June is National Employee Wellness Month and what an unusual month it will be. With the prevalence of work-from-home (WFH) setups in the majority of the Philippines’ labor force, most employees are now staying at the comforts of their homes while fulfilling their roles in their respective companies.
This isn’t to say that this setup has not been working or at very least, effective. As a matter of fact, the result of a recent survey conducted by the country’s Labor Department suggests that “77 percent of employees believe that their companies will continue pursuing the transition to working remotely once the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic is over.”
This transition and adjustment may have caused some employees physical, emotional, and psychological stresses that can definitely affect their overall well-being if not kept in check. Hence, human resources departments of several companies are constantly working on coming up with programs that can ensure improved wellness among all their employees.
Here at GreatDay HR Philippines, we stand with every company and its employees in promoting the importance of establishing a relationship among employee wellness, employee productivity, and organizational success. Below are 6 ways how companies and employees can help promote a culture of wellness in the workplace. (READ: Human Resources Tips: 5 Ways to Increase SME Productivity)
- Promote Respect
- Express Gratitude
- Influence a Culture of Joy
- Eat Healthier
- Value Rest and Sleep
- Keep it Simple
Promote Respect
Respect begets respect. Promoting a respectful space in the workplace can go a long way. Be transparent when talking to your employees and if criticisms cannot be avoided, do it constructively. Especially in a setting now where work arrangements are done online due to the pandemic, use every opportunity to give praise to your employees’ outputs during virtual meetings.
Another way of promoting respect is resisting any and all forms of exclusion. Although seniority is very much prevalent here in the Philippines’ labor force, good communication and mutual respect should still be the top priorities among all employees. One tried and tested method to prevent feelings of exclusion among employees is scheduled get-togethers. Although social gatherings have been drastically lessened, doing online video conferences while playing games are great alternatives.
Express Gratitude
It is always a good feeling when you receive a simple thank you and when you give it to others in the same manner. With gratitude being a basic requirement for human relationships, a simple and authentic thank you is actually a great motivator, and most of all, it can be given for free! Boost the morale of your employees by practicing an attitude of gratitude.
Evidence even suggests that employees who receive and give due gratitude perform tasks that are way past their job description. This positively contributes to a workplace culture of going above and beyond what you are asked to do while also remembering to look back and appreciate the help you receive.
Influence a Culture of Joy
Don’t you feel better, happier, and more motivated if you go to work that influences a culture of joy? From the simplest thought of giving a random joke or talking about some funny memory that you had with a colleague can make someone’s day.
Moreover, constructing a company culture that promotes the development of emotional intelligence and soft skills that nurture joy like empathy, generosity, and humility are good first steps in influencing constantly positive attitudes among colleagues. Much like giving and receiving gratitude, promoting a joyful culture also enables employees to perform above and beyond what they are expected to do in whatever situation they are in.
Eat Healthier
Filipinos love to eat. Work promotions, achievements, and other celebrations like birthdays are just some of the common reasons why Filipino employees value eating with their colleagues. This opportunity to break bread together improves bonds among colleagues while others also use this as an opportunity to discuss work-related topics in a less formal manner.
However, it is also undeniable that a considerable percentage of Filipino employees are overweight or even obese. A study conducted by the Cordillera Regional Nutrition Committee shows that 64 percent of male employees and 53 percent of female employees belong to the overweight-obese category.
In order to prevent this worrying trend and instead promote employee wellness, choosing to eat in moderation or picking healthier alternatives is a good way to maintain good health among all employees in the workplace while not taking away the social benefits of such an activity. Exercising regularly is also a great complement to eating healthier.
Value Rest and Sleep
With every Filipino employee’s desire to earn more to keep up with the ever-increasing cost of living most especially in the nation’s capital, the effects of sleep on overall productivity and health are now underestimated more than ever.
Sleep deprivation causes undesirable outcomes in terms of employee productivity and well-being due to several factors like a decline in cognitive performance, poor communication, and the tendency to promote and commit to risk-taking behavior.
Better delegation of tasks to employees by decision-makers and the encouragement coming from them for their team members to value rest can go a long way in preventing untoward sicknesses caused by a lack of sleep and rest. Employees may also try coming up with their own to-do lists of their goals for the day so that they can focus on finishing on time and dedicating longer hours for rest.
Keep it Simple
Different companies have different processes that are being followed. However, this does not take away the opportunity for employees to find ways of simplifying and automating tasks.
One particular example would be the daily human resources activities that employees and human resources divisions go through such as attendance tracking, leave applications, performance management, and payroll. Oftentimes, companies are still doing some of these tasks manually or are even hiring external consultants to do these for them. Especially with the prevalence of COVID-19 pandemic in the country, doing all these tasks through a convenient and mobile platform is useful more than ever. (READ: The Benefits of HRIS during the COVID-19 Pandemic)
This is where GreatDay HR comes in. After launching in the Philippines last 2019 through SunFish DataOn Philippines, Inc., GreatDay HR is continuing to grow and increase its partners using its all-in-one mobile HRIS platform. It is the first platform to be used as a mobile app for Employee Self-Service (ESS) with an integrated HRIS system. (READ: Making HR Digitalization-Ready)
Simplifying human resources tasks by investing in an affordable HRIS software that works for you like GreatDayHR allows enterprises to devote more time and effort to more complex tasks. Learn more about the platform’s features here and visit our social media pages @greatdayhrph.
With GreatDayHR, #DoSomethingGreat every day!
