Workplace wellness trends you can’t afford to ignore in 2020

Lirpasloof yoga for busy business owners

Employees (particularly millennials) aren’t working just for the paycheck anymore. They need to feel that they’re a part of something bigger.

They want to contribute toward a meaningful purpose and to make a difference in the world. They want to strive for a common goal, together. Do you already have a successful workplace well-being strategy in place? Well, it’s becoming more and more important and here’s why.

The Millennials Are Moving On Up

Millennials are now the largest employee group and they’re presence is being felt. They have irrevocably changed well-being expectations in the workplace. If their well-being is not considered as a key stakeholder business need, an organization will now lose its competitive advantage, as Millennials gravitate to companies that promise to deliver employee-focussed wellbeing, leadership, and connection-themed programs.

Millennials expect much more from their employers than their parents did, and they are now becoming leaders who expect change. They really do want to make the world a better place and they would prefer a mentor or coach over a “boss” any day. They enjoy collaborating more than competing and they are looking for more flexible hours and like to have the option of telecommuting. They are seeking an integration of work and life, rather than just work/life balance; and all this might not be bad for business in the end. Just weigh up, for example, the pros and cons of telecommuting for yourself.

We now have to deal with 5 different generations in the workforce, and generational conflict definitely exists. Millennials have different attitudes about work ethic, authority, and flexibility. There are also cultural differences, like values of respect and courtesy and behaviours like making eye contact. Whilst Generation Z’s and millennials may be acing technology, their organizational communication and emotional intelligence are often poorer, because of their screen-based childhoods.

Culture Audits For Workplace Wellness

To keep pace with change, organizations should regularly review HR based goals and organizational goals for aspects like levels of customer complaint, productivity, staff turnover, levels of error, and workplace health and safety standards. These results should be aligned with workplace well-being programs including staff retention, mental health issues, and stress levels. This type of audit should help to keep you on top of changing technology, societal conditions, and worker satisfaction and participation levels.

In which ways could a company get into the workplace wellness trend? Well, unless you are a millennial yourself, it might be worth your while to consult with an expert in this new aspect of HR management.

There are quite a few possibilities when looking at your company’s workplace wellness; like educational presentations about a healthy mind and body habits; fitness classes like Zumba, Pilates and yoga; speciality offerings like food demonstrations, massage therapy, health/wellbeing screenings, and acupuncture; and of course the mentoring and coaching programs that help them set personal and professional goals and make their work feel more meaningful.

All of these are likely to be popular with employees in 2020 and beyond and could mean the difference between a business’s success or downfall in the future.

Companies need to get understanding about these new needs, embrace and integrate them into their businesses, placing their employees as their priority. As rapid technological advancements fragment our tools, work behaviours, and processes and also impact internal communications structures, our rate of adaption has to be just as swift in the HR realm.