What's your business's competitive advantage? I'm not talking about top secret, proprietary information -- and neither am I thinking about award-winning products. No matter your industry, your employees are your company's real competitive advantage. They're the ones making the magic happen -- so long as their needs are being met.
Luckily, understanding their needs is pretty straightforward: they want to feel that they belong and are important, that your organization cares about them, and ultimately, that they have a grip on their lives. But what about your company's needs? Believe it or not, they're probably just as straightforward. If you're like me, you want an engaged, productive workforce -- one made up of healthy, focused, and motivated people.
The catch here is that we're in the midst of a disengagement crisis, with 70 percent of employees reporting that they don't feel engaged at work, according to Gallup. What does that figure mean? That even on a good day, you're getting less than the desired amount of your employees' brainpower -- the exact asset you hired them for.
While non-work priorities will always impact people's productivity, fostering employees' well-being across the board helps them bring their best selves to work. I've talked to a lot of employees and most want the same thing: to be happy, more energetic, sharper and more focused, with the extra drive to get things done.
Traditional wellness programs -- those focused on biometrics and health risk assessments -- don't do anything to meaningfully change behavior or create more-engaged, productive employees. To really get there, we need to approach wellness and engagement in a new way -- from the employee's point of view.
So, how do you do it?
5 tips for improving employees' energy, focus & drive
- Allow employees to include others on their journey. Social support is critical -- no one wants to go it alone, especially when tackling major health and wellness goals. People are 57 percent more likely to lose weight when a friend or family member is involved, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed. Set your workforce up for success by allowing them to include family, friends and co-workers on their journey.
Your employees' daily personal health engagement drives your company's larger engagement strategy. Showing your workforce you care about them with tools and programs designed to increase their energy, focus and drive organically benefits everyone. The result? Employees who walk through the door as their best selves, with a fully charged brain to boot.
How do you thrive and create joy at work?
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and Virgin Unite to explore ways we can all thrive at work.It's also the subject of a Google Hangout on March 31, moderated by Guy Kawasaki and featuring Arianna Huffington and Richard Sheridan. Instagram or tweet your ideas and comments by using the hashtag #workthrivejoy.
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