Spring is a perfect time to get moving and keep your health in mind. To show our appreciation for our employees and their wellbeing, we recently enjoyed our first Wellness Week. See what health and wellness ideas worked in the workplace (and which ones didn’t) during our first Wellness Week.
Employee Wellness Tips: The 4 C's
Our employee wellness program was successful not just because of the games and activities we had planned for the week. We also promoted it using what we call the 4 C's:
- Commit: Select a Wellness Committee, and well, commit to the cause. Fellow employees may need a bit of convincing to get involved. They may even feel a bit embarrassed or uninterested at first. The committee is there to help inspire the team and keep positive energy throughout the week. Wellness Week doesn't have to take over the work week, but the activities should be well-thought out.
- Communicate: We sent out an email every morning. They included the day's schedule and helpful articles related to the theme of the day. We also sent out calendar invites to keep the activities top-of-mind as we went through our day.
- Clearly Explain the Goal: Why are you focusing on wellness? What do you hope your employees get out of your Wellness Week? Properly explain it to your team.
- Change up Activities: Provide a variety of short activities for mental and physical health. It will help get everyone involved without feeling like they have to put in a lot of work.
Wellness Week Kick-Off
We kicked off Wellness Week on a Friday with a healthy lunch at Zoes Kitchen. Over lunch the committee explained the program and why we were making it a priority.
Then we offered free office massages. They were quick, 10-minute massages that focused on the neck and upper back. People were hesitant at first, but those of us who participated thoroughly enjoyed our time. We held the massages in a separate area so people weren't on display and kept the massages short and sweet.
Day 1: Get Moving Day
Today was all about small physical changes. A few changes can make a big difference in your physical wellness. Get Moving Day included scheduled team walks and 5-minute chair yoga.
The email communication helped particularly with yoga - people need to come with an open mind. Chair yoga is really just stretching in your chair for a few minutes, which was a nice change-up to the day.
All meetings were also standing or walking. If it’s a nice day, take a quick meeting outside and take any notes on your phone.
Day 2: Snack Well Day
Day 2 was all about healthy snacks. Healthy snacks aren’t just about calories. We focused on protein-heavy snacks that fill you up until your next meal. There's a direct correlation between your diet and effectiveness at work. Healthy snacks can truly help your outlook and performance in the office.
During lunch, our team offered two healthy recipes for employees to try out. You can view the two smoothie recipes here.
Day 3: Love Your Pet Day
As we've previously mentioned, Sylvane is a pet-friendly office. Pets can help us in multiple ways - both physically and mentally. Day 3 focused on spending time with our favorite furry family members.
Day 4: Mental Health Day
Mental health day started with notes of gratitude for all Sylvane team members. Each person received notes of encouragement, a stress ball and more goodies. Then we enjoyed a 5-minute guided meditation session in the afternoon.
Meditating helps center you and keep your emotions top-of-mind. We dimmed the lights and played a guided video for the team. Introduce the video by announcing the benefits and simply asking the team to keep an open mind for the 5-minute video. Keeping it short and sweet is the way to go if you have a few non-believers.
Day 5: Eat Well Day
Our final day included a healthy potluck lunch. Sylvane provided grilled chicken and portobello mushrooms, while the rest of the team brought a variety of healthy sides.
The lunch was delicious and allowed team members to enjoy each other in a relaxed atmosphere. During the potluck, the committee announced the winners of our exercise contest. Each department tracked their exercise for the week. At the end of the week, we took an average of all department's exercise for the week. We tracked the exercise on a board in our break room. Merchandising team members, who squeaked out the win, all received free water bottles as their wellness prize. It was a small gesture to show our appreciation for their participation.
To have a successful wellness program in the office, you just have to follow the 4C’s and emphasize your goals. It’s also important that employees know how important they are to the success of your organization.
We wish you luck on your Wellness Week! Hopefully you can use use ours as a sample wellness program. It helped bring our team together for a fun, helpful week of activities.
