Dear Keep Em,

I wholeheartedly agree that fit employees are more apt to be active contributors to your bottom-line.  Employers can expect a 10% to 18% productivity boost from workers who eat healthy, exercise regularly, take time off, and feel connected to a common goal. There are plentiful resources available to support telecommuters and incorporate wellness into your organization. Consider these concepts to jumpstart a healthy virtual workplace.

1. Survey
2. Inspire
3. Incent
4. Engage
5. Share
6. Automate

The legendary Steven Covey taught us “seek first to understand” and your company can do this by offering a plethora of topics to your remote and onsite teams for a monthly town hall on wellness.  A simple vote determines the winning subject but you make it epic by investing in inspiring content and engaging imagery for your delivery. Themed workplace topics such as:  stress busters, productivity trackers, desk exercises, and daily nutritious snacks will keep your remote team thinking about ways to balance and fully enjoy the advantages of a working virtually.

Whatever your staff selects, it is your job to enable seamless incorporation of your wellness values into the company culture.  Consider tracking systems that work in conjunction with your existing organizational measures as a cohesive way to incorporate a wellness focus into company culture. Incentivize employees when you track and post goals and achievements on a voluntary company share; make a game of it to inspire and enroll your team in a healthy competition. Reach beyond traditional rewards such as a gym membership and develop an incentive pool that reflects the unique perspective of your team.  Something as routine as delivery of a healthy lunch could be the key unlocking the potential of your employees. You won’t know unless you ask. Always defer to the suggestions from those you wish to please. In this case, the remote employee. Keep their attention on the goal of wellness and everyone wins.

Tell us your wellness best practices and we’ll share one each month on our social media channels. For professional guidance on the positioning of your brand, seek expert design with an organization that specializes in creative marketing and has first-hand experience promoting best in class virtual talent.