How to spark more meaningful wellness movement among employees

“Employee well-being” is perhaps the hottest trend in Corporate America right now.

And for good reason. The pandemic continues to impact engagement, morale and productivity—not to mention the mental and physical health of workers, which adds fuel to the already raging fire of “The Great Resignation.” Companies are scrambling for answers on how to keep their employees feeling happy, healthy and motivated during such a stressful time.

What can they do to help? What should they do to help? How can you encourage employees to enjoy healthier workdays when almost everyone’s remote?

There are no easy, one-size-fits-all answers, but finding ways to treat workers with more empathy, humanity and compassion is a great place to start. That entails prioritizing care for employees’ mental and physical health—and designing a more movement-minded workday.

If you’re struggling to support your workers’ well-being in meaningful ways, join Ragan’s Workplace Wellness Insider and Ergotron for a free webinar titled, “How to boost employee wellness: Move more and sit less.”

In the session, you’ll get a slew of practical tips on boosting employee wellness and ergonomics from Betsey Banker, Ergotron’s wellness manager. You’ll also learn about:

• The impacts of daytime sedentary behavior and health outcomes
• Links between movement and well-being
• Well-being initiatives that boost morale and retain and attain employees
• Highlights from the “Stand and Move at Work” study
• Ways to create a data-backed, best-practice workspace program that focuses on movement

Harnessing the power of movement

You might have heard that sitting is the new smoking. It turns out that sedentary behavior might be even worse for us than originally thought. According to WebMD, sitting too much can damage your heart, lead to diabetes, shorten your lifespan, cause anxiety to spike, increase the likelihood for dementia and even undo the positive effects of exercise. The good news is that small tweaks to your day can provide huge health benefits.

Even if your company has no history of promoting creative exercise, activity or fitness throughout the day, it’s not hard to start shifting your culture toward a more mindful movement mindset. To get started, Ergotron suggests:

• Create policies to set the intention, educate employees on expectations, and give your program structure. It’s not enough to just ask employees to get up every 30 minutes. Embed your guidance into official company policy and establish a clear framework on how employees can participate. To ensure widespread adoption and compliance, make sure your leaders are on board and out in front. “Show that there is leadership support,” Banker says.
• Select equipment that meets standards for safety, ergonomics and compatibility. Not all standing desks are created equal, Banker says, so it’s wise to test out equipment before making any large purchases. Also, make sure whatever you’re looking at will suit your unique workforce’s needs. If you buy things they can’t or won’t use, you’ll just waste time, effort and money.
• Reiterate why and how to continue a work style that promotes moving more and sitting less. To achieve long-term success, you must consistently cast a compelling vision to keep employees inspired. Make movement and wellness a key part of your culture—and an essential part of your comms plans moving forward.

For more guidance, strategies and tactics on getting your workers moving toward healthier workdays, register now for this free webinar.