What are the ways to encourage employees to take care of their health during the summer vacation?

Rest and leisure are essential for both mental and physical well-being. Consequently, there is a need to develop strategies that encourage employees to make effective use of their time off and prioritize their health during vacations. What are these methods? Find out below.

Time off for employees - key to health and productivity

Research shows that leisure time and vacations are not only important for the physical and mental recovery of employees, but also impact their performance and efficiency at work. According to studies by de Bloom, Geurts, and Kompier (2012), people who take regular vacations are more satisfied with their lives and less prone to heart disease. Additionally, research by Brough, O'Driscoll, and Kalliath (2005) suggests that fully utilized vacations can contribute to reduced stress levels among employees, which positively impacts their health and well-being.

It is worth noting that healthy and satisfied employees are more productive, which translates into business benefits. As stated by Shao and Skarlicki (2019), employees who receive organizational support regarding taking vacations are more engaged in their work and more willing to put in extra effort to achieve organizational goals.

It appears that encouraging employees to look after their health and well-being during vacations can therefore benefit both them and the company as a whole.

Vacation first

Vacation is actually a part of work—a very important one that should not be overlooked. It is essential for maintaining balance, allowing one to recharge and return to work feeling refreshed and more motivated. Therefore, it is worth actively encouraging employees to take their leave and reminding them that everyone has a right to it. To make it easier for team members to take time off, let's provide them with flexibility and allow them to set their own vacation schedules, so they can tailor it to their needs.

How to encourage employees to look after their health during vacations? 6 ways

Resting and taking care of one's health during vacations is not only a benefit for employees, but also for employerswho can benefit from the increased efficiency of their team. To encourage employees to take care of their health during the holidays, it is worth using the following methods.

• Organize health-promoting motivational campaigns

Organize health-focused initiatives - for example, as part of a "Healthy Holidays" program, you can organize a contest for the best photo related to active leisure. Motivation to participate in such projects will certainly be higher if employees are provided with helpful tools, such as NextBike city bike rides, which are included in one of the MultiLife packages. More about this benefit of tomorrow later in the article.

• Give them space to relax

You have to know how to rest! How can you support employees in relaxing effectively? The answer is MultiLife services! Help your employees reduce the negative effects of stress while on vacation. Encourage them to practice mindfulness and implement breathing exercises. The Focusly app will help with this – a modern self-development tool to which your teams will have unlimited access as part of MultiLife.

Nothing is as relaxing as good music. Give your employees access to the convenient GO ON Home&Activeapp, so they can listen to their favorite sounds wherever they want – on a walk or during a summer jog. And for fans of inspiring reading will appreciate their employer for a library subscription to Legimi - an app providing access to thousands of audiobooks and e-books.

• Enable preventive care

Offer your employees a package of preventive health screenings and encourage them to get checked before their vacation. It’s important to ensure nothing unpleasant disrupts their time off. With MultiLife, they can take advantage of a wide range of tests available in one place (for example, allergy screening packages are very popular). They can choose from many collection points that don't require an appointment—just check the facility's operating hours.

• Provide support even during vacation

Create a support system for employees during the holidays that they can use if they experience any concerning symptoms. As part of MultiLife, Benefit Systems also offers access to unlimited e-consultations with a doctor. Your employees will have access to advice from internists as well as obesity treatment specialists. Doctors are available 24/7.

• Organize home workouts

It’s hard to imagine maintaining mental and physical health without regular activity. We have plenty of disciplines available, so everyone can find something for themselves. While out for a walk or at the gym, you can listen to the aforementioned audiobooks or your favorite music. And for those who prefer working out at home, MultiLife recommends the Yes2Move. This is the largest training platform in Poland, which helps you stay in shape with the support of professionals from the best clubs in the country.

• Promote healthy eating

We often encourage our employees to eat healthily on a daily basis, for example by providing fruit or nutritious snacks. However, for many, vacation is a time to indulge. We treat ourselves to less-than-healthy delicacies, and of course, there is nothing wrong with that as long as we maintain moderation. When it comes to a rational approach to our diet, both during the holidays and beyond, the Diet Creator, which you can provide to your employees as part of MultiLife, will be a great support. Personalized diet plans prepared by passionate professional nutritionists will help you take care of your team's health.

Give = gain!

It is worth encouraging employees to take care of their health. In addition to your team's well-being, you also gain lower absenteeism and reduced turnover and a more attractive employer brand on the job market.

And what's more, if you use the MultiLife benefit for this purpose:

• you will meet the diverse needs of your employees by offering them many benefits in a single package,
• you will optimize costs for your company,
• quickly implement a solution that you will find easy to manage later.

A multitude of needs.

Multi-access to services.

Everything in one place.

Discover all the possibilities MultiLife.

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Bibliography:

• de Bloom, Geurts, & Kompier (2012): "Vacation from work as a respite from stress: Effects on job strain and well-being" - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3429618/.
• Brough, O'Driscoll, & Kalliath (2005): "The ability of vacation activities to alleviate symptoms of burnout and improve job satisfaction" - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775705000241.
• Shao & Skarlicki (2019): "Support for vacation and employee well-being: Implications for organizational support theory" - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0001879118301878.