The WellRight Blog

Editor's Note: We recently updated this previously published post with new insights.

"Tag! You’re it!"

As a kid, those words may have been your signal to run like the wind while you and your friends scattered across the playground.

At no point during this activity did you stop and wonder how many calories you were burning.

Playful games like tag can be transformative, making almost any activity more enjoyable. So if you want your corporate wellness program (and your wellness challenges) to be more enjoyable for your employees, why not weave a sense of play into your corporate wellness strategy?

September is Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a great time to celebrate the wins and achievements of your Hispanic/Latinx employees. But attracting and retaining employees requires more than one week or one month of recognition.

Organizations need to intentionally create an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel safe to be their authentic selves and have equal opportunity for career advancement.

What happens when “hustle culture” gives way to prolonged work hours, maxed-out workloads, and extensive burnout?

You end up with employees “quiet quitting,” or doing the bare minimum amount of work to get by and maintain a better work-life balance.

While many younger employees are starting to give a name to their rising disengagement at work, you may be surprised to learn that quiet quitting didn’t originate on TikTok. 

In fact, the idea as we know it was even referenced as early as 1999, when we saw evidence of quiet quitting in the cult classic, Office Space.

Back-to-school season is officially in full swing, which means many of your parent employees are reshaping their daily routines, tapping in as homework guides, and trying to figure out when graphing calculators became so expensive.

This time of year is a period of adjustment and anxiety for many working parents. Not only are your employees having to reshuffle standing summer meetings, but they’re also excited (and nervous) about their kids returning to the classroom.

To accommodate overworked parents, companies need to provide flexible and supportive work environments that can adapt to the evolving needs of employees.

Over the last few years, the concept of an “ideal” workplace has started taking shape in the minds of employees. Now, workers are looking to have more agency over their preferred work environments than ever before.

For employers, that can be good news and bad news.

Uncertainty.

If we had to pick one word to describe how employers and employees feel about work and workplace wellness, that would be it. Uncertainty about the future, job security, physical safety, finances, and an overall sense of belonging in an increasingly remote world.

Today’s employees want safety and security in their workplace, and they want to feel supported by their employers.

While June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we’ve reached the point where companies must move beyond simply showing support for one month with messaging, media, and products.

Consider this month the opportunity to begin making LGBTQ+-affirming practices an inherent and essential part of your organization year-round.

But to do that, companies need a culture shift.

When it comes to choosing where they want to work, today’s employees value culture more than ever.

Yes, good compensation is still vital (we’ve all seen housing prices lately) but as the talent war heats up, many job-seekers find themselves juggling multiple competing offers. The tie-breaker? Whether the company shares and supports their values. As such, many businesses are taking a second look at their workplace culture, and how to improve it.

But … there’s a catch.

There’s an old adage that says, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

In the case of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program implementation, it would be more accurate to say, “If it were easy, everyone would do it well.”

As it turns out, there are often unexpected hurdles in the way of success.

Employee resource groups (ERGs) create a safe space for underrepresented employees to network and brainstorm ways to make their organizations more inclusive.

This can go a long way toward creating a corporate culture of belonging and inclusiveness. Not only will this help your people bring their complete, best selves to work, but it can support your business goals.