A Culture of Health Can Fuel Your Business

At Emotive Brand, we understand first-hand that a culture of health leads to a high performing brand and business. As a result, we embed eating healthy, living an active and safe lifestyle, and proactively managing levels of stress and overall wellness into the way we do business. It’s who we are. And we know this impacts our workplace environment, our brand, and our business.

Why’s that? In the end, healthy, safe, energized people are more able to do their work. In fact, studies indicate that companies that focus on the well-being and safety of their employees yield greater value for their investors. So the stakes are high. Health is not a company benefit. The health of your employees has a high impact on performance, productivity and overall workplace happiness. And by fueling a culture of health, you can better position your brand and business to thrive.

Cultures of Health, Gaining Traction

More and more organizations are coming around to the importance of building a culture of health, and this focus is becoming increasingly crucial for recruiting talent, retaining employees, and making sure employees are equipped and ready to help your brand and business succeed. It’s no question that people’s workplace expectations have heightened. Now, more than ever, people want to work for companies who value their health, reinforce healthy lifestyle choices, and encourage and support their personal goals and objectives.

People are increasingly worried about high stress levels, unhealthy diets, inactive lifestyles, and are demanding more support, flexibility, and rewards for healthy living. As a result, many businesses are placing heightened attention to employee wellness programs and increased focus on improving employee health, reducing stress, and increasing happiness and meaning within the workplace.

A Culture of Athletes Demands Even More

Here at Emotive Brand we’d consider ourselves more than just a culture of health. With so many talented, dedicated, and inspiring athletes on our team, our culture of health must also be a culture tailored to athletes.

Everyone has experienced a busy day that lead to an unhealthy meal. Or a long stressful week that resulted in sleep-deprivation, making it nearly impossible to get out of bed for a workout in the morning. Work often gets in the way of exercise.

But imagine training for triathlons like our co-founder Bella Banbury, or scheduling long runs leading up to the SF marathon like senior designer Wayne Tang, or lengthy swims in the bay like Strategy Director Taylor Standlee. Many of our employees were college athletes and continue to compete in athletic events throughout the Bay Area and beyond. And these athletic performances are demanding. Which means we also need a culture of flexibility to make a culture of athletes work.

Helping a Culture of Athletes Thrive

Health and wellness means different things to different people. We might not be Olympians, but we are a culture of athletes. So how do we support our athletic culture at Emotive Brand and leverage it to help our brand and business thrive?

1. Encourage and reward all athletic endeavors:

In order to truly promote a culture of health, support and honor athletic endeavors of all kinds. Athletes never have the same goals. Even if a competitive swimmer is working to run his or her first 5k, it is worth celebrating. People who feel supported and encouraged are more likely to reach their goals – both personal and professional. Encouraging athletic endeavors means building a culture that supports people to overcome challenges, improve skills, and even learn new. It helps create an environment of high achieving, motivated, goal-orientated, coachable, and collaborative people who will help your brand thrive. So make note of these achievements at meetings, congratulate people in person, and celebrate big wins.

2. Translate athletic skills to work:

For us, there are so many parallels between athletics and brand strategy. And considering the connections between the two and working on translating our strengths from one to the others helps us be more on top of our game, more competitive, and more successful – in the office and outside it. A culture of athletes will reflect and show the brand’s drive, dedication, adaptability, and ability to work collaboratively. And when fostered, these characteristics fuel the energy of the brand, its communications, and even how it’s perceived externally.

3. Be flexible, adaptable, and support individual needs:

Like every brand needs a customized path to transformation, every athlete takes an individualized track to success. When supporting employee’s goals, it’s important to build a workplace that can be flexible and adaptable to each individual. Give each person the tools they need to thrive and in turn, help move your business forward. Employees who feel like their workplace cares about their personal needs, goals, and objectives are more likely to be more satisfied, work harder, and fuel your brand towards success.

Keep Your Brand in Mind

What your brand stands for has to align with how your brand behaves. For us, as a competitive, collaborative, dedicated, growth and goal orientated company, building and encouraging culture of athletes is important to the way we do business and live our brand. But every business requires different strengths, and every brand requires different behaviors to bring it to life. Think about how to build a culture that fosters specific brand behavior. And make sure these behaviors are in line with your purpose, goals, and objectives.

Every touch-point of your brand reflects your brand’s performance. So take this thinking further by applying it to every aspect of your business and every way your brand interacts with people – inside and outside the business. Promoting a culture of athletes, if it’s genuine and authentic, will set up your people to perform in a way that reinforces their natural interests and instincts. And by staying true to what you stand for, your brand be authentically positioned to thrive.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.