Wellness activities come in all shapes and sizes.
As you likely know, some are total hits while others are flops. So how do you know what a good wellness activity looks like for your company?
It comes down to a few things like planning, feedback, and positive behavior change opportunities. Above all, it’s all about the employees.
Below, we break down essential elements of successful wellness activities to create your own that employees will love.
Examples of Wellness Activities That Work
Wellness activities in the workplace are usually a part of an ongoing wellness campaign or health program within a company. These activities are usually planned by a health coordinator or wellness committee.
Some examples of wellness activities include:
- Flu shot clinics
- Employee health fair
- Biometric screenings
- Wellness challenges
- Smoking cessation classes
- Stress management classes
- Weight loss competitions
- Health and nutrition workshops
These activities may take place weekly, quarterly, or even annually. It all depends on the needs of your employees.
What Makes for a Good Wellness Activity?
You may be wondering: How do I choose a wellness activity? There are so many options and different ways that such activities can be presented.
But first, the number one most important aspect of planning a wellness activity is ensuring it’s what your staff needs. If your employees are all health conscious and don’t smoke, a smoking cessation quarterly program may not make sense.
Here is a look at how to smartly select wellness activities:
- Look at past events/activities - Have other activities similar to the one you’re planning had a high engagement rate? Did the feedback after the event encourage the planning of another one? If so, you’ve got yourself a winning idea for a wellness activity to do again.
- Needed by many employees - Once you’ve looked at participation and engagement in past activities, consider the needs of your current employees. Send out an anonymous survey, do a quick oral poll in a meeting, etc. to see what activities would excite your staff.
- Look around - What’s the root cause of poor health in your workplace? Look at that and plan. If a recent biometric screening indicated that your workers have high blood pressure and sugar levels, cut back on the pizza days. Instead, order catered salads and soups for luncheon activities. Start with the root health concerns and plan activities around those concerns.
- Positive behavior change - Positive behavior change doesn’t happen overnight. A good wellness activity planner will take this into consideration. How can routines, clear expectations, etc. be brought into the workplace to help facilitate healthy behavior changes?
- Being inclusive - A thoughtfully planned wellness activity will take into consideration ways that all members of your company can participate. Don’t limit it to a few elite athletes or only those with poor biometric screening scores. Everyone deserves to be healthy and to improve their health at all levels.
Ultimately, the success of these activities comes down to how much you talk about it beforehand, how much it is centered on the workers, and how often you market the activity before it happens. Do all three and you’re guaranteed to have a great participation rate.
How Wellness Activities Elevate Employee Well-Being
Workplace wellness programs and activities are essential for employee health. So much of a person’s day is spent at work. It shouldn’t be all about work all the time. That’s a recipe for burnout. By having well-executed activities, you’re inviting your workers on a journey to well-being that can follow them throughout their lives if it’s done well enough.
Wellness activities and programs are important because:
- Helps with employee retention - Workers who know they are cared for are more willing to stick with a job. Even if workers don’t take advantage of the activities or events, it’s there if they need it.
- Offers incentives to new employees - One recent survey by a health services company found that employees working for companies that offered wellness programs were three times as likely to recommend their company as a place to work.
- Reduces healthcare costs in a big way - If you’re using wellness activities like biometric screenings, you can help your workers get ahead of costly health problems like high blood pressure. This, in turn, can lower healthcare costs by reducing visits to docs, prescription needs, and more.
- Increases productivity and happiness - Workers who feel good generally have more energy to get their work done. Providing valuable wellness activities to them while on the clock, it gives them something to look forward to and work toward, making them both happy and productive.
The more employee-focused wellness activities you have, the more likely you’ll see a higher participation and engagement rate. This in turn leads to greater employee loyalty and appreciative employees — always a win-win.
Free Resources for Workplace Wellness
Need some ideas for ways to freshen up your workplace wellness activities and programs? We’ve got you covered.
Check out these valuable workplace wellness resources:
- 12 Mini Wellness Challenge Ideas Your Team Will Love
- 52 Easy Wellness Wednesday Ideas to Try in Your Workplace
- The Simple 4-Week Immunity Booster Challenge
- How to Host a Successful Flu Shot Clinic
- How to Plan Your Employee Health Fair From Start to Finish
From health fair events to flu shot clinic hosting and more, the above list offers valuable planning resources to get these useful wellness activities in front of your workers.
How do you decide which wellness events you’ll plan out?
