Worksite wellness is a great way to get staff energized and excited about their own health. It’s also a way for staff to show support to each other, which will bring about a better team overall.
Wellness in the workplace might seem like a taxing task, but it doesn’t have to be! Below are three easy-to-implement ways to incorporate wellness with your team.
Walking Meetings: Meetings happen… a lot. Instead of sitting down and losing focus during a meeting, go for a walk! This walk doesn’t have to be long or even outside; however, it’s an opportunity for everyone to stand up, walk around and get their blood flowing. When this happens, creativity is sparked! Research also shows that these meetings lead to more honest conversation and are more productive.
Meditation: What? Meditation in the workplace? That’s right! Meditation takes on various forms, and it’s not as scary as you think. Research shows that 48 % of Americans say that stress negatively impacts their personal and professional lives, and 20 % say they do very little to minimize their stress levels. However, taking just 15 minutes a day to meditate can help reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Below are specific ways to meditate while at work:
Set an alarm to go off every hour. When it goes off, set aside one minute to close your eyes, release tension in your shoulders and breathe deeply. When breathing, make sure to inhale and exhale through your nose. Deep breathing lowers cortisol levels, which reduces stress.
- Keep a happiness journal or jar. Throughout the work day, find those moments that make you happy – a cup of warm coffee, the way your coworker laughs, the feeling of submitting a report. Record those moments, and keep them easily accessible for you to see on a continual basis. Looking at moments of happiness help you focus on the good, and not the bad, of your day.
- Conduct a body scan. Find a quiet room, and sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the ground. Close your eyes, and begin focusing your attention at the very top of your head. Move down your body, and as you do so, release any tension in that particular part. This gives your brain a break from work stresses and reduce pressure.
Wellness Program: Where there are incentives, they will come. Gather your staff, talk about wellness ideas that
aren’t over the top or completely unattainable and plan out incentives to provide if people stick to those ideas. The incentives don’t have to be extraordinary or expensive. Simple things like a mini-lotion, water bottle or hour off work go a long way. See below for wellness idea examples:
- Drink 32 ounces of water during the work day
- Stretching – earn two points each day you spend at least ten minutes stretching
- Eat healthy snacks – earn one point each day that you only eat veggies, fruit and/or nuts as a snack
Worksite wellness doesn’t have to be a struggle. It’s a great way for staff to have fun, work together and come up with creative ideas in a more productive way.