How can healthy work environments impact companies?

Research has shown that a happy employee is the most valuable asset to any business. A happy employee will be productive, committed and engaged, that’s why it cannot be underestimated how essential healthy work environments are. According to the ‘World Health Organization’ the definition of a healthy work environment is one in which “there is not only an absence of harmful conditions that will cause illness or injury but also an abundance of health- promoting ones”. This means it is simply not enough to have a physically safe and healthy work environment; it also needs to include ensuring that staff are empowered, valued, and given opportunities for growth and development.

Whilst the fundamentals are covered by law, professionals are simply no longer satisfied with the bare minimum. Companies who are keen to improve their work environment and create one that is healthy and nurturing ought to think bigger as it pertains to the protection and appreciation of employees. Interested in having a better staff retention, increase in overall productivity and a healthy work environment both physically and mentally for staff? Here are 7 benefits of creating a healthy working environment:

1. It encourages collaboration, support, and unity amongst staff members – because employees feel safe to pitch their ideas, it can often lead to outstanding results and solutions.
2. Improves employee’s mental health – by offering programs, benefits and support for team members that teach and support a healthy mental health, helps to guide individuals on how to cope with challenges both personally and professionally.
3. Reduces staff turnover rate – having a healthy working environment allows employees to be dedicated and committed. There are many cons as it pertains to having a high turn over rate in a business. From decreased staff morale, training costs, and workload strain on employees, these can all evidently damage a business’ reputation and make it difficult to attract top talent.
4. Reduces absenteeism – a healthy environment encourages staff to show up for work! It is essential for team members to love their place of work, the mood of the staff has a huge impact on productivity, customer service and many other departments.
5. Fosters creativity – ensuring that a safe environment is established means staff are comfortable with voicing any concerns, but this also means being able to take risks, give proposals, do research and bring new, modern ways of change.
6. Improves staff morale – something we’ve also touched on throughout this article. However, to summarize when staff morale is high it can be tied to so many other benefits throughout the company like employee engagement, job satisfaction, staff attendance, customer service and much more.
7. Finally, it can improve the overall corporate image – having a healthy workplace shows how a company prioritizes the health and wellbeing of employees and potential applicants. It allows the company to stand out from its competitors and helps to attract a diverse and talented pool of candidates.

By way of summarizing, a healthy working environment does more than just make a company look good, to ensures that the staff are happy and healthy. Applicants seeking better opportunities are no longer searching for just having a physically safe environment, but also a mentally supportive environment. As time evolves, changes happen, people are beginning to realize that it takes more than good compensation when maintaining employee satisfaction, and we cannot see that trend changing.