Office health challenge
Make sure as many people can win the challenge as possible. For example, some people may not be in good enough shape to ride a bike to work or go jogging during lunch, but everyone can carpool with a coworker at least some of the time to help the environment. Being able to sit and relax on the way home instead of dealing with traffic is also a lot less stressful. In addition, giving away prizes for winning many wellness challenges wouldn’t be fair to older or disabled employees.
Walking is one of the easiest, most accessible forms of physical activity, and there are lots of ways to implement walking challenges. For example, participants can earn a reward for walking a certain number of steps every day and being monitored by a smartwatch, or they can earn a prize for each 1,000 to 2,000 steps walked over a set time.
A team wellness challenge
Team challenges can build a sense of community and motivate people to a common goal. The participants work toward large, group goals, like walking 5,000 miles or losing 50 pounds. They usually keep track of the group results on a whiteboard or a poster in a common area. Employers usually offer an incentive for the entire group, such as a free, healthy lunch or weekly fitness classes at the office.
A participation challenge
This company wellness challenge encourages participants to accomplish a task a certain number of times over a set period of time, rewarding the people who reach that number. For example, an employer with a health club membership or a fitness center onsite can challenge their employees to attend 25 fitness classes in 30 days. Employers can also challenge employees to bring their own healthy lunches or walk 5 miles per day.
A weight loss challenge
Weight loss is a common goal, and weight loss challenges provide a fun, motivating atmosphere where employees can give each other support. They usually last from 8 weeks to a few months, and they include regular weigh-ins and support like nutrition education. You can determine the winner by the total pounds lost or the percent of body weight or body fat lost.
Create a healthy office cookbook
Ask your employees to share their favorite healthy recipes, and then compile the best ones in a collection and share them around the office through an email or a simple printed booklet. You can even have a monthly potluck for people to taste each other’s recipes. Just create a sign-up sheet and post it to the fridge in the main break room for people to list what they’re bringing.
Take sugary drinks out of vending machines
Sugar-filled or artificially sweetened beverages are bad for your employees’ health. Switch to healthier alternatives like lightly sweetened teas, juices, and flavored waters. If you don’t want to alienate soda lovers, impose a “tax” by charging an extra $0.25.
Create standing desks
Adjustable standing desks let users easily switch between standing and sitting while working. You can also step it up with treadmill desks.
Introduce flexible work hours
Focus more on effectiveness and productivity instead of mandated working hours like 9 to 5. This shows you trust your employees to be responsible. If some employees want to take a longer lunch or take a nap and then work later, let them. Offer one or two remote working days per week, so people can skip long commutes and spend more time with their family. During cold season, remote working can keep sick employees from spreading their illness to others. It’s also a lot easier to get things done when you can work from home in your favorite pair of pajamas.
Set up a healthy micro market
Micro markets are unattended mini-convenience stores with self-checkouts, built right into an office’s break room. Employees can buy fresh meals and produce and view nutritional information before making a purchase.
Start some office activities
Invite a yoga instructor into your office every other week to guide your team through a yoga class. You can also find a 5K run in your community and offer to cover the entry fee for anyone who wants to participate. You can start a company baseball, softball, or soccer team, or just turn some of your team’s meetings into walking meetings. Walking can make people more focused on a subject and creative. It’s also a great way to get some fresh air and enjoy nature.
Encourage creativity with collaboration
Find an empty office or an unused area and turn it into a place where people can meet and collaborate on projects. Install some comfortable furniture, so people can hang out away from their desks for a while and let the creativity flow. Some companies have game rooms, bowling allies, swings, slides, and other fun furniture that’s perfect for taking a break, relieving stress, and encouraging creativity.
Add some plants around the office
Plants can improve your employees’ moods, reduce office illnesses, and improve indoor air quality. They make great gifts for employees, and many types of plants are available that don’t need much water or sunlight. For example, you could give employees who love to talk about gardening a cactus or a miniature rosebush.
Change the dress code to business casual or just casual
Khakis or jeans and a nice shirt are much more comfortable than slacks and a blouse or a suit and tie. Taking a walk outside or biking to work is also easier when you don’t have to wear dressy clothes. Your employees will spend less on their wardrobe, and they won’t have to walk around in uncomfortable heels that could be hazardous on stairs. By allowing people to ditch the fussy clothes, employees will be much more inclined to take a walk outside or bike to work.
List crucial tasks
Create a shared Google spreadsheet or ask everyone in your department to lists the three most important assignments, tasks, or projects they need to finish each day and their top five tasks for the week. Highlight crucial tasks in green if they were completed at the end of the day and in red if they weren’t to create a better level of accountability for each person. A shared task list also leads everyone to focus on the most important items.
Make your office pet-friendly
Taking a break and petting, walking, or playing with the office cat or dog is a great way to reduce stress. Yes, leashes are available for cats, and you can train a cat to walk and go to the bathroom outside just like a dog. If any of your employees have allergies, choose a hypoallergenic pet or give your office pet a bath and make sure your office gets cleaned often.
If possible, take your employees with you when you choose an office pet. You won’t want to pick a black cat if one of your employees thinks they’re bad luck, and most people won’t want a large dog that could jump on their good clothes or knock things over. If no one has allergies, you won’t have to wash a short-haired cat, but you should have a dog washed at least once per week. Remember to take some cute pictures of your office pet for your company’s social media account.
Invite a health professional to talk to your employees
A health professional can give all your employees useful general health tips or examine everyone and give them personalized advice. If you’re having trouble finding a doctor or nurse that will come to your business, call your insurance company.
Play music
Music improves people’s moods and boosts productivity and creativity. Classical music will help everyone concentrate, or you can let all your employees take turns picking tunes. Just make sure no one plays music that’s too loud or has offensive lyrics.
Hold a giving challenge
Ask people to bring in old clothing, books, toys, and other items. You can even set up a small area where people can take home items they could use. Participating in this challenge is a great way to get rid of clutter and get organized at work and at home.
Making an effort to keep your employees healthy shows your business cares about making people happy and productive. Many types of exercise also help relieve stress.
