The Benefits of Creating a Health-Oriented Work Culture for Your Employees

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The pandemic has changed everything — for businesses, for leaders, and for . At the height of the pandemic, we were trapped indoors, our lives were bleeding at home, parents were juggling virtual school with Zoom meetings, and employees faced the added stress of not knowing how the pandemic would affect their life and that of their loved ones. . In this time of struggle, many companies have shown their true values ​​in how they have responded to the challenges faced by their employees. And for their staff, it has become a moment of realizing and reassessing what they expect from their company.

Related: What 3 Companies Do to Keep Employees Healthy

What employees want

Today, 80% of employees say that having an employer who cares about them and their well-being will affect their future career choice. Business leaders therefore face a major challenge: how to support employees in a radically changed work environment where work priorities and preferences have changed.

Mercer recently surveyed 2,000 American workers to see what they really want out of the pandemic. They found that for low-wage employees, the top three concerns included covering monthly expenses, mental/emotional health, and physical health and fitness. For high-wage employees, the top factors were health and fitness, work-life balance, and personal safety.

The key to take away? All of these main concerns relate to well-being. In the past, most employee concerns were about income, management, commute time, and job performance expectations. Since the pandemic, however, employees are looking for companies that not only offer a living wage, but go above and beyond with benefits that help employees live better.

Related: 8 Ways to Foster an Employee Wellness Environment

The Benefits of Giving Employees What They Want

Recent research suggests that organizations that invest in the health of their workforce benefit from increased performance, and a number of case studies show that companies that value the well-being of their employees exceed their goals and are able to deliver about three times the returns to shareholders. Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that healthy employees are happier, calmer, more engaged, sleep better, and get sick less often, leading to a 20% increase in national levels .

Priorizing these initiatives ensures that a company cares and smoothes the path so people can achieve a shared goal of accomplishment; and organizations that choose to engage in a health-focused culture can reap a variety of positive impacts. Here we look at a range of benefits specific to companies investing in the nutrition and healthy eating habits of their employees:

Attracting and Retaining Talent: According to a 2018 study, taking a lunch break can improve job satisfaction, efficiency, and the likelihood that employees will recommend their workplace to others as a pleasant work.

Reducing Stress: We've all experienced that awful mix of hunger and anger, often referred to as "hungry." Studies have shown that what you eat can help your brain produce chemicals to promote better sleep, reduce anxiety and increase feelings of calm.

Reduce health...