Put Wellbeing Into Action
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Illustrate how leadership can support wellbeing initiatives.
- Describe strategies for implementing wellbeing at scale.
Support Wellbeing at Every Level
You’ve reached the last unit in this badge (woohoo!). And now that we’ve covered the programs and tactics that make up a holistic wellbeing initiative, let’s talk about how the people across your team can help bring it to life and scale it to your business.
Give Permission
With all of these incredible resources, events, activities, and reminders in place, employees are bound to dive in, right? Not exactly. There’s one more thing you need to make sure your team has: permission.
If employees don’t feel they have permission to step away from their daily tasks and take time for wellbeing, they won’t be lured by even the most enticing programming and promotion.
And permission starts at the top. Here are some ways leadership can show their support.
- Lead by example. Managers should share their own wellbeing goals, and sponsor and participate in events and activities. They can also share their tips and tricks for integrating wellbeing into their lives through lunch-and-learns or blog articles.
- Support people managers. Give people managers the encouragement and resources they need to make wellbeing a top priority and allow their employees time for wellbeing activities and rest. Keep the conversation going with wellbeing discussions on manager calls and manager-only communications, like leadership newsletters.
Make Wellbeing Scalable
At Salesforce, a lean team runs Camp B-Well. So, in addition to our global Camp B-Well initiatives, we rely on employees around the globe to bring Camp B-Well to life in ways that make sense for their offices. We call them Camp Counselors.
With a passion for wellbeing, these employees help spread our messages and organize activities in their offices. We arm them with a playbook full of activity ideas, project templates, and draft communications so that it’s easy to plug and play.
Here are some examples of local Camp B-Well events at Salesforce.
- Local, nutrient-rich cooking demo in Atlanta, GA
- Fitness and nutrition lunch-and-learns in Dublin, Ireland
- Muay Thai classes in Singapore
- Mindfulness sessions with Plum Village monastics in Tokyo, Japan
- Yoga sessions in London, England
- Onsite farmer’s market in San Francisco, CA
The Bottom Line
A comprehensive workplace wellness program like Camp B-Well results in healthier, happier, and more efficient employees. Often, the healthcare cost savings from program participation outweigh the cost of the program itself.
Harvard reviewed more than 100 research studies of employer-based wellness program spending, at companies like Bank of America and Johnson & Johnson, and demonstrated an overall positive return-on-investment (ROI) with an average ROI of $3.27. In other words, every employer dollar spent on the program yielded healthcare cost savings more than three times that amount. Healthy employees, higher productivity, and savings in healthcare spending—now that’s a win/win/win!
Now you know why wellbeing is so important in the workplace and what it takes to bring a wellbeing program, like Camp B-Well, to life. Remember, whether you start big or small, making wellbeing a priority is the first step to living your best life at work and home. In the next several modules, we explore more ways to live well every day—including how you eat, sleep, move, and even how you think. Here’s what you can expect.
- Healthy Eating with Salesforce’s Executive Chef. Get health info, tips, and recipes to make plant-rich meals fast, easy, and delicious.
- Mindful Living with the Plum Village Monastics. Harness the power of mindfulness to reduce stress and create peace and joy in your day.
- The Value of Sleep. Learn how to get better, more restorative sleep so you’re ready to live your best life.
- The Power of Movement. Integrate movement into your day to keep your body and mind healthy.