Fostering Employee Wellbeing: Building Connection and Community

In today's fast moving and often remote work environments, prioritizing employee wellbeing is more important than ever.  This is particularly seen in the nonprofit sector, where burnout is high and employee wellbeing can dip dangerously low. Here at The Fresh Perspective Group, a services firm on a mission to support nonprofit organizations, we recognize that employee mental and physical wellbeing is a business-critical priority. We are a people-first, culture-centric organization, and from day one we intentionally work hard to cultivate a workplace that fosters connection and community. We believe this focus enhances morale, productivity, and workplace joy; making it the absolute best place to work. In this blog, we want to explore how to create a thriving culture of wellbeing through connection and community, operational behaviors and rituals, and practices that center work-life harmony.

Creating and Nurturing Connection & Community

Establishing a sense of connection among employees is the cornerstone of a healthy workplace culture. Here are some ways that The Fresh Perspective Group nurtures that sense of community: 

• Encourage Open Communication: Foster an environment where employees feel safe sharing thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Regular and routine check-ins between team members, both formal and informal, can help bridge gaps and promote trust.  

• Intentionally Build Inclusive Teams: Promote belonging, embed equity, and celebrate diversity by creating deliberately inclusive procedures and systems. Diverse teams encourage varied perspectives and foster innovation, leading to stronger connections and stronger teams.  

• Social Initiatives: Organize team-building activities, both virtual and in-person, to encourage camaraderie. Activities like weekly social hours, wellness challenges, annual retreats, and company supported volunteering can strengthen community bonds. Facilitate opportunities for employees to connect outside of work tasks. This could include interest-based groups or social events, helping to forge friendships and reduce feelings of isolation.  

• Peer Recognition Programs: Implement programs that allow employees to recognize each other's efforts. Celebrating achievements boosts morale and reinforces a sense of belonging. Here, we celebrate in our kudos and gratitude Slack channel and encourage delivering recognition at any moment and in the moment.

Wellness-Centered Operational Behaviors & Rituals

Creating a wellness-centered workplace requires organizational support, planning, and daily practice. Here are some tactics that can center wellness and wellbeing in organizational operations: 

• Flexible Work Arrangements: We believe in the power of remote work and distributed teams. This means that our employees have the ability to set their work hours and location within reason and in alignment with our goals and business needs. We have Mondays off, working a Tuesday to Friday, 32-hour work week. We know that flexibility can lead to increased job satisfaction and decreased stress levels. 

• Wellness Programs: Our company promotes physical and mental health. Not only do we offer rich benefits that support behavioral health, but we also have a company counsellor on staff who is available to support all our employees. Providing resources for employees’ holistic health shows that we value their wellbeing. 

• Mental Health Resources: Make mental health support easily accessible. This could include providing an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or workshops on stress management and resilience. At TFPG we want to reduce the stigma around mental health by investing in resources for employees and normalizing conversations about mental health.  

• Healthy Work Environment: Create a workspace that promotes physical wellbeing. We ensure our team members work in spaces that have ample natural light, ergonomic equipment when needed, and we remind one another to stretch, drink water, and ensure physical needs, like time to eat or get out in nature, are met and celebrated. 

• Feedback Mechanisms: We regularly solicit feedback on wellness initiatives and adjust our approach as needed. We prioritize understanding employee needs and preferences because that allows for continuous improvement of wellness programs. 

Practices that Center Work/Life Harmony   

Achieving harmony between work and life is crucial for employee wellbeing; and it is very difficult to obtain and sustain. Folks often hear about work/life balance, but balance is so precarious and requires a precision that is often fleeting. We know that work and life are interconnected and often overlapping; the stress, joy, and weight of one area can directly impact the other. An exactly equal balance is hard to achieve, and can make us feel like a failure, if, and when, our scales tip. So, here at The Fresh Perspective Group, we center work/life harmony, promoting flexibility and adaptability to life’s changing circumstances. Here are our strategies to promote work/life harmony: 

• Set Boundaries: Encourage employees to set clear boundaries between work and personal life. Promote practices like "no email after hours" or designated break times. 

• Cultivate Self-Care Practices: Encourage employees to prioritize self-care. Providing resources, like workshops on meditation or stress management, can help individuals incorporate self-care into their daily routines. 

• Support Personal Development: Foster a culture of continuous learning. Support employees in pursuing personal interests and professional development, which contributes to their sense of purpose and satisfaction. 

• Model Work-Life Harmony: We all proudly identify as leaders at TFPG. As leaders, we all model what it means to hold harmonious space for both work and personal life. We respect personal time as sacred, ensuring that work tasks are not expected during these hours. In our flexible environment, we recognize that sometimes we may need to sacrifice our own flexibility to support our colleagues in exercising theirs. We know that when we each prioritize our own wellbeing, it sets a powerful example that encourages other team members to do the same. 

By cultivating connection and community, implementing wellness-centered behaviors and rituals, and promoting harmonious work/life practices, organizations can create an environment where employees thrive. With our on-staff counsellor, a 32-hour work week, social rituals, and inclusive practices; we strive to reinforce our commitment to health, harmony, and happiness. We may not always get it perfectly right, but we’re committed to keeping an open mind and listening to our employees’ feedback as our organization grows and expands. We believe that investing in employee wellbeing not only benefits individuals but also enhances overall productivity, creativity, and workplace morale that trickles into the work we do with our nonprofit clients. Let’s work together to foster a culture where everyone feels valued and connected!