5 Things You Need to Implement a Health and Wellness Program

Lately, Health and Wellness Programs are gaining popularity in the workplace.  In general, they are used to promote a healthy lifestyle of an employee with the support of an employer and co-workers.

In fact, there are many benefits to implementing a health and wellness program in your workplace:

• 28% of employees miss fewer days of work as a direct result in participating in wellness programs.
• 38% of workers attribute wellness programs to improved energy and production.
• 48% are more likely to stay with their current employer for the long term
• For every $1 spent on a wellness program, companies can expect a $3 return.
• 61% of employees choose to take part in wellness programs within companies that offer incentives for participation versus 26 that participate in programs that lack rewards.

Some examples of a Health and Wellness program are Fitness Challenges, Walking Clubs, Health Education, Preventative Screenings, Stress Management Seminars, Nutrition Building, Safety Awareness and Anti-Tobacco/Alcohol Campaigns.

Here are 5 things you will need to implement a Health and Wellness program in the workplace.

1. Assess Employees’ Key Health Issues

First, you need to assess the main issues your employees face that have to deal with their health and fitness that currently incur health care costs and low productivity rates for your company.

In general, the primary ares of health concerns are:

• Weight management
• Diabetes
• Stress Management
• Chronic Conditions
• Physical Activity
• Depression

Find out which ones affect your employees the most and create a wellness program about that.

2. Get Managers on Board

Next, inform managers about their role in the program which will be to teach and motivate their team.  Make sure managers are clear on what you expect from them and how to encourage employees (and each other) to participate in the program.

Employee engagement is crucial for the success of a wellness program.  In fact, wellness programs fail without employee engagement.

This is why the right kind of incentive will inspire employees to sign up and stick with it.

3. Rewards and Recognition

To incentive employees and help them achieve their goals, implement a rewards and/or recognition system. Promotional gifts are great ways to do just that.  Creating a tiered program with higher value incentives as employees meet each goal will drive employees to reach a final, larger goal in the end.

4. Kick Off

To start the program company-wide, create an event with promotional giveaways that employees can use throughout the program.  The event will not only mark the “official” start of the program, it will also motivate motivate and inspire employees to participate.

5. Closing Celebration

At the end of the program, plan an awards ceremony to award employees for a job well done.  For example, highlight the number of employees who kept up with the program for the most consecutive days.  You can also highlight employees who achieved certain milestones.  The key here is to tell the employees up front, during your kick-off event, so they will have even more inspiration to achieve their personal goals.