Employee engagement program puts focus on health and well-being
Challenge
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a gene therapy research and development company, aspired to engage employees, promote the importance of health and wellness, and demonstrate leadership support for a new initiative. The company has approximately 250 employees globally, and most were working virtually during this time due to COVID-19.
Action
To accomplish our objectives, the team developed a custom microsite to house the “Ask-Wellness Challenge.” The two-week virtual challenge asked colleagues to share how they focus on health and well-being. Colleagues completed a simple form that identified their location and role at AskBio, asked which category their activity fell into (cooking, reading, meditating, exercise, family time, etc), and allowed them to upload a photo and caption illustrating this activity. In addition to the microsite, the program included:
- A high-level communications plan that involved leadership and key stakeholders prior to program launch
- Multi-channel promotion using Town Halls, email and the company’s intranet, AAVenues
- A metrics overview that proved strong engagement
- An animated gif created by the submitted photos to celebrate the success and comradery
Results
Within the first week, colleagues submitted nearly 100 activities. The response to the “Ask-Wellness Challenge” and its focus on health and well-being was incredibly well-received; in fact, AskBio decided to extend the program an additional two weeks. The company also implemented “Half-day Fridays” for all colleagues, requiring only four hours of work and leaving the remainder of the day to focus on family time or self-care activities. The post-program survey echoed this appreciation:
- “I wish it (the wall) could stay up all the time! Learning about colleagues was fabulous!”
- “Any initiative that brings us together as a corporate family is valuable in this era of social distancing.”
- “I really loved this challenge!”
