Studies show that the happiness of your employees raise their performance, therefore the success and profit of your company, while work stress and stress related issues can cause you to lose potential profit and your employees in the long run.

So where do you need to start to promote well-being and happiness?

Measure Work Stress related to:

  • job security
  • income disparity
  • work relationships
  • work load and long hours causing the loss of work/life balance

Health and Economic Consequences:

  • Your employees should have resources to seek help and treatment.
  • Make sure they are able to receive Psychological first aid for emergencies in the work place.
  • Know how to respond to emergencies. Learn about your employees’ general health: their blood types, are they taking any medication, their emergency contacts etc.
  • Ensure that your employees are able and willing to report:
  • Illness, injury, disability and the costs of treatment
  • Quality of life related to health
  • Depression and other psychological disorders: Prevention, assessment and treatment as well as the stigma associated with seeking treatment
  • Burnout
  • Gender-related health concerns
  • Alcohol and substance abuse
  • Intimate partner violence/violence of any kind
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Sleep Disruptions and Disorders have health, safety, and productivity consequences, especially for individuals with conditions or medications that cause excessive sleepiness.
    • Adjust schedules that cause fatigue in employees

Prevent and take the necessary actions against harassment:

  • Prevent intimidation, bullying, discrimination, violence or harassment of any kind by customers, clients, coworkers (gender, age, race/ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion). Understand and prevent possible responses to mistreatment (of the mistreated employee.) Prevent and take necessary actions against sexual harassment.
  • Implement diversity
  • Promote gender equality at work.

Consider the benefits of alternate work schedules: flexible, telework, telecommute and compressed work

  • Give them a work-from-home day.
  • Let them leave early or arrive late for a day every week.

Support work–life balance

  • Consider work and family issues for different life stages
  • Consider employee’s children, the dependent and parental care and provide formal and informal family supports

Understand the different personalities of employees

  • Have individual interviews to understand what motivates your employees and their best qualities, e.g., team work, leadership, management, creativity, problem solving etc. and their personal needs. You can also have them take personality tests like several companies do.
  • Have an open line of communication where they can talk to you directly or with a supervisor about their needs in the work place.

Reward Employees and invest in their well-being

  • Acknowledge their good ideas. Thank them for a job well done.
  • Give promotions and/or a pay raise.
  • You can give them gas cards or public transportation passes.
  • Choose a day to treat them with donuts, coffee, bagels, sandwiches etc.
  • Provide healthy snacks within the work days.
  • Ask them what kind of reward or privilege they would like to have.
  • Give gift cards for a spa, a book store or a coffee shop depending on their interests.
  • Gift baskets in Holidays, e.g., for New Year’s.
  • Celebrate Birthdays. Send them flowers, chocolate or fruits.
  • Paid vacations.
  • Nap time: Provide a space for them to rest within the day.
  • Write recommendations for their resumés and Linkedin Profiles.
  • Donate to their favorite charity in their name.

Support opportunities for career development and education

  • Give them a half day where they can volunteer for an organization they want or work on a project outside of work.
  • Send them to seminars/trainings they’re interested in.
  • Offer to pay a percentage of their tuition or supplies for their courses.

Source: APA & smallbusiness.americanexpress.com

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