The month of June represents many things, including the beginning of summer and the halfway point of the year. But did you know June is also “Professional Wellness Month”?
Professional Wellness Month was created to highlight the importance of well-being in the workplace. By living an overall healthier life, individuals can positively impact more than their personal health; they can also:
- Increase their worth in the marketplace
- Add value to their company and customers
- Become a better, more productive worker overall
How is this possible? Because eating well, exercising, attending to our health overall and feeling good about ourselves
makes us more productive at work, something that
research has highlighted for several years.
With the next Professional Wellness Month starting in just a few days, now is the time to consider getting your company involved in this fantastic annual event, which is guaranteed to reward both your employees and your company’s operations.
How can you get involved? By encouraging and making it easy for your employees to take part in five simple healthy living steps for the next month for you and your employees:
1. Take the time to exercise. It’s been shown that an individual who rarely exercises increases the risk of low productivity at work by 50%. So whether it’s a walk around the block or a visit to the company gym, staying active will do a world of good for your employees – and your company’s bottom line.
2. Take personal time for themselves. Encourage your employees to take breaks during the day, as well as enjoy a hobby, visit museums, attending special classes or workshops – whatever makes them happy outside of work. This will raise their energy levels and increase their knowledge and productivity – which is a win for both them and the company!
3. Offer more vacation time or new office perks when you can. Extra time off for employees will help them recharge and make them more productive, and little perks and benefits will make them feel more appreciated and positive impact their productivity levels!
4. Encourage employees to unplug. Being online all the time drains our energy and can even
interfere with our sleep cycles. Encourage employees to unplug from technology and to avoid it at certain times will help them get plenty of rest and recharge before coming back to work.
5. Sign up for National Employee Wellness Month. Each June Virgin Pulse presents its
National Employee Wellness Month challenge, where tens of thousands of Virgin Pulse members go toe-to-toe and compete with other companies across the U.S. This requires a membership, but the result is year-long encouragement and support to help you create a healthy workplace culture that will benefit your company and employees alike. Take some time and consider this as a possible investment – it’s at least worth consideration!
These are just five simple ways you can take advantage of Professional Wellness Month. The most important thing to remember is that any initiatives you start are not a one-month project: they are long-term behavioral changes meant to better individuals and companies alike.
Will you participate in Professional Wellness Month? Have you done so in the past? Share your stories in the comments!
