Global Wellness Day at work: 6 ways to celebrate employee well-being with purpose

Employee wellness isn’t just about yoga mats and smoothies anymore. In today’s workplace, holistic well-being — physical, mental, and emotional — is essential, not optional. That’s where Global Wellness Day comes in. Held annually on the second Saturday of June, it’s a global reminder to slow down and support healthier, more balanced lives — including at work.

Companies that prioritize well-being aren’t just being nice — they’re being smart. Research shows organizations that invest in wellness see 55% higher engagement and are 4x more likely to retain talent.

Ready to celebrate with purpose? In this blog, we’ll showcase six simple, meaningful ways to bring Global Wellness Day to life at work.

What day is Global Wellness Day?

Global Wellness Day is June 14, 2025, this year and always falls on the second Saturday in June. It’s a worldwide nudge to slow down, breathe deeply, and remember that well-being isn’t just a weekend hobby. Think of it as a wellness wake-up call… with better snacks.

What is the theme for Global Wellness Day 2025

The theme for Global Wellness Day 2025 is #ReconnectMagenta. This year’s focus is on rekindling meaningful connections — with ourselves, our communities, and the planet. It’s a call to step back from the digital hustle and rediscover the human (and natural) touchpoints that truly nourish our well-being. It’s as a wellness reboot — no software updates required.

6 ways to celebrate Global Wellness Day at work

You don’t need to overhaul your entire benefits package to show employees you care. Sometimes, it’s the small, thoughtful actions that make the biggest impact — and Global Wellness Day is the perfect opportunity to start.

Here are six simple, feel-good ways to celebrate at work (no scented candles required):

1. Host a wellness challenge

Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition — especially when it’s good for you? Organize a wellness challenge that gets people moving or mindful. Think step counts, water intake tracking, or “mindfulness minutes” logged. Encourage team participation by forming groups across departments or locations and set achievable goals with small prizes to boost motivation. Recognize top performers but also shout out consistency and effort. Add some humor along the way — “Hydration Nation” leaderboard, anyone? Wellness challenges build camaraderie, encourage healthy habits, and are a great way to sneak in some fun without anyone needing to run a marathon.

2. Offer guided mental health sessions

Mental clarity is a gift — but not everyone knows how to unwrap it. That’s where guided sessions come in. Whether it’s a short meditation, a yoga class, or a resilience workshop, offering structured mental health moments signals that it’s okay (and encouraged) to pause and reset. Make it easy to join by offering virtual and in-person options and normalizing participation from leadership down. These sessions promote stress management, reduce burnout, and remind employees that mental health is health. Bonus: you might catch your most high-strung colleague doing tree pose. Stranger things have happened.

3. Provide healthy snacks or meal vouchers

You are what you eat — and sometimes, we eat whatever’s closest to the keyboard. Global Wellness Day is a great time to offer food that fuels. In the office, set up a smoothie bar, fruit station, or healthy snack table (yes, it can still taste good). Remote teams? Send a meal voucher or gift card to a healthy delivery service so they’re not left out. It’s a simple gesture with big impact. Food brings people together, supports focus, and shows you care — and no one ever complained about free avocado toast.

4. Encourage time away from screens

Between meetings, emails, and “quick Slacks,” screens are basically coworkers at this point. Give employees a break — literally — with a digital detox hour or designated “no meeting” blocks. Encourage them to recharge with activities that don’t involve pixels: go for a walk, read a physical book, stretch, or just do nothing (a lost art). Provide tips for unplugging and model the behavior from leadership. It’s not about doing less work — it’s about doing better work with a clearer mind. And yes, staring out the window counts as self-care.

5. Share wellness resources

Support doesn’t stop at snacks and yoga. Round up a curated list of wellness resources your team can explore on their own terms. Think podcasts on mental health, articles on sleep or nutrition, or apps for meditation, fitness, or gratitude. If you have internal employee wellness programs — coaching, employee assistance programs, or benefits info — highlight them here, too. Organize everything in one easy-to-find place so no one has to dig through email archives. Think of it as a choose-your-own-wellness adventure. Just with fewer dragons and more deep breaths.

6. Recognize wellness champions

Every workplace has that one person who brings in healthy snacks, organizes lunchtime walks, or reminds the team to breathe — literally. Use Global Wellness Day to spotlight these unsung heroes. Share their stories, habits, or motivation across your internal comms or employee recognition platform. Recognition not only shows appreciation but also encourages others to step up. Tie it into your larger recognition strategy for consistency and impact. Who knows? Today’s hydration hawk might be tomorrow’s meditation mentor. At the very least, they deserve a virtual high five and a reusable water bottle.

Make wellness recognition an everyday thing

Global Wellness Day is a fantastic starting point — but true employee well-being support isn’t a once-a-year event (sorry, smoothie bar). Real impact comes from making wellness part of your culture every day. One of the simplest, most effective ways to do that? Recognition.

Recognizing employees for prioritizing wellness — whether they’re leading a walking group, modeling work-life balance, or just remembering to take lunch away from their inbox — reinforces positive habits, reduces burnout, and builds a culture where well-being is more than just a buzzword.

It’s also a morale booster. A little “Hey, I see you” goes a long way — and sometimes does more than a meditation app ever could.

In fact, employees who are recognized at least monthly report 2.5 times greater feelings of belonging and double the productivity and engagement compared to those recognized less frequently.

So, while Global Wellness Day is a great kickoff, making wellness recognition an everyday thing ensures that well-being remains a consistent and integral part of your workplace culture.

How Achievers can help your organization support employee wellness

Wellness shouldn’t be a one-day affair — and at Achievers, it isn’t. Our employee experience platform makes it easy to recognize wellness wins all year round, whether someone leads a lunchtime walking group, organizes a hydration challenge, or just manages to actually use their vacation days (gasp).

With Achievers, wellness recognition becomes part of your culture. Our science-backed approach to employee engagement helps reduce burnout, promote belonging, and reinforce healthy behaviors — all with frequent, meaningful recognition at its core.

Need to know how your wellness efforts are landing? Achievers offers real-time feedback tools to surface workplace stressors and improve programs on the fly — no guesswork, just honest insights.

And with the highest recognition frequency in the industry, customizable campaigns, and built-in measurement tools, Achievers gives you everything you need to support well-being and drive results. Because when employees feel seen, heard, and appreciated — they thrive.

Prioritize employee wellness, today and every day

Employee wellness shouldn’t be a one-time thing — it should be a staple of your company culture. Whether it’s encouraging breaks, offering fun wellness programs, or just making health a top priority, little changes can go a long way. Start small and keep your eyes on the long game. Over time, those small shifts build into something bigger: a culture where well-being is the norm, not the exception.

When wellness is part of the everyday, everyone wins — happier employees, a stronger culture, and a business that’s healthier all around. So, why not kickstart it today? The little things you do now can lead to some pretty big wins down the line.

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