Business of Well-being

Five Necessary Tactics for Creating a Healthy Culture at your Workplace

Is there a more buzz-worthy topic in corporate America right now other than employee wellness? If another subject is being tossed around more frequently, I'm certainly not aware of it. There has never been a time, in my recollection, where the idea of health and wellness has been more at the forefront of people's minds, which, on the one hand, is truly a good thing.


On the other hand, though, living in a "microwave culture," where we expect instantaneous returns on our efforts, does not lend well to the generally lengthy process of health change. In the realm of employee wellness, this is a tough pill to swallow. But when laboring for the purpose of influencing an entire culture towards better health, although difficult, it is a pill that must in fact, be swallowed.


Creating a healthy culture is not the sort of task that we can expect to accomplish overnight; it is truly a time-intensive process. Nevertheless, it is a process that is well worth the effort. But how does one create a healthy culture in an office where the current culture is anything but healthy? Where do we even start?


There are five high-level tactics, if you will, that are essential to affecting change within your employee population. I am confident that if you stay the course, implementing these five initiatives over time will produce the kind of change that we are all longing to see among our fellow co-workers and our corporate culture at-large.

Model Healthy Behaviors

The first and most important step to take when aiming to create a healthy culture within your workplace is to understand the fact that it begins with you. You set the tone. Your personal health habits spill over into the habits of the office as a whole. As the office's wellness expert, whatever your respective title may be, all eyes are constantly on you.


Therefore, it is essential that those whom you lead regularly see you "practicing what you are preaching." Answer me this; would you hire a personal trainer who didn't look or act the part? Not likely, right? The same principle applies here. As wellness professionals, we must be willing to lead by example and do so by encouraging healthy habits through those that we model ourselves.

Provide an Environment Where Accountability is Valued

The importance of support and accountability simply cannot be overstated. There is not another tool more valuable in the fight for turning one's health around. Changing one's health requires support and accountability. There are those unique individuals who have what it takes to make health changes on their own, without support from anyone other than themselves - but they account for a very minute percentage of the population.


The vast majority of us respond well to being held accountable. Now when I say that, don't let that be mistaken for the false idea that accountability is always easy, or even well received for that matter.


But support and accountability are for the ultimate good of the one being held accountable; they provide the greatest opportunity for success, and they generally create strong bonds between those who are taking this journey together, which is an unintended but highly valuable outcome. Creating an environment that has support and accountability ingrained within its fabric should be high atop our priority list.

Create a Healthy Environment

The old saying, "you are a product of your environment," is surprisingly accurate within the walls of the corporate office. Regardless of your mental fortitude, being exposed to an unhealthy environment day in and day out will eventually begin to create cracks within whatever measure of self-control that you possess.


At some point, you will either run out of groceries at home or you'll completely forget to bring your lunch with you and, bam, suddenly you're forced to partake in one of the unhealthy menu items provided by your oh-so-generous employer. But what if the break room's refrigerators were stocked with a plethora of healthy options; fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, bottled waters, and a long list of other healthy menu items?


What if soft drinks and candies were driven to the brink of extinction at your place of business? Making practical changes such as these is a simple measure that can encourage healthier habits among our co-workers.

Meet Employees Where They Are

Life change is a gritty process. Breaking long-standing habits, rearranging priorities, creating new neural pathways - yeah, it's hard work. Furthermore, when the culture outside the walls of our office is on the attack against our health, and it is, you can bet that making these changes will be a daily battle.


As the wellness professional at your company, it is important to enter into a task such as this with eyes wide open, fully aware of the effort that it will take to help encourage and empower your employees to walk through this process and see it through to the other side.


For our employees who need change, there is a lot more life to be had on the other side, but it will require our willingness as wellness professionals, to get dirty alongside them. The position of corporate wellness expert is much more than programs and financial metrics; many days the job responsibilities lean more heavily in the direction of counselor and coach than they do director or manager. A wellness program works best when your co-workers know that you'll labor alongside them as they strive towards better personal health.

Be Realistic

Creating or changing an entire culture is a time-expensive process; we should not expect to see a return immediately. Rather, we should be prepared to step into the "culture changing" business with our running shoes on, suited up for a marathon, not a sprint.


How much time it takes depends heavily on the current state of the office culture; a company whose employees are relatively healthy and receptive to change won't take nearly as long as a company made up of employees whose health isn't their main priority and are resistant to change.


But know this, regardless of how much change is needed, it will take time. So be realistic. Weekly, monthly, and quarterly benchmarks are great and necessary, but in the case of transforming an entire culture, notable changes will likely only be observed in a matter of years. Settle in and enjoy the ride.


The task of transforming a culture can be an overwhelming one. There is a multitude of moving parts within the corporate wellness arena, all of which are difficult enough to manage on their own. It becomes a very complex task as the discussion moves from simple wellness programming to actual cultural transformation.


However, the five tactics outlined in this article can help place the task in its appropriate perspective and methodically begin influencing the culture in which you are entrenched. Some of the guidelines above are very practical, some more abstract, but rest assured, they're each proven, effective methods of encouraging change within individuals and, ultimately, if you stick with it long enough, entire cultures.

Professional Bio

Jordan Wootten is the Manager of Wellness Programming at Senior Care Centers, the largest long-term care company in the state of Texas. Jordan works closely with company employees, as well as the residents located at each of the company's 80+ long-term care facilities.


During his stead, Senior Care Centers has been recognized as one of North Texas' healthiest employers by the Dallas Business Journal. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health and Kinesiology, a Master of Business Administration degree with a focus on Healthcare Management, and is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer.

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