How Corporate Wellness Boosts Profits

business employees stretch break

What defines the success of your business? Is it profits, customer satisfaction, or impact on the community? The more you break it down, the more you realize all these factors have one thing in common. You can’t define your success without a happy workforce to make it happen.

Leave your workstation, and let’s go for a little retreat. It’s time to show you why corporate wellness is more important than you think!

What is Corporate Wellness?

To understand the benefits of a corporate wellness strategy, we must understand what it entails. Corporate Wellness is any activity or policy within the workplace that improves the health & wellness of employees. 

An effective wellness policy must encourage workers to adopt healthy habits, encourage teamwork and increase productivity without leading to burnout.

Why does corporate wellness matter?

Employees spend the majority of their lives at work. With more employees working from home than ever before, the work-life balance has shifted negatively towards a busier and more stressful lifestyle. 

High levels of inflation have also put a damper on our ability to reap the rewards of our hard work, while supply chains have crippled, making some sales targets hard to reach. This is the reality of many businesses today, but there are ways to help our treasured staff rise above the issues at hand.

Here are the Facts

  • For every dollar spent on wellness programs, workers spend less time absent and less money on healthcare. 1
  • Long working hours leads to an increased risk of heart disease 2
  • Stressed workers cost the US over 300 billion dollars every year 3

How to make your workplace fit for work?

An effective corporate wellness program can make a huge difference in your staff’s productivity and overall wellbeing. You may also notice a positive return on your investment as workers spend less time sick, less time exhausted and more time creating quality products and services.

Focus on Movement

One of the most popular corporate wellness techniques is to create an environment focused on the fitness of your staff. Establishing a gym at the office or incentivizing staff with a free gym membership may encourage them to stay on top of their game and keep healthy without breaking their pocket. Allow employees 15 minutes per day to take a walk as a health initiative.

Corporate entities may also offer cash incentives to employees that meet their personal fitness goals. This gives each worker a motivational boost, knowing that their company cares about their own wellness beyond the workplace.

Clear the Air

Smoking is one of the most lethal habits in workplace culture. Workers who smoke are more likely to spend more on health-related expenses and spend less time on the job. Heavy smokers may also have a lower life expectancy, which increases the turnover rate within the workforce in the worst way.

Smoke Cessation corporate wellness programs aim to reduce the number of employees who smoke through lifestyle coaching, special incentives for quitting, and medical support to keep them away from cigarettes. 

This simple strategy also boosts the public perception of your company as one that focuses on a healthy and happy workforce.

Team Sports

No need to wait for the next Olympics. You can host your own series of games from the comfort of your workplace. When workers are encouraged to take part in corporate wellness activities outside of the usual workflow, they may work better as a team, get a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and show more initiative.

This can be as simple as a paper toss challenge or complex as a multi-level tournament for a cash prize. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.

Retreats

It’s easy to lose focus on what’s important when we’re always on the grind. One of the most effective corporate wellness programs is a timely company-sponsored retreat. Releasing your workforce from the usual hustle and bustle for a week and experiencing something new together can do wonders for staff morale. 

A well-planned retreat may also encourage new idea development, increasing the company’s offerings and boosting profits in the future.

Encourage Breaks

A burnt-out staff is never a good thing. It’s important to create an environment where workers feel comfortable moving at a pace that yields the best results. An effective corporate wellness program should encourage staff to take a breather every now and then, without worrying about the pause in productivity affecting their performance review. 

Some large-scale companies offer nap rooms where workers can take a moment to decompress before continuing with the day’s activities. Google famously has sleep pods across the campus for this very same reason.

Lunch Luxuries

Food is one of the greatest motivators in the world. A healthy, tasty, and filling lunch program can significantly reduce stress, improve the diet and incentivize the workplace.

Corporate wellness programs should focus on the dietary needs of their workers and encourage a healthier and happier lifestyle. Many tech companies offer free snacks, beverages, and even meals at any given time of the day. Some companies may even deliver healthy snacks directly to your office.

Wellness Works

It’s easy to build a corporate wellness program within your workplace. Work within your budget and start building today for a better, happier & healthier workplace tomorrow.

3 Must Do’s Before Starting Your Own Biz to Propel Your Success!

starting your own business

I have been an entrepreneur for most of my life. I have had the opportunity over the years to start and scale many businesses myself and coach hundreds of my clients on how to do the same. Over the years I have learnt so much on what it takes to be successful in business and how you can fast track your success by understanding how powerful of a creator you are. Looking back when I first started in business, I wish I had a better understanding of why these 3 strategies are so important before even starting. I am going to share with you the 3 things I wish I knew when I was starting my first business.

  1. Crystalize your Dream

Before starting your own business crystalize your idea, crystalize your intent. Like a foundation when you are building a house, it’s what keeps it solid and keeps you on track. The clearer you get the easier it gets. Clarity allows us to speed up how we manifest and create every day. For most people this is the hardest part because they don’t know what they want. You are worth spending time to get really clear on what you want. The following exercise will help you crystalize your dream.

Exercise:

  • Have a journal – call it your dream book or idea book. This is your safe place to do brain dumps on all your ideas. Get creative and dream big. Ask yourself and write down your answers to the following:
  • What I really want is . . . (Allow this to be something that you love to do and that does not feel like work because it makes you happy.)
  • My dream business is . . .
  • What does your dream business look like? (Size, number of employees, location, online or in person.)
  1. Define your ‘Why’

Part of the cement that is going to hold your business true and strong for the long run is understanding why you have decided to open a business. It’s an important step that you must go through mentally and emotionally to identify “Why I want this”, because when things get challenging, you want to have a solid footing reminding you why you are starting your own business

Exercise:

  • Dig deep, finding the emotional component gets you closer to your true why. Physically write down your reason. It’s also useful to know what this business will do for you. Be specific and describe how owning this business will make you feel once successful.
  • Take a look at what motivates you to start your own business. In fact, think about what you would be doing in a year from now, if you weren’t starting your business. What career would you be doing otherwise? Fast forward 10 years, and if you didn’t open your business for whatever reason, think about how your life looks like and how it feels?
  1. Align your mind and your heart for success

Now that you have identified your ‘why’ and understand your passion, you must get your mind onboard. Our minds and our beliefs can be our biggest passageway or obstacle to success. The key is to have your mind believe in your success as if it has already happened.

Exercise:

  • To get started, let yourself envision your future self as you manage a successful dream business. Envision that you have clients and that you are making money. Practice this imagery.
  • As you imagine your successful future self, write a paragraph from that place, describing your business. It will become the foundation for what you can tell a client “this is what I do”. The paragraph you write, must be written in the present tense. Do not use phrases such as “I hope to” or “I want to”. It is an affirmation in the present tense. This is part of the process in building and growing and creating the foundations for your business to come into fruition.
  • Have fun with it, be concise, clear, specific and be in the present tense.

In summary it is worth spending some time in the beginning to really crystalize your dream – get clear on what you want, identify your ‘why’ to keep you on track and motivated, and work on your mindset to align with your heart and believe in your success. This is where the true magic will happen!

Want to make the process of starting a business easy? Want to learn all the business fundamentals plus how to achieve a successful mindset to really propel your success?

We have made it simple and accessible for you to start. Join our on line program ‘Leap to Freedom’. It gives you 6 weeks of instructional videos, workbook exercises and downloads to help you navigate from conception to successful launch. It even includes meditations on how to remove money blocks and generate abundance. As a bonus your will get 2, 90-minute business strategy sessions with me to help you fast track success in your new business.

Julie Cass, founder of The Positive Change Group, shares valuable information across media platforms. She has appeared on Global TV, CHCH, and CP24 speaking on issues of physical and emotional health, relationship building, and women’s empowerment.

Julie is awaiting the release of her newly written book and is published in several magazines including Canadian Living and Canadian Business Journal covering topics of leadership and personal fulfillment. She has also made appearances on a variety of podcasts and engaged with audiences at numerous public speaking events.

Mindful Leadership

Mindful Leadership

Mindful Leadership

Mindfulness, a buzz word we hear often today.  But why is Mindfulness so important and what does that mean when it relates to leadership?

I was in my early 20’s when I ran my first spa.  I had a team of 50 employees and I was determined to succeed and create one of the best spas in Canada.   However, my ideals of what being a great leader meant, were skewed.  I thought the harder I worked the more respect I would gain from my team.   So I worked 7 days a week for a year straight thinking this was the formula for success.  The problem with this scenario might be obvious.  How can a leader have a clear head when they eat, breath and sleep work?  It is impossible to gain rational perspective and make sound decisions.

I took things way to personal when they went wrong.  If someone quit, it was the end of the world to me, as the spa was my world.   I cared too much about my work and not enough about myself.  And the irony is that in this industry we are promoting self-care for others and yet as a leader I did not model this for my team and customers.  The other problem with my scenario was that I built a culture where my staff became dependent on me and could not make decisions on their own.  I was always there to solve the problems.  This was not sustainable for myself and nor was it empowering for my team members.

Over the years I learned that the most important thing as a leader in achieving success is Mindfulness.

Let’s explore the true meaning of Mindfulness.

Mindfulness

To simplify what this means think of mindfulness as an elevated consciousness.  It means you are being mindful with your thoughts, actions and behaviors.   You are more aware of yourself.  When we become more aware, we automatically take note of our actions and become accountable for our results and outcomes in life.  This is such a powerful tool to embrace because it allows you to take power of your own life and remember that you get to create it.  It takes us from “why does this always happen to me” to “look what I created”.

Mindfulness puts you in the driver seat of your life and the more you practice it, the more you will realize how important it is to create positive outcomes.

Mindful Leadership

Mindful leadership is a necessity today to create a company with heart, loyalty and passion.  It does not matter if you are leading a team of 2 or 2,000, as a leader you have power to impact people’s lives.

Not only can mindful leadership create great success for your bottom line, but also in you and your team’s overall happiness.  Mindful leadership is leading with your heart.

As a leadership coach, the most important thing I teach leaders today, is not about how to generate more revenue, or better marketing plans or cost savings initiatives; rather how they can elevate their own consciousness and be a mindful leader to create lasting success.

Let’s explore some simple ways to become a mindful leader.

Key Actions to Leader Mindfulness

Create a Morning Ritual to Start your Day with an Elevated Mindset.

This will allow you to elevate your own energy, get your mind in an elevated state so you can conquer your day with strength and integrity.  It will allow you to be proactive and less reactive.

Samples of Morning Self Care Rituals:

  • Exercise – this increases serotonin levels and gets our mood in a better state
  • Meditation – taps into your higher self and pulls you out of drama
  • Journaling – allows you to set intentions and empty thoughts in a safe way
  • Gratitude – I am a big believer that gratitude changes attitude.

It is the responsibility of a leader to show up as our highest and best each day.  But we are human, and we all have our own difficulties.  So morning rituals around self-care become a necessity to lead with intention and get our mindset into a positive place.

Elevate Communication and Understanding – 3 Step Approach

First Step: Engage

The first step is to engage with your employees.  We cannot expect them to be mind readers.

Engagement means proper communication in order to have a successful relationship.  This can come in the form of team meetings, smaller group meetings and one-on-one meetings.  The importance here is to keep communication flowing two ways.  Allowing you as a leader to have a voice in setting clear expectations and also allowing your employees to have a voice as a member of the team.  Depending on the size and scope of your spa or wellness center, team meetings are suggested at least once a month.  Smaller huddles can happen daily or weekly.  And one on one engagement should be an organic but frequent experience.  This is different than a yearly review.  It is important to remember that life comes up and as leaders we need to understand our employee’s situation, which leads me to my next step.

Second Step: Understand

Do you think it is appropriate to be in tuned with an employee’s personal life and situations?  Absolutely.  It is important to understand what makes our employees happy outside of work, what motivates them, what their home life is like and to treat them as a whole person rather than just a paycheck.  This is the heart centered work as a leader.  A mindful leader will understand their employees and care for them.  The clearer we understand our employee’s situations the easier it becomes to work together and create harmony.  And this leads to adapting.

Third Step: Adapt

Sometimes we can make the smallest changes to an employees work schedule that alleviates a lot of pressure.  I used to think as a leader in order to be fair I had to have the exact same rules for everyone.   Fair does not always mean equal.  For example if you have an employee that needs to take kids to daycare in the morning which means they are always coming in “late” for a 9:00am start time.   Adjust their start time.  Depending on home life some might want to start earlier and some later.  At the end of the day when we can accommodate and be flexible, then we can also ask for flexibility back and this will alleviate a lot of stress for your employees and also between staff members.  Getting to know your employees a bit deeper so you can adapt when necessary will pay off greatly.  Please be clear this does not mean that expectations are not clear.  In fact it is super important when having an environment with flexibility, that you are very clear on expectations and job requirements.

Lead by Example – Your Energy Will Be Infectious!

As a mindful leader you will become aware that your team will watch you and emulate behaviors.  For instance, if you are eating junk food everyday then you set the tone of the culture around food at work.  If you are conscious around eating, exercise and self-care, you will set a positive tone of that in your workplace.  In this industry it is important that we take time for self-care as this is the exact thing we are promoting.  This elevates our energy and has a positive infectious effect.

Create a Community

Think of the work environment as a place of community.  As humans having a place where we feel we belong is one of our intrinsic needs.   Unfortunately in North America the sense of community has declined.  We have gone from small town local shopping, to on-line or big city center shopping malls.  We have adopted a mindset of convenience taking priority over community.   Neighborhoods are not built today with a local gathering or meeting place.  And yet community brings people together, community allows people to feel safe and connected.  So now more than ever you have an opportunity to create that in your work environment.  This will create a culture around loyalty because it becomes more than work for your employees but rather a place of belonging.

Some ways you can create a sense of community at work:

  • Have a team pot luck lunch once a month
  • Join a charity run or walk together as a team
  • Incorporate wellness classes at work. E.g. meditation, yoga, nutrition
  • Do a group sugar detox or cleanse
  • Have a weight loss challenge
  • Have a daily movement challenge.
  • Ask for your employees input and ideas regularly

Be Consistent and Own Mistakes

Being consistent in your behavior as a leader is essential to creating an environment where everyone feels safe and they can trust.  If the rules change day to day depending on your mood or depending on who asked at what time, this creates tension and anxiety.  Consistency gives your team a clear picture of your morals and values and company culture that you are setting.

Making mistakes does not have to be bad.  As a leader you are allowed to change your mind and also make mistakes.  In fact I think it is great when this happens but the key is to own your mistakes to your team.  Let them see you are human and let them see your vulnerability.  This allows them to follow your lead and also be accountable for their mistakes.  It takes pressure of the strive for perfectionism and gives them a sense of security.

Remember as a mindful leader, it is not about being perfect but rather about being truthful and always looking for ways to grow as a leader so your team can grow with you.

Enjoy the Results

Enjoy the results

Mindfulness brings a new level of consciousness to you, your business and your team.  It allows you to be present in all moments and get beyond the drama that can occur.  It creates more balance in your life and work.  And ultimately it improves your bottom line.

I know for me this was a game changer to my success and overall happiness.  I was able to run a huge business operation, with over 300 employees where we saw year after year growth.  And the key part was that I was able to do this 4 days a week.  So I created far more success with a balanced and mindful approach rather than feeling like I had to sacrifice everything to succeed.

When you learn to be mindful in your life, it is impossible to get so out of balance because your barometer for happiness goes up and you will not be willing to compromise the most important thing: Yourself!

And when we do this magic happens all around us.  We are able to achieve success, impact others in a deep way and enjoy the fruits of our success.

By: Julie CassJulie Cass - Mindful Leadership

Founder of The positive Change Group

Mindful Leadership as seen in Spa Canada Magazine

Setting Your Goals at the Best Time of Year

Setting Your Goals

Setting Your Goals at the Best Time of Year

September is one of my favorite months of the year.  It is a transitional period with summer rolling into fall, it means kids are back to school and usually the start of routine.  It is the best time of year to sit down and set your goals or intentions.   This is the most fertile time to manifest your dreams and set your intentions for the year.

Most people feel that the beginning of a calendar year is best to write down goals and set a plan.  But I disagree; September marks the time for new beginnings, new routine and new energy to manifest.

Some Keys to Creating your September Reboot

Take some Quiet Time for Yourself
  • Play relaxing music, grab a cup of tea, get your favorite notebook and some colored pens. Give yourself at least 30-60 min of uninterrupted time.
Grounding Technique
  • Before you begin clear your energy and ground so you can have a clearer headspace.
  • Sit on a chair or the floor with your spine straight, shoulders relaxed and eyes closed.
  • Take a nice big breath in through the nose and out through the nose and with your intention on the exhale, let go of anything that doesn’t serve you. On the inhale bring in new energy and light. Do this for a few breaths until you feel yourself relax and let go.
The Big 5
  • It is important to set goals in the 5 most important areas of our lives. WE are multidimensional beings so just focusing on one area will never bring us inner balance.
  • 5 areas to write goals are: Health, Wealth, Love, Career, and Spiritual Connection.
  • Note: There are more areas we can dive deeper into but for sake of simplicity focus on these 5.
Narrow it Down
  • Focus on your top 3 goals for each area of your life.  Use lots of color, add pictures or drawings if you like.
Action Steps
  • Have your note book or page visible. Look at this each day.
  • Block schedule your calendar with actions/ activities that get you closer to your goals
  • Calendar cleanse – learn to say no to things that do not serve your vision.

 

Happy September Reboot from The Positive Change.