Why a well workplace matters?
In today’s rapidly-growing digital landscape, the tech industry, more than ever, is regarded as a being at the forefront of innovation. Tech professionals, from software engineers to data analysts and their support teams play a critical role in shaping the world we live in.
If the truth be told, the pursuit of excellence and far-reaching advancements dictate investment on workplace wellness. Employee wellbeing across all employees and not only the tech professionals has become mandatory in achieving returning the investment in human capital whilst securing the future of any organisation.
Having worked with human resources in the tech sector for many years in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, the importance of workplace wellness and work-life balance was top-of mind as the health and wellbeing of teams was a significant contributor to a happy, healthful, balanced workforce. This was paramount for employee satisfaction and employee retention in a then skills-short market.
Today companies are required to recognise – and actively address – the unique wellness challenges faced by, not only tech professionals, but all employees across the board: The creation of a positive work environment that that is supportive of all aspects of both the physical and mental wellbeing of their human resources.
When I walked into the Sydney, Australia, offices of Salesforce, one of the world’s greatest customer relationship management (CRM) software companies, I was ‘blown away’ by the credence that they place on incorporating mindfulness, meditation and wellbeing initiatives into their everyday routines. Places and spaces are provided for mindfulness, reflection – these emphasising the value of relaxation, recharging and re-energising in the workplace. It is researched and proven that meditation and guided breathing can help with stress, creativity, focus and so much more both in and outside the workplace.
In the Salesforce Ohana space, there are family rooms, meditation and reflection rooms. Their food and beverage stations hold a plethora of wholesome and healthful snacks and meals catering for every possible dietary requirement and fresh fruit stations are dotted all around. ʻOhana’ means ‘family’ and references the familial bond that native Hawaiians share. This has been embraced by Salesforce and this bond is evident in both their corporate and personal values.
“Investing in a workplace wellness plan may seem like a risk for small business owners, especially if they feel the results aren’t quantifiable or certain. Fortunately, a growing body of research consistently concludes that wellness initiatives are effective both at making people healthier and at improving a company’s bottom line. According to research in Rand Health Quarterly, workplace wellness programmes have been shown to reduce risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases. For example, wellness education can effectively intervene in unhealthy behaviour to reduce or eliminate instances of smoking, obesity and sedentary living,” reads an article in https://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/
Another health study from Harvard suggests that the money invested in wellness plans saves more money in the long run. “We found that medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programmes and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent,” said the study’s authors.
