Getting to know your employees shouldn’t be off limits.

In fact, good leaders regularly connect with employees to gain better company insight and develop personal relationships that drive productivity and engagement.

In a recent State of the American Workplace report, only 15% of employees strongly felt that leaders got them excited about the future of the company. How much higher could that percentage be if leaders took the time to connect with employees to share company growth and insight? 

It comes down to creating opportunities for meaningful exchanges that aren’t always about the bottom line.

Here are seven ways to make closer connections with employees:

National Public Health Week is here. 

The annual event focuses on creating “the healthiest nation” by supporting healthy communities and fair policies. 

This week is the perfect time to start conversations in your workplace and community about public health. Whether you want to follow along with this week’s agenda or save it for a later date, any time is a good time to consider public health. Plus, you can share public health facts year-round with employees.

In this post, we share public health points of discussion to engage employees.

Whether you realize it or not, there’s likely at least one employee struggling with chronic health issues in your workplace.

In fact, 133 million Americans deal with the challenges of chronic health conditions each year.

Sadly, it’s also the leading cause of disability and death in America.

Chronic illness often comes with pain, which can limit a person’s ability to work. By keeping this in mind, along with a prearranged plan, employers can support staff with compassion and flexibility.

Below, we share insight on how to best support chronically ill workers.

Wellness committees = awesome wellness programs. 

If you’re planning your wellness initiatives on a whim, you’re basically taking a shot in the dark and hoping for the best when it comes to employee engagement. 

When companies create a solid wellness committee, it empowers the employees who take part — inside and outside the committee. Bringing in enthusiastic volunteers helps in developing strategic, thoughtful programs that boost employee engagement. 

A well-designed wellness program will: 

• Improve employee health 
• Increase productivity 
• Reduce absenteeism 
• Boost employee morale 
• Decrease medical claims

At the core of successful wellness programs is a committee that planned it every step of the way. Here we offer insight and specific steps to create the best wellness committee possible. 

In theory, it seems like a wellness program would go off without a hitch.

A relatable scenario: Give employees fitness wearables. Ask them to wear it daily. Offer rewards to active participants.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

While there’s never a 100% guaranteed perfect strategy, there are ways to set up your employee wellness program for favorable results.

Ready or not, it's time to start spring cleaning. 

Your spring wellness initiatives could probably use a good dusting off, too. 

If you’re unsure of how to freshen up your wellness campaigns, we’ve got just the resources for you. Best of all, they’re free! 

The only investment you’ll need is some time. 

Here’s a roundup of our 5 favorite resources to put into use this spring: 

Who wouldn’t love to feel more optimistic at work? 

It’s no secret that positivity boosts employee wellness overall.

When employees feel appreciated and respected, they’re more likely to bring a cheerful, can-do attitude into the workplace. Create a toxic work environment, and you’ll watch moods and productivity plummet.

Ready to give negativity the boot? 

Here’s five ways to start promoting positivity in the workplace:

A good night’s sleep is a must.

When the body is in sleep mode, it repairs cells and supports healthy brain function. Hitting the sack and getting high-quality sleep maintains physical and emotional health levels, too.

Deprive yourself of sleep too long, and the results are disastrous.  

When the body is in a sleep deficit, it impacts everything from mood to physical reaction times.

It can also impact the quality of work as it changes parts of the brain, including problem solving. According to the World Sleep Society, 46% of individuals with regular sleep disturbances report missing work or making errors at work.

World Sleep Day is March 15, a perfect day to raise awareness about the importance of not compromising quality sleep.

Want to spread the word on why sleep isn’t just a luxury? Read on.

Some days call for more energy than others.

If you're feeling drained or tired, it can be hard to muster up the energy to get things done. When you have a huge to-do list, it can be alluring to use the fastest energy-boosting methods possible.

As tempting as energy drinks may be, those will give you a grand boost and an equally grandiose crash.

Before you reach for an energy drink, you may want to consider the side effects other than a temporary energy surge. One study by the International Journal of Health Sciences showed the sugary drinks raise blood pressure and gastrointestinal upset.

So, what’s a tired, overworked person to do?

We’ve rounded up 10 energy boosters for you to try out ASAP:

March is National Nutrition Month.

While it’s great to promote the message of healthy eating for at least 31 days, getting employees excited about a nutritious diet can be tough.

Not many people are jumping up and down with excitement to eat kale. 😜

Nevertheless, this awareness month presents a perfect opportunity to share key nutrition points with your employees.

Here are a few National Nutrition Month ideas and messages that may encourage your employees to try a little more kale: