Did you know that 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace? And that over 200 million workdays ($16.8 billion in employee productivity) are lost each year due to mental health conditions? With such a drastic impact in the workplace, mental health is no longer a workplace issue that can be sidelined. Large companies like Facebook and Google have already started offering mental wellness initiatives. So, it is now important, more than ever, for small to medium sized companies to take an active interest in employee mental health and create a supportive environment for their employees.

Why should you invest in workplace mental health initiatives?

Workplace wellness is important because poor mental health can affect an employee’s day-to-day work life. Poor mental health can affect an employee’s:

• Job performance and productivity;
• Engagement with work and coworkers; and
• Daily functioning.

As such, workplace mental health initiatives are programs that employers need to invest in. And these wellness programs don’t even need to be costly; simple events like a wellness day require minimal investment but can produce effective results. Supporting mental health programs in the workplace lead to overall improved team performance and employee wellbeing.

Here are three main reasons why employers should promote mental wellness in the workplace:

Increased Employee Productivity and Motivation

When mental health is supported in the workplace, employees are able to perform better. Happy employees have improved decision-making, workflow, and engagement, all of which translate to increased productivity and motivation in the workplace. Employees will feel that they are supported, fostering a sense of loyalty to the company and reducing absenteeism.

Higher Team Morale

Mental wellness programs can lead to higher team morale. When teams engage in wellness initiatives together, both outside and inside work, they start having a shared purpose that builds camaraderie. These shared experiences can go a long way in keeping employees engaged with the team, leading to a positive workplace culture.

Decreased Stress

Work-related stress within employees can become debilitating and costly for a company. So, investing in programs that deal with stress management or mindfulness and meditation can help reduce stress throughout the workplace. Essentially, less stress in the workplace leads to satisfied employees, which, ultimately, creates a positive culture.

Bottom Line

Workplace wellness programs can be a valuable asset for employers and employees. With an increasingly competitive job market, how well a company responds to mental health issues is becoming increasingly important to employees, current and new. To learn how you can leverage wellness programs to the fullest, reach out to CorpStrat and see how comprehensive employee benefits can further attract, reward, and retain new and existing employees.

Employee recognition is about acknowledging the hard work of the employees within your company. And it is a crucial element to employee engagement and happiness. Simply put, a solid employee recognition strategy leads to stronger engagement, increased employee morale, and lower employee turnover.

The best recognition tactics make employees feel valued and respected. But, creating an effective recognition strategy from the start is not as easy as it looks. Here are 4 simple tactics you can incorporate today to jumpstart your employee recognition program.

1.    Positive Feedback

Give positive feedback to employees when they produce exceptional work. As simple as this may seem, positive feedback is an effective—and simple—way to recognize your employee’s and/or team’s hard work. Praise motivates people to work harder, so sharing positive feedback on a regular basis, whether through a quick shout-out in the meeting or through email, is a good way to jumpstart your employee recognition tactics.

2.    Employee of the Month

Create an “Employee of the Month” program, one that recognizes the month’s top-performing employee. A formal employee recognition process like this can instill a sense of pride within the employee, encouraging stronger engagement and motivation. But we recommend making the nomination process an inclusive activity, not one that only upper management gets to dictate. Including everyone’s opinion in the process will make them feel valued and respected as employees throughout this process. Looking to go the extra mile? Take it one step further and create a “Wall of Fame,” with pictures of your past “Employees of the Month.”

3.    Wellness Day

Show your support for wellness with an Employee Wellness Day. Creating a culture of wellness at your company is guaranteed to inspire, educate, and engage employees. Self-care activities, such as on-site massages, mindfulness sessions, or fitness classes will give your employees a much-needed break. And this refreshing break will create the understanding within your employees that their hard work and efforts are being recognized and valued.

4.    Catered Lunch

Host an employee appreciation lunch for your employees. From fully catered meals to box lunches, there are endless ways to bring a catered meal to your company. Treating your employees with lunch is a great way to show that you appreciate them for their hard work. If catering a lunch for the entire office is too much, then try providing catered meals department by department, or team by team.

Bonus tip: Recognition and rewards software

Implement a recognition and rewards software to better track and reward your top-performing employees. Employee recognition tools can automate your strategy for a smoother employee recognition program. With hard data, these software platforms give a data-driven insight into which employees go above and beyond in their roles as well as automatically provide recognition and rewards to those who exemplify company culture.

With these simple tactics, your employee recognition program will have a strong foundation. Your employees will feel recognized and, therefore, motivated to work harder for your company. But, if you want to learn how to attract, reward, and retain your employees in the long-term, reach out to CorpStrat today.

Back in the 20th century, there was a clear difference between work and life. What you did to earn income and what interested you weren’t always associated together.

But, today, life is pushing back! Recently, there has been an increased focus on happiness at work among employees. They may change jobs often and encounter unexpected twists and turns, but personal satisfaction within a job is just as important as the job’s salary for today’s employees.

And with the rise of mobile technology, work is no longer confined to the office. New technologies and software allow employees to be “on” anytime, anywhere. But even though technology has offered great advantages, it has allowed work to infiltrate employees’ lives, keeping them connected to work 24/7.

In addition, employees today are more diverse than ever. They are no longer easily defined by generational categories like “Millennial,” “Gen X,” or “Boomer.” Instead, employees want to be recognized as the unique individuals that they are. They want faster recognition and direct compensation for their efforts. And they want to be a part of something bigger besides just “having a job” and “making money.”

In light of this “blended life,” employees are looking to achieve harmony, which is the experience of a work-life relationship that supports their life goals. When this work-life relationship is “in harmony,” employees become empowered in their personal relationships, as well as in their financial and career goals. In order to aid employees in their quest for harmony, employers must adopt an “employee-first” mentality and proactively provide solutions based on their needs.

Here are 5 ways employers can meet employees where they are:

1. Offer a breadth of employee benefit options.

The definition of “employee benefits” has expanded beyond “health insurance”. Today’s employers have to offer flexibility, custom tailored and diverse offerings. By offering a wide range, employers can help alleviate the anxiety that comes with the integration of work-life and home-life.

2. Deliver digital and tailored solutions.

With the rise of mobile technology, companies must embrace HR technology to adapt and disseminate their information. Doing so will help an increasingly diverse workforce find the assurance and security it’s looking for.

3. Provide access to the right information.

When employees have access to the right information on their terms, it ensures they can get the info they need to meet their objectives. This places additional demands on the HR team, who must engage vendors to deliver timely and clear information regarding benefits, policies, and payroll, compliance and workplace procedures.

4. Focus on creating an engaging company culture.

Time and dollars spent on creating culture will be returned exponentially. So, companies that engage their teams, create synergistic opportunities beyond the softball team, and support employee engagement will thrive in retaining and attracting talent.

5. Tie compensation to performance.

When compensation is tied to performance, employees will best be able to recognize their role in the growth and success of their organization. This will enable them to discover the immense value of their workplace and benefits. As a result, their appreciation will enhance their loyalty and commitment to the company.

Companies that embrace this new way of thinking and utilize HR technology to bring employee engagement into the 21^st century will thrive in a challenging and changing business world. Contact CorpStrat to learn how our “21st Century” strategies can revolutionize your business.

With a new decade here, it is time to start thinking about how your workforce can become more effective and efficient in the years to come. 2020 is bringing new changes to the human resources industry so your HR department must be prepared to respond and adapt.

To prepare for 2020, here are 5 resolutions your HR department can set in order to attract and retain your workforce.

1. Align employee goals with team and organization goals.

When goals align within your organization, employees feel more motivated and engaged. It is crucial to show how employee contributions build towards team and organization success. When employees see the link between their contributions and the bigger picture, they are driven by the idea of everyone working together towards the same goal.

One way for goal alignment is to encourage leadership to share its goals and direction of the company. By better communicating their goals and expectations, executives can make sure everyone is on the same page. Another way to show employees how their work is helping the organization is to set milestones, whether they be monthly or quarterly.

2. Adopt a more flexible workplace model.

Similar to last year’s Top 5 Resolutions for HR in the New Year, adopting a flexible workplace model is still just as important for 2020. Remote work is no longer considered a luxury and has become more of an expectation. Companies that offer remote work experience actually saw a 25% lower turnover rate as well as a boost in overall productivity. Furthermore, in the face of increasing globalization, offering remote work has become the perfect way to access a wider pool of talent across the world.

In order to support remote work, it is important that your organization provide the technology and resources employees need to be successful when working remote. Providing a virtual office space, like Slack, and video chat software, such as Zoom or Skype, can help with productivity for those working remotely.

3. Leverage people analytics for decision-making.

In 2020, it will be increasingly important for HR to leverage data analytics to make decisions. With data, HR can make better people-related decisions related to recruiting and retaining, as well as test the effectiveness of HR policies and different interventions. A Deloitte study has shown that 71% of executives believed people analytics to be “very important” or “important” to their business.

With an increasing number of people analytics tools appearing in the market, businesses will have access to a wide range of metrics to help them understand, at a far deeper level, what drives results. HR should leverage these tools and analyze data regarding recruitment, performance, and employee mobility to optimize their operations.

4. Focus on providing employees with continuing education.

Providing employees with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge in their field can help increase engagement, retention, productivity, and efficiency. According to LinkedIn, 94% of employees said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in helping them learn.

HR must prioritize training objectives based on topics relevant to the department or team first. Relevant and useful topics will naturally engage and motivate employees whereas irrelevant topics will disengage them. Once a foundation of continuing education is set, HR should launch programs teaching employees new useful skills that they can leverage to take both themselves and the organization further.

5. Reevaluate the recruiting strategy

As more people shift towards a more project-based career, HR must reevaluate and redefine their recruiting strategy to make sure it is attracting all types of workers. The contingent workforce—which includes both remote workers and on-site, non-employee workers—now accounts for 41.5% of the U.S. workforce.

Some ways to refresh the recruiting strategy can involve offering referral bonuses, showcasing employee video testimonials, writing job descriptions that clearly outline expectations, and branching out beyond the usual recruiting platforms. Once interest is piqued, HR must have a concrete plan on how they plan to engage with these workers. Some ways to attract and retain talent is to offer a comprehensive employee benefits package as well as flexibility for remote work—as discussed above.

To learn how your HR department can attract, reward, and retain employees in 2020, reach out to CorpStrat for more information on how we design and manage employee benefits at competitive rates.