Boost employee engagement with these 9 ideas for creating a great work environment.
It's important to encourage wellness in all facets of life and this means empowering both the men and women in your community to lead healthier and happier lives. Lead and motivate for the importance of balance, wellness and self-care to reflect your ultimate purpose for people and community.
We are here to challenge organisations to think outside the box and start implementing value-added benefits in the workplace. Creative activations can retain clients in buildings by providing unique experiences that make the office irreplaceable and valuable.
Something for both men and women to enjoy, we’re here with 9 different ideas for creating a great work environment for the wellbeing of your community.
1. Incentivise efforts for healthy alternatives like going on community walks and taking alternative sources of transportation.
Leaders are taking time to prioritise the wellbeing of their teams with thought-leader initiatives that help change up the day with meaningful goals. A Gartner 2020 survey of HR executives found that 94% of companies made significant investments in their well-being programs. 85% increased support for mental health benefits. 50% increased support for physical well-being. By introducing business-driven efforts to stimulate new practices for the overall wellbeing of your people, you are able to create a sense of care within the organisation. If all of your team members walked a certain number of steps or walked to a certain spot in the office with a tag, the activity could be gamified. It could be a location that everyone enjoys and so getting away to visit it on foot, especially if outdoors, is a welcome break.
2. Add artwork and interesting decor into the office for creative inspiration.
Over time, office trends and recommendations have been implemented to shift the nature of the corporate world to be more inclusive and attentive to the elements of wellbeing. From natural lighting to open-space office layouts, greenery and plants to dedicated collaboration spaces, the layout comes with different styles. Aesthetic offices and environments are built to inspire workplaces and bring a sense of motivation that aligns with the energy within the business.
However, aesthetics may come with neutral colours that may ignore the key psychological effects that colour can bring to lift and brighten the mindset. An effective way to bring colour to the office is through artwork and interesting decor that can shine through the floors of the office. Some ideas include having 2x A1 picture frames and asking everyone to send a photo to print and add to a frame. Whether it’s a photo in bed, with a partner, with your dog, or a holiday destination. Place quirky quotes and statements that bring a smile to everyone walking past. In sticker form placed in random places. A big message on the back wall. Mugs. Invest in some creative decor items to spice up the office with aesthetically cool things in general to create attention!
3. Offer in-house neck and shoulder massages for your staff.
With a booking system ready to go, send your employees an invite to book their neck and shoulder massage in the office! Greeted by a massage therapist, dedicate a space for people to wind down and receive a great relaxing massage on a Friday morning! Perfect to get your team in the office and a great vibe for a Friday! In-house massage services are booming with demand! Perfect for everyone in the office to enjoy, Purely polished massage therapists use thumbs, fingers and palms to stimulate the body’s energy system, applying pressure on your neck and shoulder to loosen muscles, leaving you feeling relieved.
4. Hold routine stretching sessions every 3rd Friday of the month.
Hold a monthly body release session to get the team together with stretchwork. With profound statements like ‘Sitting is the new smoking’, circulating organisations, enable mobility and release tension with an experienced yoga teacher to guide your team to stretch out their bodies with a Vinyasa Flow and release desk & ergonomic related tension. Once a month, with a consistent date in the calendar for your team to look forward to, wearing activewear all together, guided by a professional instructor.
Whether its a dedicated virtual 15 minute window for employees tune into from their homes before the morning meetings start, being in a meeting space where everyone can hear the full department or company updates whilst stretching, or hosting a full light yoga session in the office. Focusing on the shoulders, neck, back and arms, light yoga is here to create a great Thursday vibe to empower your team to feel ready for their day!
5. Bring music to the floor on Fridays with collaborative Spotify playlists.
Music brings everyone together and by sharing a collaborative playlist, get your team involved in sharing songs and music with each other through Spotify! How does it work? Create a playlist on Spotify, and make it public and collaborative in the playlist settings. Send the link to your team to add their songs to the playlist. Play music in the office for everyone to enjoy! Create more than one and have different themes and moods for everyone in the office.
6. Organise an office treat with mini-manicures
Nothing gets the office more excited than a little treat from the company. The most loved service companies are coming to Purely Polished for is for manicure bars for their teams to get pampered in the office. 96% of women reporting they feel better about themselves with their nails done (leSalon), where little gestures of self-care in form of beauty lifts up anyone’s day. A popular nail package that’s not just a nail polish change includes nail buff and shape, two coats of polish, a protective top coat to seal in shine and optional quick dry drops.
When employees are collocated in a physical workplace, they are set up for richer communications. Neuroscience research found that only in-person interactions trigger the full suite of physiological responses and neural synchronisation required for optimal human communication and trust-building. 5
Get the team together in the office for a pamper and enjoy each other’s company as you are treated with a manicure pamper!
7. Have a self-care Goal Chart Tracking Progress in the Office
Whatever the current wellness challenge or company health goal is, have visual showing progress for everyone to see. Whether it’s a competition or anonymous efforts being tracked, keep it updated and engaging to encourage support. “People need things such as learning & development opportunities, a sense of community, a sense of connection. That all brings meaning and purpose”. Teamwork makes the dream work. Get together and activate your team’s synergies by working towards a goal that is shared, simple but motivational. Organise little prizes and quick wins to keep the momentum going. A little something to get excited about whilst leading your team to care for their wellbeing.
8. Book a photographer to take fresh headshots of your team.
A popular corporate package for companies looking to take headshots and photographs of their teams. Managers are now looking to refresh their team look, and the most liked first step is to book a Hair & Makeup artist and a photographer to glam your team for a great photoshoot experience. Its traditional and simple, but effective and invigorating, bringing a sense of unity within the team through photos and memories.
9. Community Sharing
Organise an initiative where people can bring things into the office to share and use. Provide a few essentials from the company including grocery tote bags, a massage gun, new and interesting snacks, and even light dumbbells! Get your team to share books and Netflix recommendations, clothes and more!