Corporate wellness programmes: Why are companies getting it wrong?

Companies usually turn to employee wellness programmes to ensure employees remain fit mentally and physically to work for them. Trouble is that most companies set parameters on health scales because of which, some employees may fail to clear it.

This automatically results in discrimination and the work environment may become harmful to the mental health of the targeted employee or a group of employees.

What are corporate wellness programmes?

Corporate wellness programmes are steps or initiatives taken by an organisation to take care of its employees’ physical as well as mental health requirements.

An employer can introduce their team to a wellness programme to ensure that their spirits remain high, they are comfortable in their work environment, and also remain efficient to the best of their abilities. This can vary from person to person and can also be targeted to overcome a particular health-related barrier. 

The introduction of these programs has received mixed reviews in terms of the workability of the same as sometimes employers may target an individual or a group of people suffering from the same illness. It may not bode well with some people as they might not wish to disclose private information. Therefore, the privacy of employees could be at stake. 

Not only that, but it will also be a burden on the Human Resources (HR) department to cater to every need of the employees because everybody will have different issues to be addressed.

A comprehensive wellness programme might not work in this scenario as workers may suffer from some chronic illness and won’t be able to partake in the whole programme. HRs might also misuse the inability of someone to attend the programme by charging a non-attending penalty.

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Incorporating wellness programmes

Companies need a more holistic approach towards wellness programmes and what they mean to employees. The amalgamation of various incentives like yoga classes, gym membership, healthy snacking area, meditation hours, etc., could be a great way to ensure a productive workplace scenario.

It will help workers make better use of their time for their physical well-being. An on-site therapist or counsellor will also help improve the mental health of the working sector.

Wellness programmes in Indian market 

Many companies are doing well in providing wellness opportunities for their employees. They have very well adapted to the employee-centered approach for the betterment of their companies. Better physical and mental health ultimately leads to better output given by workers.

They will have one less thing to worry about as health ailments can be looked after by their workplace. Many large-scale companies conduct regular screening tests for their employees. Along with these, they also provide counselling sessions and other activities to better the overall lifestyle of their employees.

Some, on the other hand, provide health packages to not only employees but also their family members, covering basic treatment costs with tie ups with various hospitals and medical centres where employees can get treated at discounted prices. 

Conclusion

Since the corporate sector has truckloads of work, it will be a much better investment to make than forcing the employees to go through regular health checkups and hinder their privacy. Sometimes, people are not ready to disclose their illness or disease in their professional life, and the regular health checkups may be a burden to them.

It is better to think of the needs of every employee and not just a handful of people. In order to do that, the HR department should make sure that they are being inclusive of their employees and not only catering to the needs of some people. 

Corporate wellness is something that is the need of the hour. It is important to curate a policy or a session that benefits your employees as well as their efficiency and productivity.

Wellness programmes as a package are being provided by many employee benefits platforms. HR’s can choose what programs they want and administer them through one single platform — be it a virtual yga session or a team building activity.