Easy and Low-Cost Workplace Wellness Ideas

Until recently, most employers focused on health benefits regarding employee wellbeing. We know that employee well-being is more than just the absence of illness. Employee wellbeing is about optimizing the health of all employees. It is not limited to physical wellbeing but encompasses various other components of wellness, which cannot be ignored. While wellness at the workplace is a top priority, it is not necessary that ensure workplace wellness will consume a large part of your company’s budget. 

There are numerous benefits of workplace wellness, including increased productivity, lower rates of absenteeism, talent attraction, retention, reduced stress levels, grown job, life satisfaction, etc. You can ensure workplace wellness by implementing several practical and inexpensive wellness programs. In addition, healthy eating, encouraging fitness programs, and walking meetings are some easy and low-cost workplace wellness ideas. 

Providing healthy dining options

Research has found a close link between food, mood, and productivity. Whatever we eat has some of the other effects on our body, including our movements, thoughts, emotions, and senses. Hence, healthy eating is crucial for our physical health and our health. Many people struggle with meal planning and sticking to a healthy diet. Providing a list of healthy dining options can be an effective way for workers to stick to a healthy diet. In addition, employers can provide healthy snacks for people within their workplace walls. It is also important to encourage employers to develop a habit of drinking more water, quitting smoking, and eating healthy meals. 

Talk about mental health

Many people at the workplace experience mental health problems, and several studies have found that one of the ways to support such people is to talk about it. Discussing the issue will help reduce the stigma associated with mental health and support people battling mental health issues. Ideally, you can have a weekly session where people can talk about how they’re feeling or dealing with something stressful. Mental health can go a long way in improving the well-being of people in the workplace. Speaking is an effective way to release tension, sort our feelings, and put things into perspective. In addition, if there is a space in the company that has not been allocated to a business function, consider turning it into a dedicated de-stress zone. 

Organize fitness challenges

Though the human body requires enough movement, we’re not moving enough today at work. Therefore, employers may consider organizing fitness challenges to encourage activity, ensuring that participation is voluntary. Fitness challenges like running a 5K, 10K, or half marathon as a company/group or organizing a biking group during the weekends may go a long way in ensuring wellness at the workplace. In addition, there may be daily and weekly push-ups, plank challenges, or a 30-day ab challenge. You may also ask your employees if they are willing to learn yoga, meditation, or Zumba. If they agree, host a weekly or monthly class at work. The idea is to get people moving, and often doing so in a group setting can motivate people to want to participate. 

Encourage walking meetings

Encouraging your employees to participate in walking meetings will help them move more throughout the day. At the same time, it is a wonderful way to ensure that meetings are short and on point. To implement the idea of walking meetings, organizations will have to lead by example. You can start this with your C-suite executives and managers, and other employees will follow. Moreover, if there is an outdoor area in your organization, you may also consider having walking meetings there. If the weather permits, consider walking to a nearby park as well. One study found that those who walked outside had higher levels of creativity than those who walked on an indoor treadmill or sat in a conference room. In addition, walking meetings ensure collaboration and connection among the employees. 

Allow flexible work hours

When you allow your employees the freedom to work flexible hours, it is a zero-cost investment that provides immediate benefits. It offers your employees a better work-life balance, and remote work enhances the organization’s resilience, enabling your teams to deal with any future disruptions. When the work schedule is flexible, it attracts new talent, improves your employees’ mental health, and increases overall productivity. You may also engage with the broader community, helping your employees regain a sense of purpose. Assigning specific days to volunteer programs where you and your teams give some time back to the community will provide job satisfaction and a sense of purpose.  

Introducing wellness technologies

Employers can invest in infrastructure that helps them keep track of each employee’s behavior and monitor their performance. The introduction of wellness technologies will allow employers to measure employee wellness. Employers can also reward employees for making healthy decisions like taking the stairs and integrating the systems with monitoring devices like Fitbit. Many free or low-cost apps are available online to help employers set up wellness monitoring programs. It will be easy to turn the analysis they gather into team challenges and give individual rewards to the best performers.