Healthy wellbeing initiatives for Millennial employees
Focussing on the wellbeing of Millennial employees at work isn’t just something big companies do to improve their public image. High rates of employee wellbeing translate into improved performance in terms of quality of work, productivity rates, and ultimately the financial performance of the business.
It’s no secret that when Millennial employees see their wellbeing made a priority at work, you increase the goodwill factor. And this correlates to them being more willing to go the extra mile.
By promoting good health in your workplace and helping your Millennial employees to strike a healthy work-life bance, you increase morale, reduce work-related stress, and employees tend to take fewer sickies.
Focusing on wellbeing
A healthy and happy workforce is far more likely to thrive, and make a big impact on company performance. You also have lower labour turnover and churn.
Yet, engaging all your workforce in health and wellbeing initiatives is no small task in an increasingly multi-generational workforce. Millennial employees respond very differently to particular employees benefits than others.
The task for you as an HR professional is to find the right balance of employee benefit offers to meet the needs of Millennials as well as all your employees.
Understanding the wellbeing needs of your Millennial employee
To make sure your wellbeing initiatives hit all the right notes with your Millennial employees, it’s important to find out what they want. You need to look for clues both inside and outside your organisation.
In terms of current research, the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2018 is as good a place as any. According to Deloitte, flexibility and a positive work culture are key:
- 67% Australian Millennials rate a positive work environment as the most important consideration when choosing a new employer (compared to 52% globally)
- Financial rewards/benefits are ranked second (63% in Australia compared to globally)
- Flexibility is ranked as third most important (55% in Australia compared to 50% globally).
Positive work
Millennials crave opportunity and love being able to stretch themselves, expand their skills and acquire knowledge. This means providing training and professional development are vital. It’s important to offer opportunities for advancement from within or who provide annual training opportunities. With highly trained staff, you’ll boost your Millennial employees’ confidence, making them feel more invested in their jobs and less likely to leave.
Rewards and benefits
Obesity is a major concern for Millennials. In fact, they are on track to be the fattest generation on record. So, health and fitness initiatives really strike a chord. Millennials appreciate employers who show concern for them by taking the extra steps to help them get healthy with:
- Workplace health challenges
- Yoga and exercise classes
- Health and nutrition education
- Incentives for meeting fitness goals.
Millennials also enjoy companies that offer them adequate health and fitness choices, like providing fruit and other healthy options.
Flexibility
Flexibility is so important for Millennial employees. For them, working around the demands of home, their kids, and their lives outside of work is a big deal. What this looks like in practice is giving them the ability to:
- Set their own schedule, and put in their 8 hours when it works for them
- Work from home when it suits or even on a semi-permanent basis
- Job share, where two or more employees share one full-time position and
- Adjust their hours when needed, for example, choosing to work four 10-hour days instead of the traditional five 8-hour days.
Healthy wellbeing initiatives for Millennial employees
| Physical wellbeing | Emotional wellbeing | Financial wellbeing |
- Wellbeing apps
- Wearable technology
- Online health coaching
- Workplace health challenges
- Exercise classes, cycle to work, and gym memberships
- Sleep hygiene workshops
- Health education on nutrition and healthy eating
- Weight management Programs
- Healthy food and snacks in your office, pantry, or canteen
| - Flexible working options with flexible start times, remote working, and compressed hours
- Mindfulness workshops
- Professional development programs
- Supporting social and charitable activities
- Mentoring or buddying schemes with workers in older generational groups
| - Financial literacy education
- Superannuation workshops and webinar
- Tools to help make important financial decisions
- Special employee discounts on insurances, loans, and car leasing
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Of course, while it’s important to understand key trends, before you craft your plan, you also need to put your finger on the pulse of your employees. One simple and effective way to do this is to set up a staff survey and segment this information and feedback into generational groupings.
Launch your employee wellbeing initiatives with Flare
Use Flare’s employee wellbeing services to enhance your employees’ overall health and wellbeing. With Flare, you can also give your employees access to financial products with attractive rates and help them to better manage their overall financial health.
Book a Demo
Flare offers a free paperless onboarding software and free employee benefits with access to hundreds of leading retailer like Woolworths and Kmart. If you want to learn more about how Flare HR can support your business and employees during this time, please request a demo.
