Wellness for Millennial Employees
Believe it or not, millennials now make up the majority of the workforce1. Has your employee wellness plan adapted?
Millennials get a bad rap. They are actually a hard working, problem solving generation as they have been forced to adapt to less than ideal conditions in a lot of areas of life. Many also feel the pressure to prove the stereotype of millennials wrong.
With that being said though, millennials come with some different needs than the Baby Boomers and GenX that share the workforce with them.
Here are 3 key points that the LIV North Fitness Management division keeps in mind when planning an employee wellness program that includes Millennials:
Make it adaptable.
While millennials may be hard working at work and do as they are instructed, in their own personal lives they expect programming to fit their wants and needs. This may include activities they can do on their time when they are ready and not scheduled activities. It should also fit into the area of wellness they enjoy – not just reading nutrition labels and the importance of sleep.
Make it available.
One stereotype of millennials that is true is that they live by their technology. Any wellness offering needs to ensure it is utilizing technology (mobile, wearables, etc.) and be as accessible as possible. Apps, gamification, and on demand services are very important.
Make it FUN!
In the past few years we have seen our traditional programming that involved checking the boxes in a scorecard transition to more grand, beautiful and engaging challenges to attract the millennials in. Everything from the website, emails and apps have to be considered for the look and the flow. Take the virtual Amazing Race challenge that LIV North ran in the Spring of 2021. A team of LIV North staff created and ran a very immersive virtual challenge offered at 10 facilities across Canada – from Halifax to Vancouver – with 126 participants joining in. It was fun, it connected individuals from across Canada and hit all aspects of wellness with options to fit the needs of the user.
This all sounds like a lot to consider and it is worth it! A workforce that can be slightly more engaged can result in profit increases as high as 12% – and that is just slightly more engaged, not even highly2.
If you would like to learn more about creating challenges and programming for your millennial workforce and to see how LIV North is offering engaging on site and virtual programming to 75+ clients across Canada, we’d love to hear from you!
You can reach us at virtual@livnorth.com or to discover more of LIV North’s services, visit livnorth.com or our virtual services site at virtual.livnorth.com.
1 – PEWResearch.com – Millennials are the largest generation in the labor force
2 – Achievers.com – 5 Ways Wellness Programs Can Enhance Employee Engagement