When you have healthy people running your business, not only are they more productive and happier but they cost you less money. By integrating on-site wellness programs into your company, you can reduce how much healthcare it costs to keep them as an employee, you can get a return on your investment into quality wellness programs and it’s been shown that a majority of health care costs that go out are for preventable diseases. So when a company is thinking about the occupational health and wellness of their employees, they need to be looking at what they can implement into their current business structure to enhance the health of their employees.
Healthy Integration: Building a Fit Company
Corporate wellness programs can include many different options like smoking cessation, weight loss and obesity prevention, blood pressure checkups and safe practices around sleeping, and stress management. A company can put healthy food options in and around the building and work together with wellness organizations to bring those food options in at an affordable rate. But when it comes to implementing these occupational health and wellness programs into the company, there are a few musts that need to happen:
- Health screenings and education must be offered and they need to be voluntary. By helping your workers educate themselves about their health, not only can you understand your workforce better but they can become more productive and knowledgeable about themselves.
- Link in wellness programs with your current support programs. If you have employee assistance for individuals who have situations that affect their work, tie in the wellness portions into these. Not only does this make them feel more comfortable reaching out but they will know that they are cared for as human beings not just as employees.
- Develop your wellness program with what your employees are interested in and then embed it into the entire organizational structure of your company. Make it so that the programs are easy to get involved in by being something that your employees want.
- Make sure that your company is health-conscious. This means has healthy food and drink options at every juncture in your company hallways. Provide employees with breaks where they must head out and walk for twenty minutes and so on and so forth.
Finally, make sure that your programs are practical and accessible to all employees. For instance, offer yoga classes during lunch or fitness challenges each month. Make sure that there is plenty of notice for wellness programs up and around your company, and promote work-life-play balance to all!
