How Wellness Programs Affect Employee Work-Life Balance

The pandemic has caused employees to work longer hours, resulting in poorly defined professional and personal spaces. How can companies implement effective wellness programs to promote a healthy work-life balance during the pandemic?

Work is a constant in all our lives and is extremely important for our livelihoods, and sometimes our sense of self-worth. However, it is crucial that workers find a balance between their personal and professional lives. A study by Groupon showed that 60% of American workers find it difficult to draw boundaries between their home life and their work life. Employees also seem to want to fill their spare time with even more work. This has made achieving work-life balance a real challenge for businesses and their employees.

With the pandemic forcing workers to conduct their business from home, the boundaries between personal and professional are blurred further. There is no longer a dedicated physical space where one works and a different space where one rests. As a result, Americans are among the most overworked individuals in the world, with over 85% of males and 66% of females working more than 40 hours per week. 

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The Importance of Work-Life Balance

While it might cross some minds that employees working longer hours is hugely beneficial for any company, the truth is usually the exact opposite. Providing employees with the conditions to ensure work-life balance often leads to better business results. Having a healthy work-life balance leads to increased productivity in employees and improved mental and physical health. 

A key mistake made by managers in this highly connected age is using the number of hours an employee is online as a gauge of individual productivity. However, study after study has disproved that these two factors have a direct relationship to each other. One particular study conducted by Stanford University showed that productivity dropped sharply when employees worked longer hours. 

In addition to productivity loss, individuals that worked long hours in a week are also likely to fall victim to fatigue and mental illness. A recent study detected higher stress levels, increased depression, and common suicidal thoughts in employees who worked more than 40 hours a week. Prioritizing employee mental health and wellbeing is more important than ever due to the pandemic.

The Relationship Between Work-Life Balance and Wellness Programs

The importance of work-life balance is clear and companies can make it easier for employees to achieve this balance by implementing a total well-being program. Such programs allow companies to show employees that they are valued and can go a long way in improving employee morale during this stress-inducing pandemic. Here are three ways wellness programs can improve work-life balance for employees.

1. Wellness Programs Increase Employee Engagement

Research conducted by the World Economic Forum showed that almost half of the surveyed employees worldwide reported feeling lonely or isolated while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wellness programs that provide workshops, social events, videos, and group or team challenges can go a long way in creating a sense of community, even when done virtually. An additional benefit of keeping employees engaged in a company is that they remain loyal to their employers for longer and the company becomes an attractive workplace for potential hires in the future. 

2. Software-based Programs Help Managers Identify Potential Problems Early

With COVID-19 reducing the face time that managers have with members of their team, it can be very difficult to identify employees who are struggling with balancing their work and personal lives. Especially with health concerns becoming a source of stress for many, managers have to be proactive in communicating with their teams and helping them manage any stress they might be facing. Holistic wellness programs can use technology such as Health Risk Assessments to identify when employees are at high risk of developing health issues as a direct result of overworking.

3. Personalized Programs Make Employee Buy-In Easier

Many companies have implemented their versions of wellness programs in ways that they feel will benefit their employees. However, each employee is unique and many do not respond to a program in the same way that others might. Using CoreHealth's white-labeled technology allows you to develop and promote programs and content by user risk, strategy and preferences using segmentation, incentives and optional psychographics. Developing programs that can be tweaked on the fly for each employee can ultimately help companies ensure they are receiving the best possible return on their wellness programs. 

If you would like to learn more about well-being technology that can be personalized to your participants and encourages a healthy work-life balance, contact us today.