Why is wellbeing at work important?

A proactive wellbeing policy and investment in the quality of working life of your employees is what makes all the difference today as a company.

So it’s time to be honest: are your employees happy? Are they motivated, enthusiastic and engaged?

Do you frown, hesitating to answer an emphatic yes to this question? Are you thinking of consulting your figures on absences due to illness in your teams, in order to convince yourself that the situation is not that bad?

Then it’s time to give your company’s wellbeing policy a makeover!

It’s time to replace stress, burnout and absenteeism with relaxed, resilient and engaged teams!

Employees are your company’s most valuable asset

While wellbeing has long been considered an unnecessary or even lavish expense, more and more companies are now taking the initiative to fund a program to revitalize their teams.

Yes, investing in wellbeing in the workplace is not a luxury, but a necessity to ensure the success and future of an organization. Without human capital to carry out a mission, no company can thrive.

The figures on wellbeing at work speak for themselves

• According to the WHO, each euro invested in wellbeing at work is returned 2 to 14 times.

• With a proactive integrated wellbeing policy, each euro invested could easily generate 20 euros, according to Professor Elke Van Hoof (professor at the VUB, author, and founder of the Centre for Resilience).

• Happy, healthy employees are more creative; up to 30% more productive; more productive and engaged; absenteeism is reduced by up to 50% and motivated employees stay with the company longer.

The calculation is quickly done: the return on investment of a stress management program in the company is excellent. The attention paid to wellbeing at work translates into personal benefits for the employee but also, in return, into financial benefits for the company.

The budget argument is therefore not an argument! The secret of a sustainable company is to take a long-term view, and this long-term view implies motivated, committed and efficient teams!

What atmosphere do you want in your company?

Stress affects the way we perceive ourselves, others and the world around us. How? It has a direct impact on our emotions, and our entire vision of the world is influenced by these emotions. A stressed employee is more irritated, even anxious, and less tolerant toward his colleagues.

We know that stress affects efficiency, but it also has a strong impact on relationships with others. Building and maintaining strong and harmonious interpersonal relationships is essential to teamwork and the creativity that comes with it.  

Studies also point to the correlation between positive relationships at work and job satisfaction. Investing in workplace wellbeing therefore not only improves each employee’s relationship with his or her colleagues, but also the health of the organization as a whole.

Today and tomorrow!

The hidden negative effects of hybrid work

We hear a lot from our customers about this post-covid situation: employees are not coming into the office very much.

Everyone has discovered the attractions of telecommuting. The companies themselves also have found some advantages, like the possibility to reduce their office space.

But the reality of offices has often become very sad: deserted workstations, empty meeting rooms, no atmosphere at the coffee machine “like in the good old days”. Yet this atmosphere, these concrete relationships with colleagues, are a key element in the experience of each worker, in his or her motivation, but also in the creativity of teams.

Creating a wellbeing program is a motivator for employees to make the trip to their company’s offices. It’s a great opportunity to connect with their colleagues – some of whom they may not yet know, or may know very little about. To discover them from other perspectives, to interact in a friendly way.

Take a little moment to visualize this…

You walk through the corridors of your company. You see the happy faces of colleagues who help each other to bring the best of themselves… Visualize this atmosphere and the feelings it gives you…

Do you think that this is a distant or even unattainable ideal? However, there are very concrete examples of such companies, and it is precisely those… well, those that perform the best! Just think of Google or Apple, always cited as examples for the (paid) time offered to each employee to recharge his or her batteries through various activities.

How to boost the energy of your employees?

Stress-related health problems cost not only physical energy, but also mental energy. Chronic stress creates less organized time, and slows down any tasks that are done.

In an age of high expectations of employees, energy and time management are crucial in the workplace! So is stress management…  

Good energy, dynamic but serene, is like fuel: it makes you jump out of bed early in the morning and get through tasks with gusto; it also determines whether a day is experienced as great or painful.

The way we start each day, the way we breathe and position ourselves at our desk, the way we eat and think, are all factors that influence this good energy. This is why the workshops that Yoga@Office offers on mindfulness, healthy eating, ergonomics, stress management and morning rituals are so popular!

What is your company’s brand image?

Transparency has become a major element in our contemporary society. Sites like Glassdoor are increasingly consulted by job seekers to get an idea of what really goes on behind the scenes of a future employer.

Investing in wellbeing has a direct impact on this employer brand. Just think again of the image conveyed by companies like Apple, long known for their comprehensive consideration of their teams’ wellbeing.

This employer brand has a direct impact on the quantity and quality of future candidates, as well as on turnover vs. team loyalty and commitment. Recent studies show that more than 80% of employees will consider leaving their current job if offered another opportunity by a company with a better reputation.

An employee who is happy and proud to work for his or her company and a company that is proud of and cares about its employees are the winning duo to break down mountains and prosper together!

And the story doesn’t end there: consumer trust is also increasingly influenced by a brand’s reputation, its ethics, the way it treats its employees, as initiatives like @balancetastartup show. Investing sincerely in the wellbeing of the workplace as a whole has therefore become essential at all levels for the success of a company.

A very concrete example of wellbeing at work

Hutten, a catering company in the Netherlands, has put happiness at work at the center of its concerns. Its motto is: “We want to be the best, the most fun and the happiest.” Because happy employees are passionate about their work and excel at it. So when a new employee joins the company, they don’t get a contract of employment, but a contract of vitality.

Hutten’s numbers eloquently show how well this approach pays off:

• 37% less staff turnover
• 25% less absenteeism
• 31% more productivity
• 50% more engagement
• positive impact on employer brand and customer appeal
• positive effects on creativity.

The Arte documentary “Happiness at Work” (2014) had already shown that a happy employee is good for turnover, being twice less sick, six times less absent, nine times more loyal, and even 31% more productive.

Such figures speak for themselves!

*Tom Rath, head of workplace research at Gallup and co-author of the best-selling book “Wellbeing”.

Turning wellbeing at work into action…

The good news? It’s easier than you think to improve the work environment in your company to make it more motivating, and to get even more engagement from your teams!

Yoga@Office has many years of experience in creating wellbeing programs adapted to the needs, wishes and reality of companies of all types. We analyze them with you in order to guide you step by step in the creation of an efficient wellbeing policy for your structure, and taking into account your budget.

We have worked with prestigious companies such as AG Insurance, LVMH, Walibi, Nagelmackers, Amazon, Intermarché, Kone, but also for OCMWs and other public service structures, as well as small SMEs and NPOs. What they have in common is that they have understood that taking care of their teams is the only way to achieve success in their mission (and that they have also been delighted with our services!).

The courses and workshops offered by Yoga@Office are varied and full of exercises and tips for more energy, vitality, and resilience.

Your employees appreciate this attention from you, and enjoy a rejuvenating moment in the middle of their day. They then get back to work with more focus, more energy, and less stress. Little by little, new habits are created within your teams, which promote the personal wellbeing of each one, and the wellbeing at work in general within your structure.

Do you already have a wellbeing program?

Discuss it with us during a short meeting that will allow you to
come up with ideas to quickly influence the atmosphere in your company!