The COVID-19 pandemic has changed employee expectations about workplace benefits and working policies. Employees are now prioritizing their health and wellbeing, and expect the same from their employers too. According to a World Economic Forum report, employees are choosing work-life balance and workplace flexibility over a handsome pay scale.

To make sure employers recruit skilled candidates and retain productive ones, they have to study and offer the best-suited workplace benefits and perks. Employers who do not appeal to the new candidates with their workplace culture and policies may lose skilled talent to other pro-employee organizations.

One of the best ways to address employee wellbeing and workplace wellness is through corporate wellness programs. As employees are prioritizing mental wellbeing since the pandemic, corporate wellness programs that focus on holistic health dimensions can be very useful in boosting employee engagement and improving workplace wellness.

Apart from the employee wellness programs, employees are looking out for different ways for their employers to care for them post-COVID.

In addition to offering employee wellness programs, here are a few key areas that must be focused on by the employers to ensure employee wellness and workplace wellbeing.

Flexible Workplace Culture for Better Work-Life Balance

The pandemic has made employees understand the importance of work-life balance, and employers also realize it as employee wellbeing has impacted their engagement and workplace productivity. A survey showed that almost 41% of the respondents are more than willing to accept a job with flexible workplace culture, especially for the working schedule and location, even for a relatively lower salary. Likewise, almost 47% of the respondents said they were ready to leave their existing jobs if they were not offered a flexible working culture.

The pandemic saw almost 3 million women dropping from their jobs as they were not able to maintain a work-life balance. The stress of joggling between their work and personal responsibilities at home affected employee health and wellbeing, forcing them to quit their jobs. This affected employers with lost productivity and higher employee turnover rates, impacting their business. All this loss for the employees and employers was because of the lack of flexible working policies.

So, having a flexible workplace culture has a positive impact on employee engagement and retention. Almost 80% of an SHRM study revealed that they would be more loyal and engaged at their workplace if it offered a flexible working culture.

Employers can understand the flexible workplace culture requirements of the workforce by conducting employee pulse surveys, polls, and assessments. Based on the outcomes, they can plan to address the needs by training the managers and changing the workplace policies accordingly, to ensure employee work-life balance.

Aligning with Values for Better Employee Engagement

Employees, nowadays, are more interested in working with organizations whose purpose aligns with diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives. Job seekers are looking for organizations that share similar D&I values, as most of them prefer working with a diverse workforce. Candidates are evaluating the companies by studying their reviews on online platforms like Google and Glassdoor. This is why ‘word-of-mouth’ is a powerful marketing tool, as employees who are happy with the workplace and its policies will talk positively about the company, helping in recruiting skilled candidates.

Almost 33% of employers revealed in a JobVite survey that since the pandemic many job seekers are questioning the company’s D & I initiatives during interviews to evaluate and choose their employers. This is because organizations with D&I initiatives tend to have a higher commitment to their employees and align with their values. As a result, almost 83% of the employees in workplaces with D & I initiatives are more engaged and loyal as they believe their employers care and value them.

Focus on Employee Wellness Solutions

Employee wellbeing is vital for better employee engagement and productivity, along with reduced healthcare costs and absenteeism rates. The pandemic has impacted employee mental health, and 75% of employees are now considering mental wellbeing as a top health and wellness priority. Since the pandemic, almost 2 out of every 5 employees are looking up to their employers for mental wellness support. Many others want their employers to make them feel safe and protected.

Employers are now looking for employee wellness solutions like corporate wellness programs that focus on holistic wellness dimensions and include various employee engagement strategies. Along with supporting their mental wellbeing and holistic health by various employee wellness solutions, employers are also putting efforts to improve their workplace culture to ensure a positive working environment. Such a healthy and positive ambiance and culture will boost employee engagement and workplace productivity.

To ensure maximum employee engagement and wellbeing, employers must choose corporate wellness programs with comprehensive wellbeing features. In short, a well-planned and credible wellness program vendor will provide a robust wellness program platform, corporate wellness apps, device integration, online interventions, holistic wellness challenges ideas, and many other wellness modules, to ensure employee wellbeing.

Employers must understand what employees truly need as post-COVID care. Skilled candidates are no more worried about getting a job. They are making serious considerations while choosing their employers to ensure their organization is ready to face and protect its employees during uncertain and at all times. Employers can expand their employee benefits package with beneficial perks like employee wellness programs and flexible workplace culture to attract and retain a skilled workforce, who in turn, will help the business grow.