Working Wellness into the WorkdayWorking Wellness into the Workday

With so many workers still squirrelled away in their home offices, the esprit de corps developed in collaborative office settings may be flagging across workforces.

This isn't something that companies can ignore. A focus on employee well-being, as we regularly discuss on WorkSpace Connect, is as important when everybody is working from home as when everybody is in the office. Today, HR managers and, more directly, team leaders carry the onus of making sure the WFH situation and continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic doesn't become overwhelmingly detrimental for any one employee.

One approach is the company-sponsored well-being workshop. I received an invite for just such a thing only this morning. I can attend this four-part workshop to get practical tips on how to find and sustain my personal well-being, so that I'm able to cope with today's pressures and tomorrow's anxieties — all while feeling focused, happy, and energized.

I like the idea, and appreciate that my manager, and the company as a whole is promoting employee well-being. These are stressful times, to be sure. But, if I'm being honest, the thought of fitting a well-being workshop into my workday is, well... in and of itself a bit stressful.

Good thing, earlier this week I discovered an alternative: Working Den. I read about this site earlier this week in an article on Fast Company, and took a look. Working Den is a single-stop resource for workday well-being, from burnout and depression assessments, simple stretches and full exercise routines, productivity guides, background music, ways to reduce eye strain, and much more.

As Daniel Hall, the site's creator, shared with Fast Company, his original idea was to get businesses to subscribe to Working Den on behalf of their employees. But he's since rethought that idea and now he supports the site with ad revenue while making the resources free to all comers. Some subscription services may follow, Hall shared, telling Fast Company that one idea he has in mind is an anti-loneliness feature that would pair people together in a Q&A session of sorts.

Seems to be HR could do well in having wellness alternatives — formal, scheduled workshops, as well as resources for employees to tap in as their time permits... or as they're feeling the need. (I might have added Working Den's "Take My Stress Away" breathing exercises to my bookmarks.)

What has your company done to promote wellness? Share below!