“Modernizing your workforce starts with modernizing your HR approach.”
In today’s labour market, successful truck fleets and logistics companies know that staying abreast of the issues will help them stay ahead of the competition. Follow our “Modernizing Your HR Approach” blog series as we navigate emerging trends and share tips for finding, hiring, and retaining the talent you need.
There is a growing focus on employee health and wellness, and rightfully so. Putting wellness programs in place not only demonstrates that you care about your employees, it is shown to have direct impacts on employee productivity; reduced absenteesism, and overall job satisfaction.
Today, employers with comprehensive and modern wellness approaches are using them as part of their attraction and recruitment efforts. Let’s take a look at how you can make sure your health and wellness approach keeps you competitive in todays marketplace:
Tailored approaches
When it comes to workplace wellness, one size does not fit all. All employees have unique needs and priorities. And, while there is a lot of research pointing to the millennials desire for more flexibility, current research shows that in fact, employees from all generations value more flexibility, convenience and control over their benefits. There is also growing interest in non-conventional health services.
When is the last time you took a close look at your health and benefits plan? When is the last time you asked your employees what they value most about it?
There are options out there to help you meet the diverse and unique needs of your employees. Health spending accounts and wellness accounts are two examples that offer this type of flexibility. They give employees more choice and increased involvement in their benefits, and give employers financial flexibility too by allowing you to determine set spending amounts.
Financial health
With an increasing number of workers in our industry approaching retirement, assistance in educating and informing your employees about their financial wellness is an important consideration. The stress caused by financial worries and concerns should not be under-estimated.
Either through an employee assistance program, or other service providers – there are ways to confidentially address the financial concerns of your employees, through money management support, education, and debt counselling and retirement planning.
Nutrition
Good nutrition is a known factor in the health and wellbeing of your employees. It helps to maintain energy levels, contributes to a healthy body weight, and assists in the prevention and management of chronic disease
Many employers offer stocked driver lounges, host summer BBQ events, or provide staff lunches for special occasions. These are all opportunities for employers to promote healthy eating by offering healthy choices and options. If a healthy workplace culture is something you want to promote, then do so.
Mental health
In any given week, 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to a mental health issue. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health conditions are increasingly responsible for disability claims and account for more than $6 billion in lost productivity due to absenteeism and “presenteeism.” In trucking, a worker who is on the job but not mentally present also poses a safety risk.
Making sure that employees are not chronically overworked, having policies that effectively address bullying or harassment, and ensuring that staff are equipped and trained to identify mental health issues early are important considerations.
Modern workplaces are ensuring that mental health is addressed each and every day.
Make workplace wellness an integral component of your overall HR approach. Healthy and productive employees mean a healthy and productive business.