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“So how can you help employees believe in the value of wellness in your workplace? Offering healthier food at team lunches and supporting daytime walking clubs are good ideas, but you also need to create an intentional culture of wellness,” according to Benefits Canada.

You can create that culture by avoiding these common mistakes:

Doing too much: “You can bite off more than you can chew by including every wellness option available in your program. To support employee choice without making it overwhelming, consider providing a wellness credit so employees can choose the activity that works best for them. Make wellness programs accessible by sharing information through team meetings, corporate emails and your corporate intranet. You can even include a wellness goal in your staff ’s performance plans. A program that makes sense internally will be easier to manage and lead at the executive level.”

Failing to customize: “When you look back at the most difficult workplaces you’ve encountered in your career, you probably remember the negative aspects. Domineering leaders, a lack of challenging work, no room for growth…the list is different for each company. Think about the different stressors your employees experience on a daily basis and address them. Stressors in a hospital are going to be different from stressors in an IT firm, so don’t get caught up in imitating what seems to work at another company.”

Failing to integrate: “While customizing the program to your workforce is important, make sure you don’t end up with a fragmented initiative focusing just on physical wellness (e.g., exercise and eating well). Since body and mind are connected, giving your employees physical wellness tools without any tools to combat stress will yield only partial results.”

Being too rigid:  “While it’s great to offer wellness programs with fixed options such as on-site gyms, let employees develop their own wellness journey and support them along the way. For example, allow flexibility for employees to walk at lunch, set their own hours (within reason) and work regularly from home. Supportive leaders who provide flexible wellness options will see more balanced and happier employees—which, in turn, can improve performance and employee engagement.”

Setting the wrong example: “When employees know their employer cares about their health and wellness, it can start a trickle-down effect. As much as we may try not to, we bring work home with us. Positive reinforcement around health and wellness at work really counts and sets the stage for wellness to continue outside of the office”