It’s Monday morning, as Monday mornings go, this one is percolating. We put the finishing touches on the stuff left over from Friday and begin to wrestle with a whole lot of new stuff just in. Luckily, the 11 o’ clock hour is approaching, and the warm sun is inviting us to come out and feel its fortifying rays of Vitamin D. As we share our weekend events and check in on work-related happenings, we find things out about each other that we never knew, all walking side by side, past the park or along the paths connecting our buildings. You can count on this happening every Monday at 11 am— the walking group.
It’s a great way to refocus, refresh, and remind yourself that it’s important to keep the chaos of Monday morning life in perspective, by moving, breathing and reconnecting with your colleagues (all at the same time,) in what might otherwise be a hectic day.
Back at your desk, your mind is clearer, your fingers more dexterous on your keyboard, your awareness primed for the meeting you’re about to step into.
Mondays weren’t always like this. We started our Wellness Program in January of 2016 and walking, together, became a cornerstone of it. Now, we meet outside the kitchen on Mondays and Wednesdays, in the short days of winter, or the carefree days of spring—it’s a thing.
On Thursday afternoons, as Friday draws ever nearer, we convene in one of the conference rooms to sit quietly, and let go of our thoughts and judgment (even when they cling on for dear life). While peacefully recognizing them and, playfully, pushing them away, we sit with one another in silence, just being, if only for that fifteen minutes—but, that’s why they call it a practice and we get to practice it every Thursday.
On the first Friday of each month, we’re treated like royalty with chair massages, which is lovely, especially when followed by our quarterly on site, yoga or Zumba classes. What a rare gift, though, to be in the trenches one moment, assessing, analyzing and attempting to problem solve, collaborate and cooperate with purpose, and in the next, be dancing alongside these same people, intentionally taking a hiatus from our need to control, moving across the floor in tandem with one another, finding new purpose, in music, movement, health, fitness and most of all fun.
Little by little, by investing in our employees and ourselves, we discovered and continue to discover, more satisfaction, better engagement, increased morale, and a more cohesive team. Winning 2017’s Healthiest and Best places to work was a surprising bonus and also maybe a sign that change can be a good thing. The kind of thing that might allow a health care company like ours to continue creating new building blocks of change that encourage and inspire us to blend work and play with clear purpose, leading to increased productivity and well-being, in both our professional and personal lives.