How to Improve Employee Wellness with Holistic Health

Companies today are expanding their wellness programs in an effort to maintain employee happiness and productivity. When employees are happy they tend to be less stressed and more productive, which ultimately results in an overall better working environment.

About 9 in 10 organizations surveyed by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) offer at least one kind of wellness benefit. It’s clear that businesses are aware of the value of investing in their employees’ overall wellness.

If you can manage to offer unique wellness perks, it could make your company stand out from the rest. One way you could do this is by offering some holistic health options. Let’s dive into what exactly holistic health is and how it can help your employees.

What is Holistic Health?

Holistic health can be defined as an approach to life. But to be less vague, it involves focusing on the health of the whole body and emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and spirit.

The main goal of holistic health is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything is functioning in the best way possible. It aims to uphold a continuous state of well-being. The American Holistic Health Association (AHHA) regards "optimal health as much more than the absence of sickness. It is the conscious pursuit of the highest qualities of the physical, environmental, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social aspects of the human experience."

Why you Should Offer Holistic Health Perks

When it comes to retaining employees, companies understand that more and more people in the workforce are looking for a good work-life balance. According to a survey conducted by One Poll, 66% of employees seek employers that care about their well-being. By offering various options when it comes to perks, you’re showing your employees that you appreciate the work they do and that you care about them overall.

Research has shown that people who are healthy, both mentally and physically, are more productive. As an employer, offering holistic healthcare benefits can help keep costs in check, reduce turnover and sick leave, and even make your company more attractive to potential teammates. This, in turn, can further company goals and support company culture.

What Could My Company Offer?

Aiming to offer options that better your employees’ lives is the goal, and you can do that in a myriad of ways. First, you should take into account who your employees are. It’s important to keep in mind your employee demographics to make sure you’re offering perks that are useful and accessible. There’s no better way to find out what to offer than by asking. Sending out a simple survey about what your employees would want to participate in is a great way to see what your employees would find useful.

Here are three common options you could offer your employees:

Yoga

A simple example of a holistic health option would be offering yoga. Yoga at the workplace has been shown to reduce absenteeism from sickness or other physical problems, boost company morale and improve communication skills among employees.

Yoga is commonly known to affect the body and mind positively and relieve stress.

Making this available onsite allows employees to easily step into a zen space and relax. Book a conference room once a week, hire a local instructor, and provide mats if you can. People are more likely to participate if it's really easy to do so.

Acupuncture

The treatment has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine. Practitioners use small, sterile needles to activate acupuncture points at various depths. It’s not painful and it’s meant to stimulate certain nerves that send signals to the brain. The brain is then supposed to release neural hormones that naturally relieve pain.

Acupuncture can increase your chances of workplace success and offers many benefits to boost your productivity. It may also reduce the physical and emotional impacts of an unhealthy or stressful work environment.

Meditation

Meditation is a mind-body practice that’s been used for centuries to promote calmness, improve physiological balance, and improve overall health. There are many studies that have demonstrated how beneficial regular meditation can be on the mind and body.

This is why more and more companies are starting to offer meditation programs for employees. There are also tons of meditation apps like Headspace that you could offer as a great perk and provide a subscription for your team.

Getting a meditation app subscription could be a more cost-effective option to hiring someone to come into the office. However, if you are able to offer meditation onsite, it would give your employees the opportunity to take a quick break during the day just to refocus.

Every workplace is unique so finding what your employees respond well to is key to offering the best holistic health perks possible. By prioritizing employees’ holistic health, you’ll be able to create a workplace that fosters positive cultures, promotes health and happiness among employees, and drives success across the whole organization.