In corporate presentations, you often hear: ‘We care about our employees' wellness and health’. These days, it’s not just about gym memberships or in-office psychologists — more attention is being given to promoting well-being and productivity through regular workplace health activities.
In this article, we’ll explain why focusing on employee wellness is essential and share 34 wellness activities for employees that can boost energy throughout the workday.
Employee Wellness = Growing Company
Successful companies understand how employee well-being impacts productivity. That’s why they offer everything from gym memberships to meditation rooms and access to mental health support to help employees reduce stress and recharge.
To implement employee wellness activities ideas, start with small actions that support overall well-being. Let’s explore a few key areas and show how to integrate these hacks into the workplace.
🏅 Physical Health
1. Short walks: Encourage 5–10-minute walks during breaks. This boosts mood and overall wellness. Educate team members about the benefits of these breaks for health and productivity.
2. Mini stretch breaks: Encourage employees to do simple exercises for wellness during breaks. Provide exercise guides and organize group stretches to help improve their flexibility and boost circulation, keeping them energized throughout the day.
🏃 A simple workplace wellness and health activities for all muscle groups
- Head tilts: Slowly tilt your head to the right, hold for 10 seconds, then to the left.
- Shoulder rolls: Lift your shoulders to your ears, lower them, and rotate forward and back 10 times.
- Arm stretches: Extend your arms forward, interlock your fingers, and stretch for 10 seconds.
- Leg lifts: Lift your legs straight, hold for 5 seconds, lower them. Repeat 10 times.
- Torso twists: Twist your upper body to the right, hold for 10 seconds, then to the left.
- Fist clenches: Clench your fists, hold for 5 seconds, relax. Repeat 10 times.
3. Ergonomic workplace: Provide team members with comfortable furniture and equipment to prevent posture problems and reduce the risk of chronic conditions. Conduct workstation audits, offer training on proper setup, and regularly check employee wellness.
4. Healthy snacks: Offer access to healthy snacks and drinks like fruits, nuts, and yogurts. Organize cooking workshops or collaborate with local vendors to provide healthy lunch options delivered to the office.
5. Regular breaks: Remind team members of the importance of short breaks to stretch and rest their eyes. Use apps or messengers to send notifications. Encourage using breaks for light physical activity or short walks.
💆 Mental Health
6. Reading breaks: Create an office library for book exchanges and recommendations. This promotes relaxation and stimulates mental wellness. Organize book clubs to discuss readings and strengthen connections between team members.
7. Meditation and breathing exercises: Set up a quiet space for meditation with comfortable mats and soft lighting. Provide materials for self-practice or invite an instructor for group sessions. This will reduce stress and improve focus.
🧘 Breathing meditation for employee wellness
- Get comfortable: Sit in a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Keep your back straight but relaxed.
- Close your eyes: This will help you concentrate and avoid distractions.
- Focus on your breath: Notice how air enters through your nose, fills your lungs, and slowly exits.
- Count breaths: On the inhale, mentally say "one," on the exhale, "two," and continue counting to ten, then start over.
- Let thoughts go: If you get distracted, gently return to counting your breath without judging yourself.
- Duration: Practice for 5–10 minutes, gradually increasing the time as you feel comfortable.
8. Quick games or puzzles: Set up a game area with board games and puzzles for wellness activities during short breaks. Organize tournaments and competitions to boost engagement and encourage team bonding.
9. Recognizing and managing stress: Hold workshops on stress management and emotional intelligence. Offer individual consultations with a psychologist or coach. Encourage open discussions about issues to create a supportive environment.
10. Flexible work schedules: Allow team members to choose flexible work hours or remote work options. This helps reduce stress and improve work-life balance.
However, implementing flexible schedules without a clear system can lead to chaos. Employees may face scheduling conflicts with meeting rooms, a shortage of desks, and challenges in coordinating with their teams. Without transparency in schedules and access to resources, productivity suffers, communication breaks down, and office space is used inefficiently.
To avoid these problems, it’s important to use specialized tools to manage flexible schedules. For example, an office management systems help streamline processes: employees can book workstations and meeting rooms, plan their in-office presence, and get real-time information on resource availability. This ensures order, maximizes space efficiency, and improves team collaboration.
🤗 Social Health
11. Mentorship and support: Implement a mentorship program where experienced team members help new hires adapt. This promotes knowledge sharing and strengthens team bonds.
12. Volunteer events: Organize participation in charity drives or volunteer projects. This not only benefits the community but also brings the team closer together.
13. Team wellness lunches: Make it a tradition to have regular team wellness lunches to strengthen relationships. Change up the venues and themes, and invite employees from different departments to broaden networking.
14. Activities in hobby clubs: Support the creation of interest-based clubs, providing resources and organizing joint activities. This helps employees get to know each other outside of work.
📚 Popular interest clubs
- Book club: Discuss chosen books, exchange opinions, and share literary recommendations.
- Sports club: Participate in group sports, corporate competitions, or organize morning runs or yoga.
- Photography club: Host photo walks, photography workshops, and showcase employees' work.
- Cooking club: Cook together, share recipes, and host themed culinary evenings.
- Language club: Practice conversational skills, watch movies, and discuss in a foreign language.
Cultural wellness events: Plan group trips to museums, theaters, or exhibitions. This broadens horizons and strengthens team spirit through shared experiences.
16. Family events: Host events where employees can bring their families. This strengthens relationships among colleagues and fosters an atmosphere of trust and support.
17. Virtual coffee breaks and games: Organize online meetups for informal communication, especially for remote team members. This helps maintain team unity and reduce stress.
18. Joint celebrations and birthdays: Regularly celebrate important dates and achievements. This builds team spirit and promotes better understanding among employees.
💸 Financial Well-being
19. Financial consultations: Provide access to free consultations with financial advisors. This helps employees manage personal finances better and reduces financial stress.
20. Savings programs: Implement employer-contributed pension programs. This helps team members plan for the future and boosts their loyalty to the company.
21. Financial literacy training: Offer seminars and workshops on budgeting, investments, and financial planning. This will increase employees' financial awareness.
💸 First step in teaching employees financial literacy
- Which financial topics interest your employees: personal budgeting, investments, retirement planning, loans, etc.
- How employees understand basic financial concepts: Ask about their knowledge of financial tools and terminology.
- How employees prefer to learn: Find out whether they prefer seminars, online courses, webinars, or individual consultations.
22. Emergency assistance programs: Set up a support fund for team members in challenging life situations. This demonstrates the company’s care for employee well-being and builds trust.
23. Discounts and perks: Offer discounts on education and professional development, collaborating with educational institutions. This allows employees to grow professionally without significant financial strain.
🌱 Personal Effectiveness
24. Productivity techniques: Implement popular methods like Pomodoro or GTD, teaching team members how to integrate these approaches into their workflow for improved efficiency.
🚀 Here are some of the most popular productivity methods:
- Pomodoro Technique: work for 25 minutes with breaks.
- GTD (Getting Things Done): task organization to free up mental space.
- Eisenhower Matrix: prioritizing tasks by importance and urgency.
- Eat That Frog: tackle the hardest tasks first.
- SMART goals: setting specific and measurable goals.
- Kanban: visual task management on a board.
- Two-minute rule: immediately tackle tasks that take less than 2 minutes.
25. Delegation: Teach employees how to delegate tasks effectively, building trust and clear responsibilities. This boosts efficiency and develops leadership skills.
26. Goal setting: Help employees set and achieve personal and professional goals using the SMART method. Recognize achievements to motivate further growth and development.
📈 Professional Development
27. Feedback: Hold regular one-on-one meetings to discuss progress and goals. Use structured feedback to help team members grow and improve performance.
28. Cross-functional projects: Allow employees to participate in projects from other departments, creating cross-functional teams to broaden experience and develop new skills.
29. Career growth opportunities: Develop clear career paths within the company, create career roadmaps, and encourage internal mobility to retain talent.
💼 How to create a career plan for an employee
- Assess the current position: Determine the employee's skills, experience, and achievements.
- Set goals: Learn about the team member's professional ambitions and interests.
- Identify necessary skills: Match current skills with the requirements of the desired position.
- Develop a development plan: Outline concrete steps for developing the needed competencies.
- Set measurable goals: Use SMART goals and establish KPIs.
- Regular monitoring: Hold meetings to discuss progress and adjustments.
- Adapt the plan: Be ready to make changes as necessary.
- Encourage: Recognize achievements and keep motivation high.
30. Webinars with experts: Invite specialists to host lectures and masterclasses. This enriches employee knowledge and promotes professional growth.
🎭 Cultural Environment
31. Multicultural events: Organize events that reflect the cultural diversity of your team, like cultural evenings or themed days, fostering mutual understanding.
🇫🇷🇯🇵🇧🇷🇮🇳 Examples of multicultural events in the office
- Cultural storytelling: Employees share stories and traditions from their countries.
- Intercultural quizzes: Organize games with questions about countries and customs.
- Movie screenings: Watch films from different countries and discuss them afterward.
- Themed workshops: Lessons in national crafts, cooking, or art.
- Exhibitions: Display photos or items reflecting the cultural diversity of team members.
32. Language courses: Provide opportunities to learn foreign languages through corporate courses or subsidized training. This improves communication and broadens employee opportunities.
33. Cultural exchanges: Create exchange programs for employees from different offices or countries, organizing trips or virtual meetings to share knowledge.
34. National holiday celebrations: Celebrate various national holidays, decorating the office and offering special events or menus. This appreciates the team’s cultural diversity.
Take care of your employee’s wellness at the workplace for overall productivity
Workplace wellness activities are not just a trend—they're a powerful tool for boosting employee well-being and productivity. Simple actions like short walks, regular stretching, and providing healthy snacks keep employees energized throughout the day. Mental health practices such as meditation and quick reading breaks help reduce stress and maintain focus.
Social activities, like team lunches and hobby clubs, strengthen relationships and improve collaboration. Investing in employee health and well-being leads to lower stress levels, higher productivity, and stronger team cohesion, ultimately making your company more successful and resilient.
