7 meaningful ways to celebrate Employee Wellness Month at work

Each June, Employee Wellness Month gives organizations the chance to show how much they value their people. It’s a chance to highlight what matters most: creating a culture where employees feel supported in all areas of their health.

The most effective efforts don’t need to be flashy or complex —they need to be meaningful and genuine. What makes the difference is showing genuine care, offering practical support, and reinforcing that wellbeing is a shared priority, not a side project.

Here are seven high-impact, culturally meaningful ways to celebrate Employee Wellness Month that can create lasting value long after June is over. 

1. Launch a company-wide wellbeing challenge

Shared goals bring people together. A 30-day challenge that focuses on small, daily wellbeing wins can energize teams and build cross-departmental connection. Things like step counts, hydration tracking, daily mindfulness minutes, or acts of kindness are all approachable challenges that can have a big impact not only on employee health but also on team cohesion.

Navigate's employee wellbeing platform seamlessly integrates company-wide wellbeing challenges, supporting team unity and holistic health through customizable activities. By linking challenges to meaningful incentives, Navigate transforms wellness initiatives into powerful catalysts for positive change, creating a ripple effect of wellbeing that extends from individual employees to the entire organization. 

2. Executive-led wellbeing spotlights

Leadership sets the tone for culture. When senior leaders openly share their wellbeing routines, challenges, and philosophies, it reinforces that wellbeing isn’t just a buzzword, it’s an integral part of your company culture.

These don’t require high-production videos. A short message, a personal story shared in a newsletter, or a candid Q&A session can be powerful. The key is authenticity. Employees are far more likely to prioritize their own wellbeing when they see it modeled at the top.

It also signals that taking care of yourself isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a strength, and a shared expectation. When leaders make space for wellbeing in their own routines, they encourage employees to do the same. Over time, this shapes a healthier, more resilient organization from the top down. Is your leadership setting the tone for a culture of care and balance? Consider making Employee Wellness Month the starting point for this leadership shift. 

3. Organize a volunteer day or give-back drive

Purpose is a powerful driver of wellbeing. Giving employees the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves taps into a deep sense of meaning and fulfillment. Organizing a volunteer day or a month-long give-back initiative creates space for employees to reconnect with what matters, both in the community at large and within their own teams.

This kind of initiative isn’t just about impact outside the company. It also helps to build an internal community. When colleagues roll up their sleeves together to support a cause, they strengthen relationships, break down silos, and rediscover a shared sense of purpose. These experiences can be just as energizing and unifying as any team-building exercise.

Offer a variety of options to meet different needs and schedules—group outings, virtual volunteering, or flexible individual actions. Then, celebrate the collective impact. Highlight stories, total hours contributed, and the organizations supported. Framing the effort as a shared mission reinforces the idea that wellbeing includes being part of something meaningful with each other and beyond the workplace.

At Navigate, we proudly offer our employees 20 hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) per year to dedicate their time to the organizations that matter to them. This dedicated time not only supports the causes employees care about, but it also reinforces that giving back is part of what it means to thrive, individually and together. 

4. Equip managers for micro-wellbeing moments

Wellbeing isn't always about big programs; it's often found in daily interactions. Empower managers to lead with intention by giving them easy-to-use tools to promote wellbeing in their teams.

For example, 60-second breathing exercises to start meetings, walking 1:1s, or team gratitude shoutouts on Fridays. These small rituals can have an outsized impact on team morale and psychological safety. It also provides an opportunity to reduce the stigma around mental health in the workplace.

Provide managers with simple toolkits, suggested scripts, and calendar nudges to make implementation easy. When support is easy to access and built into daily routines, it becomes part of the culture, not just a temporary initiative. 

5. Highlight underutilized wellbeing benefits

Sometimes, support is already there. People just need a better map to find it. Chances are, your organization already offers resources that support employee wellbeing, but many people may not know they exist or understand how to use them. Employee Wellness Month is the perfect time to shine a light on these hidden gems.

From mental health coverage and EAP access to gym reimbursements, financial coaching, or mindfulness apps, create a campaign that reintroduces what’s already available. Use clear, simple language and show real examples of how these benefits can make a difference.

Navigate’s Resource Hub makes benefit navigation seamless by transforming how employees discover and engage with your organization's existing wellbeing resources. Our platform empowers organizations to connect employees to the benefits that matter most to them in a centralized and intuitive dashboard that increases visibility and decreases confusion. Consider highlighting one underutilized benefit per week in June using Navigate’s communication tools to direct participants to where they can find resources.

Are there hidden gems in your current benefits package? What steps can you take to ensure employees know how to use them? 

6. Spotlight employee wellbeing stories

Real stories resonate. Invite employees to share personal experiences with wellbeing; the struggles, the wins, and what they’ve learned from both. This could be through internal blog posts, short videos, or casual interviews.

To increase participation, offer prompts and allow for anonymous submissions. Keep the tone inclusive and non-performative. This isn’t about who has the highest step count. It’s about showing the diverse ways people care for themselves.

Navigate's Social Wall amplifies employee voices, creating a vibrant space for authentic wellbeing stories. By sharing personal experiences, from challenges to triumphs, team members inspire and connect with one another. These stories build community and help employees see themselves reflected in the broader culture. 

7. Host an off-site team gathering

Nothing builds connections like time spent face-to-face. Hosting an off-site event gives employees a chance to step away from day-to-day routines and engage with each other in a fresh, more relaxed environment.

Community is a core pillar of wellbeing. An off-site isn’t just a break from the norm. It’s an investment in the social fabric of the organization.

Whether it’s a full-day retreat or a few hours of structured team-building activities, the goal is to strengthen relationships and create shared experiences. These moments matter. They build trust, boost morale, and reinforce the human side of work.

Making it stick

Wellness Month can be a catalyst, but the real value lies in what comes after. Navigate's employee wellbeing platform empowers organizations to transform these initiatives into lasting culture change where wellbeing is a priority year-round.  

Together, we can turn the spirit of Employee Wellness Month into a sustained commitment to holistic wellbeing, creating healthier, happier workplaces where both individuals and organizations flourish.

Ready to see how Navigate can transform employee wellbeing in your organization? Book your free demo today!