Gallup states that 85% of U.S. companies with at least 1,000 people offer some sort of workplace wellness program. Yet only 24 percent of employees take advantage of these programs.
Last month we hosted a webinar featuring Meghan Biro, TalentCulture Founder & CEO, on how to align your workplace wellness program with your culture — and increase participation as a result. In case you missed it, we’ve got the Cliff Notes version below:
Well-being isn’t just exercise and nutrition
As shown in the “Limeade Well-Being Model,” there are six areas of focus that your wellness program should address to make sure you support your employees well-being from all angles.
Don’t forget workplace well-being
Workplace well-being is often overlooked even though it plays a significant role in your employees’ overall well-being. Lots of things come into play when considering workplace well-being: office design, tone of management, employee stress levels, safety of the environment, career planning and even how your culture handles failure.
Your corporate culture needs to support it all
If a program feels like it’s off-the-shelf and wasn’t designed to fit within your culture, it will feel inauthentic — and won’t be successful. That’s why you have to look at your corporate culture when introducing new well-being initiatives.
So how do you assess your culture? Try culture walks. You can learn a lot about workplace culture by walking around the office and observing:
- How are desks and offices laid out? Does the layout foster interaction?
- Are people using standing desks or fit balls as chairs? Are the chairs even comfortable?
- Are employees talking to each other? Joking? Telling personal stories?
- Do people communicate via email, Skype or Slack, or do they walk over to their desk to talk in person?
- Are people drab, snarky or peppy when you ask how they’re doing?
Why should you assess the culture? So you can build a successful and lasting well-being program — one that will work within your TRUE culture. At the end of the day, you need to know your true culture and align your well-being program with it.
4 tools to help build a great workplace culture:
- Integrated platforms (like Limeade!) allow ease of communication, program implementation and reporting.
- Apps, devices and wearables provide data that can help you build a business case for a well-being program.
- Social media lets you engage, communicate and send updates in a familiar way.
- Lead by example and demonstrate executive buy-in. When leaders walk the talk of well-being, employees will know it’s a priority and start following suit.
Watch Meghan’s full presentation below. And let us know some of ways you’ve created successful programs in the comments.
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