Here are five cases of companies with successful corporate wellness programs and perks that we’re simultaneously envious of and inspired by. These aspirational initiatives are coupled with some ideas for how you can make these ideas attainable for your people.
1. Zappos’ Wellness Adventures
Online shoe retailer Zappos makes getting fit accessible for all of their employees by providing fitness activities to accommodate all levels of athleticism. The company’s “Wellness Adventures” are fitness field trips in which groups of employees from across departments partake in an off-site exercise experience, which can range from trampoline parks to laser tag. The company also has “Recess Tuesdays,” in which toys are laid out in their headquarter’s plaza for the fun and amusement of their employees.
What can you try?
Encourage your people to take a break (and a breather) from their desks by organizing fun and healthy project that they can easily partake in, such as a fresh foods potluck or a lunchtime walking group.
2. Rodale’s Energy Center
Rodale, the publishing company behind publications like Women’s Health and Men’s Health, lives up to its promotion of a healthy lifestyle of wellness, fitness, and nutrition with its employee offerings. Rodale's corporate wellness program provides access to The Energy Center, their on-site athletic gym facility with free fitness classes, a meditation room, an Organic Farm to Table Eatery cafeteria that distributes organic and locally-sourced food, an outdoor trail on campus, and access to Rodale Institute, an organic garden for growing fresh produce.
What can you try?
To replicate this comprehensive culture and community of health and wellness, you can provide healthy snacks and treats in the office, organize a running group, host fitness classes within your office, and offer subsidized gym passes to your people.
3. Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program
Donation matching is the gift that keeps on giving. Through Microsoft’s Employee Giving Program, the tech giant doubles the impact of their employees’ generous giving by matching donations of time and money to the charity organizations of their choice, helping them make a greater impact on the causes they are passionate about. Today, over 39,000 (65%) of Microsoft employees participate in the corporate wellness giving initiative -- employee donations of up to $15,000 matched at a dollar-for-dollar ratio while volunteer time generates $25 hour-by-hour. Since the program’s inception in 1983, Microsoft has donated more than $1 billion to nonprofits, and in 2016 alone, employees raised $142 million for nearly 19,000 nonprofits worldwide.
What can you try?
Your company can make a positive push on your philanthropic goals through supporting your people's efforts to make a social impact. Start with organizing a fundraising drive with your team for a cause close to the values of your company, and agree to match their donations up to a set amount to encourage their participation.
4. Goldcorp’s Creating Choices & Growing Choices
Goldcorp is committed to breaking ground in the traditionally male-dominated mining industry. Their diversity and inclusion efforts are exemplified in their enterprise-wide offered professional development programs for women within the organization. “Creating Choices” is a training program that provides group-based learning in areas such as building self-esteem and achieving leadership presence. “Growing Choices” further develops leadership skills, working on branding, work/life balance, and career planning. Program graduates also have an opportunity to be mentored by senior Goldcorp team to help them in achieving their career goals. Over 1,700 women have graduated from the programs.
What can you try?
Show your people you want to invest in their career advancement by providing opportunities for their growth, from sponsoring their enrollment in skills-training courses and opening up your professional network to provide valuable mentorship opportunities.
5. Warby Parker’s Book Club
The fashion-forward, literacy-advocating, and charitable eyeglasses company Warby Parker evolved from water cooler chats about what they're currently reading into running multiple monthly book club chapters for their 300+ employees and hosting company-wide speaker series to take the literary discussions even further. The company's book club series was successful in inviting conversation, connection, inspiration, and knowledge-sharing amongst members, as well as cultivating the brand's distinct identity.
What can you try?
Organize a monthly and quarterly company book club to encourage employees to meet and discuss interesting books and share their thoughts and ideas in an open forum. An office library can also further stimulate the rewarding act of reading.
