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RESOURCE LIBRARY

National Wellness Month

National Wellness Month in August can be a useful occasion to highlight voluntary, inclusive practices that support physical, mental, social, financial, and workplace well-being.

Programs should protect privacy, avoid medical pressure or discrimination, and provide accessible alternatives for different abilities, schedules, locations, cultures, and health circumstances.

Colleagues participating in an inclusive workplace wellness activity

Why National Wellness Month can matter at work

Use the month to remind employees about existing benefits, safety resources, flexible practices, and accessible ways to support well-being. Participation should remain voluntary and should not require employees to disclose health information to managers or peers.

two women promoting health

Support healthy practices without overstepping

Well-being is broader than productivity. A responsible workplace program focuses on employee access, safety, privacy, inclusion, and sustainable work—not on diagnosing employees or promising business results.

What National Wellness Month represents

National Wellness Month can prompt conversations about stress management, movement, rest, nutrition, social connection, preventive care, financial well-being, and safe work design.

Use qualified sources and distinguish general education from medical advice.

woman stretching at work

Offer wellness-related choices carefully

If rewards are used, offer a relevant set of options rather than assuming one activity or product is healthy for everyone. Examples may include wellness merchandise, accessible recreation, learning, food, rest, or flexible-use gift choices.

Examples of wellness-oriented rewards

Incentive examples can include comfortable footwear, activity equipment, apparel, ergonomic accessories, or other practical choices. 

Inclusive ways to promote wellness at work

Employers can use National Wellness Month to highlight existing resources, remove participation barriers, and invite employee input. Activities should be optional, accessible, privacy-aware, and appropriate for different roles, shifts, locations, abilities, cultures, and health circumstances.

Wellness education from qualified sources

Offer evidence-based sessions on topics such as ergonomics, stress, nutrition, sleep, movement, benefits, and safety. Make clear that sessions are educational and not individualized medical advice.

Optional and accessible activity challenges

Use noncoercive participation goals with alternatives for different abilities and locations. Avoid collecting unnecessary health data or rewarding biometric outcomes.

Inclusive food and nutrition options

Provide choices that account for allergies, disability, culture, religion, medical diets, and remote work. Avoid labeling individual foods or employees as good or bad.

Confidential mental-health support

Promote qualified resources through confidential channels. Train managers to refer employees to support without diagnosing, pressuring disclosure, or promising outcomes.

Recognition for participation—not health outcomes

If rewards are offered, recognize voluntary participation or learning rather than weight, diagnoses, biometric targets, or disclosure. Provide equivalent alternatives.

Facilities, information, schedules, and outdoor options

Accessible facilities and alternatives

Evaluate on-site, community, virtual, and home-based options so employees are not excluded by mobility, location, schedule, cost, or caregiving responsibilities.

Current, accessible wellness information

Share plain-language information from qualified sources in accessible formats and relevant languages. Date the content and provide a correction path.

Flexible work practices

Where roles allow, use predictable flexibility, breaks, scheduling, or remote options through fair policies rather than wellness contests.

Optional outdoor activities

Plan for weather, air quality, transportation, accessibility, sun exposure, hydration, emergency response, and an equivalent indoor or remote option.

Safety, screenings, ergonomics, and community service

Safety awareness

Connect wellness with hazard prevention, reporting, ergonomics, emergency procedures, and psychological safety. Follow occupational safety requirements.

Voluntary health services

Health screenings or vaccinations require qualified providers, informed participation, confidentiality, accessibility, and legal review. Managers should not receive individual results.

Ergonomic workstations

Offer appropriate assessments, equipment, training, and accommodation channels for office, field, and remote employees.

Voluntary blood drives

Use qualified blood-collection organizations, keep participation voluntary and private, and provide time, accessibility, and safety guidance.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Potential organizational benefits

A well-designed program may improve access to resources, awareness, connection, and the employee experience. Outcomes depend on work design, benefits, leadership, safety, compensation, and many other factors.

Do not overpromise absenteeism or healthcare savings

Do not promise that a wellness program will reduce absence or healthcare costs. Measure carefully, protect privacy, account for confounding factors, and avoid shifting responsibility for unsafe work or inadequate benefits onto employees.

Connect wellness with morale and safe work

Supportive practices can contribute to morale when employees trust the program and can participate without pressure. Safety results require effective controls, training, reporting, staffing, and accountability—not wellness messaging alone.

Support connection, focus, and employee voice

Accessible shared activities and employee-led improvements can support connection and learning. Invite feedback from people who do not participate and from employees with different roles, shifts, locations, and needs.

Meet obligations and evaluate participation fairly

Meet occupational safety, disability, leave, privacy, benefits, labor, and nondiscrimination obligations independently of any wellness initiative. Evaluate reach and experience without ranking or diagnosing employees.

Measure participation without diagnosing employees

Use aggregate, privacy-protective measures such as awareness, voluntary participation, accessibility, satisfaction, support usage where appropriate, and identified barriers. Do not infer medical status or performance from participation.

Ten everyday wellness practices to discuss

Review the original Harvard Health article and treat these ideas as general education, not a prescription. Employees should follow personal medical guidance and choose what is safe for them.

01

Gentle movement

Use comfortable movement that is safe for your body and setting.

02

Hydration

Maintain appropriate hydration based on personal needs and medical guidance.

03

Oral health

Follow qualified dental guidance for brushing, flossing, and preventive care.

04

Sun protection

Use appropriate shade, clothing, and sunscreen guidance for the activity and individual.

05

Nourishing snacks

Choose foods that fit personal health needs, allergies, culture, access, and preference.

06

Rest

Rest needs differ; avoid workplace expectations that employees sleep or nap on command.

07

Break up prolonged sitting

Change position or move when safe and practical, with disability and task accommodations.

08

Breathing or relaxation

Use simple techniques that feel safe; stop if uncomfortable.

09

Hobbies

Make time for personally meaningful activities without turning leisure into a performance requirement.

10

Social connection

Offer multiple ways to connect while respecting privacy, neurodiversity, culture, caregiving, location, and the choice to opt out.

YEAR-ROUND WELLNESS

Make well-being a year-round practice

Well-being should be supported throughout the year through safe work design, manageable workloads, fair compensation, benefits, leave, flexibility, accommodations, respectful leadership, and accessible resources.

Build a voluntary, inclusive, privacy-aware program

Use National Wellness Month as a starting point for voluntary, accessible, privacy-aware support. Ask employees what barriers exist, involve qualified professionals, provide alternatives, and evaluate program results.

Woman at work meditating with papers flying around her
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