A company’s employees are the backbone of their organization. Without employees, nothing can be accomplished and there is no business. This brings to light just how important the health of a company’s employees is! Employees need to be in both good physical health and mental health, in order to successfully perform their jobs effectively. One way to ensure that your employees are making their health a priority is by creating an Employee Wellness Program.
Employees Wellness Programs can bring about improved productivity, less stress, less illness/absent workers, fewer work-related injuries, and an overall more positive environment. When looking to create an Employee Wellness Program, it is important to focus on physical and mental health. There is overlap in these and most offerings in your Employee Wellness Program will address both.
Begin by designating individuals (or asking for volunteers) to a committee or team to plan out the Employee Wellness Program. They will need to establish clear goals and work to plan out what types of things they think would be best to include in the Program to reach these goals. The planning committee should be aware of and keep in mind Program budget and any resources that are available.
Common items included in Employee Wellness Programs include:
Fitness Activities - on-site gym, group workout classes, reimbursement for fitness-related expenses (yoga studio membership, etc.)
General Health Benefits - free on-site flu shots during winter months, first aid kits in-office, complimentary feminine products in employee bathrooms
Mental Health Activities - enforced end-of-day hours to reduce overwork, required PTO, complimentary massages/essential oils
Social Activities - employee outings (game night, etc.), company book club
Community Service Activities - volunteer day (employees volunteer with a local non-profit organization rather than working in-office for the day), company fundraisers
Team Building Activities
Once the committee has some ideas formed, having small group meetings with various employees asking for opinions and feedback is essential. After implementing the feedback and really having a honed-in vision, a company-wide meeting should be held to announce the new Employee Wellness Program.
Continually evaluating how the Employee Wellness Program is operating and gathering feedback is key to making sure employees’ needs are being met and the Program is being utilized to its full capacity. Healthy, happy employees are essential to having a successful, sustainable business!
Looking for more guidance on creating and implementing an Employee Wellness Program for your company? As HR experts, we would love to help! Click here to book a free consultation with us!
