A lunch and learn is a casual session held during lunch breaks, where employees can gain valuable insights on various topics, that include health and well being, professional development, and industry trends, all while enjoying a FREE meal. It's a great opportunity for employees to engage, ask questions, and expand their knowledge in a relaxed, informal setting.
A lunch and learn well-being seminar focused specifically on health and wellness offers practical tips on topics like stress management, injury prevention, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and more. These seminars are designed to promote overall well-being and support a healthier, more productive work environment.
What Are the Benefits of Lunch and Learn Well-Being Seminars?
Onsite lunch-and-learn well-being seminars are a practical way for companies to invest in their employees' well-being and professional growth. By turning lunch breaks into opportunities for learning, these events create lasting benefits for both the employees and the businesses.
First off, employees gain valuable insights into mental wellbeing and physical wellness. They become more aware of their daily habits and learn how to make healthier choices at work and at home, leading to a heightened sense of control over their health and happiness. They may also experience an improved work-life balance by learning how to manage time more effectively and prioritize their well-being.
The shared learning experiences not only enhance individual well-being but also strengthen work relationships, encouraging collaboration and camaraderie among colleagues. Most importantly, employees feel supported in their personal health and wellness goals, knowing their employer provides both resources and encouragement to help them succeed.
For employers, the benefits are just as compelling. Healthier, more engaged employees lead to higher productivity and reduced absenteeism (i.e., when employees frequently miss work due to illness, stress, or lack of motivation). Additionally, these events help cultivate a positive workplace culture, showing current and prospective talent that your company genuinely cares about its people.
Which Businesses See the Biggest Impact From Health-Focused Lunch and Learns?
We believe that all types of businesses can benefit greatly from hosting lunch and learn well-being events. But let’s explore the industries that could gain the most from integrating lunch and learn well-being seminars into their workplace culture.
A factsheet from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that in 2018, there were 900,380 days away from work (DAFW) cases in the U.S. private sector, with 272,780 (or 30 percent) being related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs—commonly known as ergonomic injuries—are a group of more than 150 painful conditions that affect the muscles, tendons, spine, bones, joints, and ligament. Common examples of MSDs include pinched nerves, carpal tunnel syndrome, and herniated discs.
The report identified 9 key industries that accounted for a significant portion of these DAFW cases, listed from highest to lowest:
Healthcare and social assistance.
Retail trade.
Manufacturing.
Transportation and warehousing.
Construction.
Wholesale trade.
Financial activities.
Information.
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting.
Notably, Retail Trade, Manufacturing, and Healthcare/Social Assistance were responsible for 50 percent of all MSD cases in the private sector in 2018. While these numbers are alarming, the situation has not improved over the years. In fact, the number of MSD-related DAFW cases increased, reaching 502,380 by 2023.
From the chart, it is clear that service-based businesses like education, professional and business services, and leisure and hospitality are now affected by MSD-related absenteeism. So, if you operate a business in any of these industries, you may benefit from hosting lunch and learn wellbeing seminars.
You might be asking, “Do I really need to host a lunch and learn wellbeing seminar for employees if my business falls into one of these industries?”
The charts don’t lie; health issues do lead to high absenteeism rates. But what's not shown in the chart is the ripple effect that absenteeism has on businesses. Increased absenteeism leads to higher costs, whether it's for temporary replacements or overtime pay for other employees. It also increases the workload for the remaining staff, raising stress levels for those employees and decreasing their productivity. This puts a strain on team morale, customer satisfaction, and can even result in higher turnover rates.
Absenteeism isn’t only due to non-fatal injuries or illnesses. It is increasingly driven by mental health challenges. ComPsych (a leading provider of employee mental health and absence management services) recently revealed a 300% rise in mental health-related leaves of absence among U.S. workers between 2017 and 2023. Issues like anxiety, burnout, stress, and depression are taking a toll on employees across all industries. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which industry you operate in. Lunch and learn well-being seminars are an invaluable tool to raise employee morale, and consequently, productivity.
What Are the Financial Benefits of Lunch and Learn Well-Being Seminars?
Investing in lunch and learn well-being seminars for employees, much like an employee assistance program (EAP, which offers support for a wide range of personal and work-related issues), can yield impressive returns for businesses. The financial benefits include:
Increased productivity and efficiency.
Lower healthcare costs.
Reduced turnover (meaning employees stay longer, saving you money on hiring and training new staff), and
Decreased absenteeism.
You may be thinking, “How can I know my return of investment (ROI) on a health and wellness lunch and learn?”
Determining the exact ROI on wellness initiatives can be tricky because most of their benefits are usually abstract (read: unquantifiable). But if you look closely, you can find the returns in quantifiable data like your net profit, number of sick days, healthcare claims or insurance plan savings, performance metrics or project completion rates, and cost of absenteeism. Moreover, their impact is largely dependent on how much employees utilize and engage.
For instance, the Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA) estimates that for every $1 invested in an EAP, employers can see a return of between $3 and $10 in terms of reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, and lower healthcare costs. However, EAP utilization remains low due to a number of factors, including privacy concerns, access issues, stigma around seeking help, lack of awareness, or the perception that it’s a last-resort solution. In other words, businesses investing in EAPs may not be getting the most bang for their buck.
Lunch and learn seminars, with the incentive of FREE lunch, have higher participation rates. And with the right lunch and learn well-being seminar topics, they can drive meaningful conversations, improve workplace wellness, and deliver real results. It's a simple yet powerful way to invest in your team’s health and happiness.
What’s the Average Cost for Health and Wellness Programs for Small to Large Companies?
The cost of employee wellness programs (EWPs) varies widely based on the size of the company and the scope of the program. For small businesses, programs can range from $50 to $150 per employee annually. For larger companies, costs may increase to $200-$1,200 per employee, especially for more comprehensive offerings. Lunch and learn seminars are an affordable alternative or supplement to your company's EWP, with prices tailored to fit your budget while delivering maximum value.
Why Choose a Local Business Like WholePerson Therapeutics as Your Wellness Partner?
When it comes to supporting the health and well-being of your employees, partnering with a local business like WholePerson Therapeutics offers benefits that larger, international businesses can’t match.
Your employees deserve more than a one-size-fits-all approach. We understand the culture, lifestyle, and unique challenges of our community, allowing us to curate a lunch-and-learn well-being seminar that resonates with your employees' real lives and drives meaningful change.
No two seminars are the same. We bring a personal touch, encourage active participation, and foster thoughtful discussions, addressing individual concerns and unique team dynamics. Each session is interactive and responsive, ensuring employees feel heard, valued, and empowered to apply the wellness principles shared.
Being local means we’re here when you need us. Whether you need follow-up sessions, ongoing resources, or on-site guidance, we’re ready to help — without the delays or bureaucracy that come with larger companies.
As a local business, our reputation is everything. You can trust us to go above and beyond, delivering quality services with accountability and integrity that larger, distant companies might not prioritize.
Most importantly, we are cost-effective. Larger international businesses typically charge premium prices to cover overhead, branding, and operational complexities, inflating the cost of their service packages. In contrast, we streamline our operations and focus on delivering customized services without unnecessary expenses. This allows us to bring your lunch-and-learn ideas to life within your budget, without compromising quality.
WholePerson Therapeutics is more than just a wellness partner — we’re part of your community, dedicated to helping your business and its people reach their healthiest potential by being available at your local office to help your employees manage their health and wellness needs
Lunch and Learn With WholePerson Therapeutics: What You Should Expect
If you're curious about our lunch and learn well-being seminar topics, we address four elements of wellness that can help your employees achieve optimal health:
Physical wellness
Emotional wellness
Spiritual wellness
Social wellness
Here’s an overview of what to expect.
Physical Wellness
Employees may face physical health challenges that affect their focus, energy, and productivity at work, often without openly sharing them. Workplace factors such as job stress, poor posture, repetitive movements, and long periods of sitting can contribute to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Individual or behavioral factors like medication, food-nutrient imbalance, and poor posture also play a role in how employees experience their bodies at work and in their personal lives.
In our session on physical wellness, we empower your employees with knowledge and practical tools to take charge of their health. For instance, we explore ‘Quick solutions when back pain begins’, sharing simple strategies to relieve pain early. Employees will also learn about the ‘8 types of pain’ and why not all pain is treated the same way.
Other topics include:
Supplements: To Take or Not To Take, that is the question.
Importance of nutrient intake.
Symptoms of vitamin deficiencies.
Understanding blood pressure and cholesterol.
Pain medication, the body, and vitamins
Benefits of stretching vs. exercise
Messages from your body.
By addressing these topics, we aim to help you cultivate a workplace culture that prioritizes injury prevention, pain management, and overall well-being.
Emotional Wellness
Our emotional wellness session is centered around understanding how the agreements we make with ourselves can impact our emotional well-being at work and in other areas of life. This element, based on the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, focuses on how these personal agreements shape our emotional responses and interactions. By learning to recognize and adjust these agreements, employees can release negative emotions, cultivate greater emotional resilience, regulate their emotional responses, and foster healthier climates within themselves at work and in their social circles.
Here are the topics we cover under the emotional wellness discourse:
Stress
Mental balance
4-agreement coping skills
Mindfulness activities for emotional balance
Spiritual Wellness
With this element, our focus is on helping your employees find balance, purpose, and peace within themselves and their surroundings. By the end of the session(s), they should know how to nurture their inner strength, create a sense of alignment and improve focus with clarity, even in the busiest of workdays.
Here are the topics we cover under spiritual wellness:
The importance of appropriate meditation.
The power of words.
Personal reset time.
Mantras to reset negative thoughts (creating personal mantras to break negative thought patterns and stay motivated throughout the day).
The energy of self and others; how it can damage your day, and learning to protect your peace.
Social Wellness
Running a local business often relies on informal systems that offer flexibility and speed but can lead to inconsistent communication decision-making challenges. Also, employees who struggle to adapt to the informal system may feel excluded or disadvantaged. In time, your workspace can become a hostile environment, making it hard for employees to bring their best selves to work.
To address these challenges, our lunch and learn program includes a session titled “No One Is a Mind Reader: Communication Habits for a Better Workplace”. It aims to help your employees build stronger communication habits, foster mutual understanding, and create a more supportive workplace environment.
Other important topics we discuss under social wellness include:
Identification of behaviors that aren’t beneficial to self.
Never eat alone.
Don’t be a mirror. Be a beam of light.
Eat the biggest frog first — Time management.
Bask in positivity and attract positive relationships.
Meet Your Presenter: Barbara Belicia, MOT OTR/L
Our tailored lunch and learn well-being seminars led by Barbara Belicia are packaged with lots of goodies for local businesses with a minimum of 5 employees. You can expect an engaging ‘whole person’ experience where Barbara provides actionable tips on managing stress, improving physical health, boosting mental well-being, and building a positive workplace culture. She has a track record of delivering impactful results.
Barbara’s diverse career journey spans across multiple industries, including hospitality, retail, legal, administrative, health care (assisted living and skilled nursing facilities), military defense, and more. These experiences, combined with personal injuries sustained along the way, eventually led her to the Allied Health field. Today, she thrives as an occupational therapist, specializing in comprehensive physical health.
Barbara’s personal health journey has been deeply influenced by her ongoing education. Once living with constant pain, relying on a cane, and facing other medical challenges, she’s transformed her quality of life. While she still occasionally experiences symptoms, Barbara now has the tools and knowledge to manage them, ensuring her days are no longer fully disrupted.
Her mission is to share what she’s learned to help others enhance their own well-being. Barbara believes that physical health is key to enjoying life’s many wonders—whether at work, during play, or in moments of leisure.
A Look at Barbara’s Track Record: 5.0 Star Ratings on Google Business:
Empower Your Employees to Thrive
We are passionate about supporting local businesses in and around Shelton, Connecticut, including:
New Haven, Oxford, Ansonia, Seymour, Derby
Bridgeport, Trumbull, Monroe, Fairfield
Shelton, Orange, Milford, West Haven, Stratford.
And more...
If your business operates within a 20 mile radius of our office at 1000 Bridgeport Avenue, Suite 306, Shelton, CT. Let’s discuss how our tailored Lunch and Learn wellbeing seminars can inspire, heal, and energize your team.
Phone: (203) 636-0065
Email: Barbara@wptcares.com
Website: www.wptcares.com
We’d love to connect for a chat about your needs together, we can create a healthier, happier, and more productive workplace!
References
Etana, G., Ayele, M., Abdissa, D., & Gerbi, A. (2021). Prevalence of work related musculoskeletal disorders and associated factors among bank staff in Jimma City, Southwest Ethiopia, 2019: an Institution-Based Cross-Sectional study. Journal of Pain Research, Volume 14, 2071–2082. https://doi.org/10.2147/jpr.s299680
Occupational injuries and illnesses resulting in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). (2022, November 17). Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/msds.htm
Chart 2 data. (2022, November 17). Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/iif/factsheets/msds-chart2-data.htm
Work safety: Musculoskeletal Injuries and Illnesses - Injury Facts. (2024, February 8). Injury Facts. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/safety-topics/musculoskeletal-injuries/
Work safety: Musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses - Data details - Injury facts. (2024, February 8). Injury Facts. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/safety-topics/musculoskeletal-injuries/data-details/
Verduyn, M. (2024, October 23). What is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)? Your In-Depth 2025 guide. AIHR. https://www.aihr.com/blog/employee-assistance-program-eap/
Webmaestro. (2024, July 15). Return on investment for EAP and mental health in the workplace. Northstar Employee Assistance Program. https://northstareap.com/eap-roi/
How much do employee wellness programs cost? (n.d.). https://www.passporthealthusa.com/employer-solutions/blog/2019-5-how-much-do-wellness-programs-cost/
ComPsych. (2024, December 9). Mental health leaves of absence continue to proliferate among U.S. workers according to new CoMPSych data - CoMPSYCH. https://www.compsych.com/press-release/mental-health-leaves-of-absence-continue-to-proliferate-among-u-s-workers-according-to-new-compsych-data/
Until the next topic.
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