Gotcha… you thought this was about employee termination… didn’t you?  Not quite: Two issues which plague many companies are the wellness of their employees and the productivity of company meetings.  While the two may seem to be from opposite ends of the spectrum when running a company, there is a simple solution which can be hugely beneficial to improving both scenarios.

“There are many benefits of company wellness programs including that: employees tend to be more productive, have lower health care costs, lower rates of absenteeism, and have fewer workers’ compensation claims (http://www.infinitehealthcoach.com/benefits-of-corporate-wellness-programs.html).  Unfortunately, employee wellness programs can be inaccessible to many companies because of cost, time constraints or a combination of both.

Company meetings can become monotonous, tiresome and plain boring.  We have all been there, heads nodding, bleary eyed stares, hands under the table texting, and thoughts of piles of paperwork continuing to stack up while the meeting drags on.  Time to consider a “walking meeting”.  A walking meeting provides benefits which not only help with employee wellness but, idea generation as well.  Walking meetings offer:
•   A chance to fit some physical fitness into your day
•   Different environments to inspire new ideas
•   A chance to get some fresh air and natural light
•   A shift in group dynamics
•   Improve the group’s physical and mental well-being
•   An opportunity to re-energize

(http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/walking-meeting.pdf)

Next time you schedule a meeting… try a walking meeting (the link above provides some great suggestions to making it productive)!  If nothing else, you’ll break up the monotony and keep your staff guessing a little… I also find it fun to see reactions of people taken out of their normal routines!  Even in a cold environment if it’s a dry day, bundle everyone up and enjoy the crisp air… if the are too cold, the ideas just might come more quickly.

Happy Walking!