Every year, Gentle Giant sets aside one week during the summer to celebrate health and wellness. The Giant Health team has been organizing and hosting Wellness Week for several years to raise awareness about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The week provides tools and education to enable employees to improve their overall quality of life.

What does health really mean? Healthy living isn’t just about attending CrossFit classes or the latest fad diet; it’s a wider reaching philosophy impacting every area of life.

In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This year’s Wellness Week highlighted a wholistic vision of health with activities focused on mental health, financial health, work/life balance, and of course, physical health.

The importance of mental health and stress reduction was a common theme throughout this year’s Wellness Week. A session of acupuncture specifically targeted to increase relaxation, a yoga class and a guided meditation session were popular activities related to mental health. Employees were also offered the chance to meet with a representative from our employee assistance program (EAP). The Gentle Giant EAP provides a resource for employees who are seeking assistance with managing stress within or outside of work, and employees are encouraged to seek out available resources to maintain their mental health.

Financial health ranks as one of the most common sources of ongoing, chronic stress. To combat this stress, we offered a class with financial advisors to discuss debt management, added in response to growing challenges younger generations face with student debt and homeownership. Education regarding building good credit, managing good and bad debt, and balancing budgets provided an engaging tool to build greater financial health.

Gentle Giant recognizes the value of interests, hobbies, and passions outside work. A historical mid-week walking tour with a Preservation Planner from the City of Somerville offered employees a chance to understand our local community and learn more about the roots of our culturally thriving neighborhood. A planning session with a few of our resident outdoor adventure experts helped employees learn about opportunities in hiking and bike touring.

Let’s not forget about the value of physical health. A shadowboxing class, led by a former Gentle Giant employee, provided education and fun to those who participated, and to those who spectated! The ever-popular seated massages were back again this year, an employee favorite. The week was capped off with an intro to the company gym and a company BBQ.

Another great Wellness Week is in the books! Looking for a company who cares deeply about your health and well-being, both physically and mentally? Check out the Gentle Giant moving jobs and careers page. We are always hiring for the ever-growing operations team!