Ways to Create a Fun and Inclusive Workplace

Are you planning any workplace wellness activities to kick off the new year? One of my newsletter subscribers recently asked me, “Our employees want us to highlight healthy lifestyles, perhaps by launching a ‘step challenge’ or hosting a 5K. While I love these ideas, we have some employees who use wheelchairs. For example, I struggle with organizing a step challenge because I feel this is not inclusive to everyone. Am I overthinking this? Or do you have suggestions that meet the ask but are inclusive to everyone?” I immediately contacted my friend, workplace wellness expert Laura Putnam. She recommended thinking about the various dimensions of wellness when designing programs. These include physical, emotional, social, financial, career, and community needs. By offering options in these categories, you’ll be more inclusive by design. With her guidance, I then researched possible activities. Here are some ideas: - Physical: Organize a “workout streak,” asking employees to record the number of days in a row they’ve done some workout—cardio, yoga, weights, stretching, or anything they define as a workout. Or arrange “stroll & roll” groups for breaks, ensuring paths are wheelchair-accessible. - Emotional: Designate an “Unplug at lunch” day, committing not to use your phone or devices and enjoying silence or talking with coworkers. - Social: Create a “Get to Know Each Other” week, with prompts to encourage coworkers to find personal connections. - Financial: Provide financial planning or budgeting classes. - Career: Host sessions to demystify the promotion process or other career-related topics. - Community: Organize a donation drive for items that a local non-profit needs. Then, once you have some options, let people design their wellness goals and choose activities that make sense for them. P.S. A few years ago, Laura and I collaborated on a thought paper titled "50 Ways You Might Have Wellness Privilege at Work" (https://lnkd.in/gBGfzhqv). It explores why wellness and inclusion should be considered holistically, with practical actions to take to improve workplaces everywhere.

For the last two months, I’ve interviewed a chief people officer every day. When it comes to measuring engagement, most have their formal approach dialed. But when it comes to less formalized and more fun, here are 3 of the most creative approaches I’ve heard: 1️⃣ A tech tool where employees comment anonymously and upvote each other’s feedback at Exabeam. How it works: Like social media for feedback with an intentional option for anonymity. Why I like it: Qualitative feedback + upvotes to indicate how much a given question or piece of feedback resonates company-wide. Not to mention, upvotes make it fun and sticky. 2️⃣ Weekly AMAs with the CEO at Databricks How it works: To kick off weekly all-hands meetings, the CEO takes live questions from the audience. And employees go deep! Why I like it: It sets a tone. The CEO makes himself directly accessible to the frontline, which radicalizes transparency in a way many companies (and CEOs) won’t. This has a big ripple effect on feedback of all kinds. 3️⃣ A “Ted Lasso Style Suggestion Box” at 10x Genomics How it works: People just write down suggestions, big or small, and put them in a box. 10x then guarantees a response to every single suggestion. Why I like it: It’s organic and welcoming. I especially like the use of smaller requests, like buying bike locks for employees. Responding quickly to small requests is a great way to show people they are heard and cared for. --- Curious to hear what other examples you would add? #culture #employeeengagement #chiefpeopleofficer

Companies that hire me to jumpstart collaboration are usually struggling with low engagement, isolated teams, and a lack of unity. To fix it, I suggest focusing on 1 simple thing to start → strengthening team connections. Good collaboration isn’t enough to create real change anymore. You need: • Teams united by a common purpose • Active engagement that builds trust and drives innovation Here are 6 Simple (And Fun) Ways To Quickly Strengthen The Unity Of Your Team: 1. Organize team outings like escape rooms to encourage problem-solving together 2. Set up "office Olympics" for friendly competition and unity 3. Create food-focused events that bring teams together over shared meals 4. Schedule weekly mindfulness sessions to reduce stress and foster focus 5. Start group storytelling sessions to boost creativity and teamwork 6. Establish "Fun Fridays" to ensure consistent bonding and relaxation This approach works because it actively creates opportunities for teams to connect every single week. Think about it... More collaboration → better communication and innovation. Creating stronger, more cohesive teams every single day. This isn’t just about fun activities—it’s about building lasting connections that fuel growth. More team unity → better results. Simple, but it works! #TeamBuilding #Collaboration #Culture #Leadership #Innovation #EmployeeEngagement #VestedWay #KeynoteSpeaker