As an organization you know you have talented employees. They come to work each day and perform their jobs to the best of their ability. When hiring new staff, leadership considers the many professional traits and skills that candidates can bring to the organization, but employees offer much more to an organization beyond their job duties.
It is important to see employees as whole people who have varied interests, daily responsibilities, and lifelong pursuits. A way you can actively promote this value is through your organization’s wellness initiative.
After identifying a top health priority for staff, like increasing physical activity, decreasing stress, or improving nutrition, a wellness committee can begin to plan activities, changes to the environment or culture, and education programming to achieve wellness goals. Many organizations will seek outside support to reach their wellness goals; however, why not first look to your staff! Your employees may already be participating in a softball league and know just who to contact about registering a new team, or one staff member may be a meditation instructor. While it is important to access community resources to sustain your wellness initiative, encouraging staff to share their talents and skills through the wellness initiative is a great way to foster a positive and healthy work culture.
When you build an organization that promotes wellness and teamwork, employees typically love to share their talents. Having staff lead activities or programs outside their normal role exposes a different side of employees. This can help to foster employee engagement and build team comradery.
A current Working on Wellness participant, Coastal Connections of Amesbury, did just this! A new staff member shared with their Wellness Champion that she was a Zumba instructor. Now she leads regular Zumba classes for all staff to participate in.
Let us know how you’re encouraging staff to share their talents through your wellness initiative.