10 Fun Employee Wellness Activity Ideas

Whether you are the boss, managing your employees, or the actual employee, it is important to take ownership of your own wellness, as well as encourage others to take an active role in their wellness practices. Burnout is common way too often and can cause many serious health conditions stemming from all of the stress. Burnout is real and getting a lot of attention from leaders and those they lead!

In the past few years, burnout has been more widely recognized as a serious workplace issue.According to the Mayo Clinic, job burnout is a special type of work-related stress – a state of physical or emotional exhaustion that also involves a sense of reduced accomplishment and loss of personal identity.  So what can leaders do to help employees avoid burnout?

Thrive Global, a leader in helping companies bring well-being to their employees globally shares some micro steps to help leaders embed well-being and connection into the workflows of their team- Help team members prioritize what matters by making a “do not do” list, establish clarity and connection by reaching out directly to every member of your team, and be the model of life-work integration by declaring the end of the day, even if you haven’t completed your to-do list

What is the point of working hard to make money so that you can enjoy life, if you are not actively enjoying life? At Gardenuity, we believe in nature nurturing us and the importance of wellness in all aspects of life. One example is our “Grow Well Days” at Gardenuity – a day where Gardenuity employees go and do something good for themselves. Our employees are able to leave work and go out to do something that they love – it could be walking around the lake, creating a fun recipe, going to a workout class, or even having happy hour with friends – we think that a balanced, enriching life is important to have a productive, creative, and happy company. The only caveat is that they come back and share what they did and how it aided them in growing in their wellness journey. 

To get the whole office involved, we have wrangled up 10 ideas for employee wellness activities to implement into your teams and workspaces. 

10 Ideas For Employee Wellness Activities

1. Desktop Gardens. Plant some pops of color throughout your 9-5. A desktop garden adds much-needed green space to offices and has been shown to increase creativity, productivity, and an overall feeling of calm from employees.
2. Volunteer as a Team. Skip the work for a day and go donate your time at a local charity. This will be a refreshing and rewarding experience for all of your team members.
3. Happy Hour. Get to know each other! Have some fun and turn work friendships into real friendships.
4. Team Fitness Class. Hire a yoga teacher to come to your office or meet your company on Zoom. This is a great way to get people up, moving, and feeling zen.
5. Work Therapists. Offer your employees the option to meet with a work therapist once or twice a month. With this option they are able to talk about all things “work” with an outside party – their workload, their wellness, their finances, and any of their concerns to someone who will listen and support them.
6. Mental Health Day. Allow your employees to take one mental health day a month. No warning needed, no restrictions, no questions.
7. Company Wide “Speed Dating”. Chances are you may not know every person you work with. Where is the fun in that? Offer a “speed-dating” event in lieu of an internal meeting so everyone can get to know and understand each other better.
8. Bring Your Kids to Work Day. Our kids are a huge part of our lives. It is tough having to kiss them on the forehead and drive away from them every day. We recommend a Bring Your Kids to Work Day. This is not only super fun for the kiddos, but also can be a breath of fresh air to the office.
9. Go outside. Take a meeting outside – whether it is over Zoom or in person, you have options. Being outside can give you some much-needed Vitamin D, as well as make you feel more grounded and calm.
10. Drink herbal tea. Herbs can increase levels of Serotonin, as well as decrease levels of anxiety. Drinking herbal tea throughout your day will make you more hydrated and keep you feeling fresh.

We are excited to hear about what you implement into your employee wellness routine.

Have fun and live well, and grow your own well-being.