What Can Retail Learn From Tech About Employee Wellness?

Allow Employees To Work From Home And Provide Flexible Scheduling

Some of the employee wellness program examples offered by the tech industry – working from home and flexible scheduling – seem impossible for retail businesses. After all, how can a physical retail space exist without employees on site?

Yet, with some flexibility and creativity, you can apply some of the wellness perks.

Which responsibilities could be accomplished offsite? For example, a retail manager’s tasks may include payroll, product ordering, and scheduling. Each of these responsibilities can be completed off site. Allowing managers the option to work from home when handling these administrative responsibilities is a benefit that impacts their wellness because they can work where they feel most comfortable.

Although rank and file employees need to be present in the store, scheduling can be made flexible by giving employees their schedule as early as possible, allowing employees to select their own schedule, and permitting employees to easily switch schedules with colleagues. By giving employees scheduling flexibility, you contribute to their wellness by reducing stress associated with their maintaining work-life balance.

Provide Healthy Food Options

One of the perks that many tech firms offer employees is a fully stocked kitchen. This has multiple benefits, including keeping employees on site, fostering a sense of unity, and improving employee wellness. Retailers can copy this benefit from the tech industry as they strive to focus on employee wellness.

Is your vending machine filled with candy, chips, and sodas? These unhealthy snacks might help employees calm a growling belly, but don’t hit the spot in terms of health and wellness.

Achievers, a computer software company, offers suggestions on how to encourage healthy eating: “Provide free snack plates of fresh vegetables and low-calorie dip for those times of the day when employees usually grab a fast-fix snack. A working fridge and microwave in the staff room will encourage your employees to bring lunches from home rather than relying on unhealthy fast food.”

Encourage Everyone To Take A Break

In today’s go-go world, do your people feel like they are letting themselves and their colleagues down if they take a break at work or use their vacation days? Some might think retail employees don’t face the same type of pressure.

Not true.

Many retail stores go through rush periods – whether during the day or time of the year. During the rush, managers may be tempted to have employees work through breaks or to overload employees schedules. The short-term gain, however, can harm employees’ long-term wellness.

The Achievers says, “Employees’ productivity and well-being will suffer if they work straight through lunch, breaks, and vacation days. Insist that all staff members take their allotted time off and that working excess hours will not be viewed positively at evaluation time.”

Some tech companies (and companies in other industries), provide incentive to encourage employees to use their time off. According to a Forbes article, one incentive is to provide employees with a stipend that can be used for travel.

In general, tech firms do a good job with their employee wellness programs and providing benefits. By reconsidering the benefits you offer, as a retailer, you too can focus on employee wellness which leads to more contented, healthy, and productive employees.