building an employee wellness program

employee wellness program ideas and activities

This article will feature 10 great ideas and team building activities to support your team’s mental health!

As organizations, our most important assets are not our products or our services, but our employees. The people who put in the work on a day-to-day basis are the driving force behind any successful organization, but it would be naive to assume that the demanding nature of modern work doesn’t take a toll on employee well-being, which can lead to decreased productivity, absenteeism, and poor job satisfaction. As leaders, supporting our employees in a way that they feel engaged and motivated is crucial to ensuring their happiness, and the health of our companies. This is why developing a strong employee wellness program is crucial to any thriving organization.

Whether you’re an HR professional, a business owner, or a manager, you can implement an employee wellness program in your organization, and celebrate important holidays like World Mental Health Day or Mental Health Awareness Month that will help build a culture of wellness and promote a healthy work environment. Check out 10+ employee wellness program ideas and activities for your team:

1. Art classes

Art therapy is a great team-building activity to add to your employee wellness program as it is a non-competitive and inclusive activity. Your team can focus on self-expression, and creativity instead of competing! Art therapy offers a lot of benefits including stress relief and relaxation, and by doing so with your team, you can encourage a positive team dynamic. Plus, art therapy is a fun and enjoyable activity that can a sense of playfulness to your team-building session. Your employees will enjoy themselves together, and create positive memories that will boost morale and team cohesion.

KraftyLab offers art classes like Japanese Marbling, Origami, and Painting Classes - all of these classes are beginner friendly and accessible to anyone willing to learn.

2. Virtual Yoga

We can easily feel within our bodies when we are tense and tight from stress. Yoga is an ancient practice designed to alleviate stress and promote overall well-being. A yoga class is the perfect opportunity to unwind from our hectic schedules and focus on aligning our bodies and minds to feel better within ourselves. Yoga forces us to be present in the moment, and mindful of our breath and body, which can encourage a more mindful approach to work, and life. By providing your team with practical wellness options, you will be encouraging a healthy work-life balance, and support them on their wellness journey.

KraftyLab’s yoga experiences include Yin and Vinyasa Yoga, as well as Chair Yoga - our instructions will teach gentle movement and breathwork for the ultimate relaxing experience, regardless of ability, age, or fitness level.

3. Virtual Meditation

Meditation is an ancient practice that uses breath as a tool to harmonize the body and mind. The hustle culture we are used to does not make much room for unwinding and setting time aside to do nothing. 

By inviting your team to learn how meditation can help them process difficult emotions like stress, anxiety, and tension, they will have another tool to help them through difficult times. Being self-aware and introspective encourages us to be more emotionally intelligent, which will lead to improved communication and a greater sense of empathy for those around us.

KraftyLab’s virtual group meditation is a great option for regular wellness or culture programs, as it gives teams something to look forward to and helps unwind after deadlines, projects, or milestones. For teams looking for something unique, learn more about Sound Meditation and find out how this unique session explores the power of sound, fostering relaxation and a greater sense of tranquility and peace.

4. JOURNALING workshop

A Gratitude Journaling session is a great activity to incorporate into your employee wellness program, as it offers many benefits to participants’ mental and emotional well-being. Taking the time to work on gratitude journaling can promote a positive mindset and encourage us to focus on the good things in life. Journaling, in general, allows us to dedicate time to ourselves, to reflect, and to practice mindfulness, which is rare in our culture. This workshop is a great way for your teams to be creative in a low-effort way, as their journaling can be as intricate or simple as they like.

If your employees are up for it, they can even share a snippet of their journaling experience, which may help strengthen bonds and foster a sense of connection.

KraftyLab offers both a traditional Journaling workshop and a Gratitude Journaling workshop. Both of these experiences will equip the team with new tools and skills to explore their thoughts and emotions, through various journaling techniques, engaging prompts, and exercises that will encourage them to put pen to paper.

5. Mental Health Expert

Inviting a professional mental health speaker is an opportunity to show your team that their wellbeing is important to you, and a great addition to your existing mental health benefits. Mental health speakers can empower your teams by reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, and increase awareness and education on mental health.

Depending on your team’s needs, you can choose work-oriented talks like Dealing With Burnout, or more life-oriented talks like Sleep Strategies and Foster Emotional Intelligence And Resilience. These talks can even teach your teams practical techniques and coping strategies to manage life’s difficulties and improve overall well-being.

KraftyLal partners with Dr. Ellen Vora, a certified psychotherapist and yoga teacher, and medical acupuncturist who takes a functional medicine approach to all her work, including her mental health speaker sessions.

6. GARDENING CLASSES

Herb gardening is a great option for your employee wellness program, and most teams can achieve this, whether they live in urban or rural regions. Being involved with nature has been linked to improved mental health, and allows you to connect with the natural world, bringing you a greater sense of awe and gratitude.

The act of gardening, tending to plants, feeling the soil, and watering can be a great form of mindfulness, and watching herbs grow and thrive can bring you a sense of accomplishment and pride. Caring for your plans, and then being able to incorporate them into your cooking, baking, or teas can be very fulfilling and therapeutic.

KraftyLab’s gardening classes include Herb Gardening, Tea Gardening, and Pollinator Gardening, there is something for every group!

7. healthy COOKING CLASS

Cooking, and eating well can be difficult with busy schedules, and the pace of modern life. Treating your team to a healthy cooking class is. a great way to show that you care about their physical and mental health, as good food nourishes our bodies and minds.

Healthy eating can be scary - but with the right tools, skills, and ideas, it can be easier to make good food choices and adopt healthier eating habits. A healthy eating class can increase your team’s nutritional awareness, and teach them how to build a balanced mean/plate, plus give them new culinary skills, tips, or hacks to make easy and quick recipes. Cooking classes are also just fun - they are a great team-building activity, they bring teams together and help them build strong bonding memories.

KraftyLab’s cooking class range includes a Healthy Eating Class, plus a Zero Waste Cooking experience for teams who are sustainability focused.

8. skill workshops

A time management and goal-setting class can be extremely valuable for your virtual workers and can help them thrive in a remote environment.

We know working from home comes with distractions and interruptions, so a time management class can teach you how to prioritize tasks and set goals, create boundaries for work and personal activities, and help develop organization skills which will provide a greater sense of stability and concentration. By learning how to manage time and set realistic goals, your team will experience less stress and a greater sense of control over their work, which will improve their work environment, and work-life balance.

KraftyLab offers a two-part virtual workshop including Goal Setting & Getting Things Done and Time Management Hacks.

9. BUCKET LIST/Life Coach

A Bucket List Experience is a unique session led by an expert coach, who will act as a guide and motivator, and help your team clarify their aspirations, learn how to set goals and create an action plan to work towards their goals. Through this session, your team will learn how to identify their goals, both big and small how to break them down into achievable goals, and how to prioritize based on their interests and resources. By the end of this session, your team will be inspired, and have created a step-by-step plan with a deadline to begin working on their first goal.

This session is a real treat, and perfect for onboarding new employees or celebrating the end of an internship. As a team activity, a Bucket List Experience can help strengthen bonds as it provides insight into each other’s lives and a sense of accountability for each other. Ticking something off your Bucket List can be incredibly rewarding, and can encourage us to be more grateful for the opportunities we are given and the things we can achieve.

What’s next?

To begin planning your very own Employee Wellness Program, schedule a call, send an inquiry, or call us directly at 551-430-5384 and our event specialists will be happy to help you design a plan that suits your team and company. We can’t wait to help you support your teams on their wellness journeys!

About KraftyLab

KraftyLab is a leading virtual event provider for corporate teams across the US & Canada. Our focus is on providing fun and engaging activities wherever your team may be. Our virtual event catalog includes arts and crafts, food and drink experiences, wellness, virtual games, and large-scale corporate events.

FOLLOW US On social media @THEKRAFTYLAB