I think the answer to this question is, of course, as a first step!
Active listening
Whether you already have a wellness program in place or are thinking of one, listening to your team is the first most important step, how they see their current environment at the office, what do they feel they need personally to make coming to work a really positive part of their life?
You do need to listen to everyone, not only the ones who are already interested in this area. It’s usually the ones who most need help that remain silent, or hide from any corporate fitness activities for fear of being judged in some way. Really look for signs of staff members who are struggling with the day to day emotional stress of having to perform, having multiple deadlines to meet, and client expectations to manage. Not only that, they may also be juggling home and family commitments that’s also causing some stress which is leading to lower quality work output and poor overall general health.
Environment and influenced behaviours
The environment we live and work in creates certain behaviours, and the people around us influence how we live. What if we can, through our workplaces, provide more in-depth wellness programs that can then influence how employees live their lives by encouraging healthy habits and reducing stress, individually. Programs that really get beneath the surface?
Changes one individual makes, can inspire the people around them.
The bigger picture strategy
I know this is a big picture, long-term strategy of influence, but in the current health climate of obesity and childhood obesity, mental and emotional health issues, diabetes, and chronic illness, it should be something we need to really consider, how to reach the masses and make a community change. Can businesses help to change our communities’ beliefs around health by subtly changing work environments? Our health systems are under so much pressure from diseases that are preventable by a few changes, if we could only reach more people to encourage them to make small changes. I believe that businesses and companies can definitely help to make an impact on a large scale, with the right programs. With so many people spending large amounts of time working, it seems like a good place to start.
Look, listen and feel what your teams are in need of, and then craft a plan that can bring about meaningful, lasting change, for both company and team.
The warm and fuzzies
Staff do like to feel like they are integral to the team and appreciated for their efforts. A one-one initial approach is likely to give your staff the feeling of being appreciated and supported. They might want to have a health and fitness consultant themselves privately or a personal trainer, nutritionist or health coach on their side at all times, but won’t necessarily seek that service out for themselves because they don’t have time after work, can’t fit it in, or its just not a priority in the budget. Provide the time during the day for consultation, and it might just help to keep staff accountable to their diet, exercise and emotional support plans.
A bespoke wellness program, or one that complements a current one
If you need help with getting more out of your current program, or in creating a holistic and sustainable strategy that will really bring about changes to your legal teams, see our Create Workplace Wellness Program, specifically designed for Law firms, in-house legal teams and their support staff. Our Health and Fitness Consultants provide a one-one bespoke service so contact us for chat to see what we can assist your teams with.
Why choose us? Angie Hazell has 20 years experience in the legal industry from administration, HR, marketing and management, in medium sized full service firms, to top-tier national firms, as well as 13 years health and fitness industry knowledge and qualifications. Combining both passions and having an understanding of the needs of the industry is something that works well together to bring an approach that is more specialised and focussed only on lawyers, in-house legal teams and their support staff.