Many companies are hosting wellbeing days or weeks to launch a wellness programme. This could be set up like a fair if you have the space with different stalls and events or it could consist of seminars and classes running throughout the course of the day/week. Stuck for ideas on what to do with yours? Here’s twelve ideas that we love to start you off…

Create a wellbeing library / reading corner

All you need here is a comfy seating area (think floor cushions/bean bags from Ikea or Primark for affordable options if you don’t already have something suitable) and some relevant books. You can even include some mindful colouring books and pencils. There is a whole range of brilliant books available on wellbeing and mental health. For some suggestions ask us for our recommended reading list!

Smoothie making session

Buy in a smoothie maker (it doesn’t need to be top of the range) and a load of healthy ingredients that employees can whizz up to make a smoothie, including a good amount of greens (spinach, kale, cucumber) to help employees reach their 5 day. You could even dedicate one morning a week for a smoothie breakfast where you provide the ingredients and employees can make their own smoothies. Think beyond your standard ingredients for more inventive ideas; chia seeds, nut butters, raw cacao, goji berries, coconut yoghurt etc.

Mindful eating sessions

We spend so much time focusing on what we eat, with a barrage of nutritional information coming at us from all corners, we forget to think about how we’re eating. Does lunchtime consist of a sandwich in front of your computer? When we eat whilst we’re distracted, we tend to overeat. Bring in a mindfulness teacher to set up a mindful eating station; running chocolate tasting or tea tasting sessions.

On-site fitness challenge for charity

Hire in a spin bike, treadmill or rowing machine and try to hit a goal to raise money for charity. This is a fun way to get employees moving and working towards a common goal. Two spin bikes work well side by side so colleagues can pair up and tackle a couple of kilometers together. Pick a charity and set certain benchmarks that need to be reached, with the more distance cycled, the more money donated.

Desk yoga

We keep hearing that sitting is the new smoking, but many offices don’t have the space to run full yoga classes so desk yoga can be very effective in getting people more mobile and improving posture. It can also have very positive effects on our mental health. Bring in a yoga teacher to show employees some simple moves they can do at their desks without having to roll out a yoga mat.

Supplement station

Bring in a nutritionist to host a supplement station, where they can provide information on the different supplements available and what elements of health they can be useful for.

Offer health testing

The first step in improving your health is the knowledge of what needs improving. If the budget is available, consider bringing in specialists for health testing, where employees can get a personalized health report and some suggestions of how to improve the elements of their health that need some work.

Host a coaching corner

Host a coaching corner, where you bring in a coach for the day to offer short sessions or assessments to employees on how they can improve at work and reach their goals. Employees can book slots in advance to ensure best use of the time.

Host a healthy snack swap station

A nutritionist can host a snack station where they compare some common snacks with some healthier alternatives, proving samples for people to try (i.e. swapping chocolate digestives for a dried fruit & nut bar or swapping a bag of crisps for some topped rice crackers or oat cakes).

Set up a green zone

Studies have shown that being among nature does wonders for our mental health, but not all is lost inside the concrete walls of your office. Studies have also shown that being around plants has a similar effect in boosting our mental health. So create a green area of plants where employees can lounge (this could double up as your library/reading space!)

Create a laughter / fun station

This station could host a different activity every hour/day. You can host anything here from a magician performing tricks to laughter yoga to a DVD station playing stand-up comic sets. Laughter is great for our mental health and a happy workforce means a productive one.

Set up a wellness wall

Create a wall space where employees can fill out a card and post it on the wall related to what wellbeing or health means to them. It can be anonymous or people can write their names on it.
Write out some cards with one of the following sentences:
What wellbeing means to me….
What health means to me….
Put them on a table near a wall space with some blue tack.

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Need help planning your wellbeing event or programme? We’d love to help, get in touch here.