Wellness topics for employees | Top 30 awesome wellness ideas for your team!

Employee wellness is of utmost importance to build a healthy organization. Here’s a list of 30 ideas of wellness topics for employees. Read on!

Wellness topics for employees 

Organizations are focusing on the well-being of their employees by running different wellness programs. These programs are aimed at promoting healthy habits to keep employees happy and motivated. There are different wellness topics for employees which we will go through in this article.

What is workplace wellness? 

Workplace wellness is a health promotional activity or an organizational policy that is designed for the sole purpose of encouraging healthy behavior amongst employees. These wellness topics for employees consist of diverse activities such as health coaching, stress management, etc to create a culture of health. 

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Benefits of employee wellness programs

Before we look into different wellness topics for employees, let us discuss the benefits of employee wellness programs,

1. Stress Reduction – Workplace stress is an avoidable part of everyday life. Companies can combat stress by providing wellness programs aimed at reducing stress.
2. Motivates Employees – Several health and wellness programs conducted by organizations create a sense of satisfaction amongst the employees. They feel appreciated and healthy which leads to a boost in morale.
3. Productivity Increment – The main cause of lack of productivity is an unhealthy lifestyle. Wellness programs help employees to be more focused and motivated. 
4. Decreases Absenteeism – When employees are healthy, they tend to take fewer leaves from the office. Healthy employees are more invested in their work.
5. Reduces Disease Risk – Wellness programs reduce the risk of diseases amongst employees. Motivating employees to live a healthy lifestyle results in less absenteeism from work.

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Types of wellness programs

Wellness topics for employees are integral to an organization’s policy. Let us learn more about the different types of wellness programs, 

1. Stress Reduction Program – Stress reduction programs are aimed at reducing stress at the workplace. Several activities are conducted under this program to help employees combat stress.
2. Weight reduction Program – Organizations can provide gym memberships, yoga classes, marathons, etc under the weight reduction program to encourage employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
3. Vaccination clinics – Free vaccination clinics are set up by organizations to fight diseases. This leads to higher productivity and less absenteeism.
4. Health screenings – Health screenings are useful for the early detection of diseases. This kind of screening process can avoid any severe repercussions.
5. Smoking cessation programs – Smoking has become a major problem amongst employees. This habit may lead to major health issues later in life. Organizations can motivate their employees to quit by conducting smoking cessation programs.

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How are employee wellness and productivity connected? 

The different wellness topics for employees have a direct connection with employee productivity. Wellness initiatives ensure that the employees are healthy and motivated to perform better. It is seen that when an employee is happy and satisfied, their productivity increases. Wellness activities help in combating work stress.

Employee wellness programs such as gym memberships, smoking cessation programs, employee exercise, nutrition workshops, health clinics, etc are all responsible for keeping the employees healthy and stress-free. The happier the employee, the more they are motivated to work. This results in higher productivity and better growth results. 

Companies that care about employee wellness are more successful in retaining their employees for a longer time period. Healthy employees take fewer leaves which means more productive days. Hence, employee wellness is directly proportional to productivity and goes hand in hand with each other. 

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Examples of employee wellness programs

Employee wellness programs play a major role in recruiting and retaining talents. Employees have started to favor companies that keep the well-being of their employees a priority. These programs can be created by keeping several wellness topics for employees such as mental health, physical well-being, healthy lifestyle, etc. We will go through different examples of employee wellness programs that companies can adopt as part of their own wellness policy, 

Mental health wellness group activities

Organizations should plan activities to curb workplace stress and allow employees to relax. Mental health employee wellness programs may include yoga classes, meditation classes, workshops, nap rooms, desk exercises, tea/coffee breaks, etc.

Keeping employees engaged in different activities apart from work can help beat stress effectively. This one of the most important topics amongst the wellness topics for employees that organizations and companies often overlook while creating health policies.

Encourage employee exercise by onsite gym facilities

Under wellness topics for employees, encouraging employees to be fit and exercise regularly is a crucial one. Several companies offer an onsite gym facility with trainers to make sure their employees have easy access to the best amenities.

Those who do not have the infrastructure to provide an in-house gym can also give complimentary gym memberships to the employees. Employee wellness programs like this are effective in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Wellness activities such as yoga classes

Wellness activities under employee wellness programs are not only aimed at the physical health of an employee but also include mental health. Companies offer yoga classes before and after working hours to help employees stay healthy.

Organizations have started taking wellness topics for employees seriously in recent times. Work productivity is directly related to employee health status. A healthy employee is less likely to take sick leaves often.

Wellness group activities for adults

Wellness activities done in a group helps in building stronger bonds and companionship. Employee wellness programs can include group activities that encourage healthy competition amongst the team.

Group wellness topics for employees such as marathon runs, fitness challenges, wellness challenges, cooking classes, etc can be great ideas to promote health and fitness. Introducing walking meetings in the workplace is a great way to ensure everyone gets up and moves throughout the day. 

Unique wellness programs

Google is known for keeping its employees’ wellness as a priority. Similarly, other companies can create their own unique wellness programs to suit the needs of their employees.

Employee wellness programs can include gifting fitness bands to your employees and organizing healthy competitions from time to time. Unique wellness topics for employees would not only ensure that they remain healthy but also improve workplace productivity and growth. 

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Personal wellness programs

Let us look into different wellness topics for employees focusing on personal wellness,

• Promoting healthy eating habits amongst employees and rewarding them with points for adopting healthy eating behaviors. The reward points can be transferred into prizes, raffle entries, monetary rewards, etc.
• Virtual employee wellness programs can be organized for remote teams.
• Offer standing desks to employees to allow them to switch between standing and sitting easily whenever required.

Wellness incentive prizes

Prizes are a great incentive to encourage employees to a healthier lifestyle. Different employee wellness programs such as cycling to work, number of walking steps can now be incentivized and contribute towards a stronger workplace.

Platforms like Bonusly, help in keeping a track of all the activities and turn them into reward points. Look for different wellness topics for employees that will keep them motivated to earn more reward points.

Wellness activities at work

Wellness topics for employees at work can include the following employee wellness programs,

• Holding a health fair where local vendors and health clinics can set up stalls in your office campus and talk about nutrition and organize fun wellness activities for adults.
• Bring your employees together once a day a week to hold mindfulness sessions to promote work wellness.
• Wellness workplace can be improved by encouraging walking or biking to work.

Employee health and wellness programs

Health and wellness in the workplace should be promoted to keep employees happy and motivated to come to work. Employee wellness programs covering a wide variety of wellness topics for employees must be taken into consideration. Few wellness ideas for work include,

• Making your office pet-friendly helps in reducing stress.
• Build a game or recreation room
• Promote laughter by taking the team to a local comedy show or inviting a comedian to the office. 

Wellness workshop ideas

Corporate wellness workshops can be held as part of the employee wellness programs. Let us look into different workplace wellness ideas that cover wellness topics for employees,

• Meditation workshops to combat workplace stress and improve productivity.
• Healthy and mindful cooking workshops.
• Health and nutrition workshop focused on women employees.
• Stress management and productivity workshops
• Yoga at desk workshops
• Ergonomics and Injury prevention workshop that addresses the issue of back injury caused by poor sitting posture.

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Wellness day ideas

Below are few wellness program ideas that address the various wellness topics for employees,

• On-site chair massages are one of the most popular corporate wellness treatments provided on wellness days.
• Reflexology is another great way to release body tension. Calling reflexologists on wellness days to treat the team can be a great idea.
• Another popular wellness day activity under employee wellness programs is mindfulness. It allows you to release stress and simply let go.

Workplace wellness challenge ideas

The different wellness topics for employees can be implemented at the workplace through wellness challenges. Here are the workplace wellness challenges that can be considered,

• Invite employees to a 30-day challenge of taking stairs instead of elevators.
• Employee wellness programs where they are motivated to bring packed lunch from home.
• Hosting a water-drinking challenge and reward those who meet or exceed the suggested intake of 8 glasses of water a day.

Corporate wellness initiatives

Corporate employee wellness programs are aimed at the physical and mental wellbeing of the employees. Corporate wellness program examples are,

• Encourage employees to take stairs instead of the elevator by putting up motivating messages.
• Put some eco-friendly scooters on the office campus to get around.
• Keep football, hula hoops, basketballs around in the office.
• Address different wellness topics for employees by conducting fitness challenges.
• Hand out memberships to a local gym.

Workplace health challenge ideas

Employee wellness programs can include the following health and wellness ideas,

• Conducting a 10,000 step challenge for the team.
• Sleep a minimum of 7 hours challenge where employees can be given access to sleep tracking apps.
• Positivity challenge where each employee has to write one thing they are grateful for every day. 
• Addressing wellness topics for employees and encouraging them to take up a new hobby to reduce stress.

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Organizing worksite wellness challenges

Conducting workplace challenges as part of employee wellness programs is the perfect way to include a variety of wellness topics for employees. We have found the following wellness challenge ideas for the workplace that you may find useful,

• Conduct a healthy potluck luncheon and reward the most innovative dishes.
• Organize a 5-mile run challenge to create a healthy environment.
• Organize sports events such as basketball, cricket, badminton, etc, and declare winners.