Forbes Coaches Council
Originally published on Forbes.com
With businesses around the world reopened and employees returning to the office, it’s more important than ever for companies to support the health and wellness of their workforce. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need to create safe and healthy workplaces for employees, and because culture starts at the top, it’s up to leaders to continue prioritizing their team members’ health and well-being.
Below, 19 Forbes Coaches Council members offer simple yet effective ways for leaders to promote employee health and wellness in the workplace. From providing healthy snacks to encouraging breaks and physical activity, these actionable tips can help business leaders create a healthy and productive work environment for their teams.
1. Invest In Employees’ Growth And Development
Create an environment where people come to the office to grow. By investing in your employees’ development, you show them that you care. Maintain an active dialogue about their individual goals for the year and how you can help support their progress. Create targeted stretch assignments, and offer training, coaching, mentoring and networking opportunities to support their ongoing development. - Andrea Miller, Veritas Leadership, LLC
2. Adopt ‘Day Breaks’
Every company should adopt what I like to call “day breaks.” I have a client who introduces day breaks to corporations that have office employees. This is where the day-break team takes employees to an off-site meeting and teaches them relaxation routines, such as chair yoga, stretching, nutrition hacks and sleep sessions. Employers and employees can’t wait to call in “well” instead of “sick!” - Katrina Roddy, The Corporate Breakup, LLC
3. Have Better-Quality Conversations
Have better-quality conversations; slow down and make it more human. Expand your practice of empathy and get more deeply curious about your people. Folks navigate life’s complexities and bumps every day. What goes a long way is feeling that you are seen and you are heard. One of leadership’s most valuable gifts is to simply bear witness to your people’s lived experiences and to make space for their voices. - Duncan Skelton, Duncan Skelton Coaching Ltd
4. Be Mindful Of Work Style Preferences
Workforce planning is critical for those coming back to offices. Extroverted people crave being around others, but perhaps other teammates prefer (and excel when) working from home. Being mindful of styles is important. Also, just because people may be in an office setting does not mean that you need more meetings. Encouraging breaks and investing in ergonomics and healthy food choices can help. - Denise Russo, Maxwell Leadership
5. Exemplify Healthy Habits
Leaders first need to be exemplars of healthy behaviors and demonstrate intolerance for unhealthy ones. This includes cultivating lifestyle habits as well as creating a high-performance culture that prioritizes performance and accomplishment over activity. It is also critical to foster an environment of competence and self-direction, where employees are responsible for their own welfare and each other’s. - Philip Liebman, ALPS Leadership
6. Ask Questions And Listen Deeply
The people returning to the office aren’t the same people who left. People have had varying experiences. Some have been greatly impacted personally by the pandemic, while others may appear to have come out relatively unscathed. Ask questions and seek to understand their experience and how to best help them reengage in the office. - Kimberly Svoboda, Aspiration Catalyst®