It’s 2023, and we’re all still adjusting to the “new normal” of remote, hybrid, and in-office work. The “Great Resignation” has given business leaders a reason to sit up and pay attention to what workers want, including how to retain and attract talent.

And employees have answered loud and clear: Employee wellness is non-negotiable. After all, we want to be healthy and happy in our work environment and our lives!

Leading companies are seeking ways to incorporate wellness into a strategy to attract talent and bring employees to in-person events.

The #1 strategy? Small-group wellness events.

What is Corporate Wellness?

Corporate wellness – also known as workplace wellness or corporate well-being – is the business strategy of designing policies and activities to support healthier behavior and outcomes for employees, both in and beyond the workplace. The goal of corporate wellness is to drive employee engagement, job satisfaction, productivity, and talent acquisition.

A study by Fidelity and Business Group on Health found that 83% of employers expect employee well-being to be a critical focus this year. Corporate wellness programs aim to improve employees' health, design perks that employees love, and help drive positive long-term behavior in the workplace.

Why Corporate Wellness is a Leading Focus in 2023

Here at Arrive, we’ve had several conversations with Human Resource Management execs who are struggling to find effective ways to entice employees back to the office. They’ve tried using face-time strategy sessions or organizational culture building.

But employees, in the absence of meaningful and thoughtful incentives, prefer to reap the benefits of work-from-home and remote work options rather than come in for an ice-cream bar or cocktails.

The #1 Trend in Corporate Wellness Activities: Small Groups

Ann Wyatt, the Chief Client Success Leader at HealthFitness, has a prediction for 2023:

“[W]e’ll see a big surge in services that are personalized, like personal training and small group training. These more intimate training environments give employees guidance, support, and a sense of community — all things we know they are craving.”

At Arrive, we’ve observed that same trend: client excitement over connecting in small groups with familiar faces is at a three-year high. Many New Yorkers (and beyond) crave to connect in meaningful ways that contribute to their overall health and well-being.

The Benefits of Small Group Wellness Events

Corporate wellness is at an opportune inflection point, with companies of all sizes starting to leverage solutions for small-group activations. If groups are too big, people tune out. If they’re too small, you lose the support network you’re seeking to engage.

Benefits of small group wellness classes include:

Physical wellness: Participants in a small group fitness class are clearly seeing benefits to physical wellness. Movement and personal training make a huge difference in physical well-being.
Social wellness: Employees can interface with colleagues and peers in-person, which promotes social well-being and employee morale. The accountability of a peer group has proven to bring higher compliance, with improvements in consistency, engagement, and enjoyment.
Mental wellness: Studies show that exercise and physical movement have some of the best outcomes for mental health and can be as or more effective than drugs like antidepressants.
Safer gatherings: While in-person gatherings have excellent social and mental outcomes, small groups help reduce the risk of viral spread or infection. They can also help ease people back into in-person gatherings.

In short, small group gatherings are the right size to optimize feelings of belonging and connection (hello, HR win!) in a safe environment. They emphasize physical, emotional, mental, and social wellness – all contributors to better workplace outcomes.

Arrive’s Approach to Corporate Wellness

As a leading multidisciplinary fitness and wellness business in New York City, Arrive has been at the forefront of co-working and small-group wellness programs since 2010. We have 12 years of accumulated insights as to what works to draw folks to in-person shared spaces.

Since 2020, we’ve observed several waves of behavior in return-to-office/space. They range from pioneering excitement and risks-be-damned enthusiasm over connecting in real life again – to the persistent caution of masked-up yet intrepid individuals who selectively choose highly-curated experiences.

Having survived the pandemic, we positioned ourselves to adapt to the ever-changing needs of not only our clients – providing customized, high-quality private and small group sessions – but also fitness/wellness professionals and our own team.

Here’s what our wellness pros recommend

Opt for disciplines that include some breathing room! Some of the best small-group activities that are safe and facilitate connection include:

Final Thoughts

In summary, ditch the rando cocktail gathering. Take the initiative to coordinate a focused wellness experience – perhaps with drinks after for the best of both worlds.

We’d love to hear from you! Let us know if the trends at Arrive align with what you’re seeing in NYC and beyond. And, of course, if you know of a small group in need of a wellness solution to boost engagement and happiness at work, let us know how we can help!

The 2023 Corporate Wellness Trend that Employees Love