How to make the most of your employee wellbeing budget
Companies are increasingly including an employee wellbeing budget in their financial planning. This is great progress, but it can leave HR managers with a dilemma. How can you get the most out of your wellbeing budget?
Let’s look at a few ideas of where to spend your employee wellbeing budget and what you might be able to achieve.
6 of the best ways to spend your employee wellbeing budget
1. Build employee wellbeing hubs
Employees don’t always know where to find helpful information about mental health and wellbeing. Your employee wellbeing hub can be a physical or digital space where staff can find great suggestions and support.
Creating an employee wellbeing hub helps your employees to get accurate information from trusted sources. It’s also the perfect opportunity to highlight any special initiatives or events you’re planning.
2. Support healthy nutrition
Support your employees’ physical wellbeing by focusing some of your budget on healthy eating and nutrition. This could be as simple as providing healthy snacks or going further by offering access to nutritionists.
Healthy nutrition creates a strong foundation for wellbeing but can be a delicate issue. Be respectful in how you present nutritional help to avoid awkwardness or body-shaming.
3. Invest in wellbeing technology
We all know that sitting at a desk for long periods is bad for us. Help your employees maximise their wellbeing by providing equipment and technology to support them.
Look into the wide range of options for your staff. Some will benefit from health-tracking apps or wearable devices. Standing desks or ergonomic chairs might make a bigger difference in other roles.
4. Financial wellness programs
Financial worries are a huge cause of stress for many employees. Financial wellness programs can help your staff manage their finances effectively and reduce their anxiety.
These programs can be especially helpful for younger staff who might not have budgeting and financial planning experience.
5. Puppy therapy sessions
Puppy therapy can be an unusual addition to your employee welfare options, but it brings lots of benefits. Bringing puppies into the office can relieve stress and help employees relax. Our sessions also provide great bonding opportunities for colleagues as well.
Puppy therapy with Paws in Work doesn’t just benefit your staff. We ensure that our puppy therapy sessions are healthy socialisation opportunities for all puppies involved!
Check out our puppy therapy page for more information about how puppy therapy works and the steps we take to protect our puppies.
Mental Health Awareness Month: 5 Ways to Support Your Staff
Most of us don’t talk about it enough, but mental health affects around one in four people in England every year. That’s a powerful reminder of why open, honest conversations matter so much. And when you add the pressures of work into the mix, creating space for those conversations becomes even more important. If you’re a business owner or you work for a company that’s pushing to make positive change, then this handy guide will help you get to grips with the impact of mental health, how to make meaningful change, and how to manage some of the cultural barriers that present their own challenge.
How and when to seek help for your mental health
1 in 4 adults face mental health issues in the UK. Discover ways to support your mental health and help others during difficult times.
It’s ok to talk about suicide
Globally, on average, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day. This Movember we had the privilege of speaking to Steve Carr (Mindcanyon) who was kind enough to open up and share his experience with suicide with us.