June is recognized as National Employee Wellness Month. According to the American Community Survey (2022), there are approximately 1.5 million people with disabilities living in New York City, and many of them would like to pursue employment opportunities with employers who can provide a “whole-person health” perspective. Whatever their vocational calling may be, employees must have an appropriate work life balance to assist with their vocational success.
Employers who take a whole-person health approach in the workplace should support employees to consider their physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing. It is important for employees to stay as healthy as possible based on their functional ability. For example, following COVID-19, many employers have adopted hybrid work schedules. There are times when employees are working from home, and they have several Zoom meetings over the course of the day resulting a lack of opportunity for movement. It is important to provide opportunities for movement breaks.
Having reliable mental and physical healthcare from the employer is a necessity. It is important for employers to pay for the cost of individual medical, dental, and vision insurance for all employees. It is also recommended that employees maintain physical wellness by receiving their routine annual exams.
Employers recognize employee wellness by providing paid time-off (PTO) benefits. Some employers offer four weeks of vacation, 13 holidays including a religious-holiday-floater day, personal days, and some weeks of sick time. Encouraging the use of PTO allows staff to rejuvenate themselves and avoid professional burn out. Staff have a myriad of different demands regarding their time. So, if employees are able to take care of their own personal needs, this will result in a better work environment.
Employees should also have the space to find meaningful recreational activities. Famed psychologist Dr. Sigmund Freud highlighted three aspects of human life that people strive to attain: work, love, and play. People with disabilities are also interested in achieving these as well. It is incredibly challenging to maintain employment. But it is also challenging to fall in love, establish a family, have friends, and find meaningful hobbies/recreational activities. We encourage people with disabilities to participate in life activities regardless of their disability status. For additional information, please contact us at cidny.org or call 212-674-2300.