With many resorts only just re-opening after COVID-19, the future health and wellness of your returning staff members is probably well down your priority list.

Unfortunately, many of your staff will be concerned about returning to work, have been unwell with COVID-19 themselves, lost loved ones and have struggled with stress and anxiety. The workplace will be a very different environment for many months to come. Indeed, it may never return to the way it was.

And yet, providing a healthy work environment that supports the wellness of your employees has many benefits.

1 Absenteeism

According to RAND research a healthy work environment can lead to employees missing 18 per cent – 32 per cent fewer workdays.

2 Health insurance savings

If you offer this benefit, most companies see a decrease in health costs with an investment in employee wellness.

3 Promotes employee satisfaction

We all know the benefits of retaining staff over recruiting new team members. Creating a wellness program with a range of benefits is an incentive for employees to return and stay.

4 Improve productivity

Good employee health and wellness is directly linked with increased productivity. Simply put, workers will work harder if they enjoy the work environment.

So how do you promote health and wellness at work? What low-cost programs can you introduce to the work environment?

Fitness and health club memberships

Promote health and wellness by providing benefits such as a gym, spa, or yoga membership. If your resort has a gym or swimming pool, consider allowing staff access during non-peak periods. Or why not encourage them to join any fitness classes you offer?

Transport options

Encourage alternative methods of transportation to your resort if that’s feasible. Bike-sharing and public transit incentives are not only good for staff fitness but also for the environment.

Lunch and healthy snacks

With many employees having just 30 minutes for lunch, fast food options are often popular choices. Instead, search out local services that will deliver healthy snacks to your resort team or offer a healthy lunch option at your onsite cafes/bar/restaurant.

Healthy and communal eating programs encourage interaction between people from different teams.

Employee assistance programs

Wellness is not just about a healthy body; the mind needs care and consideration too. Providing financial access to support programs to handle work-related stress, depression, and anxiety will help your employees perform at their best.

Encourage personal growth

At Merlin Software, we recognised the importance for our staff having paid time off once a month to do something for themselves. This could be spending half a day volunteering, education, training, sport or spending time with their families. The last few months have been demanding for all staff, and we believe this will assist both their physical and mental well-being.

We would love to hear your thoughts and suggestion on providing health and wellness programs at your resort. It’s not just for the big corporations – everyone can offer a program that will support their team members.

Source: Rise People and University of Southern California