Have you thought about a corporate wellness program for your remote workers? With the pandemic in full swing, employee wellness and mental health are crucial to their performance. Despite working from home, remote workers are not immune to the increasing level of stress. A corporate wellness program can help employees get greater access to wellness programming on stress management, mindfulness, resilience, and work-life balance, among other health topics. However, you can face the issue of getting all employees engaged in the program.
It is difficult to motivate remote workers to participate in a corporate wellness program when working away from the office. If you are wondering how to engage remote employees in corporate wellness programs, here are some ways to consider.
1. Communication is always key.
Ensure you stay in touch with your employees through constant communication. Miscommunication is common in remote working environments and can affect employee motivation. Since there is no meeting when working online, the social connection is enough to encourage employee wellness. Use all the mediums such as text messaging, videoconferencing, and email to know how they are doing.
Today, you can try tools such as zoom to host a live video check-in. Use the opportunity to discuss diet and exercises for remote working employees and manage health and safety. The idea is to stay socially connected and remain consistent in messaging. Using digital solutions in communication can drive engagement in remote workers. For example, social media feeds can keep them up to date on all in-house wellness initiatives and any other related activity,
2. Regular wellness check-ins
Do regular wellness check-ins with your employees to know how they are doing. Even with remote working, employees need regular human interaction to feel valued and cherished. During the check, reach out to anyone having a hard time and discuss how you can support them. It can lead to better team bonding while encouraging employees to talk about their health and wellness.
It’s also necessary to help employees balance work and family life. During the wellness check-in, encourage self-care among your team by brainstorming ideas. Also, offer stress-relief techniques such as links to yoga sessions and online meditation. Keep tabs on what employees are doing and make time for informal video calls to keep employees excited as part of the team.
3. Incorporate flexibility in your programs
The corporate wellness program should involve a flexible approach for employees to engage in their wellness programs. Health activities are different for different people. For example, not everyone would want to do yoga in their living room at a particular time. Therefore, offer employees the flexibility to do anything that will promote their health in a better way.
The best wellness strategy for remote workers should allow greater flexibility in the program. Have conversations with your team on the best way to engage the corporate wellness program and incorporate their suggestions for their benefit. For example, some individuals may prefer incorporating CBD products or white maeng da in their diet as part of the wellness program.
Try an out-of-the-box approach to engage employees actively in the wellness program. You can live-stream discussions with health coaches or offer them an opportunity to be screened by their healthcare professionals. The idea is to motivate them into a wellness program.
4. Consider offline opportunities
Consider some offline activities for your employees to maintain their health and wellness. For example, offer paid local gym memberships on specific days to your employees. Allow some individuals permission to take a break from work by setting healthy boundaries. These offline opportunities can motivate them to part in the program.
Offline socializing with colleagues can help anyone struggling with daily work responsibilities. When working from home, sometimes employees struggle to separate work life from family life. Encourage them to take a day off and recharge as part of the wellness program. One day off might cause higher productivity and benefit employees in the long run.
5. Host a health challenge
It’s essential to apply game-playing elements to your teamwork as a way of encouraging employee engagement. This strategy of encouraging competition and rewards can help in making employees feel included. It builds a sense of collaboration and achieves inclusion. A good wellness program can allow remote workers to take part in incentive programs that will enhance engagement.
Group challenges are a great way to connect with remote employees from afar. For example, get an activity where everyone can participate in a daily or weekly challenge that benefits their health.
6. Show appreciation
Employee appreciation is crucial when engaging remote employees in corporate wellness programs. Show that you care and value your team by appreciating the effort to be part of the program. It could inspire employees to continue engaging since they feel appreciated.
For example, send a handwritten thank-you note or offer praise on a video call to show gratitude. If someone has a birthday, send a virtual gift card. It is important to recognize specific employee efforts as a way of appreciating them.
Final Thoughts
A corporate wellness program can improve the health and productivity of your employees. If they feel part of the corporate wellness program, they are likely to stay engaged. Focus on creating virtual team building and make it fun for more engaged employees. You can allocate a budget towards bringing together employees for wellness activities. The utmost mission should be to keep employees healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally through a wellness program.
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