Workplace Wellness Trends: How Organizations in Myanmar Can Improve Workplace Wellness in 2023

By Laura Cho , Chief Human Resources Officer, Prudential Myanmar 

Wellness in the workplace has come to prominence recently, as organizations welcome employees back to work in the office during the post-pandemic period.

In this article, I would like to share some workplace wellness trends that improve employees’ wellbeing and facilitate business growth, which companies in Myanmar may wish to consider implementing in 2023.

Why is Workplace Wellness Important?

Workplace wellness focuses on enhancing different aspects of working life. A healthy work culture boosts productivity, satisfaction, and employee retention. A wellness programme in the workplace can also help improve the overall health of employees, which will increase productivity and engagement.

5 Workplace Wellness Trends that are on the Rise

1) Mental Health: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a strain on the mental health of many and it raised awareness that mental health is just as important as physical health. To help employees improve their mental health, companies can offer access to counselling services as well as programs and courses that teach coping and management techniques like mindfulness meditation and resilience training.

2) Stress Management: As we emerge from the pandemic, worrying about health, loved ones, work responsibilities and childcare can lead to burnout. Employers can consider introducing additional paid time off or programmes that offer caregiver support. Companies can also encourage employees to take wellness leave and step away from work when they’re out of the office or on vacation.

3) Financial Health: Many are dealing with a higher cost of living. This may mean that employees are not able to save as much as before. Employers can consider organising financial planning sessions, offering training in financial planning tools, as well as providing life or health insurance coverage to offer financial protection to employees as well as their loved ones.

4) Flexibility: Many businesses consider flexibility as an essential component of the modern workplace. Along with hybrid work arrangements, employers can offer flexible daily and weekly schedules or full-time remote positions, all with the goal of keeping workers energized and engaged.

5) Telemedicine: Providing access to healthcare through telemedicine means employees can get support from healthcare providers via a video or phone call, without having to worry about time-consuming trips to the doctor’s office.

Workplace Wellness in Practise

At Prudential Myanmar, we endeavour to include these five approaches in our workplace wellness programme. This year, in line with our theme of ‘Growing Together with Healthy Habits’, we initiated a number of health and wellness activities for our employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This included walking challenges, yoga sessions and badminton tournaments.

In addition to providing health and life insurance coverage for our employees, we also offer medical and life insurance coverage for their family members. We organise health and wellness seminars covering topics such as mental wellness and breast cancer awareness. We also introduced wellness leave this year to all employees to take a week off to unplug from work. This year, we equipped our employees who volunteer to support their colleagues and promote mental health awareness with a Mental Health First Aider Certification Programme.

As an organization that has set out to help people across Myanmar to get the most out of life, Prudential Myanmar is on hand to support organizations with their workplace wellness efforts. This includes offering various tailored insurance solutions, co-organizing health and wellness activities as well as engagement in our campaigns and initiatives, such as the Good Vibe Tribe Community by Prudential Myanmar.

In closing, I would like to share that workplace wellness is more than providing free healthy snacks to employees or organising fitness sessions in the office. It is about taking a holistic view of the challenges faced by employees - mental, physical, financial, and family wellness – and determining ways to provide support so that they can focus on and excel in their work towards achieving the organization’s goals and their personal development.