If you run a business, you might not know this – but your employees might be suffering. It might be your fault, it might not be your fault, but work isn’t always the best place for a healthy mind body and soul. Worrying news, right? We all want the best for our workplaces (hopefully), and that doesn’t just mean making sure the office is good to look at and is comfortable, it also means that the employees are happy. Now, that isn’t just because a happy employee is a productive employee, but because it’s the right thing to do.
As a business owner, it can be all too easy to get wrapped up in things. You’ve got the bottom line to stick to and a lot of business areas to manage. However, that does include the welfare of your employees. Taking care of the people working for you? It isn’t something you should do as a business owner or boss – it is something you have to do. There is no way around it and bosses of one mind can lose track of the fact that the people actually making the business ‘happen’ aren’t mindless worker bees – they are, and always will be real people.
Employees? The workplace can be a really negative environment for them. If it’s dingy, dirty, uncomfortable and just a bad place to be – working there can be a real downer and take its toll on someone’s mental health and thus their health in general. What’s more, a workplace that is offensive, sexist or even racist and ableist will absolutely destroy employees. The very first thing that any good manager or owner needs to do is ensure that their workplace is a place of work that can cater for people from all walks of life. Anything less is unacceptable. This is performed through good policy and training. Behavior issues in the workplace will come from the top – so cut them off at the head and lead by example.
Employee welfare isn’t just about their happiness or level of comfortability in the place of work – but it is also about their health. Health and safety needs should be covered anyway by adhering to workplace law in regards to health and safety, but you should always go above and beyond to ensure that the health of the employees working for you is not threatened. Installing numerous health stations like the Emerg-A-Center first aid station and training employees in the use of them is a good way to resolve any serious issues that occur – but you can also confront a lot of health issues in the workplace by operating a clean business.
It’s all well and good reading articles on the internet, and of course – it’s a great start, but if you truly care about the employees working for you, you need to do one thing right now: talk to them. Employees are not voiceless, and you will do right by them if you try to engage with them and listen to their concerns. After all, they are running your business!
