10 Creative Staff Wellbeing Board Ideas for Your Office

In today's work culture, employee well-being has become a top priority for organizations. Gone are the days when companies focused solely on productivity without considering the human element. Now more than ever, there is a focus on holistic employee health encompassing physical, mental, financial, and social aspects.

As companies aim to create an environment where employees can thrive, the staff wellbeing board is one simple yet impactful tool. This dedicated space allows companies to inform, engage, and motivate employees around wellness topics.

In this blog post, we will explore a staff wellbeing board, its many benefits, key elements to include, and tips for creating an effective wellbeing board for your office.

A thoughtfully designed well-being board demonstrates your commitment to employees and can lead to a happier, healthier, and more productive workforce. Whether you already have a basic board or are starting from scratch, this blog will provide actionable steps for maximizing its potential.

Let's get started and transform your office well-being board into a vibrant hub for health and engagement!

What is a Staff Wellbeing Board?

A staff wellbeing board is a dedicated space in the workplace that promotes health, happiness, and work-life balance for employees. It is a central hub for sharing information, resources, events, and initiatives related to overall well-being.

The purpose of a well-being board is twofold. First, it informs employees about wellness topics, local events, mental health support, and company benefits. This raises awareness about available resources. Second, it motivates employees to prioritize their health by highlighting wellness campaigns, sign-ups for activities like yoga classes, and success stories.

An effective well-being board reflects the interests and needs of the specific workforce. For example, a tech startup may focus on stress management tips, while a nursing staff may feature self-care information. The content should be engaging and updated regularly to maintain relevance. Ideally, a team of wellness champions collaborates on the board rather than one person managing it alone.

Benefits of a Wellbeing Board at Work

1. Improves awareness of health resources and activities

A well-being board makes employees more aware of the many programs, activities, and resources available to support their health. Employees are more likely to utilize these options when clearly presented centrally. The board also promotes new offerings like meditation classes or EAP counseling.

2. Encourages social connections and peer support

The well-being board facilitates social connections between coworkers around shared health interests. When a new fitness challenge gets posted, it brings colleagues together toward a common goal. Coworkers can share tips, encourage, and foster new bonds.

3. Promotes open dialog about wellness topics

The board helps break stigmas by sparking conversations around mental health, chronic conditions, family care, financial wellness, and more. This open dialog makes employees more comfortable seeking support.

4. Reinforces health-conscious culture

A vibrant well-being board is a daily reminder of the company’s commitment to employee health. When employees arrive at work and see the latest wellness challenge front and center, it reinforces that culture.

5. Allows employees to recognize peers' achievements

The board offers a space to highlight individual employees or teams making positive strides toward health goals. Giving kudos for accomplishments make achievements visible.

6. Provides a sense of community and a morale boost

Sharing events, resources, and success stories fosters a sense of community. Knowing their well-being is valued boosts morale. The board shows “we’re in this together” when prioritizing health.

7. Serves as a daily reminder to prioritize wellbeing

With health inspiration always visible, the wellbeing board passively nudges employees to care for themselves. It tops up their motivation tanks. Performance improves when employees arrive ready to take on the day fueled by well-being.

8. Boosts engagement as employees help shape content

Employees feel ownership when they can actively participate by sharing their wellness interests and needs. Features like suggestion boxes create buy-in and lively interest in the board.

9. Helps attract and retain top talent

Today’s top talent prioritizes self-care and work-life balance. A vibrant well-being board signals your commitment to supporting employees holistically. This gives a competitive edge in recruitment and retention.

Where to Place Your Staff Wellbeing Board?

Choose a high-traffic location where employees frequently gather and pass through, such as:

• Near the entrance/lobby
• Employee break room or lounge
• Along main walkways and thoroughfares
• Adjacent to the water cooler or coffee station

Make sure the board is easily visible and accessible. Place it at eye level and ensure the area is well-lit. Avoid cramming it into a corner or sole placement on an intranet site. The more exposure your well-being board gets, the better!

Determining the Size of Your Wellbeing Display Board

Consider the following factors when deciding on size:

• Number of employees and departments
• Amount of content to showcase
• Overall office space and wall availability
• Visibility needs - can people see it from far away?

In general, larger boards allow more freedom of content. For most offices, a 3ft x 4ft board is recommended to start. Adjust up or down based on your space and needs.

Having ample room for eye-catching visuals and text will make the board more engaging. Leave breathing room between elements and utilize vertical space.

10 Creative Staff Wellbeing Board Ideas

1. Monthly Health Observances

Designate a section of the board to highlight upcoming health observance months or days, like Mental Health Awareness Month in May or World Cancer Day on February 4th.

For each observance, provide a brief description of its purpose and significance. List any local events, fundraising campaigns, or awareness activities that employees can participate in to support the cause. This shows the company's commitment to important health initiatives and gives employees opportunities to get involved.

For example, for World Alzheimer's Month in September, share warning signs of the disease, brain health tips, and information on the Alzheimer's Association Walk to support research. Encourage participation by forming a team. This facilitates meaningful involvement in an issue of shared concern.

2. Wellness Challenges

Post fun monthly wellness challenges that employees can participate in together. These could include step count competitions tracked through fitness devices, hydration tracking boards where employees log daily water intake, or team "no soda" weeks.

Friendly work-based challenges not only unite employees around a common goal but also motivate and normalize healthy behaviors through peer support. Consider handing out small prizes to challenge winners.

Variety is key for ongoing engagement. After a step count challenge, switch it up with a plank hold competition tracked through phone apps, then a water drinking contest, followed by a challenge to pack zero-waste lunches.

Challenges could tie into monthly health observances too, like a 10,000 steps a day challenge could be hosted in February for American Heart Month. Cultivating a spirit of friendly competition keeps things fresh and fun.

3. Health & Safety Tips

Dedicate a section of the board to provide quick daily or weekly health and safety tips. These could cover ergonomics for computer work, stress management techniques, self-care practices, mental health coping skills, or other topics relevant to employees' safety and well-being. Make them easily scannable with bullet points or infographics.

Tips should be actionable and relatable. For example, for self-care, provide tips like “take a tech-free walk outdoors” or “write in a gratitude journal before bed.”

Keep it simple yet practical. Consider involving employees by crowdsourcing suggestions for future tips that resonate with their needs and interests.

4. Physical Activity Promotion

Use the board to promote ways for employees to get active.

For instance, highlight any corporate gym membership discounts available or announce upcoming charity 5K races or intramural sports teams employees can join. Removing barriers to exercise and providing convenient fitness options facilitates employee participation.

Go beyond just providing information by facilitating sign-ups and coordination to convert interest into action. For a charity 5K, have a sign-up sheet where employees can commit to taking part as a group.

For office sports teams, assign someone to handle outreach and scheduling. Make it as turnkey as possible for employees to take that first step to get more active. Follow up to celebrate participation and results.

5. Nutrition Info

Encourage healthy eating by:

• sharing nutritious recipes submitted by employees,
• spotlighting nearby farmers' markets or CSA drop-offs for fresh produce,
• posting nutrition facts or healthy eating tips, or
• promoting food tracking apps.

Making nutrition info readily available allows employees to make informed food choices each day. Consider a section for employees to post their go-to healthy snacks.

Engagement will be higher if employees actively contribute content. Allow employees to submit original healthy recipes to share on the board, whether for home-cooked meals, easy snacks, or office-friendly breakfasts and lunches.

When spotlighting local food options like farmers markets, have employees post reviews of which ones they recommend, tips for making the most of them, and suggested Community Supported Agriculture programs to join.

6. Mental Health Resources

Increase awareness of available mental health resources by:

• posting contact information for scheduling counseling through the employee assistance program,
• listing free meditation or mindfulness apps,
• detailing current therapy coverage under company health insurance plans and
• compiling other mental health services and support options for employees.
  Easy access facilitates the use of these resources.

Combat stigma by framing mental health care as routine wellness, not just crisis management. Highlight apps and techniques employees can use anytime for self-care, like mood tracking, relaxation techniques, or virtual coaching through mental health chatbots.

For clinical resources, normalize their role in prevention and ongoing care. Suggest easy first steps like requesting a list of EAP-approved therapists or downloading a meditation app.

7. Rewards & Recognition

Call out recent accomplishments from individuals or teams making progress on their health and wellness goals. Giving kudos for steps in the right direction, like completing a Couch to 5K program, sustaining a healthy habit for a month, or dropping a pant size, provides positive reinforcement that motivates continued improvement.

To encourage more participation, actively solicit employee submissions of wellness accomplishments for recognition on the board. The submissions themselves can spark conversations about how they achieved their goals.

Recognize not just outcomes but also small milestones, and frame stories positively even when goals weren't fully met. This celebratory spirit helps make the board a source of inspiration rather than pressure.

8. Volunteer Opportunities

Post flyers about local volunteer activities with health benefits, like 5K benefit runs for charities, park or beach cleanups, or building houses with Habitat for Humanity. Representing volunteerism as a way to give back while bonding with coworkers frames community service as both altruistic and fun.

Volunteerism promotion will be most successful if there is a point person to coordinate sign-ups and logistics. Offer to organize transportation, create online sign-up sheets, collect donations, or set up an internal fundraising competition between departments.

Handle any barriers to make community participation frictionless. Lead by example by actively participating and sharing testimonials about how volunteering enriched you.

9. Wellness Success Stories

Solicit and feature employee success stories detailing how they improved their health in some way, overcame a health condition, or boosted their overall well-being.

For example, share how someone incorporated more activity into their routine and increased stamina or how another found an effective stress management strategy. Peer-to-peer inspiration motivates others to take steps toward their own health goals.

To encourage vulnerable sharing, set submission guidelines that focus stories on accomplishments rather than details of medical conditions themselves. Seek a diversity of examples, from simple lifestyle changes to major fitness journeys to managing chronic illnesses.

Share stories anonymously if desired. Follow up with contributors to show their courage makes an impact. Amplify the voices of those less heard to foster true community, belonging, and empathy.

10. Interactive Elements

Add interactive elements to the board to drive greater employee participation. For example:

• install a suggestion box for ideas on future content,
• hold polls or votes to help guide what tips or topics to feature,
• utilize dry-erase boards for people to leave notes of encouragement,
• track goals,
• post informal competitions.

Finding ways to get employees actively engaged with the board boosts its impact.

Choose interactive features that align with your workplace culture. An informal office may enjoy playful competitions via dry-erase boards, while a corporate setting may prefer polished suggestion box notes.

Promote features when new via email, intranet, and word-of-mouth. Change interactions regularly to sustain interest. Most importantly, respond to input received to close the feedback loop.

Making the board a true two-way conversation facilitates ongoing use and a sense of community ownership.

Promoting and Maintaining the Wellbeing Display Board

1. Designate wellness champions to help manage and regularly update the board. Don't let it become stale!

Appoint a few "wellness champions" from different departments to share the responsibility of managing the board. With multiple people handling updates, there is less chance of the board becoming outdated. Rotate primary ownership quarterly so one person doesn't get burned out.

2. Promote the board during meetings, emails, and events. Invite participation.

During all-hands meetings, highlight recent wellbeing board updates, contests, or events to ensure everyone is aware. Send out occasional emails pointing people to new board content. Keep it top of mind!

3. Solicit ideas and content submissions from all employees to foster engagement.

Consider a suggestion box where employees can propose desired topics and resources. Invite people to share personal stories or tips by submitting to a "guest column." This collaborative approach gets more people involved.

4. Occasionally revamp the aesthetics, layout, and design elements to maintain interest.

Every few months, change up the board format and visuals. Add photos, illustrations, or color schemes to capture attention. Rearrange sections or introduce new categories. This refreshed look piques curiosity.

5. Track participation metrics and employee feedback to refine your approach.

Note sign-up numbers for challenges, likes/comments on posts, and usage of resources. Periodically survey employees on what they find valuable or new elements they want to see. Apply these insights to improve content.

6. Celebrate successes stemming from the board! Recognize employees who utilize the resources.

When participation goals are met for a walking challenge, congratulate participants. Share quotes from employees who found a new favorite recipe. Credit contributors by name. Recognition, even for small wins, fosters engagement and validates efforts.

Conclusion

A vibrant, engaging staff well-being board benefits your employees and your organization. Craft a board that caters to your workplace culture and wellness goals. Make it a collaborative, evolving project that employees can actively participate in.

Place your board prominently, promote it, and track how employees respond. Use these creative ideas to enhance your current board or build a new one from the ground up. When thoughtfully implemented, the well-being board can become a hub of health that demonstrates your commitment to employee wellness in a tangible way each day.