Appreciative. Apprehensive. Scared. Eager. There are a lot of emotions surrounding the way employees experience company flu shots. A quick keyword scan on Twitter brought up these tweets about onsite flu clinics. Some are grateful, some are terrified and others seem slightly misinformed.

Take a break from the romance novels this summer and opt for a reading list that's packed with positivity, nutrition, health and wellness. Here are ten of our favorite books to change your perspective, inspire your life and motivate your health: 

As flu season starts all around the United States, the issue continues to come up: What about vaccination for health care workers -- doctors, nurses, and people who have any clinical contact with patients?

With the weather heating up and the Fourth of July just around the corner, we can officially say that the season of company picnics has arrived. While it can be tempting to make things simple and suggest an all-out potluck, we don't think your wellness program would be best-served by a spread of mayonnaise-laden salads, fried chicken and high-calorie desserts. Host a healthy company picnic (without sacrificing flavor or tradition!) by following these tips: 

The Barbecue

Coworkers and social networks can play a significant role in the culture of your workplace and the success of your wellness program. Because the majority of us spend the bulk of our waking hours at work, our peers inevitably influence our health. Our coworkers' attitudes towards health screenings, smoking, fitness, nutrition, and flu shots can all affect our own decision-making.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that, on average, the flu costs employers approximately $10.4 billion a year in direct costs for adult hospitalization and outpatient visits.The cost of hosting a flu shot clinic pales in comparison, but regardless of your approach to the upcoming flu season, there is no doubt that this virus costs your business money. This is one reason why wellness experts are excited to see the continued development of a universal flu vaccine by researchers at Stanford University, one that could be produced quickly and offer more widespread protection than the shots available today.

Tomorrow is National Take Your Dog to Work Day. While we love a little 'holiday' excuse for bringing in our favorite pets, many offices are embracing the idea of taking your dog to work every day, by implementing a pet policy that encourage employees to bring in their furry friends. 

A positive worksite wellness culture can be important for your staff's physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

When your employees’ health is a priority, your workplace becomes more efficient and productive.

The office becomes a place that respects the time, talents, and lives of the individuals who work there, with clearly established roles and responsibilities.

While many wellness programs will brag about ROI and throw seemingly impressive statistics, just creating a culture that values wellness is enough to reduce sick days and health care costs.

Traditional team-building activities tend to send employees heading to the hills.

But we're confident that there are plenty of ways to establish relationships with your coworkers without an awkward icebreaker activity or out-of-place craft project.

Creating those bonds among staff members is about more than just having a cool company culture; employees report that when they have friends at work, their job is more fun, enjoyable, worthwhile, and satisfying. In fact, a recent Gallup survey found that close work friendships boost employee satisfaction by 50%, and people with a best friend at work are seven times more likely to engage fully in their tasks. 

Now that the weather is warmer, we think there are even more ways you can get employees to participate in creative, engaging activites. Here are eight of our favorite suggestions: 

If you're a human resources professional, the odds are that you've been in charge of developing or growing your company's workplace wellness program. While it may seem like a natural fit to task the HR team to deal with employee health details, we often find that our clients haven't really determined where the responsibility for their wellness program lies. The approaches vary among different companies and industries, with some focusing on personal responsibility or others opting to hire a third-party vendor.