Strategies to Encourage Wellness While Working from Home
With the Omicron variant currently defining our global narrative, working from home remains a frustrating reality for many of us. In 2022, it is important that we continue to prioritize our own wellness while working or studying remotely. Keep reading today's blog post to learn four strategies that you can implement in your teams to encourage employee wellness while working from home.
Provide support for performing physical activity at home
There are a large amount of work-from-home exercises that you can encourage your team to perform in the comfort of their own neighborhood or home. Encourage your team to take a break during the workday for a brief 20 minute run or walk, or even yoga or cycling workout. If your coworkers are not ready to commit to a formal workout, remind them that active household activities such as cleaning the house, dancing, or even choosing to stand or walk when talking on the phone or doing their work can count towards their goal for daily movement. Fresh air is always a mood booster, especially after being stuck inside all day, so encourage your teammates to get outside with their families, friends, or pets after a long day at work.
Incorporate physical activity into team meetings
Start off your meetings with a quick and easy 5 minute team exercise at the beginning or end of each Zoom call! You can rotate who leads what exercise in order to keep your team's energy high throughout the day. You can start with simple stretching exercises, breathing exercises, squats or jumping jacks. Your team will be newly energized after sitting all day and will be able to better participate in team meetings with a renewed sense of focus and concentration.
Offer incentives for healthy behavior
Are incentives used in your company culture? If so, use them to motivate healthy behavior in your teams! If incentives have not been used in the past in your company, now may be the time to implement them. Offer incentives such as gift cards for a delivered meal of x value at a local restaurant, grocery store, workout class, spa or wellness center. Other incentive ideas can include a remote team lunch or happy hour to relieve stress during a busy week. Incentives are a great way to help motivate your team on the path towards a healthy lifestyle.
Introduce a company wide wellbeing challenge
Consider implementing a friendly company wide wellness challenge to encourage your team members to prioritize their own health and wellbeing. After all, when your employees engage in friendly competition that improves their physical, mental and social wellbeing, they’ll ultimately become more engaged at work, able to build stronger bonds with their coworkers and establish a better sense of work-life balance. In total, it's a win-win situation for both the employees and the organization!
