It's essential that companies support their workers, and there are a number of ways they can do that.
One is squeezing in little moments of personal wellness into the workday wherever possible. A survey from workplace communication platform Slack found that, along with increased productivity, employees who step away from their desks report a greater ability to manage stress and higher satisfaction levels than those who do not.
Employers can stimulate movement in a workplace setting by creating a community space for employees to eat lunch and organizing social activities to get people up from their desks and engaged. Wellness benefits and promoting healthy practices, such as midday walks and stretch breaks throughout the day, are also simple ways to make it clear that employee health is a priority.
"We're all so busy, and we have a checklist of things to accomplish by the end of the day, but at least two of those checklist items should be a break for you to participate in whatever self care [appeals] to you," says Katherine Bagby, a physical therapist and co-founder and COO of HudCo, a collaborative work and wellness space in New York.
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Helping an employee through a difficult time is another way to show support. Providing paid-time off for a staff member to deal with a personal safety issue can make a significant difference. These policies are generally known as SAFE leave, which is shorthand for safe time and sick leave.
SAFE leave allows employees to
"These employees don't get to choose when they're experiencing some form of intimate partner violence," says Deborah Hanus, CEO of Sparrow, an end-to-end leave management platform. "They don't get to choose when the right moment is to escape, and it's often an extremely difficult process to leave these relationships."
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Employers must also be aware of how they support their workers through other types of emergencies, such as an unexpected medical crisis, the death of a loved one or a natural disaster. In many instances, these situations can be extremely costly for the employee to deal with.
Banyan Software is trying to help by offering financial relief to workers affected by such events. Six weeks ago, the firm rolled out an employee resource fund that workers can access when they face a surprise expense, such as an unexpected medical bill or an expense related to caring for a family member. It is currently in the pilot stage with no cap on the amount someone can receive, and is available to their 3,000-member global workforce.
"Even when someone is compensated correctly for the work they're doing, it doesn't mean that a several thousand-dollar hit in some category wouldn't be destructive," says Erica Golden, Banyan Software's chief people officer. "It would be, and it would pull away from their ability to stay connected to their work."
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Finally, just offering an overall strong package of perks and benefits can show workers how much an employer cares. A number of companies are already doing just that. Employee insight platform Comparably recently ranked some of the biggest household names based on their benefits offerings. This included things like Adobe offering unlimited time off and Paycom providing free gym memberships.
"Beyond salary, perks and benefits are often a major consideration when attracting and retaining top talent," says Chad Herring, CHRO for ZoomInfo, Comparably's parent company. "Whether it be comprehensive medical benefits and unlimited PTO or wellness stipends and flexibility perks, offering the full package can have a big impact on company culture and employee engagement."
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