121 Employee Wellness Program Ideas Your Team Will Love
Employee wellness programs have become a staple in many companies as a way to attract top talent, keep them happy and productive, and decrease employee turnover.
In fact, 80% of employees at companies with robust health and wellness programs at work feel engaged and cared for by their employers.
The key to having a successful wellness program at work is encouraging overall wellbeing while still keeping it fun (see Sonic Boom for a perfect example). If you can’t get your team engaged then your wellness program ideas will quickly lose steam.
So make your initiatives fun, try new ideas and see what your team values the most.
Below is a list of 121 employee wellness program ideas that you can easily implement at your office.
This list of wellness activities & ideas are the ones we’ve used ourselves and have seen the benefits firsthand. Many others were contributed to us from awesome companies that know how to take care of their teams.
Here’s a quick list of employee wellness program ideas voted on by our readers.
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Nutrition and Healthy Living
Nobody (should) put wellness in a corner
Too often, wellness programs are siloed off from other benefits (and they’re typically limited to an annual weight-loss challenge or quarterly steps competitions).
But the most successful companies are integrating their wellness programs into their day-to-day business strategy and overall company culture, allowing it to benefit the company beyond “just” wellness.
Sonic Boom Wellness co-founder Danna Korn says there are countless areas where your program can boost business needs beyond wellbeing, including: Employee Recognition, Sales, Workplace Safety, Customer Service, Absenteeism, and even promoting Company Values.
2. Food Sensitivity Test
Does this sound familiar? An employee at your workplace… Let’s call him Joe… Orders a giant fried chicken sandwich every day for lunch. After which, he becomes lethargic and his productivity drops. However, this may not be entirely Joe’s fault as he could be suffering from a food allergy!
This is an extreme example, but it can be as common as drinking milk without knowing you are lactose intolerant.
Food is similar to the gas that you put into your car (energy), but what if you are filling your car with diesel fuel when you should be using unleaded? This is where food sensitivity tests like EverlyWell come into play. The beauty of this test is it can be done at home and requires very little work to see what really is going on with your body.
3. Provide your employees with healthy office snacks
Healthy snacks aid in weight control, improve mood, and boost energy, making it a no brainer to provide for your office. If you’re already providing snacks to your employees, consider making the switch to healthier alternatives by becoming a member of an office snack delivery service.
4. Bring in a chef to teach people an easy cooking recipe
Hire a chef who specializes in healthy food to come in for a cooking demonstration.
Doing this is easier than it may sound. Just check out these resources to feel like you have nearly any kind of chef at your fingertips!
5. Offer almond milk in addition to regular creamers and milk
Be mindful of the vegans and dairy intolerant folks.
6. Debunk the common healthy eating myths
There’s a lot of marketing around the food industry that tricks people into thinking certain foods or diets are healthy, when in fact they are not.
This article by Authority Nutrition does a great job of addressing some of the most common nutrition mistakes that you can share with your team.
7. Publish a workplace wellness ideas newsletter highlighting the best fitness, nutrition, and educational content from around the Web
A company newsletter can be a great way to introduce new health and wellness ideas in the workplace.
Setup separate google alerts for “fitness”, “nutrition” and “wellness education” and select “only the best results”. Compile the best articles each week or month into one email and send out for your employees to enjoy.
8. Stop offering low quality snacks
If you offer your team snacks or meals with no nutritional value, make the switch to healthier alternatives. At the very least provide a majority of healthy items for your office and just a few traditional junk food items.
To get some ideas, check out these healthy snacks for work and healthy office breakfast ideas.
9. Hook your team up with a Bevi
Bevi is a smart water cooler that dispenses refreshing still, sparkling, and flavored water that your team will love. This futuristic hydration station provides a healthier alternative to sugar-laden sodas, while reducing your team’s plastic footprint.
It’s a popular fixture of the SnackNation kitchen – and it just looks cool.
10. Offer standing desks
Varidesk offers adjustable-height standing desks that allow users to easily switch between standing and sitting while working.
The switching aspect is key to getting optimal health benefits from a standing desk because it’s not healthy for people to remain in any one fixed position—sitting or standing—for too long. Give employees timers along with their standing desks so they can be sure to switch their positions throughout the day.