What does wellness have to do with employee engagement?

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1 min read

It turns out, quite a bit.

By Pete Seljevold

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Consulting and Wellness Services

A culture of well-being can transform an entire organization. It creates a progression where employees feel cared for, which leads to higher engagement, productivity and retention.

That level of impact requires a couple of mind shifts from what’s traditionally considered “wellness.”

Mind Shift #1

Well-being goes beyond fitness and nutrition. It also includes social, emotional, community, professional and financial well-being.

Mind Shift #2

Focus less on individual behaviors and more on creating an environment for employees to succeed across the well-being spectrum.

Managers hold the key to well-being Support begins with your senior leadership, but your organization’s managers are the real influencers of employee well-being. Gallup says managers account for up to 70% of the variance in team members’ engagement in both work and wellness.

These three practices will help any manager incorporate well-being into the culture.

1. Lead by example
Actively participate in your own well-being to set the tone. That can elevate well-being for those around you and your organization.

2. Talk about well-being
Make well-being a regular part of a team conversations and watch people engage. Check in with a simple “How are you doing?” and “How can I help?” those two questions build important connections.

3. Tap into what you’re already doing
Build wellness norms into your workday. turn meetings into walking meetings. Start meetings with a social-connection activity. Serve healthy food at company events. get your team involved with generating ideas.

BCBSND partners with Motion Infusion to bring innovative strategies to elevate well-being for ND area businesses. The ideas presented in this article are based on Motion Infusion’s “Managers on the Move” program.

Find training and tools to help your organization fully embrace a culture of well-being.

Sign up for monthly worksite wellness newsletters at: BCBSND.com/employers/health-well-being/worksite-wellness