Do you want to have a healthier office? You must be. Employees who are healthier are more productive and lower your health insurance premiums low. Here are 10 suggestions to help you get to get started!
1. Replace junk food with healthier alternatives.
Every office has any kind that is a vending device packed with salty or sweet snacks that are high in carbs and fat. At 3pm, the entire office is rummaging at their desks in search of something to eat. If that doesn’t work, the people rush to vending machines, with stale singles in their hands. One option is to call the local vending company and ask for healthier substitutes. The majority of vending services provide healthy options of food that typically includes nuts, fruits and the granola bars.
2. A stipend to help with fitness
Do you want to encourage your employees to make fitness a priority? Give them a stipend in exchange for joining the gym or fitness center. The trend is becoming more popular lately, businesses are offering its employees the option of a small stipend worth a few hundred dollars for joining any gym they want to join. The stipends for exercising remove the hurdle of cost for employees.
3. Offer on-site flu shot program
Flu shots don’t provide long-term benefits in improving the health of employees however, what they can do is to keep your employees from spreading the virus to one another! In a mid-sized firm it is possible for the flu to move between desks and employee to employee, where it appears that a new person is getting sick every day. On-site Flu shots can be affordable which can also be accomplished in only a couple of hours for the entire office. Many health insurance plans offered by companies provide flu shots, however this adds up the challenges of having employees set their own appointments as well as the expense of co-pays.
4. Offer Wellness Screens for Employees
On-site wellness screenings can reveal any health issues that could be affecting your employees. The most popular tests are heart-related i.e. cholesterol glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol however pulmonary function tests, audio-based screenings, and TB tests are also performed. Results are typically delivered to employees in private via the mail, and can serve as an official medical record to their doctor. Employee wellness screenings are a great opportunity to begin the new year or season.
5. Choose a Health Promotion Coordinator
These ideas may sound fantastic on paper, but who is carrying these ideas out? What about hiring or naming an employee to oversee the company’s health. Health Promotion Management is a expanding field. Your HPM is responsible for the establishment and evaluation of the current health of your employees and identifying specific ways to improve it. Larger companies are able to employ people who have qualifications in nutrition, exercise science or even PAs or RNs. For mid-sized and small enterprises the HPMs are able to arrange for services through third party companies and take on the responsibility in directing your programs. Are you unable to afford hiring an employee? Transfer the responsibility on to an administrator who has an increase in pay.
6. Provide incentives for Reaching Health Objectives
Are you looking to encourage your employees to live an active lifestyle? Give them incentives for doing so. A rising trend (and even in the show “The Office”) employers are encouraging employees to take part in health programs through benefits. Give them gifts or paid days off, spots bonuses as well as free t-shirts, and even an appreciation in the company newsletter for their participation. Are you looking to take it one step beyond that? Create a whole year-long game of it. Make a list of healthy habits your employees can take part in i.e. go to a gym, hire personal trainers, donate blood, or run 5K. Every action is assigned a number of points. The cumulative points can be exchanged into prizes.
Of course, the most significant impact that your workplace can be able to have on wellness will be…
7. Smoke Cessation
The most popular type of employee wellness reward you can give your office is smoking quitting. One of the primary questions that is asked on a medical history form is whether or not you smoke. The risk of being a smoker is much greater than that of a non-smoker because of the greater likelihood of developing a chronic disease. The cost of premiums is higher because of this. The solution is to give your employees a significant incentive to stop smoking cigarettes.
8. Remind employees that they can bring lunch at home
In general, that you are out for dinner for lunch, you’ll usually take a larger portion of food than what you’d bring home. Also, don’t forget it is true that restaurants and the deli menu is filled with sodium and fat. It is a good idea to encourage your staff to bring lunch bags. Not only will they cut down on calories, they are likely saving money too.
9. Education
A fantastic way to modify behaviors to increase self-efficacy. If your employees believe that they will be able to meet their fitness goals and lead an enlightened lifestyle, then they will. Many people have an notion of how to cut calories or get fitter, however specific advice from an expert will be ingrained in their minds. The solution is to employ a nutritionist who is certified or a personal trainer, or both, to be a speaker in order to inform your employees.
10. Change the culture
The primary aspect of creating a healthier workplace is changing the culture. The previous suggestions are an excellent move in the right direction however, they must be supported with the help of a healthy workplace culture. Keep health at the top of your employees’ tongues sending out a daily email with health-related tips and other information. Set up monthly or weekly meetings to discuss your wellness plan. In the end, you must set the example. Inspire upper management to be involved with wellness initiatives. This will eventually result in the effect of a trickle-down effect. In the end, anything you can make to create an environment that promotes health can be helpful. Make it your own and have fun!
