Workplace wellness is no longer just a buzzword. It has become a must-have for employers in order to attract and retain employees. No matter the size of the organization, everyone is facing the same health-related challenges.
Unhealthy behaviours and health risk factors, such as poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, excessive stress and smoking, can lead to serious and expensive health problems that can impact the productivity of a workforce.
Employer-sponsored wellness programs and incentives can help employees and their families to adopt healthier lifestyles. This could include providing healthy snacks, on-site fitness facilities, smoking cessation programs, flu shots, flexible working hours, and walking groups.
Creating a successful wellness program can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. It can be broken down into six simple steps:
- Understand the issues. Look at the data such as employee sick time, disability claims, and top diseases in the workplace. This should help to form an overall strategy.
- Talk to your employees. Survey them and encourage their ideas and opinions.
- Develop a plan and identify resources. Set short- and long-term goals that align with the company culture. Determine if incentives or rewards will be used.
- Get employee buy-in. Establish wellness committees and engage employees from all departments and levels of the organization to ensure everyone has the resources and support to succeed.
- Communicate clearly. Have an effective communication strategy focusing on the wellness plan and the benefits to employees.
- Measure and track success. Continue to talk to employees, ask for feedback, review employee data, and communicate successes.
Investing in workplace wellness now will save businesses in the long run.
Creating a wellness plan should be part of an organization's overall strategic plan.
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