A majority of business leaders believe that promoting wellness can affect employee and productive performance, according to Forbes.

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It’s unsurprising that of the same leaders, who represented more than 500 U.S. companies of varying size, CNBC reported that 87% of businesses consider health a business investment or an essential part of their organization’s business strategies.

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These findings prove that the value placed on employee wellness should be considered an effective business strategy. While already a popular belief held by most business owners, this number is only expected to grow, according to CNBC.

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Let’s dig into the positive effects on business that are causing such a trend to develop in promoting health and wellness in the workplace.

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Mental Health in the Workplace

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First, how exactly could you define mental health?

Mental health encompasses anything that falls into our emotional, psychological, and social well-being buckets. If you aren’t experiencing physical pain, chances are it’s the state of your mind making you feel off.

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Our mental health directly dictates how we deal with stress, interact with others, maintain energy levels, and make decisions. It’s no wonder companies have started to take this area of health just as seriously as the physical!

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Leaders should never blame poor employee work performance with the accusation of laziness or disengagement because they could lose the trust of a productive worker. Instead, ask yourself if this could indicate mental burnout or distress.

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Watch for early warning signs, including low energy, irritability, unusual forgetfulness, and anxiety. If you feel there could be an issue, contact your human resources department for guidance on how to aid the situation.  

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Why is Health and Wellness Trending?

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The National Alliance on Mental Illness of Massachusetts found that 62% of missed workdays can be attributed to mental health conditions.

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In addition, 50% of full-time employees reported leaving a job for mental health reasons, while mentally distressed workers are 3.5 times more likely to have substance use disorders.

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Ways To Maintain Positive Mental Health

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Those with positive mental health are more likely to realize their full potential — in and out of the office. The positive contributions that a happy, mentally healthy person contributes to your company will far outweigh the costs of maintaining this headspace. The cost of unhappy employees is high: The CDC estimates that missed work days due to depression costs employers $17 to $44 billion a year.

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With support, employees can more easily handle stress, cope with setbacks, connect with teammates, and stay positive. Mental wellness doesn’t have to only be improved by regular physical exercise and maintaining a healthy diet. Don’t limit the options that could benefit your employees in case the one area you decide to focus on doesn’t click for them.

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Experts agree that meditation, social interaction, volunteering, and even learning to improve one’s financial health can help alleviate mental distress and promote mood.

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3 Ideas for Wellness Gifts for Employees

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So, how can you use this growing trend to improve the health of your employees and your business?

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Supercharge the employee rate of adopting mental health habits by implementing a gift card incentive program. One way is to view mental health practices as a fun micro-vacation at the office.

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Hold mini-events throughout the week and award those participating with a raffle ticket. Pull a winning ticket for a gift card at the end of whatever period you decide. Appropriately, ensure the gift card focus falls within the health and wellness genre.

Keep reading for sessions and events you can host for your team.

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Run or Walk Club

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Establish a weekly run or walk club. This can be held during lunch or after work (you can even coax folks out starting at 4:30 pm to get an early end to the day). Don’t go crazy with the distance or pace — start slow and steady and gradually build up if the group likes.

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Distribute tickets to each attendee per session, then hold a raffle to win a gift card at the end of the week (or month, depending on your budget.)

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A very motivating eGift card idea is a spa day to help ease sore muscles from the progress of their new hobby.

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Meditation Session

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Grounding exercises such as yoga, mindfulness practice, meditation, and deep breathing are great options to combat stress.

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Establish a meditation session during lunch hours — the easy element of this is that it should only take 15 minutes max, and no one gets sweaty (great counter option if run club participation is hindered by the excuse of “I forgot my change of clothes.”)

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Give participants a raffle ticket for a drawing frequency of their choosing. Consider a food and drink eGift card to encourage healthy habits by learning how to cook new fresh favorite meals.

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Volunteer Day

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Experts believe finding purpose at work and helping others is a significant mental health booster. Choose a few Fridays out of the year to volunteer at local charities. If you decide to go more frequently, say once a month, ask employees to nominate organizations with a special meaning or tie to their lives.  

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Because this is a rare occurrence that requires more effort by the employee, hold a raffle after each volunteer session, and don’t be afraid to go a bit bigger with the digital gift card value.

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Give the Gift of Choice

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To support your employees' mental health and wellness, it’s often best to let them choose their reward. While this can be difficult to implement, Prezzee’s eGift card options are here to help.

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Additionally, you could consider Prezzee’s Smart eGift Card — essentially the ultimate swap card. With the Smart eGift Card, recipients can choose from the over 360 brands and retailers in Prezzee’s catalog. They decide where they want to utilize their reward, meaning this eGift Card offers a tangible gift and the gift of choice.

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Count on Prezzee

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No matter what practices you decide to adopt for your team, Prezzee is here to support your future healthy habits.

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With Prezzee, you can pleasantly surprise employees by customizing their newly earned eGift cards with an inspirational message or words of encouragement. We’re always here to help you keep going, so you can lead a happy, healthy team.

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Sources:‍

‍What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov‍

10 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health | BC Mental Health‍

Wellbeing Positively Impacts Firm Performance | Forbes

Mental health stigma at work - why it's a problem | Kaiser Permanente

How to Improve Mental Health | MedlinePlus

Depression Evaluation Measures | Workplace Health Strategies by Condition | CDC

Employers boost mental wellness benefits amid the Great Resignation | CNBC

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