5 simple tips to improve workplace wellness

Wellness programs are linked to greater productivity, less absenteeism, and a reduction of long-term health care costs. Are you doing enough to ensure the health of your workforce? Even if you don’t have the resources to implement a complete wellness program, there are several things you can do that show your employees you value their health.
Wondering how to improve workplace wellness? Here are five tips listed below.

1. Promote preventive care.

Bring vaccination to the workplace for flu season. Encouraging and even funding vaccinations for employees has one of the clearest returns on investment. When your employees avoid the flu, they avoid missing out on days, if not weeks, of work.

2. Encourage exercise.

Turn your office into an active campus. If you can make changes at your facility, consider providing showering facilities and locker rooms for employees who wish to workout at lunch. Can’t make structural changes? Implement and promote a lunch hour walking club and offer incentives for employees who participate. Encourage the entire office to use the stairs. And offer discounts or partially subsidize memberships to a local gym or exercise club.

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3. Emphasize education.

Brown bag luncheons or break-time seminars are prime opportunities for helping employees learn more about healthy habits. Recruit speakers to lead sessions on cooking healthy meals, staying healthy while travelling, or quick stress management skills. If you have the space, consider bringing in yoga, tai chi, or aerobics instructors for lunchtime classes. Keep sessions entertaining but informative, and offer incentives for employees who attend.

4. Bring the doctor in.

One of the most innovative trends in workplace wellness has been that of the office doctor’s office. On-site health clinics give employees the opportunity to schedule office visits for routine care without taking time off work.

5. Invest in incentives.

Offer rewards—financial or otherwise—for employees who engage in healthy behavior. A growing trend is to cover an additional percentage of the cost of health insurance premiums for employees who pass certain biometric markers – such as having a healthy body mass index, blood pressure, or blood sugar reading.

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