Your wellness program could become a powerful tool in building cohesive teams and a solid company culture. But how do you actually turn your wellness program a positive company culture-building experience? In 2019, more millennials and Gen Y employees look for companies where they fit in. A paycheck is important but people also want to feel like they belong and ultimately this affects their productivity and your profits.
This is where incorporating your wellness programs with building company culture comes in handy.
In this post, we’ll talk about the advantages of wellness programs in building company culture as well as some ideas for doing just that.
Effective team-building
It is now evident that having a great product or service no longer defines a great company. In fact, more and more, job seekers are putting a premium on company culture. People will move away quickly from a toxic company culture no matter how famous or profitable the company is.
One of the essential pillars to building a positive company culture is to build effective teams. And as an administrator in your company, it is possible for you to do that using your wellness program as a doorway.
Improved work-life balance
More and more employees are also now concerned about being able to balance their work with life. They want to be able to work hard and play hard as well. Your wellness program can give employees the opportunity to do that.
One day company retreats that focus on wellness or an after-hours mixer where your employees can relax and get to know colleagues “outside” of work can improve the overall well-being of employees.
People do what they see people do
Several psychological studies show us that people o what they see other people do. Even though many of us don’t like to admit it, several actions we take on a daily basis has been influenced by someone or something we admire.
This is why advertising for some of the very products you have at home have celebrity endorsements! Whether we admit it or not, many of us want to be accepted by the prevailing culture.
Thus if the prevailing culture at your workplace is one that supports healthy eating, health risk assessments that are promptly followed up on, and regular opportunities to exercise or rejuvenate the mind, chances are that people will adopt the culture on their own and practice it without prompting.
A company culture that promotes healthy living is one that will have healthy employees.
Encourages communication
If your company is large enough, there are certain people within it that may never interact. And this is not a bad thing per se. However, fostering communication between work colleagues can break down barriers and lead to better relationships amongst co-workers.
Additionally, since the brain releases endorphins during exercise-chemicals in your brain that promote a sense of well-being-co-workers are more likely to associate themselves with those positive memories.
Those positive memories lead to cordial relationships, mitigates conflict and creates a healthy environment to work in. Your wellness program can be another redundant tool or it can be a powerful tool for building a praise-worthy company culture.
Wellness programs that are also effective team-building tools
Wondering what type of activities you could incorporate into your wellness program? Here are a few.
- Ask employees what they want. Yes, there are tons of ideas for wellness programs that will build company culture but none of them will work if your employees don’t like them. So send out a survey or ask people personally to get a feel of the type of wellness-related activities they would prefer.
- Company-hosted volunteer programs. There is evidence we feel good when we help other people. This can improve a person’s mental health. A company-hosted volunteer program could be just what the doctor ordered for your employees.
- Marathons/Runs. There are multiple charities and organizations running marathons, half-marathons and 5k races all year round. Chances are you will find quite a few with just a quick Google search. People love to run for a cause so look for one and encourage your team to join in.
- Exercise classes. Exercises abound! As long as you keep it simple, fun and engaging (and accessible), people will participate.
- Bring in a chef to demonstrate healthy recipes.
- Have employees contribute their best healthy recipes into a company-wide cook-book.
- Join a local sports league.
- Or create one if none exists in your area!
One of the ways to make these positive company culture-building wellness programs effective is if leadership actively participates. So don’t forget this component in your implementation.
