Why testing your employees’ wellness can improve the health of your company

The traditional daily grind has changed for good in the eyes of many workers, particularly during the pandemic, and employees are thinking more towards the life side of the ‘work/life balance’.  During the last 18 months of a Covid filled world, philosophies have changed when it comes to ‘giving all’ to a company and many employees are now valuing their health and wellbeing above their long-term employment commitments.

This is not to say that businesses will struggle to fill their roles in the future, but more likely that the best candidates will eventually gravitate towards those companies which have a reputation for looking after their employees.  This is where opportunities arise for those most forward-thinking businesses to show they genuinely care about their employee’s wellness. 

This not only leads to greater employee satisfaction, which in turn improves productivity and loyalty, which are key factors in a business enjoying sustained growth.  Imagine the benefits a company will have if the people working within it have ten times more industry and product knowledge than those of their competitors.  Even more so if those employees are motivated to do well because they feel valued and cared.

Why you should conduct employee wellness testing

A recent survey conducted by Better2Know showed that most people of working age were concerned about their health, with the most common being general health and wellbeing, cancer, weight and metabolic health and cardiovascular diseases.  Other studies have shown that a major concern of workers aged between 20 and 40 is stress related conditions such as anxiety and depression.

Many employee absences are also linked to lifestyle-related illnesses, such as obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking.  By putting in place a regular testing program you not only show your employees how much you care, but you can follow this up with educational materials to help them understand how to better look after themselves.

Often the health services will only look to fix an illness that is already there, so helping your workers identify those conditions earlier and putting an emphasis on prevention will lead to more pro-active, positive, choices about their health in the long run.

The benefits of helping your employees understand and look after their health results in the following benefits to the company:

• Increased productivity and motivation
• Increase in employee loyalty making recruitment and training easier
• Lower incidence of sick days
• Improved mental health, morale and positivity in the workplace

Furthermore, testing can often be done quickly and easily at the actual workplace, meaning less time taken out for workers needing to schedule an appointment at their local medical centre.  In turn, if an issue is raised by any of the tests, follow up consultations can be done remotely via the internet to discuss test results with a qualified medical professional.

In the case of your employees, it is always Better2Know

In the future many businesses will offer wellness tests as part of their general employee perks and the thriving company of the future is likely to be one that takes a concerted interest in their employee’s overall wellbeing.  

So, instead of asking the question whether your company can afford to offer this as part of your employee welfare scheme, rather it should be: Can our company afford not to?

Better2Know already has a range of wellness tests available in their online shop, with more options for businesses being developed.  To find out how we can best help your business with an employee wellness program, get in touch with our head of business development Adrian Bond on 07786 980 984 or email Adrian.bond@better2know.com

Sources

[1] Gov.uk: Research and analysis – Health profile in England