By Kelly Kelderman
FitPros Wellbeing Manager

You already know by now that offering a well-designed wellness program to support your workforce is key to building a healthy culture, but have you embraced employee appreciation initiatives as part of your strategy?
Let’s start with wellness program design. Offering your team a variety of opportunities in social, emotional, financial and physical wellbeing to support them wherever they are in their wellbeing journey is important for recruitment, retention (happy employees stay), engagement (see Forbes article) and eventually - your bottom dollar with healthcare cost containment and productivity, as healthy employees have more focused energy to dedicate to their work. Offering a variety, versus a one-size-fits-all approach, allows them to engage in what’s important to them in that stage in their life, and they will appreciate this approach versus a defined, out-come based structure that often causes pushback.

Next to providing a variety of opportunities with your wellbeing initiative, is the importance of showing your team you value and appreciate them and their work. Recognition is great to offer them a pat on the back for a job well done or accomplishment, but what about showing appreciation for what they bring to the table each day? There’s a difference. If you’re solely focused on outcomes-based recognition, you may be missing the mark. Your team will appreciate the opportunity to engage in a variety of wellness activities, but if they don’t feel like they contributed to a cause or made you proud, the fitness class or stress management session you offered won’t make a lasting impact.
To create a healthy culture, on top of trust and respect, include intentional acts of appreciation, which may look like a genuine verbal or written comment about what you appreciate about them (not always based on what they have done). Sharing notes of appreciation amongst others typically enhances the impact, like sending a group recognition email or starting a team meeting with recognizing individuals or a team. Grabbing a coffee for them on your way into work or taking them to lunch can also go a long way. While women may embrace these gestures more, even the burliest of men in a manufacturing environment want to know they are making a difference with their hard work, especially if it’s not necessarily something they’re passionate about. While everyone likes a nice paycheck, research shows that the younger generations value these acts even more. A 2017 study from Globoforce’s WorkHuman Research Institute and IBM’s Smarter Workforce Institute concluded that meaningful work — defined as a circumstance in which employees understand the value of the work they do and the organization's shared mission — was the single largest contributor to a positive employee experience. When they feel valued, they will go the extra mile.

Gifts can also be a great way to show your appreciation. FitPros offers a variety of care packages that can be delivered to your employees’ homes or your workplace. You can send these for their birthdays, a welcome for new employees, work anniversaries, as holiday gifts, for special occasions like administrative professional’s day or a random act of appreciation. Explore our services here. If you’re looking for support in designing a well-rounded wellbeing and appreciation strategy, our FitPros Wellness Managers are here to help you with holistic wellness solutions. Schedule a time here so we can learn about your needs and goals to customize a successful program to help your workforce thrive.

Interested in learning more about FitPros? Email sales@fitpros.com or book time to speak with a Wellbeing Manager here.
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