“Out of the Box” Corporate Wellness Solutions

“Out of the Box” CorporateWellness Solutions

Cheryl Arnold on August 31, 2015 - 7:12 am in Column

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As wellness programs become more mainstream, and companies

decide they want to take on wellness in a serious way, here are

some new and innovative ideas about wellness that can shape a

program that engages and includes your entire population.

Wellness means a lot of different things to your Employees, it

could mean having to take that annual blood test to get a $25

gift card, massages on-site, or it might mean getting to take a day

off of work to do community service or spend time with family.

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The best place to start with a wellness program is to ask your

employees how they feel the most well, and what kinds of programs

would work for them. There are so many areas to choose from:

fitness, nutrition, sleep, stress management, psychological issues,

financial, family and friends, vacations, and schedule/time

management to name a few, along with the traditional medical,

dental, life benefits they may receive from your company. The

challenge is getting people to change behaviors, and be open,

especially if the program is too advanced or the culture doesn’t

commit to supporting that person meet their goals.

Access, convenience, and fun are all aspects that should be

considered when planning a program. Recently, we met the team

from Matchup that puts together fun fitness challenges that synch

up with most fitness bands. I’ve even heard of Zombie Crawls, Santa

Scramble, and other options from Fix to make it a little more

cutting-edge. Another idea from Baptist Health South Florida is to

create a fitness box for the office or department. Include items like

kettle bells or light weights, yoga mats, and weight bands that can

be used throughout the day. Even if employees want to take a

10-15 minute break every hour or two to do some stretching or

light lifting, this is an opportunity for them to elevate their heart

rate and get out of their chairs. It’s definitely better to take a

wellness break than a smoke break!

If you want to take it to the next level, providing either classes

(yoga, zumba, aerobics, etc) or building out a gym may be a great

way to encourage your staff to take on a new fitness goal. Adding

showers and bike racks could make it easy for them to bike to work.

If you want people to take the stairs instead of the elevator, put

funny jokes or inspirational quotes in the hallways and change

them often.

Another out of the box option is bringing produce boxes or healthy

snacks to your office. Endlessly Organic , works with over 25

companies and hospitals in South Florida to deliver boxes of

organic produce for employees to take home. There are organic

buying clubs (also known as CSAs) though out the country that

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would love to provide this service. Employees love the convenience

and often will chat about new recipes. They might even get out of

their silos. You never know what new friendships you’ll be fostering! If

you want to bring healthy snacks into the office, SnackNation ,

UrthBox and even healthy vending machines are a great option are

possibilities. If you work in an environment where they already have

vending machines with lots of unhealthy choices, there are a few

options, either make the unhealthy snacks more expensive than the

healthy options, remove it from eye level, or remove it completely. In

all these cases the level of financial commitment from the company

can be minimal or your can completely subsidize the cost.

Looking for an advanced program? Why don’t you bring in a

nutritionist to administer a food detox program to your employees for

a period of time? You could also bring someone in to teach weekly or

monthly cooking or nutrition classes, do weight loss challenges with

massive rewards, or completely change the food in your cafeteria so it

is all raw vegan, paleo, or gluten free. (The last one is an

exaggeration!) The point is to bring in as many healthy options as

possible, and leave unhealthy ones to the outside world.

One of my favorite tips has to do with scheduling. Many people feel

strapped, either financially or time wise, which can impact how well

they are feeling as well as performing at work. I heard of company

that schedules 30 minutes of wellness a week to work on everything

from insurance documents, meditation, to taking a walk around

campus. That time was blocked out company wide, and so they knew

what the expectation was. Another scheduling idea is to allow staff

to come in early or late to accommodate their fitness schedule. At my

office, if I know I’m going to yoga class after work that requires me to

leave early, I come in 30 minutes early or make up the time another

day. The same thing can be done for working mothers and fathers, or

people with other kinds of commitments to alleviate stress.

As for stress management, there are so many things to consider. From

meditation and yoga classes to time management seminars and

therapy, there are many ways that these different services can be

offered both internally or you can partner with a company to offer it


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in your community. Many healthy businesses are happy to offer

employee coupons or come give lectures about their areas of expertise-

again, just trying to find creative ways to make it wellness happen!

So far, most of the solutions I have talked about don’t cost the

employers much and have many added benefits. Creating a culture of

wellness and balance takes time, and often requires trying a variety of

initiatives to see what sticks. Trying different options, being persistent

and never giving up is the way to go!

Wishing you a wellness program that meets the goals of yourorganization and finds you well!

About the AuthorCheryl Arnold

Cheryl directs Endlessly Organic’s daily operations and team. She is

passionate about building a community around healthy eating and

organic food in South Florida, which is why she Co-Founded Endlessly

Organic. Cheryl has an extensive background in education, guest

services and business development. A former Miami-Dade County

teacher, she went on to work for Discovery Zone as a Training Manager,

prior to becoming their Director of Customer Service. Following that

position, she became the Director of Customer Relations for

EnFlyer.com, a highly successful email marketing company. Also a South

Florida native, Cheryl was born and raised in Miami. After graduating

from Miami Palmetto Senior High School she continued her education

at the University of Florida, where she earned both her Bachelor of Arts

and Master’s degrees in Education. Cheryl, along with her husband and

two children, currently resides in Miami Beach, where she is actively

involved with her community and charitable organizations.

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“Out of the Box” Corporate Wellness Solutions

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