HR Tips: Employee Self-Care

It's no secret that a happy and satisfied employee is a productive one. However, despite the obvious fact, many workers don't have proper self-care practices. Whether it's the stress to perform and get work done, or the motivation to impress, employees seem to let self-care fall by the wayside. Yet when human resources and managers step in to promote self-care, the difference can be night and day. Here are six ways that HR professionals and managers can help promote self-care at their company.

Helping Employees Practice Self-Care

Many companies have concerns about managing a high level of well-being during these difficult times, whether it is a concern of a COVID-19 outbreak, famine around the world, financial stress, or war. Here are a few techniques to help your employees practice self-care, an essential ingredient to a healthy lifestyle and a productive business. 

Help Employees Manage Fears and Anxiety

Be sure employees are getting their facts from reputable sources like the Centers for Disease Control or the Mayo Clinic. Even better, communicate these resources to employees, or even keep up with the latest news for them.

Employees should limit their time watching and listening to
media coverage as well and should control any assumptions about others.

Most importantly, make sure employees who are feeling overwhelmed, seek help.

Ensure Proper Nutrition 

It might seem silly, but you never know who might need a gentle nudge in the right direction when it comes to nutrition. There is certainly a lot more to think about when it comes to health today than there was just a few years ago. 

Ensure that employees are washing their hands frequently, including before and
after eating.

It’s also a good idea to keep some food on hand for self-quarantine or self-isolation, or even to simply avoid eating unhealthy takeout every other night. Choose easy-to-make recipes that you can prepare with pantry staples.

Promote Exercise

Promoting exercise for employees is a great method of promoting self-care. Some companies have even taken to offering gym stipends for employees, and some have gone as far as to have a gym on the premises for employees.

No matter the time of year, your local gym should always practice proper cleaning procedures and basic hygiene to ensure the health of its members, making them a great option even with the threat of COVID and other illnesses like the flu or common cold. 

However, the gym may not be for everyone. Here are some great alternatives for promoting exercise for employees: 

• At-home workouts
  • There are plenty of free workouts you can follow online
    with little to no equipment needed.
• YouTube!
  • Check out the Employee Wellness YouTube channel for
    movements you can do not only at your desk but at
    home, too
• Online workout classes
• Taking walks or jogs
  
  

Avoid Too Much TV

Recommend that employees take a digital break. 

Less television and media exposure can help employees to manage their anxiety and find a healthy balance by keeping a level perspective. TV and the news tend to stress people out, and send people spinning off into all the “What ifs?”.

Be proactive by helping employees bring themselves into the present, worry about what is within their control, and then accept that they are doing all that they can.

Resources for Financial Hardship

More often than you may expect, employees find themselves in financial hardship. It's important to ensure that those workers that do, have the resources available to help them. It's impossible to be productive as an employee with financial stress on the mind. 

Employees in immediate financial hardship can visit the State of New Mexico’s financial hardship website. The state and private companies are
taking measures to mitigate financial hardship and the state is diligently working to identify additional sources of relief and advocate for a full measure of federal support. Services such as Pay On-Demand can be of great use to employees as well. 

Ensure Employees Get Proper Sleep

While seemingly obvious, ensuring employees are well-rested and getting enough sleep is crucial for self-care and productivity. Not only is a tired employee less productive, but getting the proper amount of rest is also imperative for ensuring a positive mood. 

One of the most important sleep hygiene practices is to spend an appropriate amount of time asleep in bed, not too little or too excessive. Sleep needs vary across ages and are especially impacted by lifestyle and health.

However, there are recommendations that can provide guidance. Check the internet for good tips on establishing healthy sleep habits, and promoting restorative sleep and daytime alertness.

Management practices such as flex hours, depending on the nature of your business, are another great way to help employees feel well-rested at work since the truth is everyone has different sleeping schedules.  

Final Thoughts on Employee Self-Care

Introducing a culture of self-care into your organization alone won’t solve burnout, but having a healthy lifestyle recognized as a company priority can make a huge difference when it comes to building happier, more sustainable workday routines for you and for your employees. It can also lead to great employee retention as well as give you an edge in recruiting new talent. 

While the above-mentioned techniques are a great way to keep employees positive and happy, there are many other ways to keep employees feeling engaged. Additionally, employee engagement and performance solutions can be of great use in gaining insight into the performance of your company and helping managers identify pain points in real time. 

To learn more about how Payday HCM is already helping countless businesses keep a positive workplace culture and a productive workforce, contact us today.