7 Fruitful Ways To Celebrate Professional Wellness Month

As June arrives, the usual thought that comes into our mind is - Summer is here. Apart from the arrival of scorching heat, June is the time to celebrate professional wellness month. And in the United States, this occasion is known as National Employee Wellness Month.

The basic purpose of observing professional wellness month is to highlight how work environments play a big role in fostering employee well-being. Hence, June is the perfect time to remind employers that prioritizing employee wellness will do wonders for their businesses in the long run.

Corporate employees have been following or are forced to follow the hustle work culture for quite a long time. As a result, such employees witness a disrupted work-life balance, poor mental health, low energy levels, and whatnot. Most importantly, their productivity at work decreases significantly.

Gone are the days when employers grilled their employees to go the extra mile in exchange for better pay and role. Nowadays, most employees take work life balance seriously.

Are you an employer or an HR who is looking for strategies to create and maintain a healthy work environment? If so, start off with observing professional wellness month this June.

In that regard, I have penned down this blog, wherein you will get an insight into employee wellness, its components, and 7 fruitful ways to observe professional wellness month this year.

The Need To Promote Employee Wellness

Employees are often said to be the building blocks of an organization. But if the employees are unhappy at work, burnt out, and stressed, they won’t be able to perform their best.

Moreover, as per a Harvard business study, organizations should aim to be both customer- and employee-centric. For organizations to derive high employee satisfaction, retention, and performance, it is important to cultivate healthy work environments.

So, safeguarding the overall well-being of employees is crucial. To do so, knowing the different dimensions of employee wellness is vital.

Components Of Employee Wellness

In creating an employee-centric culture, employers should cater to all the different dimensions of wellness. There are 9 employee wellness dimensions that employers and HR should take into consideration:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Spiritual
• Social
• Environmental
• Financial
• Occupational
• Cultural

Suggested reading: Everything About The 9 Dimensions Of Wellness At Work

Ways To Observe Professional Wellness Month In 2024

1. Introduce mindfulness practices.

There is no lying about the statement that work comes with stress. It is inevitable. An organization with stressed-out employees cannot attain any target goals. Most importantly, such organizations won’t be able to hold on to any clients for long due to low employee productivity and retention.

Providing stress-busting practices to employees is the key here. So, this professional wellness month, encourage your employees to take up mindfulness exercises. This is something that most employees will be reluctant to try.

This is where corporate wellness applications, like Vantage Fit, come into the picture. With Vantage Fit, HRs of an organization can create wellness challenges wherein employees have to spend time practicing meditation.

But where’s the catch here? Employees who successfully attend mindfulness sessions on the app will win incentives at the end of the challenge.

2. Normalize power napping.

Ah, if only we could nap for a while during work hours, it would have been nice. This thought may have crossed almost every working individual’s mind. Having a sound sleep for a long duration is refreshing. But no one can deny how fresh and amazing it feels after a power nap.

If you are an HR, then hear the unsaid words of your employees and introduce power-napping rooms or cubicles in the office. If you are hesitant to take such an action, then here’s something that may help you decide. Tech giants like Google and Facebook already have power nap facilities for employees to recharge and relax during work hours.

Well, then, this professional wellness month, surprise your employees with the facility to take power naps at work.

3. Arrange walking meetings.

The struggle to be productive is real during days when there are back-to-back meetings or even one lengthy meeting. And since the power to nurture employee wellness lies in the hands of employers and HRs, I suggest, start arranging walking meetings every now and then.

According to research, the probability of exchanging honest conversations increases during walking meetings with peers or senior management. Also, studies suggest walking meetings can induce creativity.

Along with productivity, you will be leading employees to engage in a type of physical activity. Now, this is something worth trying, right?!

Also read: Try NEAT Exercises To Burn Your Calories Faster

4. Provide healthy snacks and meal options.

The concept of eating healthy always comes with a stigma, which is - Healthy eating means boring food and recipes. But, the food industry and enthusiasts have been creating delicious healthy recipes. Encourage employees to take up healthy dietary habits.

But there’s something better. To instill the habit of leading a healthy lifestyle among employees, offering in-office healthy snacks and lunch options is smart. Healthy eating is a must for regular and busy workers to fulfill the minimum calorie requirement.

5. Reward employees’ efforts.

Encouraging and offering healthy lifestyle perks to employees is one thing, but how to keep them motivated?

Recognition and incentivization are known to motivate humans to achieve any goal. It is the truth. Studies have shown that employees who receive appreciation in the smallest way feel valued, recognized, and supported.

So, to keep up employees' spirits, HRs should design a plan to recognize and incentivize. In such a case, taking assistance from a corporate wellness platform will make the process seamless.

This is because there are some wellness platforms designed to offer a wide range of features, such as rewards and recognition and customized wellness challenges.

Schedule a Free Demo with Vantage Fit!

6. Organize team-building activities.

Team-building activities are a great way to enhance the bonds between employees and senior management. But, many employees might feel forced to participate in official team-building activities. Once taken part, they may not as well opt out of the activities due to fear.

Common reasons for fear in this case involve:

• Developing a poor image in front of the manager/employer/peers
• Will be seen as an outcast
• Overthinking a scenario of being micro-managed
• Action may affect their appraisal

To neutralize such thoughts, HRs can keep the option where employees not interested in such activities can opt-out anonymously.

Here are some team-building activity ideas that employers can try this professional wellness month:

• Book a day at the local or nearby indoor recreation center.
• Plan department or team lunches.
• Plan a leisure day to spend outdoors, away from the city’s hustle and bustle.
• Offer movie tickets to teams/departments.
• Practice the concept of friluftsliv in the organization.

7. Host fun office events.

Preparing and hosting office events is no easy task. In addition, financing a successful event may burn holes in the employer’s pockets if proper planning is not done. Let’s not get sidetracked from the primary focus here: the pros of hosting fun office events.

An office or corporate event is another great initiative where employees can bond, make memories, release stress, and forget their daily fatigue. Here are some corporate events worth trying:

• Celebrate the company’s annual day event with food and drinks.
• Plan a themed cosplay event and competition.
• Arrange an in-office stand-up comedy event.
• Plan for a cooking/bake-off competition.

Final Words

Professional wellness month is the perfect time to celebrate employees’ efforts and dedication and to promote employee wellness. In a world where the mindset is that the customer is always right, let’s pamper and nurture hardworking employees for the success and growth of the organization.

If you are planning to bring radical changes to your workplace, transform into an organization that creates a culture supporting employee wellness. Witness the exponential growth in retaining employees, skyrocketing ROIs, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is professional wellness month celebrated?

The month of June is observed as the professional wellness month.

2. Are there any particular activities organized during professional wellness month?

Yes, the common activities usually organized during professional wellness month are outdoor activity events, in-office baking or cooking event, etc.

3. What is the significance of professional wellness month?

Professional wellness month is an occasion when employers are reminded of the role employees play in bringing the company’s success and the role of employers in creating a holistic workplace.