37 Virtual Wellness Activities for Employees to Stay Happy & Healthy

When remote work became the standard for many organizations, the workforce's well-being took a serious hit. Employees suddenly faced isolation from their co-workers, changes in routine, and new and often stressful expectations. As a result, many experienced a decline in morale and mental health. Virtual wellness activities for employees can help. By implementing engaging virtual activities, you can help your team relieve stress, boost morale, and create a happier, healthier, and more connected remote workforce. This blog will provide insights into virtual wellness activities including seated stretches, for employees and their significance in navigating a post-pandemic work environment.

Pliability's mobility app offers a valuable solution to help you meet your goals. By incorporating Pliability's virtual wellness activities for employees into your remote work routine, your team can enjoy fun and engaging ways to improve their well-being and productivity.

What are Virtual Wellness Activities?

Virtual wellness activities promote health and well-being through virtual platforms, allowing individuals to engage in wellness practices from their homes or wherever they have an internet connection. These activities utilize technology to deliver wellness experiences, providing convenience and accessibility for participants. 

Here are some examples of virtual wellness activities: 
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• Online Fitness Classes: Offer various workouts, from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to dance routines, making it easy for participants to find activities that suit their fitness levels and preferences. 
• Wellness Webinars and Workshops: Provide educational content on nutrition, stress management, sleep hygiene, and more, empowering participants to make informed health choices. 
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Virtual wellness activities provide convenient and accessible avenues for individuals to invest in their well-being, regardless of physical location. 

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• Why Is Employee Wellness Important
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• Stretching Before Work
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• Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs
• Benefits of a Workplace Wellness Program
• Benefits of Stretching at Work
• Staff Wellness Activities
• Employee Wellbeing Strategies

37 Virtual Wellness Activities for Employees

1. Get in Those Steps  

Many employees have traded their daily commute for a short walk to their home office. This shift has resulted in a more sedentary lifestyle, leading to a host of physical and mental health issues. Remote workers must make a concerted effort to get moving again to combat this trend. 

Walking is one of the easiest ways to foster activity in a remote work environment. Encourage employees to take regular breaks to walk around their homes, outside, or in their garages. Then, suggest they set a daily walking goal during work-from-home arrangements. For instance, employees can aim to get 10,000 steps daily, but starting smaller at 5,000 or 7,500 steps is fine, too. Before they know it, they’ll be back up to speed.

2. Meditate  

It might seem like we have a lot of downtime while working from home, but with the line between work and home life more blurred than ever before, when you have to juggle childcare with Zoom meetings, getting a moment to yourself can seem impossible. 

Studies routinely show that meditative exercises have a positive effect on our mental health, even for as little as five minutes per day. Make it a point to spend a little time each day practicing deep-breathing exercises. For tips and techniques, check out the Woliba wellness library. 

3. Cook Healthy Meals  

Cooking healthy meals can be a form of self-care and stress relief. Taking the time to prepare and enjoy a healthy meal can provide a much-needed break from work and help reduce stress levels. Remote workers can improve their overall health and well-being by incorporating healthy meal planning and cooking into their daily routines, leading to a more productive and fulfilling work life. Why not pledge to cook healthy meals five times per week? The good news is that being healthy does not mean being difficult. At Woliba, our nutrition experts are constantly posting new and easy-to-make recipes you can try anytime, so be sure to check your news feed.

4. Drink Your H2O  

How much water do you drink per day? Odds are, it’s not enough. You might not think to drink water until you feel thirsty, but the problem is that you begin to experience the effects of dehydration long before that. One of the first symptoms is decreased productivity. For example, one study found that being just 3 to 4 percent dehydrated can lower your work performance by as much as 50 percent. 

According to the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the typical adult male needs to drink about a gallon of water daily, which comes out to a little over 15 cups. Women need about 11.5 cups per day. How much are you drinking? When you’re holed up in your home office, it’s easy to let hours go by without sipping water. Be sure to take frequent breaks to refill your water bottle.  

5. Sleep  

This might sound obvious, but sleep is one of the most critical factors affecting your physical and mental well-being. According to the Sleep Foundation, “45 percent of Americans say that poor or insufficient sleep affected their daily activities at least once in the past seven days.” Some 20 percent report that they didn’t wake up feeling refreshed in the past seven days. Many remote workers report difficulty falling and staying asleep. 

This could result from many factors, but it's harder to turn your brain off when the boundaries between work and home life are increasingly blurred. Indeed, one study found that 45 percent of remote workers work 11 hours per week in their bed! One way to improve your sleep is to have distinct bedtime rituals free from distractions, especially the blue light from phones and tablets. Try to shut your devices an hour before bedtime for the best chance at a restful night’s sleep.

6. Practice Gratitude  

The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging year, but there is always something to be grateful for. Before bedtime, try to think about one person you are incredibly grateful for, whether it’s a friend, coworker, or family member. Psychological research reveals that gratitude is strongly associated with increased happiness levels..

Expressing gratitude towards others helps you feel consistent positive emotions, relish good experiences, deal with adversity, build strong relationships, and maintain a healthy immune system.

7. Take Frequent Brain Breaks  

Studies overwhelmingly show that we are more productive while working from home, but don’t let that go to your head. In recent years, advanced tech has allowed us to supercharge our workflow. The constant deluge of:
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• Slack notifications
• Emails
• Zoom calls
• Spreadsheets
• Decks and more 
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Has had a major unintended consequence: burnout. 

Taking routine breaks is important, not just for physical and psychological health. Whenever possible, take some time for a long walk, do some yoga, draw, practice deep breathing, and other brain breaks that help you focus on your goals while avoiding burnout.

8. Stay Social  

Quarantine in 2020 taught us a lot. No more after-work drinks, football games, or big birthday parties. While social distancing was a critical component of slowing the spread of COVID-19, lack of social contact is taking its toll on our psychological health. 

Don’t be a hermit. Pick up the phone and dial your closest friends. Schedule Zoom happy hours. Attend socially distanced events when it’s safe to do so. Never forget that we’re all in this together, and don’t be afraid to seek professional help whenever necessary.

9. Invest in Ergonomic Office Equipment  

You spend a lot of time at home these days. Is your furniture keeping up? Furniture technology has advanced greatly in recent years, from ergonomic chairs to curved keyboards to standing desks. 

Those aches and pains are not just making you uncomfortable but also affecting your productivity. Your body deserves to feel at its best during the workday, so trust us, that comfy chair is worth the investment.

10. Honor Your Hobbies  

It’s difficult to disconnect from your work computer, especially when it’s in your living room. Have you noticed that you’ve neglected your old hobbies recently? Studies show that remote employees work 1.4 more monthly days than their office-based counterparts. 

All that productivity is good, but don’t let it come at the expense of your happiness. Establish a routine that allows you to log off for the day to spend time with that unfinished novel, artwork, or that virtual cooking class. The possibilities are endless if you simply give yourself the time.

11. Online group working hours  

Organise hours with a cross-over in time zones, schedule, and have some online group working hours. Using the Pomodoro technique, people can work in sprints, doing focused work for some time, followed by shorter breaks where they can chat and connect, just like they would in the office. 

Just set up a group video call to mimic an office setting because everyone is together. Being alone can be isolating, so this is a good way to remind employees that they are not alone just because they are working remotely.

12. Therapy and/or coaching sessions  

Therapy and coaching are an essential part of virtual wellness programs. Working remotely can be challenging, and it can feel like there are fewer places to chat and offload, which can harm mental well-being. 

Through structured and stepped scaleable care, employees can access coaches at a time that is convenient for them when they need some extra support. Encourage remote employees to check in not only when things are hard but also on good days so they can see their progress.

13. Virtual social events  

Have you heard of virtual happy hours? Switching off and relaxing is key to a good work-life balance, so fun should be a key part of a virtual wellness program. Once a week or month, make sure that everyone, even a remote employee in your team, finishes at 5 pm (or your company’s regular work hours) on a Friday, pours themself their favorite soft or alcoholic drink, and connects with their team. 

If it’s easier, you could have an online lunch, which can also help encourage a healthy diet. People can focus on making something they like that is good for them rather than grazing from the fridge. Let them chat about their personal lives rather than work, and encourage them to focus on having fun.

14. Virtual fitness challenges  

Many people find that they live a more sedentary lifestyle working remotely. Why not get your remote employees moving more through a virtual fitness challenge? Set up a leaderboard and see who can walk the most steps in a day, challenge everyone to do 20 squats on the hour every hour, or do a sponsored 5k run and see who is back at their desk first. 

It’s a great way to boost fitness and have fun. You could also do online group workouts, where everyone watches the same YouTube video, or bring in an aerobics teacher to run virtual wellness sessions. It’s best not to choose something that needs too much wellness equipment, as this can make it less accessible. Exercise is great for physical and mental health and can also help reduce stress.

15. Launch a buddy program  

Online buddy programs, where people check in regularly and can support one another, greatly improve employee well-being. Buddies can offer to read over work, be an extra pair of eyes, or provide a different perspective on a tricky problem. 

This relationship is typical in an office environment but can be harder for remote work, so it may have to be more formalized. But once it works, it’s excellent and can also really help employee morale as it helps create supportive and helpful relationships.

16. Stretch Break  

Stretch breaks encourage employees to take a break and move around. There are two main ways to do company stretch breaks remotely:
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• Schedule a guided ten-minute stretch where teammates meet up on Zoom to do exercises together. 
• Schedule notifications on calendars or Slack to remind employees to stand up, walk around, and shake out their limbs. 
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Making the exercise an official company event can encourage more folks to participate and take a much-needed moment for movement.

17. Water Drinking Challenge  

Water drinking challenges help teams stay hydrated throughout the workday. To do this activity, first post an announcement explaining the challenge in a Slack channel. During the day, teammates should aim to drink at least five cups of water. 

To track the glasses, react to the original post with emojis, either five water droplets or the numbers 1 to 5. Upon finishing each glass of water, participants should click the corresponding emoji. Employees who drink all five glasses of water win the challenge. You can hold a raffle with this pool of names for extra fun.

18. Zoom Workouts  

Zoom workouts are a way to encourage sedentary remote employees to exercise. You can offer online group classes where attendees can have face-to-face time with coworkers while breaking a sweat. Group classes provide a sense of accountability, and making workouts a recurring event encourages employees to leave room in their schedules and to show up. 

To host a Zoom workout, find an instructor, create a Zoom meeting, and let potential attendees know what kind of workout to expect. During the call, spotlight the instructor and pump the tunes by sharing audio on Zoom. You can also offer individual guided fitness classes as a remote work perk so that teammates can exercise privately on their own time.

19. Channel Check-Ins  

Channel check-ins are one of the most helpful wellness activities for remote employees. This simple exercise consists of posting regular check-in questions in a team or company-wide Slack channel. You can post a question such as:
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• What are you most enjoying working on right now?
• What are you excited about this week?
• What do you need help with currently?
• You can use the post to gauge the team's mood by asking employees to share their feelings “on a scale from 1-10” by hitting a corresponding emoji. 
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You can use these questions to gauge team members’ feelings about work. This act signals that you care about employee well-being and removes the stigma from talking about stumbling.

20. Remote Coffee Breaks  

Remote coffee breaks are one of the best virtual wellness activities for teams. These events are short video call breaks that allow distanced colleagues to socialize. Interaction is important for teamwork and mental health. Remote workers often report feeling lonely or isolated from peers. 

Communication in virtual offices tends to happen on an as-needed basis, but casual video chats allow the kind of casual banter that has been shown to strengthen relationships. The only rule for remote coffee breaks is that participants should discuss non-work topics. To do remote coffee chats with your teams, tell interested employees to join a special Slack channel and use the Donut app to match up pairs regularly. Those partners can direct message each other and set up a time for a quick call.

21. Virtual Financial Literacy Workshops  

Financial health is an important part of overall health since finances can affect other areas of health, such as mental or physical well-being. You can offer virtual financial workshops to help employees develop better money management skills. 

For example, TeamBuilding employees recently read “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” by Ramit Sethi and then met with financial experts on Zoom for a Q&A. You can structure the workshop in whatever way suits the group, for instance, by focusing on areas like retirement savings or improving credit scores.

22. Digital Pet Visits  

Animals can be effective mood boosters. By coordinating digital pet hangouts, you can give online employees more opportunities to show off their beloved pets and see coworkers’ fuzzy companions. 

You can leave time in meetings to say hi to pets, schedule short calls to hang out with creature companions or make a dedicated Slack channel where teammates can share cute photos and videos of their critters. If your online office is pet-deficient or the resident pets are noncooperative, you can watch animal webcam live streams together instead.

23. Healthy Living Credits  

Healthy Living Credits are an allowance to put towards services and products that help employees live a healthier lifestyle, such as:
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• Gym memberships
• Cleaning services
• Healthy food delivery
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This work perk encourages team members to care for themselves and invest in their health. To offer this bonus, give teammates guidelines on how the money can be spent and ask participants to submit receipts for reimbursement.

24. Care Packages  

Care packages are one of the most beloved work-from-home wellness ideas. Periodically, you can send employees boxes full of self-care supplies such as:
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• Candles
• Water bottles
• Tea
• Lotions and scrubs
• Self-improvement books
• Healthy snacks
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These gifts can help employees practice healthy habits when working from home and can be a pick-me-up during routine work stretches.

25. Home Office Makeover  

You can offer employees a stipend of $100 to $300 to order ergonomic furniture and equipment for the home office. Beyond comfy chairs and standing desks, employees can use a portion of the funds to purchase items that make the workplace happier and more comfortable, such as a small humidifier, a succulent, or an art print. 

Pro tip: As part of the program, offer virtual consultations with ergonomic experts so workers can get personalized recommendations for buying supplies. Partnering with brands and stores where employees can purchase these items for an additional discount also helps.

26. Health-centric Online Lunch and Learns  

You can plan an online lunch and learn to educate employees about health topics, such as how to prioritize health while balancing work and personal responsibilities, screening methods for common conditions, selecting health insurance, being aware of and an ally to colleagues with disabilities, and myths about mental illness. 

These sessions typically involve a video meeting lecture from an expert followed by a question-and-answer session. You can gather questions before the call or allow employees to ask in real-time. The presenter can even send the employees worksheets and resources and assign “homework” to help attendees take action. Offering to reimburse the cost of a snack or meal is a good way to encourage employees to show up and learn about the topic.

27. Health Newsletters  

One of the easiest ways to promote remote employee health is via newsletter. You can plan a weekly or monthly email newsletter focusing on a different health topic. 

Choose a theme each month, such as heart health awareness month in February or work safety. Fill each message with facts and suggestions about the featured conditions and link to helpful outside resources.

28. #get-well-soon  

#get-well-soon is a digital version of a get-well card. Employees can send each other wishes for a speedy recovery and trade health tips in this Slack channel. Posts can include condolences for non-health-related matters like family member deaths and general messages of encouragement, for instance, mantras or cute pictures of pets. 

Since these conversations can involve sensitive subject matters, employees should opt in to participate in this channel. They may signal their comfort levels for shout-outs with a symbol, for instance:
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• Green circle for “wish away!”
• Yellow circle for “ask privately first,”
• Red circle for “I’m just here to give support.”

29. Online Journaling  

Journalling is one of the most effective ways to track health habits. You can create an online journal system where employees can record their behaviors and feelings. This process can be as simple as filling out a Google Form once a week with details like steps taken, notes on wins or challenges, or rating statements on a scale of one to five. These notes can reveal patterns and triggers, help employees manage their behavior, and make longer-lasting healthy changes.

30. Self-Help Zoom Book Club  

Reading is one way to educate employees about health best practices. You can create a dedicated digital book club devoted to well-being books. For example:
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• Books on work-life balance
• Meditation guides
• Books that teach:some text
  • Boundary-setting
  • Relationship-management skills
    ‍

Each month, you can choose a work about a different self-improvement topic. Then, give members at least one month to read the book. At an appointed time, readers will join a Zoom meeting to discuss the ideas presented in the book. You can also run a lite version of this activity by reading and discussing an article every week or a few times a month.

31. Virtual Volunteering  

Volunteering has been shown to have positive effects on mental health. Helping others helps people get out of their heads, find a sense of purpose, and make meaningful connections with fellow volunteers and charity beneficiaries. 

Several community service opportunities are doable online, such as using an app to act as eyes for the visually impaired, writing letters or emails to soldiers, or coaching third-world entrepreneurs on business skills. Having an online volunteering program can help employees feel more positive about themselves and the world around them.

32. Self Care Quote of the Day  

Self-Care Quote of the Day is a quote-sharing activity that spreads wise words about health. These sayings can be uplifting messages, ideas about health, mental health mantras, or reflections on the importance of self-care and healthy habits. 

The quotes can be shared on social media, at the opening or ending of company-wide emails, or during meetings. The beauty of this exercise is that since the sharing is continuous, employees can receive encouragement on tough days without asking for help.

33. Online Employee Resource Groups  

Inclusion is a factor of well-being. Discrimination and exclusion can harm employees’ health. Employee resource groups can help make work a safer, fairer, and more welcoming place for all employees and offer diverse employees the support and voice they need. These groups are employee-run committees that can provide a sense of community and help employees of specific identities advocate for themselves within the workplace. 

To start an online ERG group, recruit a few founding members to organize it and encourage participants to meet on Zoom at least once a month. You can also create email groups and Slack channels to help group members communicate more easily. If your organization is too small to sustain such a group, you can connect employees with industry organizations.

34. In-Person Meetups  

Some folks need help adjusting to work-from-home life. For more social individuals, virtual activities may never replace real-life interactions. If your workplace is 100% remote, you may need help to give these employees the social stimulation they crave through Zoom hangouts. You can plan occasional in-person gatherings where virtual teammates can meet in real life and spend time together offscreen for example, team dinners, retreats, and meetups at coworking spaces.

35. Appreciate Employees for National Wellness Month (August)  

August is National Wellness Month. Show appreciation for your remote workforce’s commitment to health and wellness! This August, celebrate National Wellness Month by showing extra appreciation for your fantastic remote workers. It’s the perfect time to recognize all their hard work and dedication and to remind them of how much their well-being means to you. 

How to implement this wellness activity for remote employees: 
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• You could send personalized thank-you notes or shoutouts to your team members. 
• And while you’re at it, why not have some wellness care packages loaded with thoughtful products that support their ongoing wellness journey?

36. Sleep & Rest Incentives  

Support your remote team members’ sleep habits for a healthier workforce. Help your remote workers thrive with sleep and rest incentives prioritizing their well-being and performance. 

How to implement this wellness activity for remote employees: 
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• It’s all about flexibility and support. 
• Start by encouraging realistic work hours and emphasizing the importance of embracing downtime. 
• To promote a balanced mindset, consider offering wellness benefits like mindfulness apps or fitness memberships. 
• Your team will appreciate the focus on their well-being and you’ll see the difference in their energy levels and productivity.

37. Digital Detox  

Escape the digital deluge by unplugging and stepping away from the screens. A digital detox is all about helping your employees unplug and recharge. Regular breaks from screens reduce stress, boost creativity, and improve our overall well-being. It’s a simple way to find balance and feel more recharged daily. 

How to implement this wellness activity for remote employees: 
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• Encourage your team members to take regular breaks from their screens by setting aside specific times for tech-free activities like reading, walking, or meditating. 
• Offer tips and suggestions on how to disconnect fully and you could even consider organizing screen-free challenges to gamify your detox. 

Related Reading

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• Workplace Stretching
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• Employee Wellness Software
• Employee Wellness Program Ideas
• Corporate Wellness Initiatives
• Employee Wellbeing App
• Corporate Mobility Services
• Corporate Wellness Services

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Best Practices for Virtual Wellness Programs

1. Instant Access 24/7 to a Licensed Therapist 

The best virtual wellness programs include access to a licensed therapist around the clock. Employees can face a mental health or physical health challenge at any time. With virtual wellness, they can log in and access resources that help them immediately. 

Employees can also connect with a virtual therapist immediately rather than waiting for an appointment that may not occur for weeks. Online virtual wellness programs offer instant access to mental health resources, nutritional information, physical fitness, and more. These resources are designed to integrate mental health, mindfulness, and physical wellness into daily routines. 

2. Customized Health Options 

Just a few years ago, creating a personal mental health and fitness plan was the domain of expensive personal trainers and dietitians. Now, you can get this experience with a virtualized wellness program. 

Employees want holistic, on-demand mental health support that helps them thrive in their work and personal lives. Personalized support is key to anyone's mental fitness journey. When employers offer their employees a health and wellness platform, they are more productive and likelier to stick around. 

3. Personal Data Tracking and Utilization Monitoring 

Virtual wellness programs should let you track your health progress, but often, they fall short. They don't consider the entire industry popping up around wearable tech. People are into their health data like never before, and online wellness platforms achieve this. 

They help employees track their progress and reach their goals. Employers also need HIPAA-compliant utilization data to see how their employees are improving.

4. Company Personalization 

Keeping employees aligned with your company's values shouldn't be lost when outsourcing your virtual wellness program in place of or in alignment with your current EAP or health program. A wellness platform should strengthen your company culture and values by helping employees live happier and healthier lives. 

The best online wellness programs work closely with their clients to help teach them:  
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• How to talk about mental health at work.
• How to increase EAP and online wellness program utilization.
• How to handle common mental health challenges.
• How to use the online wellness program to strengthen employee relationships and morale.
• How to encourage employees to take breaks at work and find work-life balance. 

5. More Insight 

Virtual wellness programs also help companies understand how employees engage with their health. You can get unique insights into the aspects of the wellness platform your workforce finds most valuable and those that aren’t being utilized. This information can help you create more incentive programs and find new ways to engage your employees where they might need more help. 

If your employees are interested in eating healthier, you’ll know that bringing healthy snacks into the office might be an investment worth your money. If your employees want to interact with their physical fitness goals, you can create office challenges to encourage them to exercise more. 

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