It is in everybody’s interest to keep people happy at their workplace. If an employee is happy and healthy, as a result they are more focused and productive. Colleagues already compete to get the better position, better office, better project…So with all those New Year’s resolutions just around the corner, why not include a little wellness challenge in this healthy competition? It’s is easier to get things done and reach a goal if you work as a team. In that spirit, here are a few simple workplace challenges you can try out to promote a general well-being.
1. Take the Stairs
Even if you don’t work in a skyscraper, but on the third floor of a building, stairs may still seem challenging. Taking the stairs is not an easy task, especially on those early winter mornings when all you want to do is cuddle up at home. Try to find something that will motivate the entire workplace to opt out of using the elevator. Challenge other employees to take those stairs up to the office every day for a month. Get a chart going that will keep track of each time someone took the stairs by putting a checkmark next to their name. The person with the most checkmarks should be rewarded at the end of the month. People are more driven to work towards their goals if there is something at stake, like a prize.
2. Don’t Eat Any Junk
One of the biggest New Year’s resolutions for people is to lose weight. If you want to do that, you need to start making healthier choices when it comes to food. Working 9 to 5 usually means that there is no time for food shopping and cooking, so most of us end up ordering in. It’s natural to go with the quickest and easiest choice when you are hungry and in a rush. Unfortunately, the quickest food usually tends to be junk food. Don’t give up just yet!
There are companies that can make a different kind of fresh and nutritious meal for you every day and deliver it right to your office. This is a great way to start a healthy eating challenge and get the entire office to create a custom weight loss meal plan to survive those office hours and still get the proper nutrients for the body. It’s going to be easier sticking to this plan if you have the entire workplace doing it because things are easier done as a team.
3. Practice Meditation
Mental wellness is just as important as physical fitness, but somehow, it tends to be overlooked when making New Year’s resolutions. Having a healthy mind is important for productivity in the workplace. A way to encourage this is to start a meditation challenge. If you work in a hectic place, it’s not going to be easy to calm down. However, if you get the entire office to meditate with you, the results might just be magical. Perhaps during a lunch break you could all take fifteen minutes and compete to see who can sit down, close their eyes, breathe and stay calm the longest. It’s not as easy as it sounds, but it is crucial to staying sane.
4. Encourage Positivity
Another challenge that improves the well-being of the mind, is being positive. If employees are encouraged to declare one thing they are grateful for every day, it will create a more hospitable working environment. Get people to either say out loud, or write down something they are grateful for every day. You could even have a board where employees could write their positive thoughts and perhaps inspire others to do the same – maybe even in the form of New Year’s resolutions.
5. Drink More Water
Help your team stay healthy and hydrated by counting their drinks. Start a water-drinking challenge to see who can reach the optimum amount of glasses of water per day – the recommended intake is about eight glasses. A great reward for the winner of this challenge would be a reusable water bottle for the office.
6. Ride a Bike to Work
This challenge is not only good for the body, it’s great for the environment. Get everybody at the office to try to ride a bike to work every day for a month. Make it into a high stakes contest by having a cash prize at the end of the month. Don’t let everybody else feel left out though. You could have smaller prizes at the end of each week – like a healthy lunch for the person who managed to drive their bike the most throughout the week.
Conclusion
As you can see, wellness can include anything from a proper diet to mental health. Any of these things will have a positive effect on the entire workplace, which is why it’s a good idea to encourage employees to challenge each other with a little healthy competition.
