When you think about workplace wellness, what's the first thing that comes to mind? If you've already tried
healthy lunch-and-learns, blood pressure screenings or mindful movement breaks, there's still so much more to
explore. Our Best
Health® wellness program coordinators, Rachel Heredia and Kathryn Goldberg, share their
favorite inventive ways to get employees engaged with their health and wellness at work.
Build social connection with interactive challenges.
“Whether your employees are remote, in-person or have hybrid schedules, helping them to connect with
their colleagues can support their physical and mental health,” Goldberg says.
Creating stronger ties at work can help employees feel valued and a sense of belonging. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention agree. Loneliness and a lack of social connection are more common than
you might think: 1 in 3 adults report feeling lonely, while 1 in 4 adults don't have social and
emotional support. Supportive relationships can help decrease the risk of depression, anxiety and
heart
disease while improving healthy eating, exercise and sleep quality.
Try this: Kick off a buddy challenge with Best Health and encourage employees to partner
with a coworker.
Employees can track their progress and motivate each other while working toward an organization-wide
goal.
Explore community events and local partnerships.
Strengthening employees' connections to their community expands their support networks, both within and
outside of the workplace.
“Search for events and partnerships that share your organization's values and make it easy for employees
to sign up and find more information,” Heredia recommends. “Posting a flyer in your break room, sending
a quick email or posting a reminder on your intranet site help keep them top of mind.”
Try this: Check out 2-1-1 San Diego,
which links San Diegans to community-wide service
organizations and shares a variety of local events from across the county.
Promote financial well-being.
“Wellness can mean so much more than nutrition and exercise,” Goldberg explains. “Financial well-being
affects many areas of employees' lives, including their physical and mental health, and even their
attendance at work. Employer groups can partner with their 401K provider to offer financial
wellness
workshops for extra support.”
Try this: Supplement a 401K workshop by sharing our three-part “Living financially well”
webinar series to
help employees identify barriers to their financial wellness and take steps to improve it.
Tap into play — and have fun!
Play isn't just for kids, it's a useful tool to incorporate into the workplace. It can be anything that
brings enjoyment, such as offering yoga or meditation classes, hosting an interactive motivational
speaker, or playing a virtual or in-person game (i.e., jeopardy, scavenger hunts, bingo, etc.).
Try this: Encouraging employees to create a Best
Health account is a great way for everyone to try
something new. Employees can build workplace connections in message boards, participate in polls, check
out wellness articles, and so much more. Studies suggest that having fun at work supports physical and
mental health, and it may even boost motivation.
Swap physical gifts for experiences.
Showing your appreciation through lunches, trophies and swag are appreciated, but you can also reward and
incentivize employees with enjoyable, enriching experiences.
Try these: Employees can invest in their health outside of the workplace with unique gifts like museum
and national park tickets, an escape room package, or practical ones, like gift cards for car washes,
meal delivery, or cleaning services.
Ready to get started?
We're here to help! Our nationally accredited wellness program helps employees enjoy healthier lifestyles with
one-on-one health coaching, webinars and so much more. For more information, please contact your account manager to
connect with the Best Health team.