When you hear about companies that have yoga classes or mindfulness training, does it sound like a luxury? Sure, Google can afford meditation and massage for their employees, but what about the rest of us? When you’re busy grappling with the cost increases for traditional benefits like health insurance, it can be hard to imagine adding programs like these. Numerous studies show, however, that investing in employee well-being pays off in tangible ways.
Offering more progressive forms of employee well-being programs is an investment that delivers hard returns (And you’ll see those health insurance costs go down, too!) That’s why, beginning in 2010, Aetna, one of the largest healthcare benefits companies in the US, implemented mindfulness and yoga programs for its own employees. How people feel at work influences how well they work. Directly experiencing that you genuinely value their well–being will have a measurable effect on their engagement.
Check out the recent Towers Watson study based on 50 global companies. You’ll see they found a direct correlation between the level of employee engagement and the average operating margin of a company. Companies with high sustainable engagement had margins three times higher than those with low engagement. In other words, your company’s success is dependent on sustainable employee engagement, which in large part depends on how employees feel about their workplace.
A great workplace means different things to different people, but certain factors consistently rank as the most important: A healthy, stimulating environment. A meaningful work experience. Genuine concern about employee well-being. Programs that help people manage their stress, develop introspection and work more harmoniously with others help create a positive, collaborative culture focused on delivering on the organization’s mission.
When the individual thrives the company thrives. Investing in your people will pay off in myriad ways, improving performance, retention and ultimately, your bottom line.
