6 Ways to Celebrate Global Wellness Day at Your Workplace in 2024

Is wellness a part of your company's culture? Considering 75 percent of professionals believing it is the employer's responsibility to provide health and well-being benefits, it definitely should be. Employers simply cannot ignore the subject of employee health anymore.

Global Wellness Day is celebrated annually on June 11, and this provides another great opportunity for employers to boost or re-emphasize on employee wellness. This year the theme of Global Wellness Day is "One Day Can Change Your Whole Life #ThinkMagneta."

Corporate Wellness- Need Of The Hour

It benefits both employers and employees to promote employee wellness. According to a report from Rise, participating in workplace wellness programs boosts employee satisfaction by 70 percent. Wellness programs for employees are no longer a "perk" but an essential part of the modern workplace.

Over 10,000 people die at their desks in Japan every year due to working 60-70 hours a week - a phenomenon known as "Karoshi." This highlights the requirement of serious global attention on the subject of "employees' health".

Benefits Of a Healthy Workplace

To feel good, your employees need to be healthy. That's the only way they'll perform well and inspire others. Healthy employees are happier employees, which is reflected in the rest of the workforce.

Some of the main benefits of maintaining a healthy workplace are-

• Increased productivity
• Reduced absenteeism
• Reduced healthcare costs
• Improved work culture
• Enhanced company image
• Increased work satisfaction
• Reduced workplace stress
• Increased job retention rate
• Better workplace safety
• Increased employee engagement
• Reduced employee turnover

Preventing illness among your employees is possible if you promote good health. Healthier employees are less likely to suffer from fatigue, stress, and burnout. They are also less likely to suffer workplace injuries.

Global Wellness Day- Importance

Global Wellness Day aims to raise awareness about the importance of living a healthy lifestyle around the globe. It covers everything from exercise, healthy eating to spiritual habits for creating a harmonious relationship between the body and the soul.

• It will make sure that your employees know the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
• The opportunity for employees to contribute to something bigger is provided.
• As a wellness leader, the brand image can be strengthened.
• Access to all GWD marketing efforts, both nationally and internationally.

6 Ways to Celebrate Global Wellness Day at Work

When is a better day to drive home the importance of employee health than Global Wellness Day? Remember to incorporate activities that are budget-friendly and fun for your employees. Here are some great ideas to celebrate GWD at work.

Eat Healthily

Cognitive functions are improved in employees who eat nutritious foods, and these benefits include improved concentration, memory, and creativity. Healthy employees are also more likely to perform better at work. Your employees will become healthier and happier - both inside and outside of the office - if they eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly.

Encourage your employees to adopt healthier eating practices at work. Incorporate nutritional eating challenges like a sugar-free challenge in your wellness programs. Healthy lunch on GWD would be a good way to incorporate gut health practices.

Drink More Water

Dehydration is one of the most common health problems in the workplace. When we are focused on getting work done, it's incredibly easy to forget to drink enough water. To stay alert, many of us drink tea or coffee. However, this may be counterproductive due to their diuretic effects - i.e., they cause an increase in urination, which leads to more fluid loss and dehydration.

Water makes up 60 percent of the body, and 75 percent of the brain. It is essential for the functioning of a human. Make water easily accessible for employees. Provide bottled water, create water stations around the workspace, and regularly fill water coolers with fresh water. Employees will be motivated to stay hydrated this way.

Suggested read: Water Challenge: A Step towards a Healthy Lifestyle

Walk for an Hour Daily

It might be a good idea to encourage your employees to walk more often during the workday. It's common to spend most of the day seated at work and occasionally rise to get a coffee, pass on a document, or grab a snack. But is that enough?

According to the American Heart Association, regular, vigorous exercise like walking can boost life expectancy by 2 to 4 years. Both businesses and employees can benefit from an active and healthy workforce. It's a good place to start, especially for companies that want to establish a positive work culture. Incorporating daily step challenges is one of the good ways for employers to make employees seek more physical activity throughout the day.

Vantage Fit is an AI-powered one-stop solution for your employee's health. It provides daily and weekly challenges, which boosts employee health and enhances employee engagement.

With features like steps tracking, heart rate measurement and water intake log, employers can use the Vfit app to achieve all their wellness goals as planned.

Go Green

When a business goes green, it positively impacts the environment.Eco-friendly practices also help companies make more money. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 73 percent of consumers value good environmental records from companies. Employees seek companies that have lessened their ecological footprint as they learn more about environmental hazards and climate change.

Seize the opportunity this GWD to organize a plantation drive or waste collection campaign in your local community. Spend some time educating employees about global warming, energy efficiency, and recycling in your company.

Invite speakers to share their ideas about different aspects of the environment and how to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into everyday life. Display signs that remind employees of the benefits of a green working environment.

Inculcate Healthy Sleeping Habit

The problem of insomnia is a major issue in the United States, and the impact ranges in severity and scope across physical and mental health.
Events in the last 12 months with the covid pandemic have likely worsened this situation. Stress has caused unprecedented levels of anxiety, resulting in sleep problems.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to mood disorders, and insomniacs are at greater risk of developing depression and anxiety or panic disorders. Working-age adults suffering from depression are more likely to suffer a disability, absenteeism, and productivity loss, costing employers $44 billion annually in lost productivity.

Overall, consistent sleep promotes healing, regeneration, and recovery of the body and mind. To help your workforce recommend seven to nine hours of sleep per night for your employees.

Talk about Mental Health

As part of creating a healthy workplace, it is important to ensure that all employees are mentally healthy and happy at work. Adapting the work environment to promote better mental health is a critical aspect of the workplace environment.

Nothing can be worse than harnessing a workplace culture where employees come to work disguising their mental health concerns. Encourage employees to reach out anonymously to the management for any issue bothering their mental health.

On Global Wellness Day, organize an event where employees can come up and share their struggles with mental health. It can help to reduce the stigma of mental health around the workplace.

Provide opportunities for your employees to enroll in meditation and yoga classes. Incorporate these activities in your wellness platform to ensure employees participate in such activities without fail. The work environment needs to be improved so that employees are always comfortable and appreciated for their contributions.

10 Quotes On Wellness To Inspire Corporate Wellbeing

Let's take this day to look at the 10 top wellness quotes which inspires wellness in the workplace.

1. To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not be able to keep our minds strong and clear. - Buddha

2. We need to change the culture of this topic and make it OK to speak about mental health and suicide. – Luke Richardson

3. It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. – Mahatma Gandhi

4. Half the costs of illness are wasted on conditions that could be prevented. – Dr. Joseph Pizzorno

5. Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it. – Josh Billings

6. It's no coincidence that four of the six letters in health heal. – Ed Northstrum

7. Health is a relationship between you and your body. – Terri Guillemets

8. Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind, and spirit – the realization that everything we do, think, feel, and believe has an effect on our state of well-being. – Greg Anderson

9. Wellness is a connection of paths: knowledge and action. – Joshua Holtz

10. Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. – World Health Organization

Concluding Thoughts

The importance of health and wellness cannot be overstated, regardless of how busy our life is. Global wellness day is a reminder to all of us to regularly take care of ourselves. Let us all take a pledge to bring a healthier change in our lifestyles to achieve our personal and professional endeavors.