Hey there, HR departments

As a corporate health coach, I’m always on the lookout for innovative ways to boost employee well-being and productivity. And let me tell you, the latest research on the human-dog bond is nothing short of remarkable!

Studies have long shown that dogs can work wonders for mental health, from reducing stress and lowering blood pressure to boosting mood and promoting feelings of love and trust. But a groundbreaking new study published in PLOS ONE has taken things to the next level by exploring how different types of interactions with dogs can impact brain function.

The researchers used EEG technology to measure changes in brain activity as participants engaged with a friendly poodle named Aro. And the results? Eye opening for sure  Walking the dog led to increased relaxation, while brushing her fur improved concentration. And playing with Aro? That yielded both benefits!

You might be wondering how this applies to your role as an HR professional. Well, imagine the possibilities. By incorporating pet therapy programs or dog-friendly policies into your workplace wellness initiatives, you could help your employees tap into the neurological benefits of human-animal interactions.

Whether it’s organizing regular visits from therapy dogs, encouraging employees to bring their furry friends to work, or even sponsoring pet adoption events, there are countless ways to leverage the power of the human-dog bond to support your team’s well-being and productivity.

So, why not take a page from Aro’s playbook and start exploring how you can bring more tail-wagging joy into your workplace? Your employees (and their brains) will thank you!

If you’d like to learn more about the latest research on the human-animal bond and how it can benefit your organization, let’s connect! I’d be happy to share more insights and strategies for creating a thriving, pet-friendly workplace.

Wishing you and your team an amazing day…get your puppy ready!

To your health!

The post Boosting Employee Productivity and Well-Being with Pet-Friendly Policies appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Why a Vibrant Culture of Health is Crucial in Corporate Wellness Los Angeles

Ever wondered how impactful a shipshape culture of health can be for corporate wellness, especially in a competitive market like Los Angeles?

We’re not just talking smooth sailing… we’re talking about catching the trade winds in your sails every single day. If your company hasn’t set its course in this direction yet, it’s time to weigh anchor.

Just imagine reducing workplace stress and inefficiency, and start basking in a boatload of engagement, enthusiasm, and productivity.

The Tangible Benefits of Employee Wellness in LA

When the crew is happy and thriving, the whole ship sails better, and that’s the cornerstone of corporate wellness. Los Angeles, listen up: research supports this strong tide between employee happiness and productivity.

Check out this inspirational video: “Brave”

Happy employees are fully engaged members of the crew. In LA’s corporate wellness scene, a motivated team can make your company the flagship in the industry.

Setting Sail Toward a Culture of Health: Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles Insights

As a certified corporate wellness coach in LA, I can tell you that fostering a culture of health is no drop in the ocean. It’s not just a “lunch and learn” or a one-off seminar that creates this environment.

If you’re navigating these waters for the first time, start by Getting Ready to Form Your Wellness Committee.

Attitude is Key: A Tip from Your Corporate Health and Wellness Coach in Los Angeles

Here’s the lowdown: attitude can make or break your journey. As a seasoned corporate wellness coach in Los Angeles, I’ve seen companies transform simply by staying steadfast in a positive attitude.

Collaboration and Communication

You could try to man the ship alone, but remember, two heads are better than one in workplace wellness. By forming a Worksite Wellness Committee, you’re enlisting an experienced crew ready to help your corporate wellness program in Los Angeles set sail.

Take the Next Step

Ready to sail full steam ahead? Don’t forget, you’re the captain steering this voyage. Plot your course, and set sail toward a vibrant culture of health.

If you’re looking for more resources to bolster your corporate wellness journey in LA, check out Embracing Professional Growth in HR.

To your health!

The post Empower Your Company Culture in Los Angeles: No More Waiting, It’s All You! appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Looking to boost engagement and productivity? A certified holistic health coach in LA can help you go beyond traditional wellness programs to cultivate a thriving workplace culture. So, what are the must-haves for fostering a culture of health in the corporate world?

Why Culture Matters

Corporate culture shapes attitudes and impacts performance. Companies with robust cultures find employees more engaged, loyal, and healthy. In the words of Peter Drucker, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.“

Holistic Health and Employee Needs

The best corporate health coaches in Los Angeles advocate for a holistic approach to employee well-being covering physical, mental, and social health.

• To fine-tune your efforts, consult your workforce. Use surveys that include a cross-section of your employees to gather actionable insights.
• Prioritize mental health support alongside physical wellness.

Visibility and Communication

Launch your wellness initiatives with fanfare. A workplace wellness coach can help design programs that resonate with employees.

• Use a mix of communication channels to keep your multi-generational workforce informed and engaged.

Leadership’s Role

A culture of health starts at the top. Your certified corporate wellness coach in LA can guide your leadership team in modeling healthy behaviors, making wellness a part of the organizational fabric, not just a perk.

Flexibility and Work-Life Balance

The pandemic highlighted the importance of work-life balance. HR professionals can facilitate flexibility, allowing employees to pursue personal interests and family time, further enriching the company culture.

Community Engagement

• Engage employees in community service.
• Studies show this correlates with higher workplace engagement.

Work Environment

Consider tweaks to the physical workspace to encourage healthy habits. Your corporate health coach can suggest innovative ways to incorporate daily physical activity and nutritious options.

Wellness Champions

Appoint wellness ambassadors from your staff to advocate for healthy behaviors. Let them lead in creating wellness events that energize the workforce.

Closing Thoughts

Building a health-focused corporate culture isn’t an overnight job. But it’s worth the investment. For guidance, seek a certified health coach skilled in corporate wellness. With healthier employees, you’ll see gains in productivity, reduced absenteeism, and a happier bottom line. Ready to make wellness work for you?

To your health!

The post Transform Your Office Culture: Corporate Health & Wellness in the City of Angels appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

In the relentless pursuit of organizational success, the impacts of burnout often loom large. Recognizing the signs and combating this all too prevalent challenge is not just an option; HR needs to act on them if they want to nurture a thriving workforce.

Let’s explore the nuanced phases of burnout, uncover its root causes, and delve into effective solutions that shore up both employee well-being and overall organizational prosperity.

1. The Phases of Burnout: Early Detection Is Key

Recognizing the subtle shifts in employee well-being is vital. Consider how burnout manifests in three phases:

• Low Risk: Employees maintain engagement with manageable stress levels.
• Moderate Risk: Engagement persists, but stress impacts focus.
• High Risk: Overwhelming stress leads to physical and mental breakdowns.

Early intervention during the low and moderate-risk stages can mitigate burnout’s impact. Safeguarding employees during these phases fosters resilience and ensures sustained performance.

2. Addressing Overload: Cultivating Balance

Burnout often emerges from an overload of tasks and unrealistic deadlines. Remedies include:

• Honest Review: Managers assess workloads and offer support. Are tasks essential? Can deadlines be extended?
• Mindfulness Practices: Incorporate brief mindfulness exercises to alleviate stress. Yoga, meditation, and tai chi contribute to stress reduction.
• Holistic Well-Being: Integrate wellness initiatives like outdoor walking meetings, relaxation sessions, and healthy cooking demonstrations.

3. Countering Pressure: Embracing Balance

Excessive pressure drives burnout. Counteract it through:

• Work/Life Balance: Encourage unplugged initiatives, promote remote working, and create mindfulness spaces for tranquility.
• Mental Health Advocacy: Track vacation time and promote mental health days. Offer opportunities for genuine rest and rejuvenation.
• Innovative Approaches: Experiment with unconventional work arrangements, like remote Wednesdays, to enhance productivity and well-being.

4. Tackling Ineffective Management: Nurturing Empathy

Inadequate support and empathetic leadership fuel burnout. Solutions involve:

• Empathy Training: Develop managers’ empathetic skills through active listening and demonstrating compassion.
• Autonomy and Purpose: Empower employees with meaningful tasks and decision-making autonomy, fostering a sense of purpose and engagement.

5. Addressing External Stress: Comprehensive Support

Personal challenges external to work contribute to burnout. To alleviate this strain:

• Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs): Promote and utilize EAPs for comprehensive employee support.
• Financial Guidance: Offer resources and advocate for fair pay to alleviate financial stress.
• Flexibility and Support: Implement flexible work hours, telecommuting options, and emotional support mechanisms.

Bottom Line? Thriving Organizations Yield Tangible Gains

Mitigating burnout not only enhances well-being but also delivers substantial business benefits. Engaged employees drive:

• Profitability: Highly engaged employees boost profitability by 21%.
• Competitive Edge: Outperform competitors by a staggering 147%.

Recognizing and addressing burnout’s impact isn’t a luxury; it’s an investment in organizational prosperity. Forging a culture of well-being amps up engagement, performance, and overall morale.

To ensure sustained success, HR needs to champion a holistic approach that helps employees to thrive, while propelling the organization towards new heights.

In this journey of burnout prevention, remember, I’m here as your guide. Let’s collaborate to cultivate a resilient and thriving workforce that paves the way for a brighter, more prosperous future.

To your health!

The post The 5 Bulletproof Strategies to Combat Employee Burnout appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Company culture is a powerful force that influences every aspect of an organization, although it might not always be the topic of everyday water cooler chit-chat.

Imagine your company’s culture as a vibrant box of crayons, with each color representing a unique subculture within your company.

These subcultures, formed around shared experiences, beliefs, and behaviors, play a crucial role in shaping the overall cultural landscape.

From shift workers to different departments, diverse identities, and geographic locations, these nuanced and powerful subcultures make up the kaleidoscope of your organization.

Just like a box of crayons needs a harmonious blend of colors to create beautiful art, a healthy workplace culture requires support for its various subcultures to reach its full potential.

Recognizing and nurturing these subcultures’ health needs is key to unlocking the collective potential of your employees.

Understanding Subculture Health Needs

Each subculture within your company has its unique health challenges, some apparent and others more subtle. Take shift workers, for instance, who face a range of health risks, including: 

• gastrointestinal disorders
• insomnia
• and an increased likelihood of accidents. 

They are also more susceptible to heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, and depression. Similarly, employees within LGBTQ subcultures may be at a higher risk for:

• smoking
• substance abuse
• depression
• anxiety
• and suicide attempts.

To enable every member of these subcultures to thrive, it’s essential to create a supportive health culture that accommodates their specific needs.

Managers have the responsibility to consider the influence they have on their teams’ subcultures and take proactive steps to promote employee well-being.

Empowering Managers and Leaders

Creating a workplace environment that supports the well-being of employees requires proactive efforts from managers and leaders.

First and foremost, leadership must emphasize the importance of work-life balance and set clear boundaries between work hours and personal time.

For remote worker subcultures, it becomes even more critical to strike the right balance.

Creating a Supportive Remote Work Environment

One common misconception among remote employees is the belief that working longer hours equates to being a more valuable team member.

Your company leaders must dispel this notion and encourage their team members to prioritize their own well-being.

By setting boundaries around work hours and respecting private time, they can help remote workers allocate time for activities that promote health, such as food preparation, exercise, and spending quality time with family.

For remote workers, the physical work environment plays a significant role in their well-being and productivity.

To ensure their success, it’s crucial to consider factors like ergonomic setups, adequate breaks to combat poor circulation and tension headaches, and fostering a sense of connection to counter isolation and depression.

Additionally, be mindful of leadership’s communication habits, especially in the digital realm. Encouraging employees to establish optimal times for sending and receiving emails can help prevent work from encroaching into personal time, promoting a healthier work-life balance.

Conclusion: Embrace the Diversity of Your Culture

Just as a box of crayons is at its most beautiful when each color shines brightly, a company’s culture thrives when all subcultures are supported and celebrated.

As HR professionals and leaders embrace the diversity of your culture! Understanding that your company’s collective success lies in empowering every individual to be their best self.

Nurture a culture of well-being, recognize the unique health needs of your subcultures, and empower managers and leaders to make a positive impact.

By cultivating this, you can create a workplace where every employee feels valued, supported, and inspired to achieve greatness.

Use the colors that make up the diversity of your company culture and guide you toward a healthier, happier, and more successful future! 

To your health!

The post 7 Effective Ways to Brighten Your Company Culture appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Age and circumstances should never limit our potential for growth and transformation. Imagine yourself free falling in a skydive, experiencing the openness of boundless possibilities that’s the mindset I suggest we could all benefit from when considering our next leap into development.

As professionals, we wield incredible influence in shaping workplaces, fostering employee development, and driving organizational success.

However, you might sometimes find yourself pondering missed opportunities or unexplored paths in your career.

Whenever I personally feel how life and opportunities occur as fleeting, I remember this quote by the great Michael Jordan:

My father used to say that it’s never too late to do anything you wanted to do. And he said, ‘You never know what you can accomplish until you try.’

His empowering quote reminds us that our potential for professional growth knows no boundaries.

So, let’s explore how this powerful message can inspire you to embrace new challenges, expand your skills, and become the HR professional you’ve always aspired to be.

Reflect on Your Journey:

Take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments and appreciate the valuable experiences and lessons you’ve gained along your professional journey.

Every step has shaped you, providing a unique foundation for charting a new course toward becoming the HR professional you dream of.

Identify Your Aspirations:

Reconnect with your passions and aspirations as an HR professional. Reignite those ambitions and realign your career with your true calling.

Embrace the belief that you can steer your path toward fulfilling your professional desires, be it talent acquisition, employee development, or organizational strategy.

Expand Your Skill Set:

Continuous learning and growth are vital on the path to realizing your aspirations. Seek opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills, whether through workshops, certifications, or coursework. Each new skill acquired brings you closer to unlocking your full potential.

Embrace Change and Take Risks:

Honor your discomfort and step outside your comfort zone, for change often leads to growth. Take calculated risks by volunteering for challenging projects, seeking new responsibilities, or exploring different HR specializations. Embracing change with an open mind unveils hidden talents and passions.

Surround Yourself with Inspiring People:

Surround yourself with inspiring HR professionals who motivate you to excel. Engage with industry associations, attend conferences, and connect with mentors who provide guidance and support.

Collaborate with like-minded individuals and learn from each other’s perspectives.

Protect and Sustain Your Health:

Nurture your body and mind through self-care and well-being. Prioritize regular exercise and a healthy lifestyle, empowering you to tackle challenges with vigor and focus. A resilient you foster a positive and productive workplace environment.

Final thoughts:

Ultimately, Michael Jordan’s words serve as a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to become the HR professional you might have been.

Seize new opportunities, embrace change, and pursue your passions.

With a motivating network, continued growth, and a focus on well-being, you can unlock your true potential and become the HR professional you’ve always envisioned.

Remember, your journey is unique, and every step forward leads you closer to fulfilling your true potential. Embrace the possibilities that lie ahead!

To your health!

The post Unlock Your HR Potential: Embrace Professional Growth at Any Stage of Your Journey! appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Have you ever considered how empowering having a vibrant culture of health can be? And I’m talking

• daily breakthroughs
• momentum
• motivation
• and success.

Perhaps your company isn’t quite there yet and you’re wondering why building a culture of health is so important. After all, it does require consistent and diligent effort by a committee to bring it about. More on that later.

For now, I just want you to envision this scenario in your workplace:

• less burnout
• less irritability
• decreased distraction
• reduced apathy
• minimized inefficiency

and MORE engagement, enthusiasm, focus, satisfaction and productivity. And getting there is within your reach. But first let’s talk about four of the main “whys” for building a culture of health…

1. When employees are happy and engaged the company prospers. Work is a happier place and the company recognizes tangible financial benefits.
2. Happy employees care about their fellow workers and their jobs. They have high morale, positive attitudes, and freely give their best efforts. They weather minor setbacks more easily.
3. Happy workers think more clearly, solve complex cognitive tasks more easily, and are 13% more productive!
4. A culture of health fosters innovation and collaboration, encourages retention, and reduces turnover.

Convinced yet?

So how do you begin to build and nurture that culture of health? Implementing health and wellbeing programs in the workplace is a great beginning, but promoting wellness in the workplace involves a good deal more. After all, a healthy and happy workforce won’t just magically appear, you’ll need to carefully develop and promote it. But if you want to nurture and retain employees, it’s worth taking a closer look, right?

To begin with, attitude is key. You need to be bold and unwavering as you forge ahead. When you face setbacks, (and you will), you’ll need to stay the course like a true creator. I can’t take credit for that simile. It’s from All You by Pogo. Take a listen and read (or sing!) along…

[Intro]
And as you can see, my voice has changed a little bit here

[Verse 1]
Float through and watch it all shimmer
Let go and don’t touch the dimmer
Grab at water, it gets away (Or so they say)
All that is is meant to be
This path you’re on, will set you free
The cosmos knows what’s best for you (Or so it’s supposed to)
Reach only for what you can change
Control is a car that just won’t go
Don’t listen to fear or ego (Something like that, I don’t know)
Find a oneness with yourself
Change perceptions for your health
How you see beats what you see
But maybe that’s just me

[Chorus]
It’s all you, it’s all you

[Verse 2]
Piano looping through my brain
From the dark, I’m light again
Stronger, brighter than yesterday (Or so I’m told anyway)
Don’t attach to former sеlf
Chase the lights, don’t hug the shеlf
Forward is all I come to see
A kind of spiritual gluttony
Rain pours through the night on the café
This is it, the cosmic ballet
Gentle souls kissed by the headlights
Dancing in each others arms
Ego crumbles through the holes
Connected are these humble souls
Sharing the beats with none of the tweets
Now is all we’ve got

[Bridge]
It’s all you, it’s all you
Love you, love you

[Verse 3]
Stay the course like true creators
Drive the bus straight through the haters
Drink yes from a cup of no
A bit sweet, but here we go
Go light when they go dark
Show love with each remark
No fire needs a spark, be the bigger man
Trade fashion for compassion
Outrage is an empty passion
Upload joy for satisfaction (Or something like that)
Don’t lean on what they say
Non-contributors fade away
Stay true to what drives you
Piano time, here’s chorus two

[Chorus]
It’s all you, it’s all you

[Verse 4]
This goes through the music square
Lifting souls through midnight air
We convulse to the cosmic pulse
Our shadows in the fog
Love is all we know tonight
Warm street light, hearts take flight
Who needs fight, when we’ve got sight?
And booze, just a little
Follow through on motivation
Dodge the bait for hesitation
Think or do, it’s up to you
But only one will break through
Make it for the lonely souls
The loners, stoners and the trolls
Show them how to love again
Be the change, carve the grain.

Yes, BE THE CHANGE. It’s all you. Let motivation and momentum light a fire in your belly. Start forming that committee!

How can you enlist the enthusiastic participation of senior executives and managers? How about your employee health champions? What do they each know so far? What gaps in their awareness do you need to address? You could handle all this in your HR department, but it makes more sense to bring other people in now, ideally from every organizational level. By establishing, supporting, and maintaining a Worksite Wellness Committee, you’ll provide opportunities for
leadership, management, and staff to:

• Foster collaboration
• Establish robust cross-level/department lines of communication
• Create your new culture of health!

So, who’s going to serve on your new Workplace Wellness Committee? Make a list and start connecting.

You can do this! And if you’d like some guidance on beginning the process, I’m always here. Reach out at any time.

Derek

The post It’s all YOU. Happiness equates to health appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Company culture is something that nobody much thinks or talks about, but everyone feels. Have you ever thought of your culture as a crayon box? No? It’s okay, we’ll get to that soon. The important point here is that our company cultures are made up of subcultures. These can take on their own distinct characteristics. Subcultures are the intertwined experiences, problems, beliefs, and behaviors of specific segments of a company’s population. These might be shift workers, for instance, or the sales department. Subcultures can also form around religious, racial, or gender lines, sexual preferences, or geography. Most employees fit into several groups. There are lots of nuanced and powerful subcultures!

To get back to our analogy, you might think of culture as a Crayola box, while subcultures are the individual crayon color groupings (think purple and periwinkle!) And while developing a workplace culture of health is crucial to a company reaching its full potential, it will never reach the pinnacle without identifying and supporting healthy subcultures.

How do subcultures differ in their health needs? 

Some subculture health challenges are obvious, while others are more subtle. Take shift workers, for example. Did you know this subculture is subject to numerous health risks, ranging from gastrointestinal disorders, insomnia, and a heightened risk of accidents? Shift workers are also prone to heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, and depression. Those in your LGBTQ subculture are at greater risk for smoking and substance abuse, depression and anxiety, and suicide attempts.

None of the individual members of these subcultures can function at their best if they don’t live and work within a supportive health culture. That’s why managers need to carefully consider the ways they may influence their work teams’ subcultures. It’s really the only way to accommodate employee well-being. Do managers respect boundaries? Managers and leaders need to emphasize that employees should honor both work time and private time. Computers and smartphones can really get in the way of separating the two – especially for a remote worker subculture.

To help with this, managers and leaders need to overcome common misconceptions. Many remote employees think spending more time working makes them a more valuable team member. They often want to prove that they’re carrying their load, so they put their noses to the grindstone at all hours. That eats into activities that support employee well-being – food prep, exercise, and family time to name a few. So set boundaries!

Give your remote team permission to relax and recuperate. Especially pay attention to email etiquette. Employees and managers can decide what hours are optimal for sending and receiving emails. HINT: it’s not dinner time or the wee, small hours of the morning. Consider the work environment for a remote worker. Are they staggering just a few feet from their computer to the bed every night? Do they suffer from poor circulation, tension headaches, isolation, or depression? Spend some time devising a strategy and creating the infrastructure to support your remote workforce.

Ways to Foster Healthy Subcultures 

If you have some discretion on resource allocation, consider that building and nurturing healthy environments needn’t cost an arm and a leg. You can support well-being by bringing nature indoors. Yes, nature does improve well-being. Instead of Christmas tchotchke that goes to die in some desk drawer, consider a gift that can flourish on top of the desk. A minor investment in plants can reap big health benefits. Just don’t pick high-maintenance varieties. Dying plants do nothing to improve health or morale!

But you don’t even need to spend that much. It could just be a matter of finding rooms or other areas for employees to “borrow,” where they can hold volunteer planning, club events, and the like. How about a corner of the outdoor facilities where workers can participate in pick-up flag football? How can you promote goodwill by being generous with your physical resources?

Your efforts will be multiplied if you provide the infrastructure for subcultures to flourish in. Let’s face it, it’s easy for workers to feel like just another face in the crowd. Developing a process for smaller subculture groups to participate can enhance the work experience. Think gay-straight alliance meetings, ethnic luncheons, or bicycle race planning. If your company has mindfulness programming, encourage your work team subcultures to participate together. First off, this will help to normalize the experience for those who think meditation is just for “flakes.” It helps show that bosses are on board, boosts peer support, and helps teams to normalize the practice so they can deploy it at stressful times. Ohm-ing together begets staying together.

Perhaps groups are unaware that these solutions are even possible, so it’s important to put out a message or launch a campaign for groups that would like to gather for healthy events so that they can “apply” for resources. If your company can afford it, providing small grants to any subculture applicants that can demonstrate how they would effectively utilize the money to promote well-being would be a great investment in your overall wellness culture. Those subculture groups could use the money in targeted ways to bolster their well-being and achieve their goals.

Take warehouse workers for example. One common issue for them is over-exertion or repetitive stress injuries. Might they benefit from a grant to bring in a functional medicine specialist to address their muscle imbalances and suggest ways to strengthen their muscles, helping to restore their bodies’ natural functioning?

You can see why identifying subcultures and their health needs matter. It’s vital to provide flexibility and freedom for your employees to express themselves authentically within the subcultures they are a part of and to embody their own dazzling Crayola colors.

So where do we start? 

Here at LifeUp, we take subcultures and their health needs seriously. Our team is built on a foundation of diversity – both in the wide-ranging health specialties we offer and our cultural backgrounds. Here are some of our offerings:

• Functional medicine
• Mindset and performance coaching
• Meditation and mindfulness
• Yoga, Ayurveda, and sound meditation
• Nutrition
• Stress management
• Creativity and play
• Sleep, rest, and recovery expertise.

We embrace authenticity, diverse communities, and teamwork. The people who make up your subcultures will never function at their best if they don’t live and work within a supportive corporate health environment. Our Healthy Habits program provides the “a-ha” moments to transform employee wellness – no matter your subculture crayon box.

To your health!

Derek

The post How is your culture like a box of crayons? appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

You could think of a lackluster wellness culture as being like a ping-pong table, pretty much a fixture, but companies point to that table and say, “Look, we’ve got culture!” Perks like ping-pong tables don’t mean a company has culture. Culture encompasses experiences, emotions, how employees feel and relate to your organization and their fellow workers. That requires transparency. Has your company strayed from the path? Do you have cultural challenges to address? Here are some steps to get back on that path:

Ask yourself, “Why build a culture of health?”

(And there are several good reasons for companies to do that)

• It shows that you’re serious about your employees’ well-being.
• Your company will benefit monetarily and from increased productivity.
• Building strong social ties and an aligned community has a compounding effect.

Implement company norms that help create a robust wellness community

Companies with a prospering culture have high expectations. They implement flexible work policies and liberal leave policies. They foster employee empowerment and empathetic leadership styles, complemented by activities, perks and benefits that closely align with those norms. 

Ever heard of Social Network Theory? As the National Institutes of Health (NIH) defines the theory, it is…

“an umbrella term for theories that focus on individuals, teams and organizations, and the web of interpersonal relationships that both constrain and enable human action in these social systems.”

Your business environment really does impact personal health and happiness. And creating an atmosphere that purposefully cultivates social ties can significantly influence employee behaviors and emotions. It also creates mutual employee and employer health culture buy-in. Why? Because we tend to mirror the behaviors and practices of those in our sphere, whether that be our home, workplace, or friendships.

Research indicates that within a secure social network, happiness spreads up to three degrees of separation. So, if you feel happy, your friend’s friend is more likely to feel happy as well (think: she told two friends, and they told two friends, and so-on and so-on and so-on, right?) Well, the same thing applies to people taking charge of their own health. When those in your workforce observe that their employer cares about their well-being and that others are embracing health enthusiastically, they want to mirror those behaviors.

Creating dimensions of holistic well-being

Some companies define well-being through the following eight dimensions (or pillars)

• Social
• Purpose
• Emotional
• Environmental
• Financial
• Intellectual
• Occupational
• Physical.

But there’s no magic number of pillars. Your company gets to define what well-being dimensions fit with your culture of health. Nevertheless, fostering social wellness needs to focus on these three areas:

• Advancing positive interactions.
• Providing opportunities for engagement.
• Building and nurturing team solidarity.

At its core, employment should be a spiritual and emotional journey. That’s all very well, you may be saying to yourself, but how does my company go about promoting social wellness? Read on!

Since Google instituted opportunities for workplace and office-life connections, there’s been a huge transition to social well-being among other companies over the past 10-15 years. Some of you may remember when bosses acting like jerks was the norm. Not anymore! Bullying behaviors aren’t cool in today’s workplaces. And since COVID, culture has evolved still more. Now with employees working remotely, in person, or in a hybrid situation, many companies are shifting to more caring policies and seeing employees for who they are in their diversity: parents, singles, LGBTQIA, older or younger, differently-abled, culturally connected, and more. So how do you begin to make that shift? Here are a few suggestions…

Plan work events that work for everyone

Flexibility is key. You want to serve the whole group. Start by surveying employees on what kinds of events matter to them. But refrain from surveying them about every event you plan. There will always be dissatisfied employees. When you survey about each event, it causes division. Groups split apart instead of pulling together. The best way to avoid this is to survey, at most, twice yearly.

Ask your employees what they’re interested in, what types of events they’d enjoy. Are there any better dates or times to hold events? Who would they most like to connect with (their own office mates, other departments, a larger department in the company, for instance?) How frequently would they like to engage in these experiences?

By surveying in this way you can cater event strategies that are backed by in-house data to present to your people. For example, “We plan to invite a chef in to teach a healthy cooking class because we discovered that 75% of you are mega-foodies who enjoy cooking.”

Forced fun is no fun

If you plan to have mandatory team-building events, holding them after work hours is a non-starter. To avoid employee resistance and hostility, events should be during their shifts while they are getting paid. Any after-hour event needs to be voluntary, and always stress that participation helps the company advance its mission and vision for creating connections.
Say, “We’ve surveyed you all, invested the money to plan the event, and now we’d love for you to show up, or at least send your regrets respectfully when you RSVP.”

In addition, when employees attend any evening events – especially virtual events – they should be encouraged to invite significant others, friends, kids, or roommates. Holding a cooking class works well after-hours. It feels more like a diversion than work and plays nicely with dinner (or time spent with kids, significant others, date nights or other shared activities). But perhaps most of all, holding events like this encourages companies to meet their people where they are as individuals. It creates meaningful connections. Plan “plus-one” experiences several times a year.

Once you have surveyed employees annually or bi-annually about what they’d like to do, you can simply knock events off your plate, rather than continually revisiting them monthly or quarterly.

Events won’t fix a second-rate culture

If your company culture is sub-par, no event can fix it. But when an employee goes back to work after an event where they were on the same trivia team as their boss, they both begin to relate in a deeper way. After all, weren’t they laughing together and having fun just last night? That empathy goes a long way toward working better together. When managers exercise empathy, they show up for their teams more, ask deeper questions, have fewer assumptions, and become better listeners. Truth is, it takes work to repair a toxic work environment, but it can be done. And when you have the basics of empathy down, you can start to work on other social nuts and bolts. It’s a big deal to iron out the kinks when it comes to setting values together, promoting cultural values, creating mutual boundaries, and making room for discussions about what’s important collectively. EVERY person in your organization wants to be recognized – leaders, managers, new hires, and old hands.

What’s the big deal about workplace friendships?

Did you know that having friendships at work is a prime indicator of employee satisfaction? If six out of ten of your employees said they had a best friend at work, your company could see seven times higher job satisfaction. That’s nothing to sniff at. It pays to underscore that point when promoting corporate employee wellness programs. Because only 12% of employees report having a best friend at work. And that can seem alienating. How many times have you had this conversation yourself?

Hey, how are you?
Fine. You?
I’m good.

And all the while we’re saying it, we know we’re just parroting meaningless phrases.

But here’s the thing. We spend a full third of our lives at work. It’s where we’re most likely to make adult friends. Millennials and Gen-Zers are way more likely to be fuzzy about where work ends and life begins. They try to integrate work and life from the get-go. Boomers and GenY-ers on the other hand have much less difficulty separating work from life and may feel like their personal life is their own business. But, nevertheless, when a company’s cultural dynamic is vibrant, you see employees going on vacations together, FaceTiming one another after-hours, and meeting up for coffee. It’s not just they that benefit, your company will also benefit from relationships that make work seem more like fun.

And if there’s just one thing you take from this blog, it’s this: prioritize empathy all-around. When leaders have empathy, they continually assess and reassess the company’s business practices. When you practice team building, empathy is magnified and enables you to discover what needs changing. That’s how you begin to fix a second-rate culture.

To your health!

Derek

The post Is your wellness culture like a ping-pong table? appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.

Understanding how to get leadership involved at all levels.

Are you struggling with ways to get your corporate leaders involved in your workplace wellbeing programs? Lots of HR departments know that getting senior buy-in is critical to the success of employee wellbeing initiatives.

But knowing it is one thing and succeeding at it is another! And you don’t just need senior leadership support, but leadership on all organization levels.

If you’d like to learn how to get management involved and even turn them into health champions you’ll need to use strong, targeted messaging, right?

Here are 10 ways to get there.

1. Remind them how vital it is for your wellness program to align with corporate culture

Study your company’s mission and vision statements and honestly evaluate the underground corporate culture, (you know, the one that nobody talks about but everybody feels).

When you take it upon yourself to remind leadership that culture drives the wellbeing of an organization, it will help them to remember that flourishing employees and flourishing companies go hand in glove.

According to Willis Towers Watson, many employers are now acting urgently to beef up their corporate employee wellness programs.

But that urgency will only make a difference when corporate culture is as healthy as leadership wants their employees to be.

2. Show them the data

Disseminate materials and links to studies that demonstrate the proven benefits of having robust wellness initiatives.

Don’t expect busy managers or executives to read entire web pages or articles though. In your messaging, furnish them with short summaries and bulleted lists of key points, especially those that specifically relate to a manager’s department or sphere of influence.

3. Encourage them to play a role

Leaders and managers can’t read your mind, right? That’s why you need to hold their hand a little. Let them know the role you’d like them to play to help your corporate health and wellness programs succeed.

Be clear and succinct. What do you want from them and when? This could range from “walking the talk” to developing new corporate policies.

4. Praise the great things their peers are doing

With just a minuscule amount of research, you can dig up web pages galore that extol companies and their leaders for building cultures of health (as well as the benefits they’re reaping!) Ever heard of the bandwagon effect?

Leadership is much more likely to climb on board with your wellness plans when they see their peers succeeding.

5. Give kudos and shout-outs for a job well done

There’s nothing wrong with fostering a little healthy competition among management.

Empower managers whose departments are meeting and exceeding wellness goals by offering them a little public recognition. It might just get other managers to jump on board.

6. Know who your allies are

Identify those in leadership who are already vested in the health of your company. You likely already know who these are.

Keep them apprised of any workplace wellness planning you’re doing, and also any successes you’re having so they can help you get the word out.

7. Nurture your executive champions

If you’ve got people in leadership who are already passionate about your company’s health and wellness initiatives and are in a position to support them, keep them pumped up.

The last thing you’d want to do is let that passion fizzle out. Get them involved in any way they’re willing or able.

Ask for their collaboration, opinions, and support and always keep them in the loop about your program’s successes so they can broadcast them to their departments.

8. Make things easy

If you want managers throughout the company to help your program succeed, you’ll want to remove as many barriers to participation as you can. Communicate, communicate, communicate.

Send out personalized invitations to your wellness events. Give managers ideas on how to compete with other departments (think step challenges, biggest losers, random acts of kindness). Employees like to hear things from their managers in person.

Make sure they have plenty to talk about. Send out department-specific emails with items they can share with their teams.

9. Poll managers to take a pulse of their attitudes

You need to know the things about your wellness program that managers know are important to their concerns.

Every department’s needs can vary. Give managers lots of information on how valuable health promotion is and how it can help attract top talent and retain valuable employees or help teams meet pressing deadlines by reducing both presenteeism and absenteeism.

10. Respect the skeptics

Let’s face facts. You’ll never get everyone in leadership to support your workplace wellbeing programs, even when you’ve done your best to promote their benefits.

It’s rare for everyone in leadership to get on board. Don’t let that dampen your enthusiasm.

It may not be possible to change those skeptics’ minds, but if they sense you respect their opinions, it’s less likely that they’ll stand in the way of your efforts. Be strong!

To your health!

The post 10 ways to get leadership buy-in for your company wellbeing initiatives appeared first on Corporate Health Coach Los Angeles - LifeUP Corporate Wellness.