5 Strategies for Successful Employee Corporate Health & Wellness Events
Workplaces today can be fast-paced and stressful. This can lead to issues like burnout, anxiety, and stress, which can affect both employees and the company bottom line. You want to bring in a wellness speaker or offer a corporate health event online but don’t want to waste time, energy and resources on it going over like a lead balloon or having low participation by employees.
Here are some important strategies for making the most of your investment in workplace mental well-being, getting employees energized and excited to show up, learn and have fun.
1. Find Out What Employees Want
Seems simple but is often overlooked. I have witnessed many companies invest in a corporate health speaker or host a wellness event that got little return or uptake by employees. Why not? Because the decision-makers around the table though well-intended, were not the employees. A few leaders making decisions on behalf of what employees want will not make for a successful event. Asking employees what they want is a great place to start.
2. Beware of lunch and learns
I have been hired for many of these so might be shooting myself in the foot here. If there are no other possible options, I would never discourage an organization from scheduling over the lunch hour. Something is better than nothing if it is relevant and relatable to your employees. However, from a psychological health and safety lens there are some important considerations in choosing another time than a lunch and learn even when this seems like the practical and economic choice.
Unfortunately, lunch and learns can be seen by employees as “you don’t care about my lunch time” or “if I don’t attend during my lunch hour, it will appear as though I don’t care about my well-being”. Some employees really need the lunch break to reset and recharge. They may need this time to check in with their family or for other personal reasons (not to mention nourishing themselves).
It’s true, some companies are struggle with corporate culture around wellness and for many employees and their leaders, lunch is just another opportunity to work. I have lots to say about this and can spout research on the drawbacks but will save this for another time. For now, it’s important to know that investing in employee wellness at another time than the so-called “lunch hour” can go a long way in stating that you care about the well-being of your employees and are making this a priority.
3. Take Mandatory Out of the Equation
There are already a lot of “need-to-dos” at work from orientations, workplace safety, to respectful workplace training and beyond. A quick turn off for staff is forcing them to attend an event related to their well-being on top of everything else. Depending on where an employee is at with their mental health and stress level, this can feel like an addition to their to-do list or overwhelm. Allowing an employee to sit out or take in a learning event at a time that they choose can be a way of saying we care about your mental health and have this available to support you. Encouraging over forcing may also help employees that are feeling more vulnerable be more open to hearing the information.
So try to make the event optional while highly promoting it as an engaging and dynamic learning opportunity that can contribute to employee wellness at both work and at home. (Truth is, not all employees are motivated for personal growth at work at this time but they may be highly motivated to improve their relationships outside of work which in turn benefits them in the workplace).
4. Think about Accessibility to All Employees
Scheduling a learning event that is accessible to all employees can be tricky these days. Especially with hybrid, remote, shift work and flexible schedules. To ensure that you don’t accidentally leave anyone out which can lead to employees feeling undervalued, you may want to consider offering your event at a shift changeover where employees overlap or the same session at two different times. You may also want to consider if the event is online, have it recorded for employees to watch at a time that works for them. This helps employees that work outside of the standard work schedule (if that still exists) feel that their mental health and wellness matters, too.
5. Feed Them
Having food available is welcoming and helps staff feel cared for. Not all organizations can afford to feed their employees a meal but even smaller gestures can make a difference. For in-person events, consider what is possible. I have spoken at organizations where they couldn’t afford lunch for everyone so they turned it into a pot luck. At the end of the event, I watched employees exchange healthy recipes of food that they had brought to share with their colleagues. That in and of itself is a wellness moment - increasing peer connection and a sense of belonging.
Wrapping Up
Organizations are trying and I see this regularly. The mental health agenda is growing, even more so since our experience of a worldwide pandemic. With a bit of extra forethought and strategic planning, you can get the most of your corporate health and wellness events and get better engagement from your employees. You will have your own ideas - just make sure that they are tested by your audience first to get the most from your investment.
Author - Shannon Gander, BPE, CAC, CM - Mental Health Speaker |Trainer | Counsellor
Founder & CEO - Life Work Wellness - Helping Individuals & Organizations Achieve their Goals for Better Mental Health