The pandemic is piquing interest in workplace wellness program ideas. As a result, leaders know that they need a wellness program, but it’s not clear how to implement one successfully. In some cases, it’s hard even to know what a “wellness program” means.
In my transition from Office Yoga to ZaaS (Zen as a Service), I am talking to a lot of prospective clients. Here are some trends that I am noticing.
- HR leads, People Teams, and Office Managers are being asked to ensure that employees don’t slip into the “Great Resignation” while balancing a new hybrid work model.
- Because of this, the same group is now tasked with creating a “wellness program.” They are also being asked to be resourceful, with little or no budget.
- Wellness attempts are unsuccessful, usually due to a lack of experience, expertise, and/or budget.
If you are in this position, I see you, and I feel you.
Here are 3 DIY workplace wellness program ideas to get you started and increase engagement at work.
Workplace Wellness Slack Channel
If your team uses Slack (or a similar communication platform), create a wellness channel to share wellness tips. You can post 30-second Desk Stretch videos, inspirational quotes, and healthy recipes. You can also use this platform to ask questions and see what your team is interested in. This can be your go-to place for everything wellness.
TL;DR Book Club
The notion of a Book Club is always welcome, but books these days are TL;DR (too long; didn’t read). Instead of a book, consider a short article or video related to wellness.
In one of our client channels, we shared “The 7 Types of Rest that Every Person Needs.” This sparked a conversation about what kind of rest we all need (the most common is physical rest, sensory rest, and emotional rest). This conversation is organically followed by tactics to help hold each other accountable.
You can ask the wellness channel for topics or something you notice trending in conversation with colleagues. For additional support, ask us! We have a database of ideas.
Workplace Wellness Challenges
If you are starting a new initiative, a challenge can create powerful momentum. Fitness challenges, meditation apps, and word games can facilitate competition and collaboration. This gets employees motivated. A few free, easy games you can implement with your team include a Meditation Marathon, Wordle, Words with Friends, NYT daily mini crosswords, Semantle, Word Master, and Globle.
We shared the Meditation Marathon with a new client recently. Employees take an average of 10 minutes every morning to meditate for four weeks. We shared this challenge on the company wellness slack channel to keep engagement and share best practices. At the end of the four weeks, we shared the benefits we noticed, obstacles that came up, and the next steps to keep practicing.
One Size DOES NOT Fit All in Workplace Wellness
Keep in mind there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Personal well-being is a delicate combination that requires care and thoughtfulness. These simple, free workplace wellness program ideas can be your first step to creating a successful wellness program at work. For best results, try at least two of these three strategies.
Zen as a Service is a Global Wellbeing Platform for SMB, B Corps, and enterprise companies. Click here to get your ZaaS on!
