Wellness initiatives at Emperor
Posted in Employee on 3 November 2020 By Steve Kemp, CEO and Co-Founder
With the clocks going back, the nights drawing in and winter fast approaching, while the majority of us are likely to still be working from home regularly for the months to come, it’s a priority to look after the wellbeing of ourselves and our colleagues.
As a business, it’s important that we do what we can to support this. So I thought that today would be a good time to share some of our wellness initiatives, split into three distinct categories, as some food for thought.
1. No agenda conversations
When working remotely and virtually, we all know it is too easy to dig in and focus on core business delivery and lose some of the humanity which makes a company so special. Our ‘no agenda conversations’ are about connecting over something other than our to-do lists.
Monday match ups
Each week, people are randomly matched across the business and encouraged to have a conversation about anything and everything, helping to build up relationships with people they might not have worked, or even spoken, with before.
Let's discuss
An early evening group discussion led by people with a particular interest in the subject. Initial conversation topics include everything from the American election, favourite holiday destinations and fantasy football teams, to mental health and Black History Month.
The Bookery goes virtual
What used to be a book-sharing shelf has turned into a traditional (virtual) book club. Members suggest books and vote for their favourite to read each month. The reading itself encourages less screen-time and the monthly discussions allows those with a shared interest to come together.
2. Get active, mind and body
Locked down in our homes and with no regular commute, we’re losing out on a lot of important exercise – it’s important we find other ways to keep moving and stay active.
Winter woollies walk and talk
This is about encouraging people to get outside and see some daylight now that the dark nights are approaching. Wrapping up warm and walking and talking to people on the phone – getting away from Zoom and potentially combining with the Monday match up.
Fit club
We’re planning a weekly fitness session with internal and external guest trainers, some live and some recorded sessions.
Walk into winter
Following on from our 70 million steps for our ‘March of the Penguins’, which took us to Antarctica and back, the Penguins are getting their boots back on and walking the Americas, top to bottom. All participant steps are thrown into a collective pot and steps added up on a weekly basis.
3. Relax and switch off
Screens were already starting to dominate our lives, but with other entertainment avenues curtailed and the work/home division increasingly blurred, switching off even for a few minutes has become more important than ever.
Take 20
We’re encouraging people to take time out and step away from their screens. Break up the working day by going for a walk, listening to music, cooking or just spending time with your household doing something you enjoy together.
Sammy’s yoga and meditation
Sammy, our newly appointed Wellbeing Manager, is running weekly yoga and meditation sessions to keep our minds and bodies moving and stretching and promoting self-care.
Autumnwatch
Having already held photographic competitions for the past two seasons, we have now just launched our Autumnwatch competition. The quality of the past two has been amazing and it’s another opportunity to encourage people to step outside and change their scenery.
These are just some of the things we are doing and are of course by no means the definitive list. Maybe they will spark an idea or two, but just as important is the conversation and if you would like to discuss these or share ideas, I’d be delighted to hear from you.
