Prioritize workplace wellness & you’ll sign the slugger, win the battle of the bands, earn billions, & revolutionize thought for millennia.

Have you heard that workplace wellness is a big deal? It’s not exactly a new trend for 2024, but it’s not exactly going away either! As companies look to recruit and retain top talent, they’ve come to understand that they need to take a holistic approach to their health and well-being. Let’s take a look at the four pillars of workplace wellness, along with some frivolous examples to lighten the mood.

Physical Wellness in the Workplace

Companies can support employees’ physical well-being by promoting a healthy work environment. This includes providing ergonomic workstations, encouraging regular breaks for stretching or exercise, and offering fitness programs.

Wellness initiatives such as gym memberships, on-site fitness classes, or wellness challenges can motivate employees to prioritize physical health.

Additionally, companies can foster a culture that values work-life balance, ensuring reasonable working hours and time off. Health benefits, preventive care resources, and ergonomic training contribute to employees’ overall physical well-being.

By communicating and reinforcing these initiatives, companies can create a workplace that prioritizes and supports the physical health of their employees.

Treat ‘Em Like Ohtani

Did you hear that the Toronto Blue Jays almost signed generational baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani? In the end, the pitcher-slugger-unicorn took a cool $700 million to lend his talents to the Los Angeles Dodgers instead, but a big part of the Jays’ pitch was improvements they’ve made to both their Rogers Centre home field and their Dunedin spring training park.  

Facilities and trainers have become an increasingly large part of the free agent seduction process in pro sports in recent years. While you may not be ready to offer your next executive an around-the-clock personal physiotherapist, you can stand out from the competition by placing an emphasis on physical well-being (and for much less than $700 million!)

Social Wellness Strengthens the Individual and the Team

Companies can enhance social wellness by fostering a positive and inclusive workplace culture. Encouraging team-building activities, both in and out of the office, builds camaraderie and strengthens interpersonal relationships.

Open communication channels, regular team meetings, and feedback sessions create a sense of belonging and trust. Social events, such as gatherings or celebrations, provide opportunities for casual interactions.

Prioritizing diversity and inclusion initiatives ensures that all employees feel valued and respected. Implementing mentorship programs or buddy systems facilitates professional connections. Recognizing and celebrating achievements through a robust recognition program contributes to a positive social atmosphere.

By actively promoting social interactions and creating spaces for employees to connect, companies can cultivate a supportive community, fostering social wellness in the workplace.

Rock the Workplace and Win!

Remember that time when a bunch of prep school kids formed a band, learned how to rock, and won a prestigious award in a sold out nightclub on a weekday morning in front of their scandalized parents?

It may sound like a frivolous example, but can you honestly tell me that ‘School of Rock’ would have won the battle of the bands without the enthusiastic teambuilding efforts of Jack Black’s Dewey Finn?

Mental and Emotional Workplace Wellness Means Support, Understanding

Companies can promote emotional and mental wellness by cultivating a supportive and understanding work environment. Establishing an open-door policy and encouraging regular check-ins with managers can create channels for communication about mental health. Providing access to employee assistance programs (EAPs) or counseling services offers professional support.

Flexibility in work arrangements, such as remote work options, helps employees manage work-life balance. Wellness programs focused on mindfulness, stress management, and resilience training can empower individuals to cope with workplace pressures.

Training managers to recognize signs of stress or burnout contributes to a stigma-free environment. Recognizing and celebrating achievements, along with promoting a positive work culture, fosters a sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction, contributing to overall emotional and mental well-being in the workplace.

Mental Health Worth Billions?

Are your employees earning you mere hundreds of millions, as opposed to billions of dollars? Do what fictional hedge-fund manager Bobby Axelrod did and hire a psychiatrist and performance coach. For fans of Showtime’s Billions, the deep yet curt advice offered by cool, calm Wendy Rhoades was a recurring highlight.

Career and Financial Wellness Key Recruitment Tool

Companies can promote financial wellness by offering transparent communication about compensation and benefits, providing financial education resources, and offering retirement savings plans.

Supporting career wellness involves creating clear career development paths, mentorship programs, and continuous learning opportunities. Fair compensation, competitive benefits, and a positive work culture contribute to financial stability and career satisfaction. Offering flexibility in work arrangements and respecting work-life balance helps employees achieve both financial and career goals.

Companies can also prioritize professional growth through skill development initiatives and recognition programs. By combining financial education, fair compensation, career development opportunities, and a supportive workplace culture, companies can enhance both financial and career wellness for their employees.

Mentorship is a Career-Booster

Is life an illusion, akin to shadows on the wall of a cave? Are reason and dialectical inquiry the means to attain true understanding? So sayeth Plato. Fortunately for the ancient Greek philosopher, he was afforded the opportunity to study under Socrates, or his career as an influential thinker may never have gotten off the ground.

The relationship benefitted Socrates as well: Plato documented many of his teacher’s ideas, providing us a historical record of his thinking that may not otherwise exist.

This happy story illustrates the win-win dynamic that your workplace could experience if mentoring is encouraged and supported.

To quote Socrates: “Wisdom begins in wonder.”

While these examples are largely silly, they do punctuate an important point: investing in the well-being of your employees is not only the right thing to do from an ethical point of view, it can also pay dividends. Whether you’re recruiting a superstar free-agent with a strong bat or an accountant with a sharp pencil, a well-crafted employee wellness program will help you recruit them, retain them, and get their very best.