Cost-Effective Employee Wellness Strategies for Startups

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.

Founders! 7 out of 10 employees would leave a job for one that prioritizes mental health. If you're not putting mental health at the center of your workplace, you're already falling behind: 🔴 Burnout affects 84% of employees, yet many companies still treat mental health as optional. 🔴 Losing one employee can drain up to 200% of their salary in rehiring costs. These are not made up statistics! When mental health is sidelined, everything suffers. Creativity fades & productivity dips. Did you know mental health issues cost the global economy $1 trillion annually in lost productivity. That’s almost Facebook’s market cap. Yet, so many of us pour resources only into products and systems while overlooking the people who power them. The best founders I know are already making the shift: 🟢 They're making rest as important as results, where taking a mental health day is encouraged. 🟢 They've moved beyond "perks" and include therapy and wellness tools as part of their core benefits. 🟢 They're integrating mental health into every layer of their operations. How teams collaborate, how workloads are managed, and how success is celebrated. Here's how you can start prioritizing mental health today: 1️⃣ Redesign your benefits package. Include therapy stipends, wellness app subscriptions, or partnerships with mental health professionals. Make support easy to access. 2️⃣ Rethink how you measure productivity. Stop rewarding "who stayed the latest." Celebrate outcomes, collaboration, and innovation. 3️⃣ Train your managers to prioritize well-being. Equip them to spot burnout, redistribute workloads, and lead with empathy. 4️⃣ Set clear boundaries and lead by example. Implement no-meeting days, discourage after-hours emails, and visibly take care of your own mental health. The best companies are designing systems that make mental health a core part of how they work... ...because for every dollar spent on mental health you get $4 in return in terms of productivity. So, fellow founders: What strategies are you using to support mental health in your workplace? If you're looking to get started or need guidance, I'd be happy to help. #MentalHealthMatters #Leadership #Founders #Startups #WorkplaceWellness

No budget for big benefits? No problem! Creative perks for small nonprofits 🎁💡 Let's face it: Many small nonprofits struggle to offer traditional benefits like medical, dental, or 401k. But that doesn't mean you can't create an attractive package for your team. Here are alternative benefits that can make a big impact: 1. Flexible Work Arrangements 🕰️ • Offer remote work options • Implement a 4-day workweek or flexible hours • Cost: Low | Value to employees: High 2. Professional Development 📚 • Provide learning stipends • Offer paid time for conferences or workshops • Cost: Moderate | Value: High (and benefits your org too!) 3. Paid Time Off for Volunteering 🤝 • Allow staff to volunteer on company time • Aligns with your mission-driven values • Cost: Moderate | Value: High (community impact bonus!) 4. Wellness Initiatives 🧘♀️ • Subsidize gym memberships or fitness classes • Provide mental health days • Cost: Low to Moderate | Value: High 5. Student Loan Assistance 🎓 • Offer small monthly contributions to loan payments • Even $50-100/month can make a difference • Cost: Moderate | Value: Very High for many employees 6. Transportation Benefits 🚲 • Provide public transit passes • Offer bike-to-work incentives • Cost: Low to Moderate | Value: High (eco-friendly too!) 7. Professional Memberships 🏅 • Cover dues for relevant professional associations • Cost: Low | Value: High for career development 8. Sabbatical Program 🌴 • Offer extended paid time off after certain tenure (5 years) • Great for preventing burnout • Cost: High | Value: Very High (but less frequent) 9. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) 🆘 • Provide access to counseling and support services • Cost: Moderate | Value: High, especially in crises 10. Skills-Based Volunteering Partnerships 🤝 • Partner with other orgs to "exchange" professional services • E.g., Your marketing person helps another nonprofit in exchange for their HR expertise • Cost: Low | Value: High (skill development and networking) Remember: The key is to be creative and listen to what your team values most. Often, flexibility and work-life balance rank higher than traditional benefits for nonprofit employees. For Muslim-led nonprofits: Faith-based benefits like paid time off for Eid or flexible hours during Ramadan should be the norm. Center yourselves in this! What creative benefits does your nonprofit offer? Share your ideas below – let's inspire each other! 👇 Want more innovative nonprofit management strategies? Join my mailing list: https://lnkd.in/gN2CCsv3 #NissaConsulting #NonprofitBenefits #EmployeeRetention #CreativeHR #MuslimLedNonprofits