In the digital age, working remotely has become increasingly popular. Many companies have at least a few employees who either work from home, from the road, or from a corporate branch outside the main office.

These remote employees are just as vital to your business as "office" employees, and they can benefit just as much from your corporate wellness program. That being said, they really are an entirely different population. That means that while they still need to be immersed in the company culture and to feel valued by corporate leadership, they do need to be addressed differently than your employees who work in-office.

As promised, we’ve released the final chapter of our #TWGardenProject Toolkit. This chapter is an excellent summary to help you learn along with us as you plan your garden for next year.

Gratitude is a key factor in living a life filled with positivity. And, as you hopefully know, we at TotalWellness are huge advocates for positivity! Living life with an attitude of gratitude can help you take one step closer to all the health benefits that a positive outlook has to offer.

Researcher Robert Emmons, Ph. D., has found that consistently practicing gratitude can lead to a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, more restful sleep, and a generally more optimistic and happy outlook. These are not just health benefits, but personal ones that can significantly improve your quality of life.

Hygiene is important all year long, but it’s especially important during flu season. That’s because the flu can spread from person to person by germs left behind on shared objects. That’s why when someone comes to work sick, it won’t be long until you have an office epidemic on your hands.

Some places are more common hotspots for germs than other places. In your office, that includes anything that is shared or touched frequently. This means things like:

• Sink faucet handles
• Microwave door handles
• Fridge door handles
• Any other door handles
• Light switches
• Desk equipment like keyboards and phones
• Coffee pot handles
• Table tops
• Elevator or vending machine buttons

You’ve hit the afternoon lull, and you need just a little burst of energy to push through to five o’clock. You think running to the vending machine to grab a pop is harmless and will give you that kick you need, right? Wrong!

Regularly drinking pop (or soda depending on where you live) and other sugary drinks is a huge health hazard. Not only does pop contribute to poor dental health and obesity, but it even increases your risk to develop diabetes, gout and heart disease.

As the wellness coordinator at your company, you know what we’re talking about when we say things can get crazy. We want you to know that we support you, and what you do every single day is worth it to help your coworkers live happier, healthier lifestyles.

Check out these quotes to keep you pushing, even when the work gets tough:

“The most important things cannot be measured.” –W. Edwards Deming

“Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” –Theodore Roosevelt

Evaluating your corporate wellness program is important on multiple levels. Obviously evaluation helps you to decide what in your program really works. Aside from affirming your success, evaluating your program allows you to:

• Try new things with research to back them up.
• Avoid wasting resources on things that simply aren’t working.
• Prove yourself and your success to potential funders or program supporters.

So as you can (hopefully) see, evaluation is important. But it can be a daunting task. Don’t worry too much, though, because there are a number of tools that can help.

It’s time for corporate wellness programs to become human again. Yes, metrics are necessary to help us find out where we’ve been, where we are and where we want to be in terms of goals — but they are not the be-all and end-all of our efforts.

Let me explain.

Your employees drive everything your company does. Without them, you probably wouldn’t be able to do what you do, and you definitely wouldn't be able to do it as efficiently.

Sometimes problems in your corporate wellness program will just jump out at you. Other times, things might seem off, and you’re not quite sure where the problem lies.

Well the first step to solving any type of problem is identifying exactly what that problem entails. If you’re feeling like your wellness program is just not running as smoothly as it should, or if you’re not seeing the results you expected, it might be time to do some digging.

Getting feedback about your wellness program is a must. But did you know that the questions you ask play a huge role in the quality of the feedback you get?

Even if you’re taking everything your employees say and adjusting your program accordingly, you might not be building the best program for your company. When you seek feedback about your employee wellness program, you need to ask powerful questions to get the best information.