Top 6 Work Health And Wellness Challenges For Employees
Written by: Aneta Ardelian Kuzma, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The demand for health and wellness programs has grown over the past few years as the global pandemic and societal factors are impacting our overall health and wellbeing.
I've had the privilege to create programs and facilitate wellness sessions for dozens of organizations over the past two years. Before each session, I surveyed teams on their stress levels, top wellness challenges, what they struggle with, and what they need most.
The findings help me build customized programs and to share them with leaders who may not have a complete picture of what their team is dealing with. I’ve found across the board consistent themes regardless of industry, company size, geography, or gender.
The top 6 findings from those surveys are:
Employees seek improvement in their overall health and wellbeing as stress and anxiety continue to rise.
In a typical week, they find themselves stressed often or most of the time; sustained stress contributes to burnout and employees are open to meditation, yoga, and mindfulness practices to help them cope.
Some of the most significant stressors they face are balancing work and personal life, external societal factors, and general uncertainty about the future.
Many still struggle with prioritizing their self-care, releasing perfectionism, saying "no," and setting healthy boundaries at home and work.
Employees are engaging in self-care activities such as moving their bodies daily, drinking at least 64 ounces of water, and trying to sleep more regularly.
The top requests for wellness content focused on improving their overall health and wellbeing, practical tools to reduce stress and anxiety, creating healthy, sustainable habits, and reducing cognitive overload.
The findings support more extensive studies that have been done on wellness globally.
Global Need:
According to the World Health Organization: "Optimal Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
Employee wellness has grown significantly over the past few years, especially during and post-pandemic.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S; 40 million adults, or 1 in 5 people; 300 million people globally.
Burnout at work is on the rise; World Health Organization has recognized burnout as a disease, with 2/3 of full-time workers dealing with burnout and 1/3 of adults not getting enough sleep.
Evidence of people seeking help:
A recent study by McKinsey estimates that the global wellness market is worth more than $1.5 trillion, with 5 to 10 percent annual growth.
A recent study compiled by GoodBody.com shows that meditation and mindfulness practices are increasing significantly worldwide:
Over 14% of U.S. adults have tried meditation; globally, 200 and 500 million people meditate.
The number of people practicing meditation has tripled since 2012.
The value of the meditation market is set to double by 2022 and reach $9 billion by 2027.
The top 10 most popular meditation apps generated $195 million in sales in 2019.
A recent study by Innova Market Insights shows increased interest and purchasing trends in health and wellness by consumers:
55% of the U.S. population is focused on their health and wellness to strengthen their immune system to withstand illness and disease.
65% reported that they're more focused on health and wellness, seeking to live a long and healthy life.
49% agreed that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental wellbeing.
Now is the best time to ensure your company wellness programs support your team's needs and allow them to thrive.
Schedule a consultation with me to discuss creating a customized wellness program or session for your team.
Gift yourself or your team with a week of free meditation.
Aneta Ardelian Kuzma, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Aneta is a multi-passionate coach and consultant who helps high-achieving professionals and entrepreneurs design lives of purpose, passion, and peace. After a successful 25-year corporate career, she found herself stressed, exhausted, and asking "is this it?". She started her coaching and consulting business, the Ardelian Kuzma Group, in 2019 to help others invest in themselves, take control of their health and wellbeing, and finally make changes that allow them to become the best version of themselves in their personal and professional lives. As a business consultant, she works with organizations and teams to create cultures of mindful leadership to increase focus, creativity, and productivity, along with wellness programs to help teams achieve optimal health. Her first book "Live the Width" will be published in 2022.
