There’s a steady stream of research demonstrating the importance of employee well-being.
The simple truth is that when employee mental health is prioritized, productivity, engagement, and retention increase.
To raise awareness of this fact, several events are recognized annually:
- May is Mental Health Awareness Month
- August is National Wellness Month
- October 10 is World Mental Health Day
Although positive mental health benefits are commemorated through these occasions, it’s never a bad time to prioritize employee well-being.
Even setting aside five minutes each day to prioritize self-care can make a difference, amounting to over thirty hours of self-reflection in one year.
Companies struggling to support their employees’ mental health likely need to adjust their corporate culture and expectations significantly.
However, intentional mental health activities can raise awareness of self-care, cultivate important conversations, and provide much-needed breaks in an employee’s busy schedule to combat burnout.
Here are five activities that can help increase your team’s mental health awareness.
5 Activities to Help Your Team’s Mental Health Awareness
1. Exercise From Your Desk
Staying active helps you feel better, helps you sleep, and helps your self-esteem.
It’s difficult to find time to exercise at work, however, which is why a quarter of adults don’t engage in the recommended amount of physical activity.
Providing a gym stipend or in-office exercise equipment can help, but it doesn’t ensure that employees use it.
Teamraderie’s team experience, Wired for Wellness, is the perfect way to help your team learn how to do micro-workouts from their desks.
In this experience, a professional trainer will lead your team through a few energy-boosting resistance training movements designed to recharge your mind by strengthening your body while at work.
2. Start a Personal Office Garden
Did you know that interacting with indoor plants can help relieve feelings of stress?
Although the best way to maximize the benefits of nature is to take a walk outside, research from Harvard Business Review (HBR) shows that enhancing an office space with greenery can boost employee happiness.
Teamraderie offers two experiences to help your team do just that:
- Terrarium Time Out: Your team will receive the supplies needed to build a terrarium. As you create your terrarium you’ll learn about health and wellness, share tactics for self-care and growth, and flex your creative muscles.
- Seeds of Change: Your team will receive everything needed to start a microgreen garden. They’ll also be led in a discussion about sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
These experiences are a great opportunity to learn about wellness and sustainability while taking a break from the stress of the workday.
3. Learn to Work Smarter Rather Than Harder
Do your employees feel like they’re being mentally pulled in too many directions?
Overwork is a significant problem in the workplace. Research from the World Health Organization shows that overwork increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Despite this, research from HBR shows that overwork has increased since the pandemic.
Teamraderie’s experience, Outcomes Over Hours, will help your team learn how to work smarter instead of harder.
Led by author Tina Paterson, your team will complete a diagram to help differentiate between urgency and importance. Participants will learn tips for optimizing their workload, helping avoid late-night or weekend work.
4. Paint With Your Team
Learning a new skill gives you a sense of accomplishment and helps you connect with others.
In Painting With Purpose, your team will have the opportunity to brush off those creative muscles. In this Teamraderie experience, participants receive a beautifully wrapped kit with a canvas, paints, and brushes.
An instructor from a female-led California-based art studio joins you live and walks you through each step of creating your masterpiece.
5. Take a Coffee Break
Research from Slack reveals that approximately half of employees rarely take breaks at work, if at all.
Despite this, the study highlights the following benefits of break-taking:
- Better work-life balance
- Improved ability to manage job stress and anxiety
- Increased overall satisfaction
- Higher levels of productivity
It’s a good idea for leaders to encourage employees to take breaks. Facilitating team breaks can also improve connection and inclusion.
Our coffee-tasting experiences, led by a top barista, force your team to stop thinking about work and instead spend time reconnecting with colleagues. It’s also a great way to learn about beverages you likely drink regularly.
Find the Perfect Activity for Your Team
If you want to give your team a break while facilitating connection and learning, leveraging Teamraderie is an excellent place to start.
Teamraderie offers an extensive range of live, virtual, research-backed experiences. These experiences are led by expert hosts ranging from Stanford professors to Olympians.
If you’re interested in exploring the 60+ experiences we offer, click here to browse our experience finder.
