The workplace wellbeing day
A "
wellbeing day" is a special day or event organised in the workplace with the aim of promoting staff wellbeing and helping people cope at work.
Wellbeing days can include a variety of activities, such as workshops, lectures, exercise sessions or other relaxing and refreshing activities that focus on mental and physical wellbeing in the work environment.
The goal of such days is to improve the atmosphere of the work community, reduce work-related stress and prevent burnout. They are part of a broader effort to promote wellbeing and occupational health at work, and an important part of modern human resource management and organisational development.
Organising a wellbeing day
When putting a workplace wellbeing day together, it is worth paying attention to the following:
- Taking participants' needs and wishes into account: It is important to consider employees' different needs and preferences. If activities are planned without their input, they may not match their wishes or needs.
- Good and sufficient advance communication: Employees should be informed well in advance about the content, schedule and goals of the wellbeing day. A poorly communicated or last-minute event can cause confusion and reduce enthusiasm for taking part.
- Activity: A wellbeing day should be interactive and participatory. Merely listening to lectures or presentations can be dull and ineffective.
- Considering diversity: In multicultural and diverse work environments and teams, it is important to plan content that is suitable for all participants from the outset.
- Planning the logistics: A lack of planning around venue bookings, meal arrangements or transport can ruin an otherwise smooth day. A few practical examples: if there is travel between activities, have the taxis been booked in advance? Have reservations and allergies been taken into account for the meals?
- Feedback: After the wellbeing day, feedback should be collected and its impact on employee wellbeing followed up. Without feedback and follow-up, it is hard to assess the day's effectiveness and improve future events.
The key is to plan the wellbeing day carefully, taking employees' varied needs and wishes into account, and to make sure the day is both a meaningful and an enjoyable experience for everyone taking part.
10 wellbeing day ideas
Here is a list of ideas for workplace wellbeing days. There are many ways to organise one: sometimes a wellbeing day can be one concrete afternoon spent on an activity, sometimes a whole working day, and sometimes a combination of a relaxed but professional daytime programme and an evening programme. So feel free to use your creativity when planning wellbeing days, and hopefully the ideas below will help!
1. Exercising together
A shared exercise session or a whole day of sport is a great way to build team spirit. There are plenty of group exercise options: a shared run, the gym, an aerobic group exercise class, boxing training, yoga, climbing or various competitive games such as padel, badminton, beach volleyball, and so on.
When exercising, it is worth taking into account people's physical limitations and, when competing, the differences in skill level between participants.
2. A nature outing
Sausages in the backpack and off on a trip! A short day hike through beautiful nature to a lean-to shelter. The Retkipaikka website has a good collection of nature trails. Check out ->
https://retkipaikka.fi/
3. A creative workshop on topic X
In a creative workshop you do something "completely different", something people do not usually do in everyday life. It could be painting, glass blowing, and so on, in the company of a skilled instructor.
4. An expert lecture or workshop on an interesting topic
Expert lectures on topics such as ergonomics, healthy living and working habits, stress management or nutrition can be interesting to people and spark discussion.
For example, you could invite a nutrition expert to talk about healthy eating habits and their effect on work performance. The workshop can include practical advice, recipe sharing and even a healthy cooking class.
5. A long, leisurely mealGo out to eat and drink in style. Have a multi-course meal or a tasting menu with drinks.
6. Pizza and (board) games
Order a variety of pizzas and play games! The games can be console games in the spirit of a LAN party, or good old board and card games. Good, light options include Dixit, Bonanza, Resistance, Alias, Scrabble and Balderdash.
7. A social media content creation day
Brainstorm content for social media. Create team introductions, share career stories and descriptions of workdays, and tell how you solve your customers' problems. Write content in advance for a long stretch of time.
8. Relaxing together
Relax together! Book manicures or pedicures, visit a spa, meditate, do breathing exercises and mindfulness practices. Organise a laughter yoga session, which helps release stress and improve the mood.
9. A cultural experience
Go together to see a good gig, a film or stand-up comedy. You can also wander around museums or another interesting destination, such as a zoo.
10. A gamified team workshop with Topaasia
Topaasia is a gamified conversation tool that lets teams discuss developing the team or work community in an enjoyable way.
The game is participatory and ensures that every participant is seen and heard, so the loudest voices do not take over the space with their ideas, as can happen in normal meetings or workshops.
Play and talk for an hour or two about how your team works and how to develop it.
--> You can activate a free trial account here. <--
