Employee Wellness Initiatives

What Are Employee Wellness Programs?

Employee Wellness Initiatives are designed to promote and support worker health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that employees benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As employers become more aware of the importance of worker health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Employee Wellness Initiatives can rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, improved attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Employee Wellness Initiatives

Employee Wellness Programs: Lunch & Learn Wellness Seminars

The easiest Employee Wellness Initiatives are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly presentations during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may provide these. This type of corporate health and Company Health Promotion Initiative is usually arranged through Human Resources, the medical department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before determining topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of employee polling to see what topics people are interested in. This can be as simple as an e-mail to all staff asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design a complete corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

An employer can provide broad-based Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals for employees. Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, tobacco use, alcohol use, frequency of exercise, family history of disease and illness, etc.). This is usually done in conjunction with employee biometric testing for things like cholesterol and blood sugar screening.

Once the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are scored, the results are shared with employees along with suggestions for changes. The employer is able to get aggregate statistics that will show trends that he or she may want to address. For example, if a lot of people have high blood pressure, the employer may consider an educational seminar, biweekly onsite blood pressure readings, and low-salt, low-fat selections in the cafeteria or snack machines as interventions to include in the corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

If the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals show that there is a “trend” toward not wearing seatbelts, perhaps having the State police come in and give a seminar about what occurs in an accident when you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Employee Wellness Programs: tobacco Cessation

tobacco cessation programs are very popular elements of Employee Wellness Programs. Often, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association will come in to run a group. Another option is for employees to attend a tobacco cessation group in the community. Costs for the tobacco cessation group can be offset by the employer after employees complete the program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Stress Management

Stress is a major area of concern for employers. Stressed out staff members get sick more frequently, make more errors, and generally do not perform up to capacity. As a result, Employee Wellness Initiatives frequently take steps to address worker stress. There are many ways to address stress within your Employee Wellness Programs, and the beauty of these ideas is that everyone can benefit from them.

Certainly, stress management presentations are educational and informative and should be included in any corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Work/Life Programs

Many employers offer a work/life program that offers assistance with things from finding day care for a child or elderly parent and information on obscure college scholarship funds to information on which PC to buy and where to find someone to walk your dog. These programs fit into Employee Wellness Initiatives because they help your employees handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing stress.

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Employee Wellness Programs. By helping employees address individual/mental health problems and concerns, an Employee Assistance Program can go a long way toward improving overall health and productivity. Representatives from your Employee Assistance Program can also work closely with you to design Employee Wellness Initiatives that are integrated and effective.

Time Management and Employee Wellness Initiatives

Time is one of our most precious commodities, and anything you can do as an employer to help your employees manage their time is going to be welcome. Although not traditionally thought to be part of Employee Wellness Programs, providing flextime and telecommuting are two ways to decrease stress and increase productivity.

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all employees or all positions; however, in many workplaces, they are underused. Either your Human Resources manager or an outside consultant can help you design a program. If you belong to a business group or Chamber of Commerce, you may find assistance there. Also, talk to colleagues who are doing this in their companies to see how it is working.

The Culture of Wellness

Employee wellness has to be part of your company culture, not just something you throw in as an afterthought. It isn’t a Band-Aid, but rather a thoughtful piece of your business strategy. For example, if productivity is down due to tobacco breaks, providing tobacco cessation classes can help. But it’s also important to develop a no tobacco policy.

When employees feel valued, they are more loyal and tend to work harder. They take pride in their work and talk about what a great company they work for. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.