Did you know that May is Healthy Vision Month, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Better Hearing and Speech Month, and Mental Health Month? With so much focus on how we feel, it’s no wonder that corporate health and wellness programs have been on the rise! Over the last few years, more and more organizations are realizing the benefits of encouraging employees to be healthy -- physically, emotionally, and mentally. With so much buzz around health and wellness, we’ve hand-selected five articles on this trend and how organizations are approaching wellness in the workplace.
1) Yoga in the Workplace: More Than a Wellness Fad from business.com
Lynn Herrick, general counsel and CHRO at GreatCall, has practiced yoga for over 20 years and was an early advocate for the benefits of yoga in the workplace. Here is her journey to discovering yoga and the changes she's witnessed in employees since implementing yoga at her workplace.
I began practicing yoga during my first few years working in a high-pressure job at large law firm. I found it to be the only time of the day that felt like it was truly mine. I would leave work around 4 p.m., practice for an hour, and then head back to the office, staying until midnight almost every night. It really saved me those first few years as I learned how to deal with the stress of being a young associate.
2) This CEO Is Pioneering A New Approach To Work Flexibility And Supporting Mental Health from Forbes
Shannon Miles is not your typical CEO. She's built her business, BELAY, from a company of two to over six hundred people – all while working from home. As the leader of a fully remote team, Shannon understands the power of job flexibility and encourages her employees to get creative with their schedules, a concept she calls "The Third Option".
Research backs up the trend towards more flexible employment options. A 2017 survey found that flexible hours and work-from-home options are two of the most desirable perks job seekers want. Flexibility is also a boon for well-being. Feeling a sense of control in your work is critically important for well-being, a topic that's top of mind right now since May is Mental Health Month. The APA reports that Fortune 500 employees who were given the option to shift or control their work schedules showed higher rates of job satisfaction along with lower rates of burnout and stress.
3) 1 Big Reason Why Wellness Initiatives Don't Work (and What to Do Instead) from Inc
In today's modern business landscape, you must factor in diversity and inclusion to your wellness initiatives.
Today's business landscape is stressful and competitive. With that in mind, companies are slowly recognizing that sleep and other wellness topics are pivotal to thriving in today's corporate landscape.
While more companies are implementing wellness initiatives, the majority of these companies are getting less-than-ideal results because they're not factoring in diversity and inclusion.
In today's landscape, diversity and inclusion are a core ingredient in creating a sustainable wellness initiative.
What is diversity and inclusion and how does it go with wellness?
4) 7 reasons why you should prioritize wellness at work from Smart Business
Work can be a grind at times and I feel that is important to incorporate health and wellness activities throughout your company for many positive reasons.
Our company has teamed up with AccelWell, and we have an annual WellFest event in the summer that offers classes such as yoga, self-defense, Zumba and more. AccelWell also puts together wellness programs for many companies to make sure their employees are health conscious.
In working with AccelWell, I have realized all of the ways below that their programs help out our company.
5) 86% of Employers Use Financial Incentives in Wellness Programs from HealthPayer Intelligence
An increasing number of employers incorporate financial incentives in their wellness programs to increase engagement from employees.
Eighty-six percent of employers offer financial incentives in their wellness programs, according to a new survey from the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) and Fidelity Investments. This represents an 11 percent increase since 2017, indicating that the strategy may help attract participants to these high-value initiatives.
Employers also increased the size of available incentives from last year, the survey found. Average annual wellness incentives grew from $742 in 2017 to $784 in 2018.
Employers are expected to continue their investments in wellness programming. Sixty-seven percent of employers plan to expand wellness programs in the next three to five years, and are likely to add features that address mental, emotional, and physical health.
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