Many teams care about employee wellbeing — but then there are teams that show it. Just ask Kaylee Agnew.
Agnew is a health and wellness coach at Corporate Tools, a B2B software company, and one of her many responsibilities is running a one-on-one health coaching program. The program offers personalized wellness coaching for employees who want to sleep better, get a nutrition consult, or map out a new workout regime, among other goals.
“I’m there to help them take what they want to work on and turn it into something realistic that they can actually maintain,” Agnew said.
Corporate Tools’ decision to offer ongoing wellness support for employees will likely have a long-term positive impact, according to the research. Wellness programs are directly correlated with stronger employee engagement, improved retention rates, a decrease in employee stress and higher productivity.
We spoke with Agnew about the wellness programs, principles and team culture that support employee wellbeing at Corporate Tools.
Corporate Tools builds the behind-the-scenes tools that keep businesses running: software, LLC filings, registered agent service, website and domain registration, address services and more.
Your principle for keeping a sustainable work pace — in one line — and what signal proves it works for the business?
One of our company principles is “play the long game,” and I think that applies really well to employee wellbeing. We want people to do great work, but we also recognize that taking care of yourself is a big part of being able to keep doing that work long term. My role is really about helping employees find realistic ways to support their health and wellbeing alongside everything else they have going on. Seeing employees continue to participate in our wellness programs and come back to use the resources available to them tells me we’re providing support they actually find valuable.
Which policy or norm makes flexible work succeed — and how do you measure its impact?
“Freedom not fear” is another one of our company principles and I think it’s a big part of why flexibility works here. There’s a lot of trust in employees to take ownership of their work and figure out what works best for them. I see that carry over into wellness too. Everyone has different schedules, responsibilities, stressors and priorities, so what taking care of yourself looks like isn’t going to be the same for everyone. Giving people that flexibility makes it easier to find something that actually fits their life instead of trying to force everyone into the same routine. From the wellness side, I can see that impact through participation, feedback and the ways employees choose to use the different resources available to them.
Which wellness resource do people actually use — and what improvement have you seen in your people?
One resource I’m especially proud of is our one-on-one health coaching program, which gives every employee the opportunity to work directly with me at no cost. People come to coaching for all kinds of reasons, whether they want to manage stress, have more energy, improve their nutrition, move more, sleep better or just feel better in their day-to-day life. One of the biggest changes I’ve seen is people becoming more confident in figuring out what actually works for them. I’m not there to hand someone a perfect wellness plan. I’m there to help them take what they want to work on and turn it into something realistic that they can actually maintain.
