This year, the concept of wellness is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. After the COVID-19 shutdown, we, now more than ever, are acutely aware of our physical and mental wellbeing. For many, it is now a priority rather than an afterthought. So how should businesses respond to the wellness concerns of their employees?
The easy answer would be to offer employees more benefits in the hopes of preventing burnout. But without the foundational values that shape a positive employee culture, those benefits won’t be enough. The focus should first be on creating an environment in which employees are invested in seeing each other thrive; both in their work lives and their personal lives. Big Sky Public Relations focuses on doing just that.
For BSPR, culture is key. Our culture is built up of seven values: empathy, integrity, community, excellence, resilience, teamwork and gratitude. These are vital to every project and public interaction, but also to every conversation and internal email. Simple expressions of gratitude to a fellow employee or a friendly offer of assistance are demonstrations of these values. And when a team agrees to cultivate this kind of workplace, they are ready to tackle any challenge together.
For this positive employee culture, benefits can act as a scaffolding. At BSPR, they are given out of a desire for employee wellness, both physical and mental. Employees receive a quarterly massage reimbursement for whatever pampering they prefer, as well as a gym membership reimbursement. When COVID-19 shut down the gyms, BSPR allowed employees to purchase at-home exercise equipment with this reimbursement to keep on track with their wellness habits.
Not only do we prioritize individual wellbeing, but team wellbeing is also top of mind. BSPR has Wellness Pods centered around nature, cooking, and exercise. These pods are meant to inspire employees to try new things and discuss what their personal wellness journey looks like in relation to these topics. Employees are also encouraged to attend Quarterly Wellness Events. So far, the team has enjoyed participating in a nature hike and a virtual cooking class, with more to come.
With this focus on employee wellness and company culture, Big Sky Public Relations has become an organization where team members feel cared about – inside and out. By creating a culture around values and expressing them in tangible ways, we hope that other organizations can also encourage their employees’ pursuit of health and wellness.
