Since 2016, Guidebook’s global offices have celebrated Health & Wellness Month every September. We stock our kitchens with nutritious snacks, attend group fitness classes, and take part in company-wide challenges—all in the name of spending a little extra time focusing on employees’ well being. Our Raleigh team took on a hydration challenge this month! The group channeled their competitive spirits and held each other accountable to daily water intake goals. A brand new water bottle and office leaderboard helped provide an extra bit of motivation! Our UK team decided to focus on both mind and body by participating in a series of private yoga classes led by yoga instructor Martyna Borek. Her goal for the group was to help unlock the wide benefits of yoga—reduced anxiety, better sleep, stress management, improved flexibility and mobility, and more. Meanwhile in San Francisco, employees had a quite diverse slate of activities to choose from, including indoor rock climbing or boxing class. We also had a large group of runners participate in the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge!

Weekly Showdowns

Every week, the People team challenged each office to a “Thursday Showdown” which tested balance, endurance, and more. Week 1’s test was for longest wall sit—the winner globally was EMEA Account Manager Jack Tattersall, whose wall sit lasted 10 minutes, 24 seconds! (Don’t your legs burn just reading that?) Week 2’s Thursday Showdown tested Guidebookers’ balance, seeing who could hold Eagle Pose the longest. In a victory that surprised no one, Customer Success Associate (and total yogi) Hannah Baumgardner took the victory by holding the pose for nearly 13 (!!!) minutes. Week 3 was a doozy—the annual plank challenge. This year’s top time went to Sales Development Representative Connor Zindroski, who held a plank for 5 minutes, 15 seconds.  For our Week 4 challenge, we decided to test the brain! Guidebookers formed teams and participated in a “Pop Quiz” where they had to distinguish fact from fiction among health and wellness topics.  All in all, Health and Wellness Month is a favorite around Guidebook—not only because of the awesome swag, fitness classes, and contests – but because it offers team members a chance to bond and get to know each other outside of a typical work setting. This Health and Wellness Month may be coming to a close today, but we’re already planning for 2020!