Wellness Isn’t a One Size Fits All Approach

Here’s a riddle for you:

Until I am measured, I am not known.
Yet how you miss me when I have flown.

Do you know the answer? I’ll tell you: it’s time – the thing people value above all else, especially when it comes to work.

As a former corporate employee, I’ve seen my fair share of attempts at crafting unique company cultures. There have been grand successes and a fair number of slip-ups, from equal parts applause to eye rolls and just about everything in between. 

Now, as the Chief Operating Officer at KidGlov, I’m in charge of cultivating our internal culture. As part of that, I head up our human resources and make every effort to take the absolute best care of our team. One way we do that is through a philosophy we like to call “LOV.”

Our entire company is built around the idea that time = LOV. It’s the most significant piece of our cultural manifesto. The “LOV” in KidGlov is how we approach everything we do, from work our employees LOV, with people they LOV, to clients they LOV.

Because we value time, it shows up uniquely in our organization, especially in how we approach wellness and volunteer programs. While many organizations have sanctioned programs, we don’t – and that’s on purpose. For example, many companies offer a wellness incentive based on walking so many steps a month. Volunteering might look like serving at a soup kitchen or helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. These are all good things, and thank goodness so many companies prioritize wonderful activities like this for their employees.

Instead of having a one-size fits all approach, we value giving people the ability to do the wellness or volunteer activity that means the most to them. We do our best to respect that everyone on our team has a different definition of what fills their bucket. What fills my designer’s bucket may be very different from that which fills my project manager’s bucket. So, while a gym membership or a group volunteer activity can be fantastic benefits, giving people the time to practice what means the most to them aligns more with the LOV credo. 

This is not to say that we don’t do wellness things together. Several people on our team enjoy working out together or going on walks to recharge during the workday. We have team members that have organized group volunteer activities, which is lovely as well. The most crucial part is that their participation is a choice they get to make themselves.

In the words of author Simon Sinek (and Lyn in one of our first blogs about culture), “Customers will never love a company until the employees love it first.” That’s why we’re intentional about creating a workplace that gives people the time they need to be at their very best

If you’re someone who leads the culture in your organization or simply has a seat at a table where decisions are being made, the best thing you can do is find out how your team can fall in LOV with your wellness and volunteer programs. Your employees will be happier, healthier, and more engaged.

Learn more about KidGlov culture by browsing our other blogs. We have an entire section dedicated to our team, our culture, and our careers.

KidGlov is a boutique, full-service, advertising, branding and content marketing agency and certified B Corp, with offices in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, specializing in nonprofit marketing, healthcare marketing, financial services marketing, social impact marketing, and purpose-driven businesses.