How to Promote Employee Wellness & Engagement in Wellness Programs
Employee health and wellness programs have become popular due to the rising cost of health care and the programs' ability to keep labor costs down, while attracting top employee candidates. However, these programs have challenges to meet before they can become successful. Not only do you need to decide on the right program and benefits. You have to get the proper team in place to administer and market it. Otherwise, you will have a difficult time enrolling your employees. But, with a few tips, you can build a program that enhances employee wellness and gets them engaged.
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Instructions
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Determine your budget and how extensive your program needs to be. Use strategic alliances with health care providers, fitness studios and facilities, trainers, and health consultants and speakers to maximize the number of services you can provide with your budget.
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Get employee involvement in the planning stages. Find areas of interest to them, or ways that things can be done that will have meaning for them. If fitness is your goal, do a survey asking if a gym or sponsored sports teams hold more appeal. If a gym, what equipment would they use the most?
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Decide if your program will be better implemented and administered internally or by an outside source. Interview and select appropriate candidates for this, getting their feedback on your collective ideas.
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Keep employees informed on the major progress points via email, newsletters, flyers and postings. This will help build anticipation and excitement. Maybe have a naming contest for the wellness program, or another contest or event that will be fun and generate employee interest.
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Make signing up as easy as possible. Give choices, but not so many that it becomes overwhelming. You can always add more options as the program develops and you get more feedback.
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Provide an incentive for signing up. Maybe offer a little extra time for a lunchtime trip to the gym, or an early end to the workday when the sports teams are playing. Allow time off for a stress relief or yoga class.
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Make this a company commitment from the top down. Ownership and management must enroll and participate too. Make company events fit in with the new commitment to wellness, like company gatherings centered on physical activities and company parties catered with healthier fare.
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Provide an environment that encourages healthy choices. Put healthy snacks in the vending machines and provide enough refrigerated space for people to bring lunches and store fruits and vegetables. Bring back the water cooler. Eliminate designated smoking areas, or move them away from doors and out of sight.
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Bring employees' families into the program as much as possible, so there is support at home as well. Sponsor classes that discuss wellness issues for everyone in the employees' families.
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