Last week I had the pleasure of giving an employee wellness presentation to one of my corporate clients in person for the first time in 1 1/2 years. They recently brought their employees back to the office and so we wanted to do something different.

So we decided to do a presentation on how to eat healthy on your busiest days. The second part of the event was a communal lunch where everyone got to assemble their own salad.

While my presentation was informative and fun, the real star of the show was the communal lunch. There’s just something about gathering together and sharing food that really creates a stronger sense of community. There’s a reason why food is so often part of our big celebrations and holidays!

As I watched everyone chatting, laughing, and making their way through the assembly line, it made me think about the importance of including community in wellness programs. The last couple years spent working from home have taken their toll on us. And, while a wellness webinar may provide some helpful tips and advice, being able to share in that experience with others makes a difference. Whether it’s hearing others’ stories or collaborating on solutions to a problem or just the reassurance that comes from knowing others are in the same boat as you.

So I recommend that, as you plan out your wellness program, ask yourself how you can build community into it. That could look like:

• Making sure breakout rooms are included in webinars for folks to interact with each other
• Allotting more time to your wellness program to allow for discourse
• Including team or group activities
• Sharing a meal together
• Having your employees play a role in planning your programming

How have you included community in your company’s employee wellness programs? Do you think there are ways you could increase that communal aspect?