Quick Summary: Fill employees’ plates year-round by staging lunch-and-learns that complement the wellness big picture at your business. How can managers maintain the momentum after a successful lunch-and-learn program?
“Consistency is important for any wellness initiative, and so is hitting people at different levels in your organization at different times throughout the year,” says Ginny Hridel, a manager of wellness programming at Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE). “Someone might not be interested in a walking program, but they could really get excited about a ‘Biggest Loser’ competition or a smoking cessation program.”
Here are some tips to keep the wholesome ideas flowing:
Stick to a schedule. If you put it in writing, you’ll stick to it. So schedule wellness events, programs, and seminars throughout the year and give employees a calendar with these dates so they know to expect an ongoing curriculum—not a one-shot deal. “If you develop a consistent plan, people will look forward to wellness activities and these will become just part of what you do,” Hridel says.
Choose a theme. You can introduce employees to yoga, nutrition, or de-stressing exercises. But why not go deeper, choose a theme, and coordinate programming so employees are getting more than a surface perspective? “If you hit them once here and once there, they may say, ‘Remember that one time when someone came in to teach us how to make smoothies—that was cool!’ or, ‘Are we ever going to do that yoga class again?’ ” Hridel says, reiterating the importance of a consistent wellness plan.
Layer the learning. Give employees different wellness opportunities beyond the lunch-and-learn so they can continue exploring a subject. For instance, introduce yoga and invite an instructor to talk about the benefits of this practice. To continue the learning, host weekly yoga classes onsite to encourage employees to try it out. To motivate participants, ask employees to share their experiences at a follow-up lunch-and-learn. Remember, we all learn in different ways. So mix group activities with personal goal-setting initiatives.
Set an example. “Buy-in starts at the top,” Hridel says. Managers should support all wellness activities by participation and by promoting attendance. Have a top-level manager introduce speakers you invite to talk at lunch-and-learns. Encourage supervisors to get involved in the company walking program. “Managers need to support that they believe good health is good for business,” according to Hridel.
Next Steps:
• Treat lunch as a kick-off. Use lunch-and-learns as a launching pad for long-term programs, such as holiday weight maintenance challenge or walking programs.
• Combine group and individual activities. Not everyone is a join-the-club type. Give employees options to participate in group activities or to set and work toward individual wellness goals. Extroverts may enjoy the camaraderie of walking with coworkers during lunch. Those who value personal time may prefer to count their steps on a pedometer and track their progress.
• Schedule check-ups. Regroup for follow-up lunch-and-learns to discuss progress on a wellness initiative or to reignite interest.
• Show managerial support. Walk the talk. Employees recognize the value in wellness programming when they see their managers working toward the same fitness goals or dealing with similar health obstacles.
• Make it your mission. Build wellness into the company mission statement so initiatives are valued and not brushed off as light-hearted programming.
• Read more. If you missed Part 1 of this series on lunch-and-learns, click here.
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