How to Encourage Your Employees to Relax Outside of Work

These days, taking an interest in and offering support for employees’ mental health and wellbeing has become more and more important for companies around the world, of all sizes, and in all industries. The COVID19 pandemic has highlighted how important it is for employees to have a good work-life balance and the difference that this can make to their productivity, performance, and even their loyalty to their workplace. As an employer, one of the main ways that you can do this is to encourage your employees to relax and unwind outside of work. Here are some options to consider:

Set Working Boundaries:

Too many employers are guilty of sending messages and emails to employees out of hours, which leaves them not fully able to switch off and relax when they are not on the clock. One of the simplest things that employers can do is set firm boundaries for working hours and make a promise that employees will not be contacted – unless it’s a genuine emergency and can’t be helped – after they finish the working day and head home. This will give employees time to relax and focus on other aspects of their life without being interrupted by work during their ‘me time’.

Allow Remote Working:

Over the past eighteen months, we have seen how beneficial remote working can be for improving the work-life balance. When working from home, employees often have more time to relax and wind down since they do not need to commute to and from work, which can save some people hours in the day. Due to this, remote workers or people who have the option to work remotely at least a couple of times a week tend to be more productive and have more energy compared to those who are commuting into the office every day when they don’t really need to be there to do their job.

Encourage Mental Health Days:

Mental health days should be an important part of any employment policy. No matter what kind of work that you do, understanding the impact of mental health on your employees, and how taking a day off just to relax and refresh themselves can help, is important. Allowing and encouraging your employees to take a mental health day to look after themselves and put their health first when they need it will provide you with a workforce that is healthier, stronger, and better equipped to face challenges compared to a workforce that never gets the time to take an additional day to simply focus on themselves.

Provide Information on Things to Do:

As an employer, it’s often a good idea to take an interest in the hobbies and interests of your employees, and you can then go ahead and find some ideas for things to do that your employees might be interested in. For example, you might want to point them in the direction of Online Casinos where they can find trusted sites to play at if they enjoy playing popular casino games like slots, blackjack, or poker to wind down in their spare time. Online Casinos has info on all the best casino sites available in the UK, plus guides to popular games.

Arrange Events:

Now that the COVID19 pandemic seems close to the end and restrictions have been lifted, arranging events for the workforce is back on the cards – and many people are looking forward to it. Arranging events like going out for meals or drinks after work gives your employees the chance to do something that helps them relax and have some fun after a long working day, in addition to giving them the option to get to know their colleagues better outside of the work setting.

Offer Health-Related Benefits:

Offering health-related benefits can also be an ideal way to help employees relax and give them more options for passing the time in a healthy and beneficial way when not in the workplace. For example, some options to consider would be teaming up with employee benefits companies to offer perks like discounted meal subscription boxes or discounted gym memberships for local fitness clubs and centres. Not only can this help your employees live a healthier lifestyle with your support, but it can also help them by saving them time and money, which encourages relaxation.

Encourage a Relaxing Work Environment:

Wherever possible, encourage a work environment that is relaxing and calm in order to keep your employees feeling this way throughout the day. A work environment that has a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure is going to impact your employees even when they have arrived at home. There are several things that you can do to promote relaxation and calm in the workplace, especially right now during the COVID19 crisis with many employees worried about the risk of becoming infected at work. Providing enough space between desks and making sure that it’s easy for employees to wash and sanitize their hands often throughout the day can reduce stress levels. Using natural light and adding plants to the workplace can also create a calmer atmosphere, but ultimately, it’s down to how employees are treated and how they feel while at work.

Organise Competitions:

Competitions outside of the workplace can be a fun way for employees to wind down, relax, and have some fun after a day in the office or working from home. This could be playing a sport or something as simple as a virtual pub quiz; whatever you and your employees would prefer. Friendly competition between co-workers can be a great way to strengthen working relationships and help everybody work better together as a team, which in turn can improve performance, teamwork, and results when everybody returns to the workplace, whether they’re working in the office in-person or continuing to work from home.

Employees that are more relaxed outside of work and enjoy a good work-life balance with plenty of time to bond with co-workers while still enjoying their personal life tend to be more productive.