It only makes sense that employee wellness programs have become such a hot topic because, without healthy employees, businesses can’t thrive.
Wellness programs refer to comprehensive programs that target the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of employees. A wellness program is also a way to proactively encourage your employees to think about their health and well-being.
By offering wellness programs to your employees, you can reduce your company’s long-term healthcare costs. A corporate wellness program can yield immediate increases in productivity as well as substantial long-term cost savings.
Are you looking for the right wellness programs for your employees? In this article, you will explore the most efficient options for your employees. Read on.
1. On-Site Fitness Centers
A wellness program empowers employees to take control of their well-being. Although such a program is beneficial to any company, it’s important to have buy-in from the employees. You can start with on-site fitness centers or online health and fitness challenges.
A gym membership is one of the top fitness benefits offered by employers. On-site fitness centers are a valuable wellness benefit for two reasons. They’re convenient for employees; in fact, most corporate gyms are typically located within about a five-minute walk from employees’ workplaces.
Building a culture of wellness and providing employee benefits that boost physical and mental well-being have proven to be powerful recruitment tools for employers.
According to a recent survey by TestGorilla, 61 percent of employees say employer-provided wellness programs help them make healthier lifestyle choices. Furthermore, 87 percent would recommend an employer based on their wellness programs.
2. Free Health Insurance Premium
Health insurance is a way to ensure employees get medical attention in case of any injury or health problem. This can be in the form of basic coverage that covers a few specific medical needs or a more comprehensive plan that covers a wide array of healthcare options. By offering free health insurance premiums to employees, employers actually
- Reduce their health care costs
- Improve productivity and employee health
- Encourage healthy lifestyles
All these lead to fewer days of work lost, reduced medical claims, and insurance premiums. These types of wellness programs are initiatives to help employees develop healthy habits and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
3. Transit Options
Offering a wellness program can benefit your employees, but they may not take advantage of it if they’re unable to take time off during the day.
Employees report a stressful commute, especially if they stay far away. Giving employees access to transit options could reduce this stress, incorporate healthier habits into the workday, and save them time.
Employers should offer transit options for their employees since it can save them money and allow for a more productive environment. Reducing the number of cars on the road, improving productivity, and reducing employee stress are all strong cases for employers to provide transportation benefits.
In addition, this initiative can help reduce carbon footprint. When employers provide multiple commuting options to employees, they can rest assured that they are helping their workforce reduce stress and meet fitness goals.
Transit commuting or riding a bike to work has also been shown to increase productivity while reducing costs associated with absences and sick days.
4. Paramedical Services
Offer a healthy lifestyle to employees with paramedical services at the workplace and save money by improving productivity.
These are services that help employers prevent illness, which reduces absenteeism and increases productivity. You can believe sales will go up when employees feel better with little or no health problems.
Why drive out of your way to the dentist or optometrist when they can conveniently come to you? This added value not only eases employees’ lives but shows that you care about their well-being.
Today’s companies need to create an attractive environment to promote the well-being of their employees. And, this measure is a significant way to increase staff retention while attracting new high-caliber candidates.
The quality of work-life has a direct impact on the employee’s productivity, resulting in a competitive advantage.
5. Yoga and Meditation Classes
Employers should offer yoga and meditation classes in their workplace as part of a comprehensive wellness program for employees.
Because most employees sit down for extended periods at their desks, it’s important that programs like yoga and meditation are offered to encourage employees to move and be active.
There are many benefits to yoga and meditation. Some of the benefits include stress reduction, increased focus, better posture, improved circulation, reduced blood pressure, more energy, and more.
Furthermore, if your employer doesn’t offer a wellness program, bring it up. One option is to offer to run a lunchtime yoga or meditation class from one of the many online resources.
Also, encourage others to join you and show your employer how much this could benefit everyone. A simple 15-20 minutes of yoga can help change the mood in a workplace and increase productivity.
6. Private Massages
Employee wellness programs can help prevent problems before they happen, and you, as an employer, are in a great position to support your employee’s health and well-being.
By offering wellness programs for your employees that include onsite chair massage therapy, you facilitate a positive work environment and healthy lifestyle for them.
Incorporating massage into your workday is a simple way to build a rewarding wellness program.
Along with reducing stress, massage can help reduce cortisol levels and treat health issues such as high blood pressure, poor sleep, and poor circulation.
Massage also helps increase energy and productivity while reducing employee absenteeism and overall worker turnover.
7. Lunch and Healthy Snacks
When employees have to take an hour out of their busy schedule to search for healthy food options, it is unlikely they will choose the healthiest option or that they will be satisfied with the amount of time taken from work.
By providing healthy choices for your employees, you’re not only keeping them well-fed but also increasing their productivity and decreasing their stress.
Employers should offer lunch and healthy snacks (and make sure coffee is available all day) so employees have options other than running out to get fast food or ordering delivery pizza. Cafes are becoming more and more popular, designed for lounging and hanging out.
Have a cafe in your office where people can gather to discuss ideas or just take a break from the daily grind. Provide healthy foods such as veggie dishes and fruit salads, so employees don’t feel like they are being deprived during work hours.
8. Employee Assistance Programs
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is an employer-sponsored program. It is designed to help employees and their family members with personal matters, such as family and relationship issues, substance abuse, financial difficulties, or job-related concerns.
An EAP can help alleviate employee stress and improve the work environment through assessment, short-term counseling, referral to other community resources, management consultation, and telephone information services.
9. Naps
Employers can implement a free nap program that encourages relaxation. Allowing employees to recharge their minds could increase productivity and show that the company cares about employees.
The afternoon slump is not a myth, and power naps have been known to be an effective tool for performance enhancement among workers.
A study from the University of Michigan showed that employees who were offered a nap before work was more alert, made fewer mistakes, and accomplished more work than those who did not get the chance to sleep on the job. The study even showed that naps improved overall workplace morale.
10. Community Service Activities
This wellness program for employees is a motivating activity that provides people with a way to give back to the community. Philanthropy is proven to improve company culture, so encourage your employees to participate in community service activities.
In our modern world, many companies focus on making money and maximizing profits. However, some visionary entrepreneurs have come up with a creative way to both make money and give back.
Employees who give back to their community have higher job satisfaction and performance ratings.
A recent study found that employees who volunteered reported stronger feelings of connection to their company and that corporate volunteering programs are an important factor in overall employee engagement.
11. Team Scavenger Hunt
It’s easy to tell your employees to get healthier, but it’s much harder to provide them with the tools they need to do so.
Employees aren’t always sure where to start when it comes to healthy changes. Use a team scavenger hunt as an employee wellness activity to improve camaraderie and inspire healthy behaviors from your employees.
Encourage your employees to do a team scavenger hunt. This team-building activity is a great way to encourage your employees to get together, exercise, and improve morale.
Split your team into two or more groups and let them compete in the scavenger hunt by collecting specific items within a certain time limit.
The first group to bring back all of the items collects the maximum points. The group with the highest number of points at the end of the game wins.
Besides, if you’ve been toying with the idea of introducing a wellness program for employees, have no fear. Such programs are easy to put in place. They will keep your employees healthy, happy and productive.
FAQs
Why should employers encourage wellness programs for their employees?
A wellness program can help employees live a healthier lifestyle, and employers appreciate this because fewer health insurance claims mean more revenue for them.
In addition to reducing healthcare costs, participating in wellness programs can enhance employees’ mental and physical well-being, resulting in higher productivity.
Creating a culture of wellness that respects and appreciates employee differences and values employee input is a key goal.
Can a wellness program be tailored to your company’s needs?
Yes, a company’s wellness program is fully customizable.
The program can be modified to meet the needs of your company to deliver the best results for both employee well-being and bottom-line gains.
What companies have amazing workplace wellness programs?
The importance of having a workplace wellness program is well known now. Top companies across the world in all industries have introduced employee wellness programs.
Some of those companies include but are not limited to, Accenture, Limeade, Google, Intuit, Microsoft, and SAS.
How can you make your wellness program great for employees?
By providing education and support to employees, you can have a successful wellness program. As a business owner, you have the chance to provide everyone who works for you with access to high-quality health services.
This can make a big difference in how much they like their jobs and how productive they are at work.
A long-term, beneficial relationship with a healthcare provider encourages preventive care, which improves overall health and reduces absenteeism. Healthy employees also feel better about their jobs and are more productive.
Final Thoughts
Wellness programs for employees seem to be normal today. In the past few years, more and more businesses have seen the value in providing healthy options for their employees.
Some have even started going beyond this and are now offering entire wellness programs for their workers.
Saving time and money over time can result in significant savings. High-quality wellness programs have proven to be a positive trend among employers and show an obvious increase in employee morale and productivity.
Along with employee wellness programs, employees must also undergo some prerequisite training. Here is a list of training programs every employee must complete. Employers who encourage this are setting themselves up for great business opportunities.
Thanks for reading.
