topic, see this Benefits Canada article entitled, Why Employers Should Recognize, Support, And Train Middle Managers.

Summary

Business owners, managers, and employers can build positive habits and resiliency to better tackle the current challenges we are facing in the workplace, be that in your physical office, or your home office, whatever that may look like for you.

It’s crucial to help employees develop the tools needed to stay motivated, energized, and aware during these times of uncertainty. Ultimately, these tools will not only help to support your organization’s professional goals but also equip employees to manage stress and personal wellness at work, at home, and within their own families.

Managing and prioritizing personal wellness is paramount at work and at home both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

Implement these five tips to support health and wellness and explore how utilizing your benefit plan may help to further promote wellness and preserve the motivation and engagement of employees at this time.

To learn more about managing employee wellness, or to access more wellness opportunities through a benefit plan, call Benefit Strategies Inc. in Edmonton, Alberta at 780-437-5070 or send us an email.

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