It’s hardly a secret these days: happy employees are productive employees. High morale at the office leads to employees putting more into their work, feeling less sluggish, and even feeling more fulfilled (even during the sometimes slower summer weeks).

Of course, while a person’s morale is often tied to the work their doing, it also comes from a sense of belonging and togetherness they feel with their coworkers. If your employees feel like they’re part of a team that’s working towards a shared goal, they’ll naturally be in better spirits than if they were isolated in front of their computer all week.

As we’ve discussed a couple times earlier, one of the best ways to get a company feeling like a team is to have them participate in a wellness event. This can be something as simple as a step-challenge, regular office Wods, or even our very own Fit Company Challenge.

While virtually all wellness events will have a positive effect on office culture, there are a couple little things that can have a massive effect on a team’s morale and sense of unity along the way.

But don’t worry: we’ve got you covered. Here are three Do’s and Don’ts to maximize camaraderie and boost morale during your next wellness event.

The Right Communication

1) First up, DON’T let all communication about the wellness program or event come from a single “corporate” source and then go silent.

We’ve seen it happen all too often before. A company chooses an event, puts a team together, gives it the green light and then… nothing. No follow-up, no progress, and additionally no motivation. Ouch.

Or even when they do follow-up, sometimes the messages are generic “week 2” emails that miss out on the progress the team’s actually been making.

Instead, DO send out your own personalized weekly updates after the event has launched. Ideally, these will come from team leaders, the sort of captains who know their co-workers and who can speak to them directly.

When crafting these messages, it’s important that the tone remains positive. Use these messages to highlight the team’s progress, send virtual High-Fives and shout-outs to team members who are really crushing it.

If you’re not sure where to begin, find one thing that the team did well that week and highlight it. If they drank more water than usual, boom point that out. If they reached a step target, cheer them on towards the next one. Even if it’s just signalling that one person brought in a healthy lunch on Tuesday, make it a thing to celebrate!

Honestly (and from experience), the difference between helpful and fun weekly communication between the organizers and participants and not having any at all is like night and day. If you want your team to feel invested, show them that so are you.

The Right Motivation

2) Next, DON’T let the only reason your team takes part in a wellness program be to get a mere t-shirt or gift card. Those are hardly incentives to get excited about and they miss the whole point of the challenge – to instill camaraderie and boost morale!

DO instead create your own team goals. Even if there is no material benefit or incentive to hitting the goals, you can still get people to rally together when the challenge is fun and encourages them to cooperate.

Talk about possible goals beforehand with the other organizers and maybe someone from HR who knows the culture really well. What can nudge your people to keep going and push a little harder? There’s gotta be something that’s on people’s minds.

Of course, camaraderie and getting to know the rest of the team better is in itself a motivator. If you can make this into a goal, then you’re already on the route to doubling your return on the wellness program.

The Right Celebration

3) Lastly, once the event or program is over, DON’T let it end with just a simple email from corporate congratulating people and then leaving it at that. While a friendly email is to be expected, if it’s the only send-off then your office is missing a major opportunity for even more camaraderie and morale boosting.

Instead, DO hold a team celebration. Whether it’s a potluck lunch, an afternoon pizza party, or a happy hour Friday evening – just go for it!

Encourage people to drop by, exchange some in-person congratulations by the way of high fives, and share pictures. If you make it a big deal that the team did something great together, they will feel more accomplished and definitely be looking forward to the next event.

In conclusion

And there you have it. If you follow these do’s and avoid these don’ts, you’ll be on the way to
maximizing the benefits your team will be getting out of their wellness program.

Even if you’re already in the middle of a program, it’s never too late to change things around and lighten up the tone. Start sending out those friendly emails that highlight your team’s progress, start encouraging people to work together, and start planning that celebration.

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad

More and more offices these days have fitness centers in the same building or just down the street. These are super convenient for people who like to sneak in a workout during their lunch break or pop in during the morning before their day starts. Of course, these places might require memberships and can often seem daunting for people just starting on the road to fitness.

A great-workaround is having a dedicated fitness space inside your workplace. It doesn’t need to to replace a fitness center and a fitness room is actually a great compliment to the gym. Having the space where its accessible for everyone, at all times, goes a long way towards encouraging people to take fitness-focused breaks throughout the day or do a 5-10 minute workout. It also creates a “safe space” for workouts – that is, a room where you won’t get a weird look for dropping to a spontaneous plank or doing a few push-ups on the way back from the water cooler!

Today, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up your own dedicated fitness space at the office. We’ll cover picking your space, which equipment to stock there, and some final considerations for getting the most out of it.

Selecting and setting up your office fitness space

First thing you’ll want to do is find a space that works. If your workplace isn’t too cramped, try using an empty corner office or an under-utilized conference room. Either of these will give you plenty of space and a little privacy while you work out.

If your office is already pretty fitness forward, another option is to use the back half of a larger room. If your colleagues are used to seeing people work out, this can even encourage others to come and join and make these fitness breaks a team activity.

Alternatively, if your office is small or your company is in the process of outgrowing its space, you might have to think outside of the box. One suggestion is to find a storage closet which your company can dedicate as the fitness equipment room. Then you’ll know where all the equipment is and can bring it out to a space by your desk for personal workouts, or have a room that can be used off hours or when it’s not booked for fitness.

Outfitting your fitness space with the right equipment

Once your space is sorted out, it’s time to start outfitting your gym! The golden rule, especially when getting started, is to keep it simple:

• Stick with minimal, low-footprint gear. Don’t go for anything fancy, big or expensive like a treadmill, a full barbell set, or a multi-purpose workout machine.
• Yoga mats are everybody’s best friend and a great first purchase. They give a nice cushioned space above the floor and people can perform any bodyweight exercise with just a mat.
• Add in some basic resistance gear. Sandbells are a good call since they’re safe and provide great functional movements for all fitness levels. They aren’t super heavy either. Of course, if you need a bit more weight, get some kettlebells too!
• If you have an open doorway in your fitness area, consider getting a portable pull-up bar. We have one at the office we use all the time and it’s great for some basic hanging exercises. You can also combine it with a TRX suspension trainer for even more bodyweight options.
• Pick up a balance board or two. These combine well with the office.
• Resistance bands are a must and not too expensive. If you add in a foam roller, you’ll have plenty of options for stretching your muscles and rolling out any knots and sores during the day.

This should cover your main bases and keep your initial investment affordable. Once you get the ball rolling, you can start collecting feedback from your colleagues and find out what equipment they use now and what equipment they’d like to use in the future.

Optional considerations for your fitness space

Provided you have the space, there are some additional thoughts you might want to consider with your setup.

• Make your space water accessible. Either have access to a tap or a water cooler for people to rehydrate after a workout. This can also be a great place to take your team water breaks.
• Include a whiteboard on the wall. People can write down workouts or keep a tally of their sessions. It’s also handy if they get an idea for their project while working out – they can quickly jot down some notes and get back to their work out!
• Have a couple of towels handy just in case things get sweaty or someone spills some water.
• If people like listening to music or watching videos, keep a tablet with a charger handy. Heck, you could even use it to listen in to a conference call while you work out!

Final thoughts about your fitness space

Ultimately, getting your office fitness selected and set-up requires some thought and a small investment. It’ll be easier to get it going if your company is already fitness forward and your colleagues enjoy their regular office Wods.

If you’re not sure where to begin with making the change, always start with the benefits. We’ve discussed how working out at the office can be beneficial for productivity and mental energy, and having a fitness space only compounds these benefits.

The space can also be multi-purpose, doubling as a meditation room, provided that no one is working out in the background. If the room gets a lot of use, you may want to consider a separate space (particularly one with a door) where colleagues can go and zen out for a few minutes.

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad

We’ve probably all been told before that sitting down for eight hours a day is unhealthy. That’s true, but the negative impact of sitting all day doesn’t stop there. While various articles debate the different health benefits of standing vs. sitting the one benefit that standing at work accomplishes that’s never debated: Standing while working leads to increased productivity.

Even the way you configure your desk can have a major impact on your productivity, energy and creativity. A good setup can improve the quality of your output and even allow you to get more “good hours” out of the day, while a poor setup can lead to more and more “slump hours.”

So today we’ll be discussing how to maximize those “good hours” and minimize the “slump hours” by incorporating a mix of sitting and standing into your day.

Getting used to standing at your desk

Standing all day when you’re not used to it can be tough. Your feet, back, knees – any part of you might get sore until you’ve built up the muscles to make it the whole eight hours.

There’s a definite adjustment period as you transition from sitting to standing, so don’t expect to make a complete switch from one day to the next. From our team’s experience at Fit Company, if you’re looking to switch to full-time standing, it can take over a month before your body gets used to the changes.

A good place to start would be to do it in increments, slowly ramping up your standing time.

Begin by taking 15-30 minute “standing breaks” a couple times a day, then gradually increase those overtime. Eventually, standing will be the new norm and sitting down will be your once-in-a-while break.

How to get a standing desk or set up your desk for standing

When it comes to procuring your standing desk, there’s a couple of ways to go about it.

A lot of us who have either transitioned to standing desks or add standing into our routine have started out with the do-it-yourself route. This is a great place to start, since the investment is minimal and you get to try before you buy.

If you’re using a laptop, try stacking some books underneath it. If your office still has an old phone book or an encyclopedia kicking around, those work well (as do big hardcover books). Any stack of boxes or containers around the office will do the trick as well.

If you’re using a monitor and a separate keyboard, prop up your monitor and keyboard to their ideal heights (see below). This can be a better setup since your keyboard can be set independently from your monitor, but it may require a little more configuring. You also can save on some stacking supplies since the monitor will give you some extra height. Just be careful that your monitor is secure and doesn’t topple!

If DIY isn’t your thing or if you’ve already tried it out and want something more permanent, asking your department or HR is the next step to take.

If standing is already part of the status quo at your company, you should have no problem speaking to someone about acquiring a standing desk. However, if you’re the first person leading the charge, it might take a bit more coaxing.

One starting point is to talk it over with your colleagues over lunch. Have any of them been thinking about getting a standing desk but weren’t sure where to begin either? Making the request as a team is always the way to go and your team can hold you accountable to use it!

How to configure your standing desk

The process of configuring a standing desk is a lot like the process you would take at your regular sitting desk. You’re going to want to make sure your monitor, mouse and keyboard are all positions in the proper manner to avoid neck and wrist strain.

Make sure your monitor is at the right height. You don’t want to be craning your neck looking too far up or down or even to the sides. Ideally, your chin should be level and your eyes looking straight ahead.

Also be mindful of the position of your hands and your elbows. Your elbows should be level with your keyboard, or as close as possible, allowing your hands to be straight and not bend too much at the wrist.

Bonus activities for sitting and standing

Once you’ve got a good ratio of standing and sitting worked out, you can mix it up by either sitting on a Swiss ball or standing on a balance board. Some vendors make these specifically for offices and standing desk setups and should fit perfectly behind your desk.

Going 30 minutes with one of these each day adds even more work positions to your repertoire and makes your brain start firing in different ways. You’ll also get to burn a couple more calories in the process.

Make standing a team challenge!

Previously we’ve written about office wods as a fun way of getting your team energized and moving. Why not add standing challenges to your office activities?

Set aside 30 minutes for standing in the afternoon after people have had their lunches. Get your whole team to make the switch.

If you and some of your colleagues are no strangers to standing, why not make one afternoon a week standing-only? Of course, don’t force anyone to do it, but see if you can make it a challenge for the whole team.

Helpful reminders about standing

To get the most out of your shift to standing, be sure to keep a water bottle by your side along with some good snacks.

We’ve also spoken previously about the remarkable benefits of staying hydrated, and those still hold true. But be sure to keep some healthy snacks on hand too!

Conclusion

Making the transition from sitting to standing doesn’t happen in a single afternoon. It should be a slow process that takes dedication (and teamwork!), but once you make it there, you’ll be amazed at the difference – and maybe even wonder why you never made the switch earlier.

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad