Posts

How to Discuss Hot-Button Social Issues in the Workplace

/ /by

Only a generation ago, many employers skirted hot-button social issues. Their reasoning? Keep matters related to touchy subjects like politics and widespread social justice concerns at home. (Or at least the parking garage.)

While this tactic may have kept offices quieter then, workers now tend to be far more vocal. Thanks to real-time access to social media and global news while in the office, they freely share their thoughts on all topics, including the toughest ones of all. Discrimination. Race. Equality. Ageism. It’s all fair game. And each can lead to a conversation that starts simmering below the surface, affecting a company’s cultural fabric.

As an HR leader, you want to help your company deal successfully with difficult conversations. You also want to foster an environment where employees can talk about challenging topics with frankness and compassion. But where do you start? How do you encourage healthy dialogue that doesn’t cause some team members to shut down—or get heated up?

The answer is to take a multi-pronged approach, leaning into techniques that have worked for other people in your position.

Use Data to Support Future Programming

As leaders, if you want to know how your workers feel about racial and social injustice (R&SI), go to the source. Pathways at Work, a mental and behavioral health services provider,  surveyed their employees. They found that 96% were at least moderately concerned about R&SI issues.

How concerned is your workforce? Knowing this valuable information can help a company move forward with developing a comprehensive program designed to alleviate employees’ mental stress regarding R&SI, producing positive, measurable results.

One of the keys to your success is using your HR team’s data-driven process. Instead of working on a gut instinct, collect statistical evidence before proceeding. This objective process can help create the right solutions to meet your goals of a less stressed workforce.

You can’t assume to know how your employees feel about any hot-button matter. That’s why you must go to them and gauge their collective mindset. Otherwise, you might forge ahead with training or talks that aren’t relevant to your coworkers or have a false sense of urgency.

Thoughtfully Bring in Outside Assistance

Many people have set themselves up as consultants for companies that want to tackle complex topics. Before hiring anyone to lead dialogues or give lectures, get familiar with their abilities and techniques. Remember: Some teachers connect best with middle schoolers and others with college students. Consultants are no different. The consultant perfect for the company down the street won’t necessarily work for yours. Plus, some consultants have thin resumes.

If you decide you want an objective third party to lead tough conversations, do some digging. Ideally, you want to find consultants with a wealth of knowledge in the field, as well as mediation skills. Remember: The consultant will talk about serious issues that could lead to heated debates, outbursts, or emotional breakdowns. Although debate can be productive, your consultant needs to understand how to handle participants’ reactions.

A capable consultant will provide a proposal before moving forward. That proposal will give you a more robust understanding of the consultant’s capabilities, expertise, expected timelines, and objectives. You should also check out references, just as you would for a new hire. In fact, you can use your natural recruitment acumen and aspects of your in-house hiring process to pick the right outsider to help your insiders feel supported and respected.

Develop Policies and Statements Around Hot-Button Social Issues

During the summer of 2020, protests broke out across America in support of social justice for people of color. Some brands said nothing in response. Others, including large corporations like McDonald’s, made their positions undeniably clear. They stood out among other businesses that showed support; however, their response did not hold to a specific call to action. According to a letter from CEO Chris Kempczinski, the company would hold town hall meetings to hear from employees. Although including staff in suggestions for inclusion is a step in the right direction, did they really enough for such a big corporation? From one of the world’s largest employers, and one of the biggest hot-button social issues of our generation, is that a big enough call to action?

Your role in opening your office to hot-button issues can’t be a “one and done” project. In other words, you have to be willing to make changes depending on the outcomes. For instance, what if you discover through workshops that a high percentage of team members feel unsafe? You must accept the obligation to take action and reduce the tension in your teams.

Of course, you’ll need support from your organization’s upper levels of leadership to establish updated protocols that stick. Without executive support, hot-button policies tend to become “in name only” documents – employees can perceive them as shallow and unenforceable. Work hard to find champions at the top of the corporate ladder. That way, you’ll have a better chance of forming a work culture that’s beneficial for all, not just a few.

Dealing with complex social issues can be tough for any group. Exhibit patience as you navigate your workers toward a place where everyone feels appreciated. Fixing broken systems and outdated behaviors doesn’t happen within a few weeks – or even months. But in time and with attention, you’ll shape a work team unafraid to look hot-button topics in the eye.

 

Image from Daxiao Productions

The Secret to Healthy Living: Work Well and Play More [#WorkTrends]

/, /by

For more than a year now, many of us have been enjoying our work at home experience. On the surface, this has been an opportunity for better integration of work and life commitments. We’ve enjoyed being more available to family and friends (including the furry variety). We’re also eating at home more often and, with much lower commute times, perhaps sleeping more. That seems like healthy living to me.

But in a recent poll here at TalentCulture, nearly half of you said your employer expects you to be available at all times. So do we really have greater balance? Are we taking the breaks required to remain healthy? Are we eating better and sleeping more?

If we’re constantly answering texts and emails — always working — are we really living healthier lives than our pre-pandemic selves?

Our Guest: Marcey Rader, Health and Wellness Expert

Joining us on this week’s episode of #WorkTrends is Marcey Rader, an accredited health and wellness expert, award-winning speaker, sought-after productivity coach, and author of three books. In other words, she’s perfectly qualified to discuss the issue of healthy living within our current work from home realities. From a health perspective, I asked Marcey about the upsides — and downsides — of working remotely.

“When COVID hit us last year, we heard people saying ‘I’m losing 25 pounds because now I’m taking walks every afternoon,” Marcey said. But then she added: “Now, though, we have the COVID 25  where people are not moving enough.” 

So the primary downside, simply put by Marcey: “We’re not moving enough.”

Healthy Living Secret: Work Well, Play More

Marcey went on to say that healthy living isn’t all about work-life balance, but working well and, yes, playing more. And by playing, Marcey talks about taking advantage of every “movement opportunity.” 

Marcey defines these movement opportunities as, “Every hour you get up and you do 20 squats. Or you’re doing push-ups after each of your meetings. Or you’re doing walkie-talkies (walking and talking) on the phone during meetings.” Marcey further clarified this practical secret to healthy living: 

“Any movement opportunity you can fit in your day can be helpful. We must keep moving!”

Marcey went on to talk about the importance of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), quality sleep, and so much more. And here’s what I learned from our conversation: Working well and playing more are not mutually exclusive concepts. Using walkie-talkie meetings as an example, we can play — we can move — while we work. 

To learn more about Marcey’s work, connect with her on LinkedIn. And check out her newest book, Work Well. Play More!: Productive, Clutter-Free, Healthy Living – One Step at a Time.

 

Image by AlohaFlaminggo

Financial Literacy: Current State and Impact on Post-Pandemic Workplaces

/, /by

The pandemic has altered almost every aspect of our lives. It has exposed fault lines in our country, workplaces, and at home. Many of us didn’t realize one area would significantly impact us as it has: financial well-being. This is why it is more important than ever to talk about financial literacy: 

According to a survey from the National Endowment for Financial Education:

  • 88 percent of Americans say the COVID-19 crisis has caused stress on their personal finances
  • 89% believe that lack of financial education contributes to larger-scale social problems in America
  • And 83 percent of HR professionals report that personal finance worries had an enormous impact on overall employee performance

So, as we look ahead to what a post-pandemic workplace looks and feels — and because we know business leaders and HR professionals want to do everything possible to keep employees focused and productive — we at TalentCulture must ask a tough question:

What role should employers play in the financial literacy of their employees?

Our Guest: Personal Finance Expert and Mentor, Danny Kofke

Danny Kofke, a Motivational Mentor for Mentoro — a financial education company that provides a turn-key financial awareness solution — joined me on this week’s episode of #WorkTrends Conversations to help answer our question. Danny began our conversation by telling us what aspects of financial literacy have changed most since the pandemic started:

“Unfortunately, even before the pandemic hit, a lot of people weren’t doing well with their money. But the pandemic has definitely had a detrimental effect on many people’s finances. Many are not aware of their options; they are relying much more on debt.” After Danny, a former school teacher, explained that financial literacy is never taught in school, he emphasized that the sense of urgency for many employees is real; people are hurting now. He then answered our question about how employers can help:

“The pandemic is almost over. But for many, the next crisis — a financial crisis — is coming. That’s where a financial wellness program can definitely play a part.” 

Which is precisely the role employers can play as we co-create the post-pandemic workplace with our employees.

The Key to Financial Literacy: Employer-Driven Education

“The annual cost of financial stress to the employer,” Danny went on to say, “in lost productivity and absenteeism is over $2,000 a year per employee. An employer-driven financial wellness program not only help minimize that stress, but it also increases company loyalty.” Danny added that employees see this benefit as an example of their employer going above and beyond, providing education designed to help them with their finances and overall well-being.

During our conversation, Danny convinced me that employers are uniquely positioned to help their employees become financially literate — today and in the long-term. For employees struggling with their post-pandemic financial situations, employers can help right away by saying:

“I’m never going to allow my employees to face this alone again. We can help take this burden off them.”

To learn more about Danny and how he can help you help your employees, reach out to him on LinkedIn.

And, of course, as you consider a financial wellness program as part of your comprehensive employee benefits package, check out Mentoro — and be sure to thank them for sponsoring this episode of #WorkTrends Conversations!

Infographic by Manila Recruitment

Flextime: An Integral Part of Your Company’s Return to Work Plan

/ /by

Soon, business leaders will turn their attention to developing a return to work plan for employees. And for many, that plan will need to include some amount of flextime. After all, we’ve provided employees with a tremendous amount of freedom over the past year. And we simply can’t take that freedom back now and say, “Thanks for all you’ve done, now go back to the way it was.”

As leaders contemplate getting everyone back to work, there is another consideration: Our workspaces might not ever be the same; continued social distancing means we will have less physical space per person to work with. So flextime, a system that allows employees to choose their own times for starting and finishing their work while sharing company resources, might be the answer.

Flextime as a Return to Work Solution

After working from home for some time, employees now know that a flexible work schedule drives high satisfaction levels with their work. They are now used to being able to better balance work and personal lives. It is now easier for them to juggle childcare, elderly care, distance learning, and so much more — all because their work schedules are more flexible. Of course, companies have also seen the clear benefits of providing flexible work hours. In general, their employees are more satisfied and motivated, so productivity improves.

The benefits to both employee and employer are clear. So why wouldn’t a company continue to provide flexible work hours — or flextime — in their return to work plans?

This infographic from recruitment agency Manila Recruitment further discusses flextime’s positive impact and looks at how companies are executing flexible work schedules globally. Perhaps even more important, the infographic shares five tips for implementing flextime in your company.

Take a close look. Then begin mapping out your company’s return to work plan — including flexible work schedules.

 

flextime infographic

Image by Gary Weber

Worker Resilience: The Ultimate Truth About This Hot HR Topic

/ /by

It seems like worker resilience has become the HR topic of the day. The pandemic suddenly forced people to work from home last year. Soon after, videoconferencing tore the curtain off the reality of everyone’s daily lives. So we shouldn’t be surprised that resilience is a key theme in 2021.

But what exactly is resilience? Does worker resilience really matter? And if it does, why has resilience been such an elusive employee trait for companies to help develop?

What Exactly is Resilience?

In a nutshell, resilience is what gives people the psychological strength to cope with stress and hardship. The global pandemic, economic downturn, racial injustice, and controversial and seemingly never-ending U.S. presidential election was a lot for people to cope with in the last year. And we’ve all experienced the videoconferences where this all came to a head.

The calls in which a coworker’s connection freezes every time they try to share their screen because fiber internet isn’t available in their neighborhood. The times when a parent needs to cut a meeting short because their infant is having a meltdown and is in desperate need of attention. Or even the ones when someone confides in you that they simply cannot hit a deadline because they’re struggling to focus on the task at hand. From having the technician at the house to fix their unreliable internet. Or perhaps needing to run to the store for another round of curbside pickup. Or maybe the stress of wrapping up deliverables that were due yesterday — before they lost internet. Worse yet, they just learned a spouse or child tested positive for COVID-19. Each scenario has tested our patience, if not our resilience — perhaps more than once.

Simply put, these are situations in which resilient employees are more able to cope in a safe and healthy way. At the same time, they present a challenge for less resilient employees. Resilient people are more able to wrestle life’s upheavals — large and small, day in and day out, on the job and home. And they do so in ways that they can still stay productive and more on track. Perhaps most important, they stay healthier in all three spheres of our lives: psychologically/mentally, socially/emotionally, and physically.

That, in layperson’s terms, is “resilience.”

Does Resilience Really Matter — or Is This a Tempest in a Teapot?

Considering all this, it only stands to reason that if your employees can cope with new and demanding situations in safe and healthy ways, they’ll benefit. Additionally, the people they love and work with will benefit, and your company will benefit. But an individual failing to cope is more than a personal health problem. It’s a business problem. Not just due to the increasing rates of absenteeism that represent considerable costs to companies now, but because a fragile workforce will cost exponentially more in the future.

A recent report by Cigna shows that resilience is at risk in 3 in 5 Americans — and that businesses are feeling the impact. The report says 63% of full-time workers have low to moderate resilience levels that put them at risk of being unable to overcome immediate challenges and adversity. Cigna connected low resilience to low job satisfaction and performance, a higher likelihood of turnover, and an inability to cope.

The Impact of Low to Moderate Resilience

Looking more closely, we see an interesting thing about resilience: it’s highest when we’re very young and very old. This inverted ‘U’ of our resilience levels means we’re at our greatest risk of low potential and inability to cope with change in our teens and 20s. Then our resilience — and specifically our worker resilience — starts to build as we acclimate to the workforce and life after school.

In adults, resilience tends to be lowest among isolated or lonely people who feel a lack of connection to family or work or feel unsupported. For all employees, inclusion and connection are vital for resilience.

“If you don’t have friends, coworkers, or groups to build yourself up, you’re more at risk to not have the resilience to overcome things like the COVID-19 pandemic or furloughs,” Robert Hamilton, a medical executive for Cigna, said in commenting on the report.

Here’s what low resilience can lead to:

  • As recently as October, 1 in 4 U.S. workers had considered quitting their jobs because worries related to the pandemic were getting to them, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in collaboration with the software company SAP.
  • In the same poll, nearly 7 in 10 workers said that managing the responsibilities of their jobs and home life was absolutely a primary stressor.
  • The risk of depression among employees is 71% higher now than before the pandemic, according to the latest Mental Health Index by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
  • Employee attention span is 27% worse than before the pandemic, according to the same report.

So, yes. Resilience among your workers matters.

Resilience: An Elusive Employee Trait for Companies to Help Develop

While it’s difficult to broadly minimize stress factors across any organization, it is possible to effectively cultivate company-wide strategies for resilience. The three reasons most employer strategies, solutions, and apps haven’t worked so far is that they:

  • Are mental wellbeing or mindfulness solutions with no underpinning in clinical psychology
  • Focus solely on reactive treatment rather than offering prevention
  • Fail to treat the whole employee — to embrace mental health as part of everyone’s daily life and total wellbeing

A different and proven model for building resilience and overall employee mental health would take constant, consistent preventive action that:

  • Helps every employee monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of things that might be going wrong
  • Provides appropriate referrals to other employer-sponsored programs (such as your EAP) or outside expert counseling when it’s needed

After all, we are all on some spectrum of mental health (and test our resilience) every day.

Developing Resilience:  Start by Focusing on Improving Overall Mental Health

The ultimate truth about work resilience?

Any company can take a major step forward in improving resilience. If, that is, they have a means for improving mental health overall, for every employee. That would demand an employee mental health platform supported by four foundational pillars:

A whole-person, whole-organization approach to mental health

It’s time to remove the stigma around mental health. It’s time to make it OK to enable employees to talk about stress. We must make it okay to also talk about depression, financial concerns, and other factors that lead to mental ill-health. It is time to equally nourish all three spheres that make up every individual’s life: psychological, social, and physical. This is the best way, in fact, to enhance the investment already made in on EAP programs.

Leave no employee behind

The right employee mental health platform will engage every employee to leverage preventive tools and resources. That platform will not just provide the costly and invasive reactive mental health treatment for 1 in 5 employees who report having mental health issues today.

Empowerment for employees and insight for employers

An employee mental health platform will only succeed if it can deliver three critical drivers of its value: measurement and assessment; variety and personalization; and accessibility. (For example, are the tools and insights accessible on any device at any time?)

A human touch and solid science

With today’s optimal employee mental health platform, employers can depend on customized support to drive more-human engagement with employees. That approach better helps employers interpret the insights gleaned from employee data the platform generates.

Worker Resilience: Time for a New Approach

In short, it’s time to move beyond the traditional, treatment-focused mental health solutions. It’s time to go deeper and broader than you can with mindfulness-type solutions that don’t truly address mental health.

If we want to further develop worker resilience in our employees, it’s time to support the whole person — and the whole organization.

Photo by VivilWeb

Futurecasting: 7 World of Work Trends We’ll See in 2021

/, , , , , , , , , /by

Futurecasting is sometimes akin to looking into the sky and trying to connect the stars. As we look ahead to the future this time, though, we know the direction we’re going. We know where the prominent work trends are taking us.

The pressures and complexities of 2020 and the pandemic forced an awakening. The innovation developed, creativity demonstrated, and momentum generated since that global reckoning has been so strong, there’s no turning around now; we’ll never go back to the way it was. So the tools and strategies we’ve leaned on throughout the pandemic will continue to redefine how we work in 2021.

With that in mind, here are seven key work trends that will continue to make their mark this coming year…

1. Remote Working

As an option, a necessity, a perk, and an official policy, remote working is here to stay. It’s a classic example of “if you build it, they will come.” And the many employees (and their managers) who have now experienced the ability to function remotely and now know the advantages remote work brings won’t want to go back.

As companies scale back on real estate spends (sorry realtors), remote working is a way to maintain a large workforce on a tighter budget. So we’ll see countless organizations following the path of big tech firms who have pledged to keep their employees remote for the time being — if, of course, they can accomplish the job and responsibilities without the need for a shared physical workspace. Once again, big tech is leading the way and disrupting the status quo. Only this time, it’s not transformative leadership creating the change; it’s the technology itself.

2. New Hires, New Experiences

For new hires (and particularly for Generation Z), that traditional rite of passage of joining a workplace and learning a whole new set of behavioral and social norms isn’t going to be as prevalent. This wholly digital generation has already changed the way we experience technology. Now, they’ll help us usher in a whole new way to enter the workplace. Soon, we’ll come to know this new wave of hires as the “remote generation” (or “hybrid generation”).

The brand-new job experience will not have the same impact as it did past generations. We don’t yet know how younger hires will feel about the value of that experience or workplace culture. But we will — and soon. The difference here: The 2021 work culture will be digital in nature. So the experience will not be as sharp a contrast as going from the classroom to the world of work.

3. Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has become the de facto way we meet. It has become so ubiquitous in the workplace that “to Zoom” is now a verb.

Zoom may have been the frontrunner. But there are plenty of existing competitors and new visual collaboration platforms that will help how we work together evolve. After all, this is a very hot aspect of HR technology and will undoubtedly continue to be one of the most dominant work trends.  So I predict increasing capabilities to communicate just as effectively over mobile as we once did face-to-face. I also see better ways to archive and transcribe our video-based conversations and more ways to extend the work done via videoconference to teams and stakeholders.

4. Upskilling

In 2021, we will see a big shift from hiring being the primary driver of increasing an organization’s capabilities to upskilling existing talent. Organizations that had to tighten their hiring budgets after sustained buffeting from 2020 and the pandemic will shift resources into training and development. Those that did just fine despite economic turbulence — in industries that actually grew during 2020 — will be adding a robust reskilling and upskilling program to their HR strategy.

The bottom line for everyone is that institutional knowledge is critical for maintaining continuity and weathering a crisis. Upskilling existing employees will become known as a smart way to hold onto that intelligence while evolving skills to meet new challenges. Upskilling will become a business imperative.

5. Mental Health

Without question, our mental health has become an enormous issue. A recent report by Monster revealed a whopping 69% of employees working from home experience severe burnout. It’s not that working from home is particularly hard on everyone by itself. But the rush to remote without an underlying culture and infrastructure — and without an end-game being defined — has caused some stress.

Because one of the key triggers of burnout is mistreatment by supervisors and managers, we’re learning about the importance of setting boundaries and doing frequent check-ins. Many of us are also making sure our people have access to the mental health benefits they need. To help us continue this critical work trend, we’ll soon see even more apps that help with emotional and mental well-being (such as a meditation app and a mindfulness training tool). And we’ll see more forward-thinking companies providing these practical and widely-available tools as part of their overall well-being programs.

6. Inclusive Cultures

Diversity is critical to every aspect of the workplace — and organizations need to do better. So we’ll see a lot more leaders focusing on how to improve a sense of belonging in their organizations, as well as some authentic soul-searching as we dive into legacies such as systemic racism.

Our timing couldn’t be better. Currently, 70% of job seekers in a survey by the Manifest say they consider a company’s commitment to diversity when evaluating them as a prospective employer. But diversity in terms of hiring and promotions is only one part of the equation. Companies must pay attention to their work cultures, gauge how truly inclusive they are now, and then work to close the gap between what is and what should be. This is perhaps the mother of all work trends and will play a critical role next year. Because in 2021, organizations are not going to be able to get away with a performative statement or symbolic gestures. If you truly believe in equality — if you genuinely believe black lives matter, for example — you’re going to have to show it.

7. Empathetic People Management

Let me add a few words to the phrase above: “empathetic people management… for the right reasons.”

The pre-pandemic talent crunch triggered many reflective moments around how to better conduct HR and talent management. The goal for many companies is to be perceived as a better employer brand and to successfully engage and retain your people. That’s all well and good. But we’re not in a talent crunch right now.

Yet between February and October 2020, some 2.2 million women in the U.S. left their jobs. Overwhelmed, undersupported, and stressed out, many women — particularly working mothers — reached a tipping point and gave up. That’s an incredible talent drain. When they come back to work, they’re going to look for companies that set up the structures that truly support their people through empathetic people management for all the right reasons.

Looking Ahead to 2021

2020’s silver lining is that we’d been stubbornly dancing around what was truly important in the workplace — and to the workforce. We were forced to reckon with real-time discoveries in an authentic way. So we now know exactly what lies between us and where we want to go. We’ll bring that wisdom, and these work trends, to 2021.

This welcome knowledge, together with knowing we have better tools and a clearer vision of what must come next than we’ve ever had before, brings me to my final bit of futurecasting…

2021 will be the year HR once again finds its soul. 

In 2021 and beyond, we will take better care of our people — and each other.

 

Photo: Erik Mclean

After COVID-19: Improving Your Employee Wellness Program

/ /by

The impacts of COVID-19 and the measures governments and organizations are taking to contain it right now are unprecedented. The hourly breaking news headlines of outbreaks and cancellations have our heads spinning. They have also kept the wellness of our families, friends, and co-workers top of mind. Companies like Google led the way in implementing work-from-home policies to keep their employees safe; now remote work is mandatory as part of stay-home, stay-safe policies.

Organizations should certainly follow CDC guidelines to keep their employees safe and prevent the virus from spreading. It’s imperative that companies stay cognizant of the risks the virus brings. We must also heed the short-term precautions that need to occur to keep employees healthy. But after this health crisis passes, think about how your company can keep employees healthy into the future.

Millennials — now the largest generation in the American workforce, and Gen Z are health-conscious employees who are choosing to work at companies that care about their well-being. That’s not going to change after the COVID-19 crisis is over; it will only intensify. These generations are more open and aware of mental and physical health: too many watched their parents sacrifice personal time, missing end-of-year recitals and Friday-night games due to job commitments.

Young professionals are willing to work hard, of course. But they want their employers to understand that there’s life outside of the 9-to-5 grind. They prefer to exchange their energy, education, and expertise for modern benefits — including company-based wellness programs. Organizations have taken notice, but many executives question which wellness program initiatives will offer the strongest return on investment.

Here are six possibilities that can have far-reaching positive effects.

1. On- and Off-Site Fitness Accessibility

Once we’re done with stay-at-home and social-distancing measures, everyone is going to need to move. Younger generations know that the couch potato lifestyle isn’t a winning choice. Businesses that offer on-site wellness centers or access to personal trainers or group fitness classes illustrate to young workers that they see them as people, not numbers.

If on-site facilities aren’t possible? Consider partnering with a local fitness center. Perhaps offer free or reduced-cost memberships for your employees. Or you can secure a corporate rate for ClassPass. That way, employees can choose the location and activity, such as spin class, yoga, boxing, and more. If you do end up partnering with a gym? Make sure it operates outside of traditional business hours. Otherwise, employees probably won’t take advantage of this corporate wellness program benefit.

And for a no-cost option, create a company walking club and set a day and time during the week for folks to participate.

2. Wellness Challenges

Most young workers are accustomed to socializing with coworkers , and wellness challenges allow them to collectively march toward a common goal. What’s more, according to a study of the Blue Zones, which are the world’s healthiest regions, feeling like you belong to a community is critical to long-term health.  We’re seeing that play out right now in an explosion of online exercise classes and social media challenges. A return to normal will mean a return to community wellness. 

Create wellness challenges around healthy living — for instance, ask participants to record how many ounces of water they drink each day or clock the miles that their walking group racks up in a week.

Make sure to publicize progress and give a shout-out to winners on your internal landing page, intranet, or other private communication channels. As you drum up excitement, you’ll see more people join in for upcoming challenges. Take it a step further and highlight employees who participate in 5Ks, marathons, triathlons, and other challenges in your monthly newsletter.

3. Flexible Hours

There are countless predictions about how we’ll return to work, and many posit that remote and flexible working will become the norm. Flextime should be considered part of a company’s wellness program. Research confirms that employees who are empowered to balance their personal and professional expectations are more productive, less stressed, and have a greater sense of well-being.

 Before you roll out flexible work options, however, sit down with your leadership team to develop an intentional strategy. This will ensure you address any questions or concerns beforehand. Together, you can construct clear guardrails around the initiative, including defining the boundaries of flextime for employees. If you’re still unsure about flexible hours, test it with a small group of employees first. This way, you’ll have time to work out any kinks before rolling it out on a company-wide level.

4. Healthy Snacks

Everyone needs to eat, and free snacks and drinks are a great benefit that employees can see and enjoy immediately. Perhaps that’s why 32% of companies already offer this benefit, according to a report by SHRM. The wrong foods, however, can lead to a workforce that’s prone to energy crashes and food comas.

Skip the soda and chips and, instead, provide treats that taste great but don’t include added sugars, saturated fats, or excessive sodium. Consider having fresh fruit, vegetables, and an assortment of nuts delivered to the office weekly and placed in the lunchroom. Offering free healthy food also dovetails nicely with other elements of your wellness program — like gym memberships or personal training.

5. In-Office Preventive Health Screenings

Too many people put their personal health on the back burner so they can juggle busy work schedules and family obligations. A 2019 poll found that nearly 40% of American adults weren’t planning on getting a flu shot, and a national survey of 1,200 adults found that 45% of those between the ages of 18 and 29 did not have a primary care physician — an alarming issue when it comes to getting care during a health crisis. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. To streamline preventive measures that may be covered by your corporate health insurance, invite medical professionals into the office once or twice a year to give flu shots and perform biometric screenings. Not only will doing so make life easier for employees, but it will also reduce the likelihood of employees getting the flu — which will save you a lot in illness-related lost productivity costs.

6. Mindfulness Meetings

Teaching your team members meditation techniques — such as how to breathe deeply and clear their heads — can have widespread corporate wellness program benefits. Practicing mindfulness can help workers lower anxiety and remain more present. One study even discovered a connection between meditation and how willing people are to help others. 

If you’re unsure where to start, check out YouTube, where you’ll find hundreds of beginner tutorials and walk-throughs. After some simple research, you can reasonably self-direct mindfulness workshops. Or you can have a brown bag meeting and bring in a yoga instructor to teach people about breathing techniques and meditation. Additionally, there are numerous meditation apps on the market, including Calm and Headspace.

The popularity of wellness programs continues to rise among companies of all sizes — probably because more employees expect their employers to respect and care about their well-being. Of course you are doing everything right now to keep employees safe. But once this crisis is over, commit to offering long-term solutions to help your people stay healthy.