When you think about workplace wellness, what's the first thing that comes to mind? If you've already tried healthy lunch-and-learns, blood pressure screenings or mindful movement breaks, there's still so much more to explore. Our Best Health® wellness program coordinators, Rachel Heredia and Kathryn Goldberg, share their favorite inventive ways to get employees engaged with their health and wellness at work.
Build social connection with interactive challenges.
“Whether your employees are remote, in-person or have hybrid schedules, helping them to connect with their colleagues can support their physical and mental health,” Goldberg says.
Creating stronger ties at work can help employees feel valued and a sense of belonging. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agree. Loneliness and a lack of social connection are more common than you might think: 1 in 3 adults report feeling lonely, while 1 in 4 adults don't have social and emotional support. Supportive relationships can help decrease the risk of depression, anxiety and heart disease while improving healthy eating, exercise and sleep quality.
Pruebe esto: Kick off a buddy challenge with Best Health and encourage employees to partner with a coworker. Employees can track their progress and motivate each other while working toward an organization-wide goal.
Explore community events and local partnerships.
Strengthening employees' connections to their community expands their support networks, both within and outside of the workplace.
“Search for events and partnerships that share your organization's values and make it easy for employees to sign up and find more information,” Heredia recommends. “Posting a flyer in your break room, sending a quick email or posting a reminder on your intranet site help keep them top of mind.”
Pruebe esto: Check out 2-1-1 San Diego, which links San Diegans to community-wide service organizations and shares a variety of local events from across the county.
Promote financial well-being.
“Wellness can mean so much more than nutrition and exercise,” Goldberg explains. “Financial well-being affects many areas of employees' lives, including their physical and mental health, and even their attendance at work. Employer groups can partner with their 401K provider to offer financial wellness workshops for extra support.”
Pruebe esto: Supplement a 401K workshop by sharing our three-part “Living financially well” webinar series to help employees identify barriers to their financial wellness and take steps to improve it.
Tap into play — and have fun!
Play isn't just for kids, it's a useful tool to incorporate into the workplace. It can be anything that brings enjoyment, such as offering yoga or meditation classes, hosting an interactive motivational speaker, or playing a virtual or in-person game (i.e., jeopardy, scavenger hunts, bingo, etc.).
Pruebe esto: Encouraging employees to create a Best Health account is a great way for everyone to try something new. Employees can build workplace connections in message boards, participate in polls, check out wellness articles, and so much more. Studies suggest that having fun at work supports physical and mental health, and it may even boost motivation.
Swap physical gifts for experiences.
Showing your appreciation through lunches, trophies and swag are appreciated, but you can also reward and incentivize employees with enjoyable, enriching experiences.
Try these: Employees can invest in their health outside of the workplace with unique gifts like museum and national park tickets, an escape room package, or practical ones, like gift cards for car washes, meal delivery, or cleaning services.
¿Está listo para comenzar?
We're here to help! Our nationally accredited wellness program helps employees enjoy healthier lifestyles with one-on-one health coaching, webinars and so much more. Si desea obtener más información, comuníquese con el administrador de su cuenta, quien lo pondrá en contacto con el equipo de Best Health.
