TOP FIVE WORKPLACE WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2022
A new year (a new month and a new day) always brings new opportunities to be well. I trust 2022 will be a remarkable year characterized by a desire to better support people in a myriad of ways. As with all of my blog posts, I speak from a place of experience based on exchanges with current clients and my colleagues in the workplace wellness field. For this post, my intention is provide you and your teams with insights and inspiration for the year ahead.
I’m excited to share with you my top five workplace wellness trends. Here’s what I foresee 2022 will bring:
A Return to Onsite Events
From employee appreciation events to health fairs, I’m seeing groups ready to move forward with onsite events done slightly differently. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” and I’ve seen creative approaches to getting people connected while staggering times and experiences for better crowd control.
This is a funny comparison, but in elementary school, I remember thinking about my school day and all of the things I had to look forward to … field trips, Valentine’s Day parties, guest speakers and any kind of book fair or festival. Maybe adults aren’t all that different and perhaps having something fun to look forward to can go a long way in maximizing morale and motivation.
New and/or Improved Policies
For many, the workday has become significantly more flexible. In addition to that, I'm seeing much more discussion around when wellness activities will occur on company time and how that will serve to improve engagement. #YES
I assure you this gift of time (and encouragement) will go a LONG way to demonstrate just how much you care about your teams. Those around you may be navigating a lot – healthcare challenges, caregiving for another, multiple types of grief, discord in relationships and a growing list of responsibilities at work and home. One paid hour to learn, skill build or squeeze in a workout will surely be an amazing investment for all.
Healthier Gift Giving – All Year Long
Cookies, cakes, and more … oh my! I think that people really do love gifts that demonstrate a little (and sometimes a lot of) recognition. But what can you gift to your teams to show how much you care? While mailing an unexpected item to your employees’ home can be fun, we are seeing a trend in gifting experiences over the tangible stuff (see trend #1 😉).
The gift of health coaching (great for both employees and spouses) has been on the rise for us at Wellness Collective since May 2020. People need support from other people, and we are able to provide just that. Additionally, something like health coaching is convenient and confidential – ding, ding, ding – we have a winner! We find that people really appreciate having the opportunity to schedule privately when it can serve to reduce stress, not add to it.
Plus, even if you decide that tangible gifts are still the goal, we can steer you toward a host of healthier options over that tin of sugar-laden popcorn.
More Attention & Support Related to Mental Health
We, as a culture, are doing so much better in terms of normalizing discussions around mental health. That said, I still see a desire to better support employees and curiosity around how to offer more and/or drive better utilization of the existing EAP benefit. While we are still testing this more, we are seeing a significant increase in education sessions and panel discussions centered on Mental Health Matters, Understanding Anxiety and Beating Burnout ... just to name a few.
We are very excited to continue developing our supportive offerings and have experienced an amazing willingness to explore and co-create alongside our clients.
Access to Curated, On-Demand Wellness Content
While virtual fatigue is real, there are also many benefits to virtual offerings – including the ability to capture authentic content and share it back out as replays at a time that is more convenient for the employee.
To be honest and transparent, I was unsure about recorded content at first. The internet has no lack of tutorials and on-demand content. That said, there’s something special about engaging with content that’s been recorded by someone you actually know, like and trust … not some social influencer you are unlikely to ever meet.
It does my heart good to know that relationships still matter. Our first core value of people first was (and is still) a winner. People need people and we are proving that every day.
Please remember that I’d love nothing more than to hear from you. I invite you to share what’s working and what isn’t. For added inspiration, I can’t help but quote the artist Pink! in this moment. What I recently heard her say is THAT good and that unforgettable.
“I’m not intimidated by other people’s greatness. I want all of us to be great.”
I’m not here to compete with other vendors or experts. I want all of us to be wildly successful in all that we do – including this vision of creating an amazingly healthy and happy workplace culture.
Author: Katy Tombaugh