Corporate Wellness
We all know it’s GOOD Business to keep our employee’s healthy……
when they’re healthy, they’re happy, and this = SAVINGS + PROFIT
Many employers ask, “How do you create a Workplace Wellness Program that doesn’t just become another ‘failed crop initiative’, but instead keeps employees motivated year after year”.
Here’s what you need to cultivate and nurture your crop:
- Get company-wide commitment – including upper management
A successful wellness program involves commitment from all levels of management in order to establish a healthy internal culture. Every manager and officer must plant and cultivate the seed.
- Identify the risk concerns – 20% of employees increase health care costs for the entire organization
Risk assessments are essential in identifying a number of things, such as high risk behaviors, which employees may benefit the most from wellness coaching, what aspects of health are important to your employees, and what areas they’d like to improve upon.
- Establish a focus – design your program around the health needs of the employees
A well designed program meets the employee’s key health issues. Wellness programs should focus on two-three areas of wellness, rather than trying to address every area all at once. Establishing a strategic road map to execute, monitor, and evaluate while putting measure in place to motivate the staff will produce healthy outcomes, and prove to benefit your bottom line tremendously.
Establish partnerships within the community and with vendors to enhance program participation
Identify three or four outside partners (vendors, YMCA programs, fitness clubs, dieticians, fitness trainers, community health organizations, etc.) that are willing to partner with you and assist in wellness fairs or who can provide ideas to enhance your program, as well as optimize participation.
- Provide incentives to those who participate and to those who reach goals
You’ll find that providing a few incentives will get employees inspired to jump on board. Non-monetary incentives work best. Most employees prefer an incentive that lasts – something that will remind them of their accomplishments. Electronic or technology incentives work well, such as a new laptop, an i-pad, maybe a nice watch or piece of jewelry. - Market the program monthly
Consistency in anything equals success. Just like you market your own business, you want to keep the employees engaged and you want to keep enrolling new employees each month. Maybe the program didn’t offer the non-engaged employee the right incentive last month, but this month your newsletter sparks an interest. Stay invested in the program and your employees will invest in you.
- Establish a wellness team
If you want big results, establish a wellness team. The wellness team should meet on a regular basis to develop the program. Just like a new business operates off of a business plans, so should your wellness program.
