Employee engagement in the New Year: Help them feel well
  • leadership
  • Blog post

Employee engagement in the New Year: Help them feel well

The New Year has begun, and helping your employees feel more engaged may be on your list of resolutions for 2016.

If so, you might want to consider the results of a study by two consulting firms, Quantum Workplace and Limeade. According to the study, which is based on the results of a nationwide survey of around 2,000 employees, employers who care about employees’ well-being — defined in the broadest terms as physical, emotional and financial — reap big benefits in terms of increased employee engagement.

Specifically, employees who perceive that their employer supports their well-being are:

  • 18% more likely than other employees to go the extra mile in performing their jobs
  • 28% more likely to recommend their workplace to friends and contacts who are looking for new employment, and
  • 17% more likely to still be working for the same employer one year later

 

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Dimensions of support
How can you show concrete support for employees’ overall well-being? Obviously, it goes far beyond asking after their spouses and/or grandkids.

Here, from the study, are five dimensions of wellness that employees care about, and where employers can have a significant impact:

1. Stress management. This includes such items as coaching in relaxation techniques like meditation, on-premises massages, and required breaks.

2. Nutrition. Healthy cafeteria and/or vending options come in here.

3. Physical fitness. Some employers create on-site fitness centers; others subsidize employee participation in outside gyms, YMCAs, etc.

4. Finances. Younger employees especially are happy to be offered financial planning services, which increase the perception of financial well-being.

5. Work-life balance. Flexible work hours and/or telecommuting, where feasible, may give employees greater ability to juggle their work and home responsibilities.

There are probably other areas where you can help your employees feel well, improving their level of engagement. Why not ask them?

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