The role of an HR professional is an important one at any organization. You’re responsible for, among other things, finding the company’s employees. Because a company relies on its employees, this is a very significant task.

Your duties don’t end once a new hire has completed the onboarding process. HR should also be involved in ensuring that the organization has taken steps to encourage self-care and well-being among employees.

New technology has made it easier than ever to work constantly. This has yielded some worrisome trends. Survey and studies regularly indicate that employees are working harder than ever. This is not a recipe for long-term success.

Yes, productivity may seem to go up in the short term if employees are encouraged to come in early, stay late, and get more work done from home whenever possible. That doesn’t mean those perceived benefits will last. In the long run, your employees may burn out if they try to maintain that degree of intensity.

That’s why, as an HR professional, you should meet with managers and executives to discuss what your company can do to encourage greater self-care among the employees. The following ideas will help you to get started.

1. Make Sure Managers Know How to Delegate

Managers often delegate tasks for the sake of their own well-being. When they realize that they’ve taken on too many responsibilities at one time, they offload some of them onto other employees.

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This is a fair tactic, as long as the employee to whom the task is delegated to is not only qualified for it, but also has the time to complete it. A manager shouldn’t merely delegate a task because they’re stressed. They should consider who is best suited for the job. It’s also important to ensure that the employee whom they choose won’t be doing work beyond the duties for which they are paid.

This same approach can be used to help all employees avoid unnecessary stress. Just ask managers to pay closer attention to the way in which tasks are distributed across team members. They may find that they haven’t been entirely fair in the way they’ve delegated responsibilities. It might be necessary to help team members by shifting their tasks around so that they are more evenly distributed.

2. Optimize Your Office Space

Don’t overlook the role that an employee’s work environment can play in their overall comfort and mental health. Simply purchasing an ergonomic chair can provide comfort that in turn leads to an improvement in employee satisfaction.

You might also consider how other elements of the office can help to promote greater employee well-being. For instance, exposure to natural light can have a positive impact on a person’s mood. Opening up the windows up more often could also be a good idea.

Employees also tend to be happier on the job when they have opportunities to socialize. Thus, it may be worth your time to talk with executives about rearranging the office so people have more opportunities to socialize with their coworkers during breaks.

Your office is an environment in which your employees spend many hours a day, several days a week. Making sure that it’s as comfortable and inviting as possible is key to supporting their wellness.

3. Solicit Opinions

There’s a good chance that your employees already have some ideas about steps that the business can take to more effectively support their employees’ well-being. Don’t overlook the potential value of these ideas.

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Consider setting up an anonymous suggestion box (it can be a physical box, or it can be digital) in which employees are allowed to suggest ideas for improving wellness throughout the office. This will allow them to essentially request what they need in a safe way. If there is a lack of anonymity, an employee may, for example, feel reluctant to explain how they believe the company’s vacation policy doesn’t allow them to achieve an ideal work/life balance. They might simply fear that they’ll be punished if their feedback is interpreted as a criticism of the company. This may prevent them from requesting changes that might benefit the organization as a whole in the long run.

On the other hand, if employees are given the chance to make suggestions anonymously, they may be more inclined to do so.

This can be extremely valuable to you. Again, as an HR professional, it’s a good idea to meet with other high-ranking members of the company to discuss new ways in which you might further support employees’ well-being. However, it always helps when you have more people contributing to the discussion. HR pros, executives, and managers are by no means the only ones who may have strong ideas. By brainstorming, asking employees for their own suggestions, and implementing solutions such as these, you’ll gain the unique competitive edge that comes from having truly happy and healthy employees.