HUMAN RESOURCES
HUMAN RESOURCES
Prioritizing Workplace Wellness
By Jamie Grill-Goodman
The conversation around supporting employee mental health is growing and for many companies workplace wellness programs have evolved from a perk to a priority.
“ Including well-being programs as part of a company’ s culture is essential because it demonstrates a commitment to the holistic health of employees,” Chuck Cerniglia, Executive Director, UnitedHealthcare of New Jersey, tells COMMERCE.“ When employees feel supported in their physical, emotional, and mental health, I think they are more likely to be more engaged and more productive. And in my experience, well-being programs can also help attract and retain top talent, may help reduce healthcare costs, and foster a positive workplace culture.”
“ When you look at the cost of employee turnover or apathy, increased sick days, lack of focus and how it affects the bottom line, logic speaks for itself,” says Deb Looney, CEO and Founder of Loopwell, whose mission is to make well-being more accessible to everyone.
For these reasons and more, some companies have grown their workplace wellness programs into a comprehensive set of initiatives and activities aimed at maintaining the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees.
“ I think things really heated up after Covid where people just weren’ t in a great space, mentally, emotionally, and stress-wise,” notes Jill Brown, Director of People Operations, Ramapo College of New Jersey.
When Ramapo looked at how it could really support its employees during this time, the wellness activities it always held throughout the years became an expanded program.
“ It’ s not just physical wellness,” says Brown.“ It’ s emotional wellness, financial wellness, spiritual wellness, occupational wellness, intellectual wellness, and social wellness that we look at. It’ s much more inclusive than just physical wellness. And we really want to see employees thrive and just be their personal best in the workplace.”
The evolution of Ramapo’ s workplace wellness initiatives echoes a growing need for employers to take notice of their workforce’ s mental health.
Business Performance and Wellness
In 2022, fewer than one in four U. S. employees felt strongly that their organization cares about their well-being, according to GALLUP. Employees who strongly agree that their employer cares about their overall well-being, in comparison to others, are 69 % less likely to actively search for a new job, 71 % less likely to report experiencing a lot of burnout, and three times more likely to be engaged at work.
Deb Looney, CEO and Founder, Loopwell. Sean Radford, Chief People Officer, North America, Aon.
In 2023, global employee engagement stagnated, and overall employee well-being declined, according to GALLUP’ s 2024“ State of the Global Workplace” report.
“ The result is that the majority of the world’ s employees continue to struggle at work and in life, with direct consequences for organizational productivity,” the report says. Gallup estimates that low employee engagement costs the global economy US $ 8.9 trillion, or 9 % of global GDP.
With attracting and retaining talent top of mind for many employers, placing an emphasis on well-being to draw and keep workers may seem like an obvious tactic. But workplace well-being is about much more than that, according to Aon’ s 2022-2023“ Global Wellbeing Survey Report.”
“ Business performance and employee well-being are correlated,” according to the report,“ meaning companies can’ t afford to let up on supporting employee well-being. Previous surveys showed that having individual initiatives was better than nothing, but real results and better business outcomes only came when an organization had leadership support and a well-being strategy that was integrated with overall company goals.”
“ Employees have so much appreciation for their employers when they feel the investment in their personal growth,” notes Looney.
Loopwell describes itself as a social well-being club, located just outside NYC in Montclair, NJ. The indoor-outdoor event space – comprised of six different spaces around 7,500 square feet on a 15,000-square-foot lot – is designed to bring people together. Loopwell has worked with
dozens of companies, including the NBA and Loreal, on creating well-being programming.
“ Both companies infused wellness experiences like yoga, mediation, and nature hikes around their team meetings, and breakout group sessions with private coaches and team leaders,” shares Looney.“ The learning, energy, and collaboration are always palpable.”
In-person Wellness Initiatives
Looney also notes that when meeting in-person, teammates grow closer and more comfortable in ways that aren’ t possible in the office or working remotely.
“ Post Covid, isolation and burnout are very real,” she says.“ Virtual well-being is such a paradox – it can help up to a certain point, but being part of a community is the very essence of well-being … When you’ re part of a thriving community, sharing information, collaborating and growing together consistently, the learning is exponential – it’ s kinetic and powerful.”
Loopwell makes holistic self-care accessible to communities and companies through classes, workshops, educational events, and interactive experiences in person.
Similarly, Ramapo College of New Jersey offers a plethora of in-person, on-campus activities to support its employees. Ramapo’ s wellness philosophy strives for physical, emotional, social, intellectual, occupational, spiritual and financial wellness, which it aims to fulfill through a variety of initiatives. For example:
◾ Physical-Swimming, yoga, strength training, wellness walks, Tai Chi, Pilates,
Continued
6 COMMERCE www. commercemagazinenj. com