If there’s anything the events of the last two years and the ongoing impact of the Great Resignation have taught employers, it’s that they need to shift their focus to better accommodate employees – and their mental and physical wellbeing.

Building and sustaining a company culture focused on holistic wellness should be part of every company’s recruiting and retention strategy.

Forward-looking employers are heeding this reality, and it’s not surprising that the global corporate wellness program market is expected to increase exponentially in the next few years.

According to recent research, 90% of employers are upping their investment in mental health wellness programs. PwC found that financial or money challenges are the leading cause of stress among workers. This financial stress lingers with employees while on the job. The Workforce Institute at UKG noted 53% of workers believe financial stress distracts them at work, impacting productivity and thus prompting the employers to address the underlying financial stress of their workforce.

What Is a Corporate Wellness Program?

The concept of corporate wellness is understood as any workplace health promotion activity or company policy geared to support healthy behaviors on the part of employees. The goal is to improve employees’ mental and physical wellbeing, which will contribute to building a productive, motivated, and engaged workplace.

Here are some specific interventions that a typical corporate wellness program might include:

• On-site fitness centers and free or subsidized gym memberships
• In-person and virtual access to mental health professionals
• Health risk assessments and vaccination clinics
• Financial education and free online personal budgeting tools
• Weight loss, stress management, and smoking cessation programs
• Rooms to nap or rest
• Ergonomically designed workspaces
• Wellness outings and challenges
• Efforts geared to improve internal communications and collaboration
• Complimentary healthy food
• Health-related digital education

Inclusivity is a hallmark of any good corporate wellness program. In every organization, there will be people performing different roles and people with different levels of physical and mental health. So, it’s important that everyone feels included and accepted.

What Are the Benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs?

Corporate wellness programs hold the promise to deliver benefits to both employees and employers alike. Let’s take a look at some of the most compelling ones:

1. More Effective Recruitment

Today, job seekersare looking for more than just a good salary; they’re also interested in understanding what company benefits prospective employers can offer them. 

A new study found that the highest rate of resignations occurs among older workers between 40 and 60 years of age. These workers say they’re seeking less-tangible benefits  such as  flexibility with pay and scheduling from their employers.

2. Reduced Healthcare Costs

A comprehensive wellness program can pay dividends to employers in the form of reduced healthcare costs. It’s pretty simple: when you improve the health of your workforce, people are less likely to fall ill or be injured on the job.

That means employees will need medical care less frequently, saving both them and your company money in healthcare expenses.

3. Improved Morale

A company wellness program can improve the morale of your entire team. When people feel supported and encouraged in pursuing their health and wellness goals, they’ll feel more valued by their employer and happier overall.

4. Better Teamwork

When employees feel mentally and physically well, they’re generally more creative, more inclined to collaborate, and more likely to generate innovative ideas. And when they’re offered the opportunity to participate in wellness programs as part of team-based activities, they’ll strengthen their relationships and encourage one another.

This is particularly true when wellness activities take place outside of the workplace – the team bonding and camaraderie built will improve people’s level of communication and collaboration in the workplace.

How Can Employee Wellness Programs Improve Productivity?

Poor workplace productivity can have many causes. Sometimes people lack the skills they require to perform their tasks, or the work environment might be uncomfortable, unsafe, or distracting. Some people might be struggling with stress, fatigue, or other health issues. Others might simply be feeling bored, underappreciated, or isolated.

Human connection is important to all of us. Companies that hire deskless employees (such as retail workers, drivers, cooks, cleaners, frontline staff, and factory workers) need to be aware that the nature of these people’s work can easily lead to them feeling disengaged and out of touch with the rest of the organization. As many of these workers don’t have access to company computers, they often miss company news and communications, which can further aggravate feelings of isolation and make them feel “invisible.”

To illustrate the scope and scale of the problem:

• Today, there are 2.7 billion deskless workers worldwide, comprising over 80% of the total global workforce. However, businesses invest less than 1% of their enterprise software spend on these employees.
• Surveys of deskless workers indicate that only 41% are engaged at work, and 55% are highly satisfied. Contributing to their negative employee experience is a perceived lack of HR and management support: only 40% believe they receive the help they need from HR, and 39% said the same about their managers.
• Some 37% of retail workers polled for the recent Deskless Report currently want to quit their job. When workers were asked what could make them quit, one of the top three answers was “poor communication.”  Retail leaders agree, too. When asked what the number1 barrier between head office and associates was, leaders also pointed out poor  “communication.”

Fortunately, technology-enabled corporate wellness initiatives can go a long way to improving these workers’ levels of engagement and ensuring they feel heard and valued. This, in turn, will positively affect their motivation and productivity levels.

Does Your Wellness Program Meet Your Deskless Workforce Where They Are?

If you’re seeking ways to ensure that you’re not excluding your deskless workers from your company wellness program, why not consider investing in a digital employee communication platform, such as Payactiv Connect?

Designed for businesses of all sizes, Payactiv Connect allows companies to communicate with their deskless employees easily. Our app makes it easy for you to share important information and push out real-time notifications instantly. mployees can connect with coworkers and swap shifts at short notice.

Here are additional benefits of Payactiv’s Connect platform:

Communicate with Your Employees Anywhere, Anytime

Whether it’s announcing exciting new milestones, appointments, and company programs or notifying your employees of changes, your workforce has a way to stay informed and react to change faster.

Streamline Onboarding and Training

With Payactiv Connect, you can easily send announcements or onboarding materials to employees at multiple locations.

Schedule Shifts (Even Those Hard-to-Cover Ones)

Now, there’s an easy way to give your people more flexibility and control over their work hours through quick and easy access to your shift scheduling system via their smartphones. Employees can see scheduled and open shifts and request to cover them with just a few clicks. You can also incentivize difficult-to-cover holiday, weekend, or late-night shifts by giving your workers access to earned wages for the shift worked.

Engage Your Teams and Reduce Turnover

Employees can join existing Group Chats or create new ones to build a thriving community where everyone belongs and is a valued part of the team. You can also help your workers stay engaged and collaborate via Direct Chat.

Final Words

Your employees spend much of their lives in your workplace, and emphasizing employee wellness programs is critical to driving business outcomes.

It’s also important to remember that employee wellbeing programs should continually evolve to meet employees’ changing needs and address the basic needs, such as financial wellness first. Payactiv is integrated with many HCM and payroll platforms and can give your employees a boost through on-demand access to their earned wages and an all-in-one digital wallet.

If you’re looking to augment your company employee wellness program, learn more about Payactiv’s Services or request a demo today.