Improve Employee Retention with Mental Wellness Programs

Whether from home or in person, individuals spend a quarter of their lifetime working. Doing so has clear physical impacts on us, including exhaustion, posture changes, and long-term consequences due to the environment and particular tasks. But how do careers affect our mental state? This metric is much more challenging to determine than physical effects because so much of mental health occurs outside our perception. So, employers who wish to support their workforce’s mental health must explore wellness objectives and initiatives to determine the best employee wellness programs. A digital wellness platform can help them to do so.

Below, we describe the relationship between mental wellness and employee retention and then suggest some health and wellness programs:

The Connection Between Employees’ Mental Wellness and Retention Rates

Research from around the world illustrates a strong relationship between employees’ reported mental wellness and their employers’ retention rates. Furthermore, employees who struggle with depression experience more unemployment and less productivity than those who don’t. Therefore, improving employee mental health seems an ideal solution for companies that grapple with turnover.

However, mental health programming lacks a one-size-fits-all solution. Initiatives that work well at one organization may not suit another for several reasons: resource availability, management approval, workforce population, and more. Success requires strategic wellness design with attention paid to your program’s goals, such as improving retention rates.

Mental Wellness Programming for Workplaces

Wellness program administrators can choose from several approaches to boosting workplace mental health—again, the “best” strategy for a company depends on its circumstances and goals. However, some specific initiatives will boost employee retention rates:

  • Days of Gratitude
  • Gratitude has a profound impact on individuals’ mental health. In a professional setting, it can involve spontaneous acts—thanking individuals for their hard work or surprising your team with lunch—or creating a formal wellness initiative like volunteering. Still, gratitude strengthens a workplace’s culture and increases feelings of community. So, establish a day or two for employees and leadership to share their gratitude.

  • Volunteering
  • A strong connection exists between social wellness practices and mental well-being. Social wellness involves activities that enhance communities and their members’ interrelationships; research indicates such activities boost the mental health of participants. Employers can leverage social wellness activities to strengthen their workplace culture and improve employees’ mental health while supporting their local community.

  • Greening Your Workplace
  • “Green spaces” are areas designated for plant life (including trees, shrubs, grass, or other vegetation). Green spaces improve the mental health of residents in urban areas. So, why not bring those same benefits into your office? Plants can inject some vitality and color into a drab space. They serve to improve the indoor air quality and give employees something for which to care.

  • Sleep Challenges
  • While working occupies a quarter of their lifespan, sleeping and trying to sleep take up a third of the average person’s life! And with good reason: sleep contributes to both mental and physical health. It supports the immune, reproductive, and digestive systems. Yet it’s also something that many people sacrifice for other responsibilities.

    You can promote and protect employees’ mental health by encouraging them to follow a proper sleep schedule through a sleep challenge initiative. Using a health tracker, or even a Smartphone, have your employees track their daily sleep and urge them to seek 7 or 8 hours. Sharing struggles and strategies to boost those amounts can help make your program a success.

  • Midday Recess
  • Many of us fondly recall our childhood when, amidst school classes, we went outside and played for 20 or 30 minutes. Although our play time may look different than when we were children, we can still benefit from a hiatus similar to elementary school recess.

    A midday respite allows employees to stand, stretch, and get some exercise. It also breaks up the monotony of a work day and allows staff to enjoy the outdoors—all of which support positive mental health and, in effect, retention rates.

Choose from the Best Employee Wellness Programs

Improve Employee Retention with Mental Wellness Programs

Our commitment to full-time careers can take a heavy toll. So, to prevent staff burnout and turnover, organizations should invest in mental health resources. The best employee wellness programs can improve workplace culture, support mental health, and increase retention rates. Furthermore, the support of Givhero’s digital wellness platform can help employers organize and implement such programs while decreasing their standard administrative workload. To learn more about Givhero’s benefits and options, call us at (240) 801-5927 or schedule an appointment today!