Now Reading
The Future of Workplace Wellness

The Future of Workplace Wellness

The Future of Workplace Wellness

Workplace wellness has been a major recent focal point with World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Stress Awareness Month. Plenty of great initiatives have been inspired by these public health programs, making this the ideal time to look at emerging workplace wellness trends. 

The rise of remote work

The beauty of the new remote work model is that it’s not an all-or-nothing design. More and more companies are allowing employees to have a say in their schedule, with some taking full-time remote work while others opt for a hybrid approach. 

Remote work comes with its own set of challenges, but crucially, it can allow people to develop a work/life balance best suited to them. It gives employees autonomy and control over their working life, empowering people rather than expecting them to sacrifice their personal needs to conform to a rigid, one-size-must-fit-all structure.  

Neurodiversity and mental health support

Companies throughout the world are finally recognising the value of having neurodiversity in the workplace. While there is certainly still some stigma and negative stereotyping to be addressed, the current trend toward neurodiversity and the provision of mental health support is heartening. 

While there are clear social benefits of providing fair and equitable employment opportunities, businesses can gain great benefits from fostering an inclusive workplace. Greater productivity, creative thinking, and unique skill sets are just a few of the many positives that arise within neurodiverse teams. 

Strategies for avoiding burnout

In addition to offering improved mental health services for employees, many companies are developing strategies for avoiding burnout. From tech start-ups and software companies to banks and marketing agencies, we’ve seen a long list of brands announcing the introduction of a 4-day work week, with employees receiving the same pay as before.

Other strategies include caps on work-related communication sent outside of work hours and the simple approach of just encouraging people to switch off, relax, and engage with their lives outside the office. 

Managing stress in the workplace

Stress is an aspect of work that almost all workers deal with, from having to deal with client presentations, to making sure that important email is sent out in time, we all have stressful moments. A survey conducted by Ipsos found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, 51% of Australian workers had reported feeling stressed due to changes in work routines and organization.

With the newfound stresses that the pandemic has revealed, it only makes sense that businesses are taking stress management of their employees more seriously. Stress management and resilience training programs have boosted in popularity, with employees being encouraged to undertake these courses to improve their mental wellbeing.

Some companies even implement a short, group meditation time to allow employees to take a five-to-ten-minute break from their work and decrease their stress levels.

Personalised Wellness

No two people are the same, which is why tailoring wellness to each individual is incredibly important to improving mental health. Some examples that have gained recent popularity with employees are personalised fitness/training classes and subscriptions to wellbeing apps such as Headspace or Shine.

Allowing employee flexibility when it comes to wellness initiatives also means that they can engage in their services where and when it suits them. 

Throughout the last couple of years, it has been abundantly clear that employee wellbeing needs to be addressed on a personal level, as to meet their specific needs and interests. As companies move onwards as we return to a post-pandemic workplace, it is up to their leaders to nurture their workers and make sure their individual wellness needs are met, to ensure a happy and healthy work environment.

Even if these three trends were the only ones to be adopted the world over, we would see workplace wellness transform tremendously. Thankfully, there are plenty of inspiring trends and positive movements underway to increase employee wellness all around Australia. 

What's Your Reaction?
Excited
0
Happy
0
In Love
0
Not Sure
0
Silly
0
View Comments (40)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Scroll To Top