Happy and healthy employees are critical elements that enhance business success and profitability. When staff members are satisfied and well, they perform better. Conversely, when employees feel unhappy and wasted, productivity suffers. This results in declining profits, with losses hitting an average of 34% each year for companies in the U.S!
In this blog post, we will explore a list of enhanced benefits you can adopt in your street sweeping or paving business to keep your staff members happy and healthy, fostering a positive work environment that will benefit both the workforce and the organization.
Healthcare Coverage
One of the benefits you can offer to support the well-being of your employees is comprehensive health coverage. This includes access to medical, dental and mental care. You can also offer health insurance coverage such as point of service, preferred provider organization and indemnity. These benefits help to lower an employee’s out-of-pocket payments for medical treatments or expenditures. When employees know their health needs are taken care of, they can focus on their work with peace of mind.
Paid Time Off
Providing generous paid time off prevents burnout and boosts overall workplace morale, helping staff members to truly relax and recharge. The off days may include federal holidays, which are relatively fixed, such as New Year’s, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Labor Day, religious holidays and floating holidays, allowing staff to choose any day of the year. Other examples of paid time off include:
- Vacation: These are paid time off periods given to staff to travel, visit family or friends or just relax. The length of vacation time varies from company to company and is often outlined in a vacation policy highlighting the conditions under which workers may take time off for vacation and for how long.
- Sick leave: This is paid time off that is granted to employees when they are sick or injured. By encouraging sick employees to stay at home, you can hasten the recovery of the affected.
- Bereavement leave: Here, employees are given paid time off when a family member or friend passes away. Bereavement can help workers manage their loss, attend funeral ceremonies and adjust properly to work thereafter.
- Parental leave: This is paid time off that workers can utilize for maternity, paternity or adoption leave. This is to allow the employee to adjust properly to their family changes.
- Personal time: Paid time off may also be offered to employees for personal engagements such as doctor’s appointments, vehicle maintenance appointments, important outings and any other events which are not covered by sick or vacation leave.
Physical Fitness
One way to preserve the physical health of your staff members is to encourage physical fitness. This can be done by offering discounts on gym memberships or other fitness programs and educating your employees about physical well-being. Improved physical fitness will cut down on sick days and increase work output.
Flexible Work Schedules
A flexible work schedule enables each employee to maintain their ideal personal schedule while still having enough time to complete work projects. With more flexible work schedules, employees are better able to balance their personal and professional lives, causing them to be less stressed, happier and healthier.
Ergonomic Support
Without ergonomic support, your employees are likely to experience bodily discomfort, pains and muscle strains due to the physical and postural demands of their work. As a business owner, you can provide seats and supports that are ergonomically designed to avoid putting pressure on the spine, shoulders and neck. Also, provide protective eyewear, clothing and first aid to promote workplace safety.
Recognition and Rewards
Rewarding employees for their efforts or accomplishments does not have to be expensive. Regardless of the size of the reward, appreciating workers for their achievement in beating a deadline or finishing a crucial project has a significant impact on how they feel about their jobs and the company. When you acknowledge their hard work and efforts, your staff members will feel reassured and valued.
By adopting these enhanced benefits, you’re sure to foster a supportive workplace environment that will enable your staff to be at their best. For more best practices and tips on how to keep moving your street sweeping or paving business forward, subscribe to the North American Sweeper magazine today!