Best Audiobooks for Leaders Who Want to Build a Corporate Wellness Program

Dec 20

Written By Kathie's Coaching and Consulting

Nowadays, corporate wellness programs are not just nice perks but rather expected team offerings. Per recent WellSteps surveys, almost 90% of all responding American employees say that they’ve chosen their workplace based on how they approach workforce wellness.

That said, for a valuable corporate wellness program to matter and actually pay off, it needs to be helmed by leaders who actually understand the individuals they’re trying to care for. Otherwise, this will just come off as part of bad leadership performing lip service.

In a previous article entitled Bad Leadership - The #1 Reason Companies Lose Top Talent, we noted that lackluster bosses who underperform are often the culprit for many company problems. This includes poor talent retention and lower productivity.

To prevent this, it helps to start by doing research into the mindset, concerns, and goals that many employees have. Among the best resources for this in the digital age are audiobooks.

Aside from being hugely convenient, audiobooks are a great form of content for everyone. For leaders, especially, the hands-free format means it’s easy to listen to and immerse yourself in virtually anytime and anywhere, so you can gain the necessary insights for your corporate wellness program.

Where leaders can find inspiring audiobooks

As a purely digital form of content, audiobooks are easy to find through digital libraries. Everand’s collection of wellness audiobooks shows how you can even find a diverse selection that focuses on career and professional development.

Some examples include the New York Times bestseller From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life and the more niche The Unmasking Workbook for Autistic Adults: Neurodiversity Affirming Skills to Help You Live Authentically, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive. Since these are all within one platform, you can easily find these and more with just a few clicks on your preferred device. Then, you can download them for online and offline consumption, making them even easier to slot into your working day.

Regarding costs, these audiobooks are much more affordable than other content forms. In many cases, you just have to pay a subscription fee.

For instance, the audio content provider Spotify now offers premium subscribers access to an audiobook catalog. These audiobooks come from Bloomsbury, which has announced it will share almost 380,000 titles through the aforementioned media application.

The aforementioned Everand platform's monthly subscription costs are also comparable to a single physical book. With such reasonable fees, you won’t have to worry about taking these on as a personal cost should you not settle for it as a business expense.

Must-listen audiobooks every leader should listen to

Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better

Now revised and updated, Brant Hansen's title takes a deeper look into present society’s cancel culture and sensitivities. This is a point of contention between many leaders, who are often of an older generation than many of their employees.

If you’re also in this boat, then this audiobook will provide you with a valuable grasp on the frustrations that abound today. Moreover, it also offers helpful coping methods that ensure every party is able to overcome misunderstandings and reduce stress. This title is particularly helpful if part of your corporate wellness program focuses on inclusivity and diversity.

It Starts with Self-Compassion: A Practical Road Map

The saying “we are our own worst critic” is very true, especially among workers who may be burnt out and under immense pressure.

Thus, it’s important for any corporate wellness program to espouse compassion and empathy. As explained in Forbes’ report on improving workplace culture, this is critical for many teams. As a matter of fact, up to 52% of respondents said they’d stay longer with companies that empathized with them.

With this in mind, Celeste Headlee’s audiobook can help guide you through the process of developing compassion not only for others but also for yourself. After all, leaders set the example, and so by showing yourself grace, you can better create a program that centers on this and encourages it in employees.

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself

If there’s one thing that many employees today want, it’s better work-life balance. As a leader, it’s therefore key that you’re able to support this through programs that ensure your team isn’t sacrificing their personal life for their professional one.

Nedra Glover Tawwab’s New York Times bestselling audiobook can help you do this by teaching you about healthy boundaries. Since saying no is often easier said than done, this title outlines concrete ways to make this more doable, especially in high-pressure workplace environments.