Wellness initiatives can help businesses of any size encourage their employees to be more healthy, engaged, and loyal. These high-impact programs offer many benefits for your employees and your business as well. Learn five inexpensive and relatively easy ways to get your team on track with wellness.
Wellness initiatives in numbers
Nearly 40% of U.S. workers have access to employee-sponsored wellness programs.
38% of smaller firms offer health risk assessments for employees. These surveys can help companies build targeted wellness programs.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Kaiser Family Foundation
How businesses benefit
While wellness programs may be more common for larger companies, there are some pros that could make them worthwhile for smaller businesses, too. In a recent survey of employers:
Source: PWC
5 programs to consider
Here are five high-impact ways to provide wellness options to your employees.
1. Facilitate movement
Consider investing in movable desks that allow employees to work while standing, or encourage workers to take five-minute breaks to move around or stretch.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Sitting at a desk for eight hours (or more) per day contributes to a sedentary lifestyle and associated health risks.
2. Encourage wellness challenges
Office competitions can be an affordable engaging way to bring wellness into your workplace. Some popular programs include:
64 percent of business owners offer wellness competitions.
3. Redefine the power lunch
Thirty minutes of daily activity can improve health and reduce stress. If there’s enough employee interest, you could organize midday fitness sessions. Bring in a personal trainer, yoga instructor, or start a walking group.
It takes 150 minutes of physical activity per week to gain the health benefits of exercise.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services
4. Offer gym discounts
Reach out to local gyms, YMCAs or park districts to see if they offer group membership discounts.
Nearly 75% of companies offer fitness discounts to their workers
Source: PWC
5. Initiate healthy social outings
Instead of happy hours, organize an intramural sports team to boost morale and promote company bonding.
Adult participation in sports is increasing; it jumped 4.5% between 2003 and 2015.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017
Starting up a wellness program for your employees can be an affordable way to boost employees’ health and productivity.