GrokTalk Blog

What does “wellness” mean? Is it about eating right and exercising? Is it about feeling happy? About having good relationships with others? All of the above certainly come under the wellness banner, which means that ideally, they should be part of an employee wellness program.

What is a holistic wellness program?

A holistic wellness program addresses aspects of health and well-being, and goes beyond just physical needs. And such well-rounded programs are becoming a force within HR departments: According to a recent survey from Gallagher Benefit Services, 34 percent of wellness programs now include financial counseling, 28 percent offer volunteer opportunities, and 27 percent offer community engagement.

Grokker CEO and Founder Lorna Borenstein is taking her popular online culture series on the road with a live keynote event at the 2017 Employer Healthcare & Benefits Congress. Lorna regularly interviews trailblazing HR leaders and CEO’s around the globe on how to create employee-centric cultures that promote holistic wellness.

A healthy workplace is a happy workplace. Most employers today are aware of this: 80% of organizations provide wellness resources and information, and 70% of organizations offer wellness programs.

It’s an effort embraced by many healthcare providers, but given the most typical source of stress and the high cost to employers, it’s an initiative that would make a lot of sense for companies to take seriously.

Grokker teamed up with SurveyMonkey to examine what most stresses Americans and how the nation is coping with the rising epidemic. Contrary to popular belief, the fears keeping Americans up at night are global or geo-political issues that are out of their immediate control.

If you work more than 40 hours a week, you’re not alone. Americans spend an average of 8.8 hours per day, or more than half their waking hours on work and work-related activities, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In addition, 80% of the American workforce are in jobs that require little or no physical activity and 78% of the American workforce reports that their job is stressful. The result is an overstressed, burnt-out workforce with little-to-no time for health-promoting activities.

Burnout isn’t always about work. That new mom for whom you just threw a “welcome back” party – the one with the increasingly dark circles around her eyes? And that dad with three kids under 10, who looks like he’s struggling to stay awake during afternoon meetings? Parenting burnout, not work burnout, is what’s hurting these people.

A recent study of parental burnout published in Frontiers in Psychology found that the symptoms mirrored that of work burnout: exhaustion, emotional withdrawal, and feelings of inadequacy. The study found that 12% of parents surveyed suffered from high levels of burnout – that is, experiencing all of these symptoms in a single week.

62 percent of professionals say they typically eat lunch at their desks. This stat likely comes as no surprise to most professionals. In fact, I would argue it may be even higher in Silicon Valley where non-stop work at all hours is usually regarded as a point of pride.

What is leading to all these “desktop diners”? About a third of employees say they feel pressured by their managers to work through lunch. While it may seem like working through lunch equals greater productivity, creating a culture where employees take a true break mid-day can have positive effects on your business and your employees’ health.

Bloomingdale's is partnering with on-the-go wellness video network Grokker to launch an industry-first wellness initiative for Bloomingdale's customers. The partnership features in-store events throughout May as well as a month-long, online wellness challenge hosted by Grokker and Bloomingdale's. This is the first partnership of its kind between a national retailer and an on-demand wellness service.

Karl’s co-workers have noticed that he hasn’t been himself lately. Once collaborative, energetic, and deadline-driven, Karl now snaps at people in meetings, is lethargic, and requires multiple reminders to submit his reports. He always seems to be watching the clock, yet constantly complains about feeling like he doesn’t have enough time in the day to get everything done.

Karl is exhibiting classic signs of burnout. Coined in the 1970s by the psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, there is no single, widely accepted definition of burnout¹. However, it’s become a fairly widespread modern malady, due in part to our always-on culture.

I’m going to suggest something that to some of you may feel like I’m asking you to run through the cafeteria naked. Deep breaths. Here we go.

The key to creating a company culture that will attract and retain employees is remarkably simple, yet requires an enormous amount of courage. It runs against the core of most existing corporate norms and does not need to be displayed in your headquarters lobby. Plus, it’s free.

To create a winning culture you must do one thing above all else…

Grokker, the personalized wellness service for busy people on-the-go, today announced that SurveyMonkey will now offer Grokker’s engaging, flexible video content to inspire the company’s 800 global employees to be their best self.

“One of our biggest HR challenges is how to engage a dispersed, global team with corporate benefits that will ultimately attract and retain the best talent,” said Yuki Horiguchi, senior director of compensation and benefits at SurveyMonkey. “The fact that Grokker is available on any device, at any time and designed specifically for busy professionals means that all of our global employees can take advantage of this new benefit, and find the time to incorporate wellbeing into their everyday life.”