With the pandemic now on the back foot in the UK, and rates of infection showing signs of slowing down, the world focuses more than ever on wellbeing and the constant battle of work-life balance.
Having spent over 4 months in isolation myself, I have experienced first-hand exactly why looking after your employee’s wellbeing is more important now than it ever has been.
In this ‘new normal’, forever developing world, employees are needed in the workplace less and less, and due to this, they are spending increasing amounts of time working from home, which does have its benefits. However, alongside the benefits comes the darker side of isolation and lack of socialising which not everyone has the confidence to speak up about.
Now, more than ever, a company event or incentive program is the perfect time to completely check in with your employees both in mind and body and really give them the support and guidance they require to reduce stress, regroup and reflect as the working world evolves.
So why is a wellbeing incentive program so important?
Well, let’s take stress as an example. Stress is a factor which has a known detrimental impact on workplace performance, whether that be shown in the quality of work produced by employees, or through the end financial result of the business.
Now, there are many ways a business can work to support employees who are experiencing stress and today I am focusing on the wellbeing incentive program.
It has been proven by 66% of businesses that productivity increased following the introduction of a wellbeing incentive. This, in its simplest form, goes to show that happy and looked-after employees are extremely advantageous to both your company culture and the performance of the business as a whole.
You may be wondering how exactly you can support the overall wellness of your employees, and our 3-word answer to this is Incentive Travel Programmes.
Offering wellbeing retreats as part of an incentive travel program provides employees with an opportunity to unwind holistically and return to the office feeling refreshed and rejuvenated in mind, body and spirit. In turn, this supports employees in looking after their health – A key to the success of any business. However, in order to fully maximise the impact of your program, you should consider the following 3 points:
Send your employees to destinations that not only provide the exciting wellbeing retreats you require, but also provide new travel opportunities to further motive them and produce genuine excitement for the trip – For example, Iceland, Amsterdam, Thailand, South Africa.
The nature of a traditional incentive trip can make it hard for participants to get enough rest. Many of them will be eating food they don't usually eat, taking out of their exercise routine, and returning to work the following week feeling tired and out of sync. This is why it's important to provide an experience that will reinvigorate them and allow them to go home feeling fresh and motivated.
Think about the program you are delivering and make sure you don’t fill it by providing too many activities for all attendees throughout every moment of daylight. Put yourself in the shoes of your attendees – Having a half day at leisure by the beach or pool provides just as much value to the trip as a CSR/cultural activity.
Bringing all of the above together, it is key to think of the attendee experience holistically, and not overwhelm guests by overdelivering a program which essentially can be scaled back to provide a better experience. In addition to this, if you deliver an incentive program, it will not only motivate and incentivise your employees to strive for targets, but your business will be reaping the rewards for months following.
All in all, think of your employees, think of their wellbeing and support them as much as you possibly can through these changing times.
If you are considering planning a sustainable event or incentive program, please do not hesitate to contact one of the team for support - hello@zentiveagency.com.