By Anouska Shenn
6th May 2020, 4:35 PM UTC
The shift to working from home has brought about many welcome changes for office workers, including zero commute times and home-cooked lunches, but has not been without its challenges. A growing number of businesses now are exploring ways of re-engaging their teams while they work from home, and virtual yoga classes are a popular one for a reason. With so many options out there, the process of implementing them can feel rather daunting, but it needn’t be. The steps we outline below will demystify the process and ensure you leave nothing important out.
Gauge internal interest
Is there an appetite for wellness sessions at your company? Ask for a show of (virtual!) hands in an all-staff meeting, or float the idea in a newsletter to get a general idea. You could collect your responses via SurveyMonkey or Google Forms, for example. Has anything similar been offered at your company previously, and how was it received? These are all great questions to ask before you start your research and will help you in the next step…
Choose a class
Now would be a good time to receive a consultation to assist you in choosing the type of class that would best suit your company’s requirements. If you’d like to speak to one of our wellbeing experts, you can book a free call with us.
Build your business case
Getting the buy-in of key stakeholders early on in the process will lower the chance of hitting a road block further down the line. It’s vital to establish whether there is budget for your initiative, and by making a solid case that demonstrates ROI and alignment with your company’s values, you’ll be well placed to tackle any objections that might arise.
Working with an corporate wellness agency could prove helpful at this point to build out your proposal. At The Office Yoga Company, for example, we provide examples of our work, testimonials, and slide decks describing the classes along with the benefits of each.
Book your classes
Once you have approval from the powers that be, you can set a date for your initial classes and communicate this to your staff to create awareness and build interest.
Maintain momentum
We recommend all our clients to send reminders each week to keep attendance levels high. Ideally your yoga classes become a collaborative space where your colleagues can convene in a low-pressure, non-businessy way. We encourage our participants to leave their cameras on at the start and end of the session to greet each other, and to use the chat function in the conferencing app.
We hope this article has been helpful in breaking down the process. If you’re interested in bringing virtual yoga classes to your workplace, we would love to hear from you. To find out more about how we can support your goals, you are welcome to book an initial consultation.
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Anouska Shenn writes about workplace wellness and employee experience from London, drawing on 8 years of experience and her work with corporate clients around the world.