Top 10 Must-Reads for Well-Being Pros: 2020 Edition
Whether you read for career or personal development — or both — you’ll walk away with new ideas, insights, and techniques to try after sinking your teeth into these titles: Atomic Habits (2018). Sometimes the freshest, most creative perceptions come from those outside the wellness industry; that’s what author and speaker James Clear presents in […]
Wellness at WashU: Powered by Personal Connection
If you’re looking for the Washington University in St. Louis wellness team, you’ll find them across the diverse campuses… determining what their populations want and need to be healthy. “We’re up and out — meeting employees, faculty, and clinicians where they are… in their space, literally,” notes Meg Krejci, Wellness Consultant for Mindfulness. From in-person […]
How to Say No Without Rankling the Wrong People
Some think running a corporate wellness program is easy. That’s why we often don’t see the same level of scrutiny over leadership, decisions, or priorities as for new product development, international expansion, or other core business activities. That less-than-crucial attitude toward well-being services can also give rise to the notion that any and all ideas […]
Purpose Matters: Better Health, Longer Life
The concept of purpose is often illustrated as a question: “What gets you out of bed in the morning?” Purpose is generally understood as having values-driven goals that are personally meaningful and connected to a higher objective outside ourselves. It gives our lives meaning, structure, and direction. It boosts life and career satisfaction while spurring […]
The Elements of Emotional Fitness
Many well-being program leaders, fueled by new interest in harmonious, meaningful lifestyles, have broadened their focus from physical health to incorporate our inner workings. They include topics like mindfulness, optimism, gratitude, and connection — elements of a general state called emotional fitness. If you haven’t had much exposure to these components — which, unlike self-help […]
How to Get the Most From Focus Groups
Facilitating focus groups is a specialized skill, and one most wellness professionals can learn. In a previous column, I outlined several tips for eliciting meaningful, actionable feedback. As you grow more comfortable, you can introduce interactive techniques to dig deeper and optimize the experience for group members and for yourself. Engage Reluctant Participants I led […]
Focusing on Focus Groups
Numeric data — like survey results and participation rates — gives you objective information about your communication strategy or, for that matter, any aspect of your wellness program. Subjective feedback gathered in focus groups, in contrast, can reveal the real needs and motives of the people behind your numbers. Gain Deeper Insight A focus group […]
Well-Being Is Overarching at Columbia Sportswear Company
Employers increasingly ask themselves where employee well-being, with its holistic approach and deeper motivations than just healthcare cost reduction, fits in their organization and business strategy. At Columbia Sportswear Company (CSC), Cassie Buckroyd and colleagues teamed up to craft a model that others inevitably will want to emulate. Cassie is Manager of Wellbeing Programs at […]
Integrate Sustainable Living With Your Well-Being Program
Well-being programs typically challenge participants to meet behavior targets like 30 minutes a day of physical activity, 7-9 hours of sleep, and eating more vegetables. Sustainable living activities like reducing use of plastic products, curbing energy consumption, and taking other steps to diminish carbon footprints? Not so much. Let’s change that. Sustainable living is undeniably […]
Discover New Sources of Wellness Communication Expertise
Every wellness communication strategy has room for improvement — like more professional-looking posters, emails that lead to higher registration rates, and better graphic design with relatable images that don’t hog bandwidth. Once you establish quality, most programs will also benefit from more frequent communication. As a wellness professional, you can’t do it all. You may […]