14 Jul Management’s Role in Ensuring the Health of Employees
Written by: Florence Davis
Every organization should have a workplace wellness program that’s aimed at improving the health and overall well-being of their employees.
For one, having wellness programs help workers adopt behaviors that lead to a healthier life, and this creates a happier workforce that’s more than willing to help an organization reach its goals.
In addition, these kinds of programs also reduce workplace stress, lower turnover rates, increase productivity, and improve the workplace dynamic.
However, a workplace wellness program will not be effective without the support of those in management. In fact, Gallup notes that managers account for at least 70% of employee engagement levels, further proving how huge their impact is at promoting better health and well-being at work.
With all that said, here, let’s take a deep dive into why managers are tasked with ensuring the health of their employees, as well as discuss what kind of programs managers can use to secure the well-being of their workers.
Why Management?
First of all, managers have the incredible opportunity to lead their employees by example. In a time where a lot of people are prone to falling off the health wagon and are at risk for rising obesity rates and other health issues, managers should actively try to become the health blueprint their employees need.
If workers see their manager involved in wellness activities, they are more likely to join in and pursue a healthier lifestyle.
In addition, managers are key to stimulating constructive change in the workplace. This is most obvious in how managers are now taught leadership qualities at both degree and training level.
Modern organizational leadership programs now put a focus on combining leadership with technological and business skills to better connect managers to the human side of organizations. This ensures they can act as change agents.
Moreover, managers with organizational leadership backgrounds are also in the perfect position for inspiring change in their workforce as they are trained in developing strategies based on communication, psychology, conflict resolution, law, business negotiation, and human resources.
Managers will be held accountable for the failure of their organization. So they should understand how important it is to act as a beacon of health if they want to ensure the health of their workers.
By becoming a role model for their teams, managers give their employees permission to prioritize their health and well-being, as well as actively pursue a healthy lifestyle even in the office by making better nutritional choices and taking advantage of workplace wellness programs.
How Can Managers Further Secure the Overall Well-being of Employees?
In order to cultivate a culture of wellness in the workplace, managers should carefully select wellness programs that will best impact their workforce.
- For one, they can choose to have a stress management and mindfulness well-being program in order to mitigate the effects of workplace stress and promote a more open discussion on employee mental health. This program can also become an avenue for employees to become more vocal about their mental health struggles and encourage them to be more communicative with their managers and peers.
- Another wellness program that can be of great help for employees who are struggling to keep themselves in shape is a nutrition and healthy living well-being program. This type of wellness program can help employees reshape their lifestyle and give them actionable tips on how to make healthy food choices, plan their menu, understand portion sizes, and become more physically active.
Managers have a huge impact in helping employees make better lifestyle choices and can inspire them to pursue holistic health themselves. If you’re a manager who’s concerned about the health of your teams and keen on improving the overall performance of your organization, be sure to heed the advice above.
