21 Wellness Benefits to Help Your Employees Thrive

In this blog, you will learn:

• 21 employee wellness benefits.
• Discover more about our recruitment services.

In today’s fast-paced work environment, employees don’t want to feel like they’re just a cog in a machine and it is becoming increasingly important for employees to find a workplace where their wellbeing is supported and cared for. 

It’s little surprise that a healthy employee is generally a happy employee; happy employees tend to be more engaged, work harder and perform better which is good for business. In fact, an engaged workforce is the fundamental foundation for business growth, stability, strength and sustainability.

This concept has led to many employers going above and beyond to include wellness initiatives as part of a rewards and benefits package. Companies that invest in wellness programs not only support their teams’ physical and mental health but also create a culture where employees feel valued, motivated, and empowered to do their best work. 

From reduced absenteeism to higher productivity and improved morale, the ripple effects of a thoughtful wellness strategy are far-reaching.

In our latest blog, we take a look at 21 of the best workplace wellness benefits which can help your employees to thrive in and out of the workplace. 

21 wellness benefits to help your employees thrive

• Gym membership.
• Wellness classes.
• Recharge days.
• Massage.
• Sick pay.
• Option to work from home.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Flexible working.
• Private health/dental insurance.
• Free fruit and healthy snacks.
• Promote hydration.
• Professional financial advice.
• Professional food/nutrition advice.
• Company fun runs.
• Paid maternity and paternity leave (beyond statutory).
• Onsite crèche/nursery.
• Introduce standing desks
• Walk and talk!
• Incentivise wellbeing 
• Offer unlimited holidays.
• Wellness benefits.

Gym membership

With office workers spending up to three quarters of the day sitting down, being inactive is taking a significant toll on our health and wellbeing. A gym membership is the perfect way to encourage employees to get active; an active lifestyle can prevent a number of health conditions which could save employers a lot of sickness days each year.   

Wellness classes

Wellness classes, such as Yoga and Pilates, have been gaining prominence in offices throughout the UK for some time now. The demand is so high, some instructors only specialise in corporate classes. 

Employers can benefit through their employees having increased energy and being less stressed. Yoga has also proven to improve posture, morale and focus.

Recharge days

Regularly working long hours and being ‘on call’ during non-work time can lead to stress, burnout and sleep issues. According to Mental Health UK, signs of burnout are becoming more common with 91% of UK adults reporting that they experienced high or extreme levels of pressure or stress in the past year.

With employee burnout being a very real thing, ‘Recharge days’ are additional paid days of annual leave to enable the employee to re-energise and refocus their mind.

Massage

Massage therapy has been proven to relieve the physical discomfort of an overly tight muscle or poor posture. It has also been proven to reduce anxiety, stress and the feelings of depression. 

While some companies subsidise a massage to be taken out of work, some companies opt to bring a masseuse in during work hours for a quick express massage!  

Sick pay

For employees with an incurable or recurring illness, the financial challenge of managing it alongside your career can be extremely stressful. Illnesses can often be made worse with stress which can contribute to a vicious cycle.  

By offering sick pay which goes beyond statutory sick pay, this can help to alleviate the challenges which an employee faces. 

Option to work from home

During the pandemic, working from home was the ‘norm’ for many employees and even now many workers continue to seek flexible or hybrid working arrangements to achieve a better work-life balance.

For some,the ability to work from home is the number one perk of their job. While some major employers have implemented fully remote or hybrid working patterns, some employers have gone one step further by paying for their employees' internet and phone bills and even their home office furniture! 

Cycle to work scheme

In 2022, the government published the second cycling and walking investment strategy

 an initiative to encourage employees to walk and cycle to work. Employees can access subsidised funding through their employer to purchase the necessary equipment to cycle to work. 

Employees benefit through cheaper travel and better health while employers benefit through increased productivity. Society as a whole also benefits from this scheme through lower congestion, better air quality, and a more vibrant and attractive community to live in. 

Flexible working

According to Avado Learning, 80% of employees would choose a job offer that provides flexible working options over one that doesn’t. Due to the busy and fast paced life we live in, employees are searching for a better work-life balance.

Offering flexible work patterns can help to boost company loyalty, meaning staff turnover is reduced and recruitment is much easier. Flexible working can also improve wellbeing and the employee experience.

Private health and dental insurance

While we are blessed to live in a country with free healthcare, it is becoming increasingly popular to go private. According to the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, 67% of people say that they would consider using private healthcare, with over one third saying they would pay for treatment in the next 12 months if they needed it. 

The same report found that over half of people said they would be more likely to apply for a job if it offered private medical insurance. By providing private health or dental care, employees have a sense that they are cared for and appreciated. 

Free fruit and healthy snacks

Encouraging healthy eating through the form of free fruit and healthy snacks is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to promote wellness in the workplace. 

Promote hydration

Providing an office water fountain or personalised water bottles for your team is important to promote hydration. If an employee is dehydrated, it can cause unclear thinking, mood changes and overheating which could affect productivity in the workplace. 

Professional financial advice

According to the WTW's 2024 Wellbeing Diagnostic Survey, financial wellbeing support was the top priority for UK employees, with 59% of workers expressing concern about their financial health.

By making their teams financially resilient, employers can benefit through happier and more productive employees. The survey also found that the majority of employees don’t take their employer up on the offer through the worry of their employer prying into their finances or not knowing the help was available. 

Employers who choose to offer professional financial advice should make it clear that financial information is confidential and ensure that employees are aware of how to access the help. 

Professional food and nutrition advice

A personally tailored nutrition plan can help employees to manage food allergies, sensitivities and weight gain. A better nutritional understanding of the foods which they are eating can help to reduce fatigue and malnutrition. 

Company fun runs 

Signing up your employees to half marathons, colour runs, Total Warrior or Tough Mudder is a great way to encourage your employees to get active. By funding the entry fee, employers can benefit through enhanced team bonding of employees and employees enjoy the benefits of increased physical activity. 

Paid maternity and paternity leave (beyond statutory)

Parenthood is a big change and some parents feel that they need longer than the statutory leave allowance. Employers offering paid leave beyond the statutory (on the provision that they do eventually return to work on a certain date) can benefit through retaining their top talent. Meanwhile, the employee can adjust to their new circumstances without stress and the financial burden. 

Onsite crèche/nursery

According to Coram Family and Childcare, the average cost of a full-time (50 hours) nursery place in the UK is approximately £263 per week for children under two, which breaks down to around £53 per day.

With exorbitant fees, some UK parents are left with no choice but to balance family life with their work obligations or put their career on hold until their children reach school age. 

For some employers, providing an onsite crèche or nursery is a smart move to ease the financial stress to their employees; it also helps to increase staff retention and attract top talent. 

For employees, knowing their child will be on site with them during the working day can also ease their return to work, particularly if they initially have reservations about placing their child into daycare.

Introduce standing desks

It’s little surprise that sitting for prolonged periods is bad for your health which has led to a rise in standing desks in offices throughout the UK. Studies suggest that standing desks allow workers to boost work performance by promoting good posture and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle. 

Walk and talk

Walking meetings are a growing trend, replacing boardrooms and traditional meetings in a coffee shop. Whether you’re physically with your colleague or on the phone, employees can benefit from being more active during meetings. 

According to Psychology Today, walking meetings can increase creativity by 81-100% as well as spur more honest and productive conversations

Incentivise wellbeing

When it comes to employee health, prevention is better than cure. A study by Deloitte found that poor mental health costs UK employers an estimated £51 billion annually due to lost productivity, absenteeism, and presenteeism. 

 With that in mind, some employers incentivise good lifestyle choices to boost productivity, tackle sickness absence and improve engagement. Good lifestyle choices could include losing weight, walking for 30 minutes a day or quitting smoking. 

Offer unlimited holidays

For many employees, an unlimited holiday allowance is the ultimate perk. The freedom and flexibility to take time off as they please can help with childcare provision and improve a work-life balance. 

For adventurous employees who dream of travelling the world, unlimited holidays is a very attractive perk. Being able to travel the world safely in the knowledge that they can return to a good job when they return will help employees to feel financially secure; employees will also be grateful that they don't need to put their career on hold, or start again from scratch, to pursue their dreams. 

Wellness benefits

Most employees will derive wellness from different sources so some savvy employers have allocated a monthly financial budget for each employee to spend on something which will improve their physical, mental or emotional wellbeing. 

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Established in 2017, we’re an award winning and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West. Our reputation is built on trust, expertise and an unwavering commitment to exceed expectations. 

In 2024, we were named Recruitment Agency of the Year at the prestigious Recruiter Awards, an accolade we are extremely proud of. 

We operate in two sectors:

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