Wellbeing

Ah, to love where you work . . . few things in life compare! And what you do for a living may not matter that much. It doesn’t have to be your dream job for you to scurry off happily to work every day, coffee in hand and smile on face. If you work for someone who creates a life-giving workspace, your attitude and outlook will show it!

Companies that value their employees should learn a thing or two about boosting workplace morale. Who wants to watch zombie-esque employees file in each day? Nobody. That’s why it’s crucial to keep the team energized—despite the endless reports and spreadsheets they stare at all day.

HERE ARE FIVE WORKPLACE MORALE BOOSTERS:

1. Create Space for Personal Interests. 

If the VP of Marketing proudly pinned her basset hound’s “Best in Show” ribbon to her blazer, would office productivity stop? Or if the guys in human resources showed off their summer BBQ skills in the parking lot, would coworkers take offense? Not a chance!

Companies are run by humans, not robots. Employees don’t go to sleep under their desks, only to wake up and start over the next day. They go home to families and hobbies, interests they’d love to share with fellow coworkers. Why not set aside one day per week, perhaps a “Youday Tuesday,” where employees take turns showing off their cooking, painting, or hip hop skills. 

2. Volunteer as a Team.

Few things strengthen bonds in the workplace like shared experiences. And when those experiences center around helping folks in need, a newfound sense of community is felt among coworkers—and meaningful friendships begin to form.

Whether your team works together to revitalize a neighborhood through Habitat for Humanity, or hands out hot meals at a local food pantry, lives will be impacted. In fact, an engagement study by Cone Research discovered that 74 percent of employees find greater career fulfillment when they’re given volunteer opportunities. So, get out there, folks!

3. Plan Lunch and Learns. 

Whether it’s to get feedback on a project or exchange ideas on creative ways to improve customer service, Lunch and Learns boost morale! They’re a pressure- and performance-free way to meet new people and (hopefully) get a free lunch.

Did you know that Goomi specializes in Lunch and Learns? You provide the lunch; we provide the learning! This less formal approach is an easy way to develop and motivate employees—and can take place anywhere, anytime. Sessions may cover issues such as the importance of resilience in the workplace, sleep, exercise injury, meditation, and taking care of your heart. Such sessions are necessary to help your team lead healthy, happy, balanced lives.

4. Celebrate Failure.

Organizations have come a long way in their views on failure. Because failure is often the springboard for all-things brilliant and successful, big flops aren’t so taboo anymore. Corporations are beginning to reward failure—even celebrate it! And as employees are given freedom to fail, they’ll take more risks, which can turn a stagnant company into one of innovation.

5. Ditch the Morale Buster.

For every 20 employees who are happy and fulfilled, there’s always one employee who is unhappy and unfulfilled. They drain the life out of every meeting, every office email, and every brainstorm session. Why are such people still at your company? 

Their lack of pizazz doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be a good fit somewhere else, and it doesn’t mean they’re “bad” at what they do. It may be as simple as not sharing the same vision or values as the rest of the crew. Perhaps what they need is freedom to pursue environments that better align with their personality and work habits.  

At Goomi Group, bringing wellness directly to your staff is our specialty! Learn more about how we make fitness, nutrition and self-care simple for you and your office to implement at GoomiGroup.com. We’d love to connect personally to see how we can help bring health to your company culture – just click “Contact Us” to get in touch.

You’ve got 14 BBQ invites, the neighborhood pool is set to open and you need to pull your “summer whites” out of storage. Memorial Day may have given your calendar an excuse for an extra day off, but it’s already looking jam packed with activities. We all know that overscheduling a long weekend can lead to that “need a vacation after your vacation feeling.” So, this holiday weekend, why not commit to filling your cup instead of draining it? After all, Memorial Day is a federal holiday where we remember and pay tribute to those who’ve lost their lives in service to the United States Armed Forces. It’s a perfect time to connect with yourself and those you love in a meaningful way. Imagine how refreshing it would be to roll into the office on Tuesday recharged and inspired tackle whatever comes across your desk! Well, that’s exactly how you can feel if you try a few of our tips for making Memorial Day Weekend more of a retreat than a blow out. And don’t worry, a BBQ or two, a dip in the pool, and donning your summer threads are totally included.

How to make Memorial Day Weekend a Recharging Retreat

Know your “Yeses”

Take a few moments to get connected with what you really need right now. Close your eyes,  get quiet and think about the things that bring you peace, happiness and comfort. When you open your eyes, jot these things down and then brainstorm/research activities that will fulfill these sensations for you. Maybe you need more sleep – so go to bed early, schedule your wake up time later and pencil in a cat nap. Perhaps you want to commit to healthy eating, so find three new recipes to prep as clean fuel for your staycation. If seeking peace is your goal, then discover a new yoga class or find a guided meditation app/YouTube video to practice each day. Need some grounding? Try a daily nature walk and never underestimate the focusing power of a good closet clean out. If interpersonal connection is on your list and we hope it is, make time for family and friends sans tech and distractions. Don’t forget to be picky and only choose the traditions that get a resounding YES when you ask yourself how you want to spend your precious time.

Time Block it

While leaving your schedule completely open may sound alluring, taking a systematic approach to your 72 hours of freedom will set you up to NOT have to figure things out in the moment and ultimately allow for more space to do exactly what you enjoy. Plus, you can always leave room for edits and flexibility. Decide how much time each activity or period of rest will take and then create a daily schedule with plenty of cushion between slots. Your day will have a natural flow and you’ll thank yourself for taking a few moments to prepare yourself for success.

Invite others to join you

If solo time is what you crave, by all means make that happen, but don’t forget that inviting others to join you for your long weekend retreat, either literally or just sharing the idea so they can create their own recharging experience spreads the goodness around. Community can be motivating and certainly will contribute positively to your motivation and accountability to fulfill your plans for three days of renewal. Don’t forget how great it is to have other people to share thoughts and ideas with and to reflect after completion. So, tell your co-workers, friends, neighbors and family to inspire a Memorial Day Weekend Retreat movement!

A Sample Time-Blocked Day for a Memorial Day Weekend of Wellness

7am Wake up (Sleep in an extra hour!)

7:15am Do a 20-minute guided meditation from The Mindful Movement on YouTube

7:45am  Coffee/tea with significant other/family

8:15am Try one of these Healthy Recipes for breakfast

10am – Yoga class at studio you’ve always wanted to try

12pm – Back home for shower, hang time and leisurely lunch

2p – Reading time outside, a cat nap, or unstructured relaxation

3:30pm – Take the family/friends to the park for frisbee golf and fresh cut watermelon

5pm – Home again for an hour or so of free time, maybe another nap or an Afternoon Meditation)

6:30pm – Head to the neighbor’s for your favorite BBQ party of the year. (Bring this fresh veggie side dish!)

9:30 pm – Return home for a relaxing hang around the backyard fire pit

10:30 pm – Treat yourself to a mini facial before bed with this skin treatment mask

11pm – Sweet dreams

Three days goes fast, so stay present and enjoy every moment. Your efforts to turn the gift of PTO into an energy reset can pay dividends. You’ll connect with yourself, your family, your friends and we bet the wellness you’ll bring back to work will last right up until Labor Day!

Be sure to share your wellness weekend with us via socials. Tag us with @goomi_group on Instagram or @goomigroup on Facebook. And if you’re feeling ready for a micro-retreat once a week or maybe more, right in the comfort of your corporate headquarters, then hit up our revamped site at GoomiGroup.com to learn more about how we can bring workplace wellness to your team.

In an age of power-meetings and drive-thru lunches, self-care at work is a universal challenge for everyone – from the mailroom to the boardroom. We spend the majority of our time at work sitting behind a desk for countless hours a day.  Sedentary while at work, while driving to and from work, and even at home. We need to break this chain of inactivity.

How do we do this and where do we start? The best approach to start self-care at work by offering on-site fitness and wellness programs. It is as simple as providing employees with after work yoga classes, lunchtime meditation sessions, 10-minute massages, and healthy cooking demonstrations.  Rejuvenating employees during the day and encouraging them to continue healthy habits outside the workplace. What better way to increase communication with co-workers, than to sweat through a fitness class together or talk about the most recent creative solution you discovered in meditation.

Incorporating workplace wellness at your office is easy!

• Start a walking group lead by a different person from the Executive Team
• Encourage employees to take 3 minutes at 3pm every day to close their eyes and just breath
• Host a Pot-Luck Healthy Snack Break, asking employees to bring recipes to share

Still not sure how to start? You can always call in the experts. Goomi Group works with employers to plan fun and relaxing wellness activities by bringing an elite group of fitness, yoga, meditation, massage, and nutrition experts directly to your work place.

These small changes create a ripple effect – helping everyone feel better and think better, so they can lead better; better lives, better organizations, better communities, and ultimately a better world!

References:  “From Evidence to Practice: Workplace Wellness That Works” – Institute for Health and Productivity Studies Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health In collaboration with Transamerica Center for Health Studies®

Over 300 million people around the world suffer from clinical depression and 80 percent of them never seek help.  We are comfortable talking about our pimples, our hormones, our periods, our digestive issues, but somehow admitting to things being less than perfect in our emotional or mental world is difficult. It is especially difficult to admit that you have depression at the workplace.  This perceived stigma surrounding mental health ailments makes it all the more difficult to diagnose and to treat.

Mental health issues, particularly clinical depression, can play a unique role in the workplace, too.  Employees suffering from untreated depression can be argumentative, unreliable and unproductive causing a decline in overall workplace happiness by their actions, which can have an effect on office culture and the bottom line.  In fact, depression left untreated is very costly to our economy.  According to one such study, depression in the U.S. economy has cost over $51 billion in absenteeism and lost productivity.

How can we help?

Individuals often lack resources, so employers can be a valuable source for staff members suffering from depression, especially when it’s done in a manner that is easily accessible, confidential and non-threatening.  Here are some ways you can provide your employees with some much-needed guidance and relief:

1. Hold regular wellness classes for employees both for physical and mental wellbeing.  Consider offering a mental health series.  The more we talk about it the less stigma surrounds it.

2. Learn to recognize the symptoms of depression and teach employees how to recognize them in others.  Depression can manifest itself in many ways, including chronic fatigue, irritability, changes in weight, thoughts of suicide.

3. Provide your staff with an understanding of their healthcare benefits surrounding mental health issues in non-threatening and doesn’t single anyone out.

4.  Distribute fliers with local resources of who to contact for treatment.

Exercise can also help to stimulate things in the brain that can help ease and even prevent the onset of clinical depression.  By encouraging your employees to move, they are more likely to be healthier both mentally and physically.  Since we all spend so much of our lives at the office, this is an opportunity to proactively create happier individuals, which helps everyone.  We are all in this together!