As HR experts, it is essential for us to embed wellness into workplace culture and daily management practices.

And, with so many strategic objectives competing for our very limited budgets, it’s important to find low-cost ways of doing this.

Fortunately, creating a wellness culture doesn’t always require a hefty budget.

To help you, we’ve compiled 5 low-cost strategies you can immediately implement to significantly enhance workplace well-being.

Strategy 1: Daily mood tracking

We all wish we could find ways to help our employees have more good days at work and reduce the factors that contribute to stress, anxiety, reduced performance or absenteeism.

The best way to start understanding this is by daily mood tracking.

It’s simple, effective and – best of all – free to do manually or even on apps like Daylio.

Encourage individuals to log their daily emotions and note what factors contributed to those feelings.

This not only promotes self-awareness, but also provides valuable insights for both employees and management. Simple reflections on mood fluctuations can open doors to conversations around frustrations at work, sources of stress and general mental well-being.

Strategy 2: Monthly check-in conversations

Managers should be having informal check-in conversations with their team members about their wellbeing at least once a month.

This not only signals that their well-being is a priority, but also creates an open dialogue around stress, work-life balance and mental health.

Strategy 3: Wellness-focused pulse surveys

Pulse surveys are a fantastic way to introduce more employee listening and gain valuable insights into employee engagement and workplace culture.

By incorporating wellness-related questions into fortnightly or monthly pulse surveys, employees can share their experiences and provide helpful feedback and data, anonymously.

Access to the data gathered in these pulse surveys enables a more agile approach to workplace wellness and creates the opportunity to tailor wellness interventions and strategies based on the specific needs and sentiments of individual teams or divisions.

Strategy 4: Flexible working hours

Even if senior leadership has mandated a return to work, the case for flexibility in working hours remains.

It’s a powerful tool for promoting work-life balance and for improving inclusivity.

Without incurring any costs, companies can allow their employees to adapt their schedules to better suit their preferred working styles and their personal lives.

Flexible working hours not only contributes to employee satisfaction, but also acknowledges the diverse needs and responsibilities of each individual employee.

Strategy 5: Free apps and podcasts for mindfulness, mental health and menopause

There’s a plethora of both free and paid for mindfulness and meditation apps available. Some of the best free resources we have found during our research are available on YouTube or as podcasts.

Insight Timer is a great app for free mood tracking, mindfulness, meditations and music. A fantastic tool to help employees reflect on their day, track their mood and then select a meditation or music to help relieve stress and sleep better.

The paid version offers additional resources and courses.

Woebot is the original free Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) chatbot. A cute little robot therapist on your smartphone, Woebot can help with relieving stress and anxiety and building confidence and becoming more resilient.

Caria is a free app that offers menopause-related support and learning. The app has a ‘quick relief’ section to help reduce anxiety, practice mindfulness, feel more grounded or get through a hot flush. There’s also a helpful symptom tracker that will empower female employees with the data they need to advocate for themselves with medical practitioners.

Wrapping up

By implementing these cost-effective initiatives, you’re not only investing in the well-being of your team but also laying the foundation for a sustainable culture of wellness.

Remember, creating a wellness culture is an ongoing journey. Start with these free initiatives, gather feedback and adapt your approach based on the unique needs of your organisation.

Wishing you a month filled with well-being and success!