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05 Sep 2022
by Carmelita Lubos

3 ways employee wellbeing days can be good for business

Employees need time off to recharge and return to work with a clear mindset.

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Until recently, the only type of sick days offered by businesses were for physical illness and injury. Then, as mental health became a focal point, employers started encouraging mental health sick days. But since the idea remains taboo, many employees did not take advantage of their leave. As a result, presenteeism remains a problem in the workplace.

The question is: how can businesses encourage staff to take time off for their wellbeing? The answer is employee wellbeing days.

Stress can be a slippery slope

The stresses and strains of work require your employees to take a break sometimes. Stress at work can be a slippery slope – employees who feel behind are more likely to work harder to stay on top of things. Burnout and other unhealthy practices like leavism can result from this.

Designated wellbeing days, separate from annual leave and sick days, allow employees to focus on their mental and physical wellbeing. Their best selves will return to work after rest and rejuvenation.

Moreover, offering wellbeing days will make your employees feel valued. It shows that you trust them to take responsibility for their own wellbeing and use the available time wisely.

Each person is different, so it’s crucial to keep that in mind. A standardised procedure cannot cater to the wellbeing of employees on their days off. It’s about letting them choose what's best for them.

How does it benefit business?

Taking time out ensures your employees are in the right headspace to produce high-quality work while maintaining their physical and mental health. Not only is this a worthwhile wellbeing initiative, but keeps your staff engaged and productive. A wellbeing day has many benefits:

1. Renewed mindset

You can get your employees back into a positive mindset by giving them time off. Mental health is negatively affected by mounting workplace stress, leading to burnout.

Common signs of burnout include:

• Feeling detached/alone in the world
• Having a cynical/negative outlook
• Self-doubt
• Slowing down and procrastinating
• Feeling overwhelmed

We all need a break from time to time. It can be hard to think positively and concentrate at work when stressed. A wellbeing day for employees brings clarity.

2. Productivity

There’s scientific evidence that employees who take time off are healthier and more productive. The reason is that workplace stress increases mental fatigue and makes concentrating difficult.

The mind recovers after taking time off, so employees are more motivated and focused when they return to work.

Employee wellbeing days mean employees take time off to improve their work performance.

3. Health improvement

Taking time out relieves increasing stress which can lead to mental and physical conditions, such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Headaches and dizziness
• Muscle tension and pain
• Stomach problems

Managing stress is crucial. Globally, long working hours are associated with about 745,000 strokes and ischemic heart disease deaths every year, according to a study by the World Health Organization. So it's important to stay vigilant when it comes to your employees overworking.

How can your business promote wellbeing?

Implementing wellbeing days begins with understanding what’s right for your organisation.

Wellbeing doesn't have a standard approach, so you should review your initiatives and determine where extra days can fit in. Once you've figured that out, you'll need to devise a plan to implement them. When planning wellbeing days, consider these three factors:

1. How many days do you wish to offer?

Regardless of how often you do it, you need to determine how many employee wellbeing days are beneficial to your team.

Strive to maintain a balance between how many days off you give your employees and what they get out of them.

Using this method maximises benefits with minimal disruption.

2. Set up a request process

The way staff will request wellbeing days must be considered. For annual leave, will they use the HR platform they normally use? Or do they need to get a manager's approval?

3. Clearly define your policies

Like any other workplace benefit, wellbeing days require policies.

You should include this in your employment contracts and any other necessary documents.

Policies may stipulate how much notice employees must give before taking wellbeing days and how many employees can take them simultaneously.

Run a trial to test the effectiveness of your plan. Make one wellbeing day available to all your employees and ask them about how it affected them. Then, you can adjust your policy to accommodate your employees and your business.

4. Provide the resources needed

You may decide to offer extra resources to your employees to help them get the most out of their wellbeing days. This helps employees enjoy their time off and learn how to take care of their own wellbeing.

Holistic wellbeing apps like Healthhero’s Symbio offer your employees access to resources from anywhere.

Time off is essential for wellbeing

Employee wellbeing days reduce stress and promote mental clarity.

Providing employees wellbeing days separate from annual leave and sick days shows that you respect their individual needs.

Additionally, it demonstrates that you understand there are different reasons for time off, and that an employee wellbeing day promotes positive self-care.

In partnership with HealthHero

HealthHero's a digital health provider that brings together human expertise and digital convenience.

Contact us today