“The groundwork of all happiness is health,” said great thinker James Leigh Hunt, and few would disagree. In the modern workforce, many of us spend more time at the desk than we’d like to admit. Constant sitting and typing, rushed working lunches, and the stress associated with juggling deadlines, meeting quality standards, and handling unexpected work issues can take a toll on the body, mind, and spirit. Even with financial success, “true wealth” is rarely obtained without a balance of health, time, contribution and social interaction. More and more, employees are seeking work environments that prioritize the human condition equally with the bottom line.
Led by the Silicon Valley culture of the 80’s and 90’s, today’s corporate thought leaders and innovative organizations continue to pave the road to fulfillment by creating work environments that offer more than just financial fulfillment – and the trend is spreading. This month, Interact Marketing, a leading New York digital agency in New Windsor, NY adopted a corporate wellness culture, to boost employee health, morale, and productivity.
The “Workplace Wellness Program” is being spearheaded by Interact Marketing CEO Joe Beccalori. “A big problem we face in today’s workplace is that we spend a great deal of time sitting in front of the computer, with very limited movement, exercise, and proper breathing. Also, many of us find it difficult to make the extra time to buy and prepare healthy meals and snacks in advance. Our new wellness initiative will allow our employees to enjoy healthy eating, exercise, and posture effortlessly, and this will lead to not only personal well-being and vitality but also increased efficiency and mental clarity on our client engagements, software development, and marketing strategies. The cost of the program should, therefore, be minimal compared to the radical leaps in productivity, and we’re already starting to see positive results in just a few short weeks,” said Beccalori, a 20-year internet marketing veteran who was inspired to create the program after several recent visits to Google Headquarters.
One of the ways that Interact Marketing is supporting employee’s healthy eating habits is by ensuring that there is fresh fruit and vegetables available to all employees at all times. This takes shape in company breakfasts, healthy snacks, and a community fruit bowl. By having these healthier options on hand, Interact Marketing is encouraging team members to make smart food decisions.
The company is also investing in other healthy and ergonomic tools such as standing desks, treadmill desks, casual work areas with laptops and couches, yoga balls for seating variety and exercise, personal trainers, and even re-bounders – miniature trampolines that will allow employees, clients, and guests to bounce their way into a productive and healthy day.
As part of the corporate wellness kickoff, employees participated in a live Skype exercise session led by fitness industry and posture expert Brian Bradley, Vice President of Egoscue Inc. Brian, a self-proclaimed gym-hater, works with NFL players, peak performance athletes, and individuals dealing with injuries and pain. He is one of Tony Robbin’s personal fitness trainers, and regularly presents and leads exercise demonstrations to audiences of five to ten thousand people at various Robbins events. While most people have come to believe in the myth that there is no gain without pain, the Egoscue methods are actually the antithesis of that old paradigm, and through postural correction and engagement of major muscle groups, actually help alleviate pain.
“Anyone in the fitness and wellness industry can make you puke. That’s not our goal. Our goal is total function. Once your function increases to a level where your body is more bilateral, everything else follows and you are just healthier at the bottom line,” said Bradley.
Employees seemed genuinely interested in participation, and the program has initially been a big hit. Participation is optional, and there is no pressure for those who want to sit out. The team still has an occasional “Pizza Day” and a full food selection at company events and parties.
About Interact Marketing:
Interact Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency based in the Hudson Valley in New Windsor, NY. The agency specializes in organic search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click advertising (PPC), website design and development, content and social media marketing, and online reputation management for brands and executives. Interact Marketing is also a Google Partner Agency. It is one of the fastest growing agencies in New York’s Hudson Valley region with 472% organic revenue growth in five years (2010-2015).
