Did you know that Professional Wellness Month is celebrated each year in June? It sheds light on the workplace’s role in creating a healthy environment for employees. It also focuses on how organizations that place emphasis on professional wellness are largely successful, attract top talent, and drive employee retention. Seize the opportunity to shine a spotlight on health, and encourage everyone on your team to take their own wellness seriously with fun-focused healthy activities!
Here are five ways to celebrate National Professional Wellness Month (or Wellbeing Month) that are easy to plan and will have a positive impact on employee morale and retention.
Remember to stay hydrated
Water cooler talk has evolved into new forms in today’s modern workplace, but that doesn’t mean that staying hydrated is any less important. Switch office happy hour over to hydration hour (and offer reusable water bottles with the company logo) to help your team learn about the benefits of getting enough water to stay healthy and help them meet their personal wellness goals.
Encourage taking the stairs
Encouraging employees to take the stairs instead of elevators is a small step towards developing daily healthy habits. Recommend a trip up and down the stairs by hanging printed reminders at the elevators, or post motivational and humorous notes along the staircase. Depending on what floor your offices are on, your employees don’t have to take the stairs the whole way. Taking the stairs has been shown to increase life expectancy, increase bone density and prevent osteoporosis, and it burns five times the calories as using the elevator.
Stock up with healthy snacks
Snacking doesn’t have to be a bad habit. Take this month as the impetus for breathing new life into your company’s kitchen cabinets. Stock up on healthy snack options like fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain carbs. Encourage employees to track their mood and energy levels throughout the month to see if making healthier snack choices cures that afternoon slump after all
Boost morale
Remember to set aside time each month to celebrate your company culture wins. Company review sites help tell the story of your company, which offers a powerful source of connection among employees. Another way to boost morale is to encourage employees to show pictures of their children or pets during virtual meetings or send pictures through a company social platform.
Whether you share tech-friendly resources with your colleagues on your intranet, or you send regular emails including tips for staying healthy in mind and body, encouraging wellness in the workplace is critical. The payoff? Better company culture and more productive and engaged employees. It’s a win-win for both employees and employers.
Inspire activity for a good cause
Team sports certainly draw people together, but they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. Encourage your employees’ athleticism by sponsoring your team to join a corporate league, and include everyone in the office by hosting viewing parties or a cheering section to bring up morale both on and off the court. You could even organize a group to participate in a 5K race and pay for employees’ entry (which often donates to a charitable organization).