Wellness programs encourage healthy behavior by offering employees incentives in return for making good choices. Corporate wellness programs can focus on weight loss, stress reduction, and even financial health.
By adding new concepts to your wellness program, you can help keep employees engaged and excited when it comes to improving all aspects of their health. Here are eight ideas you can incorporate into your program.
1. Create a Lunchtime Wellness Series
Encourage employees to learn over lunch by sponsoring a series of lunchtime chats on relevant topics related to health and wellness. Ideas include:
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Ways to reduce on-the-job stress
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Adding physical activity to your daily life
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Five tips for building healthy credit
2. Raise Awareness of Your Insurance Company’s Nurse Hotline
Many insurance companies offer nurse hotlines, which you can call to find answers to questions as simple as, “Should I see a doctor about my symptoms?” to “What does appendicitis feel like?” Taking advantage of this benefit can aid employees in triaging their illnesses. It helps them determine whether they should see a doctor, which can cut down on unnecessary visits, reducing the burden on your insurance program and your employees’ wallets.
3. Encourage Participation in a Local Fun Run
Are charity 5K races popular in your town? Why not turn the next one into a chance to get your employees moving? Offer incentives for signing up for the race, such as leaving work an hour early or participating in a free post-race luncheon. Advertise the race through emails and posters in the employee break room.
Put training tips for the race in your employee newsletter. Pair veteran runners with beginners to keep the latter on task. By race day, you’ll see an excited bunch of employees eager to test their newly improved endurance.
4. Pump Up Your Internal Newsletter
Speaking of the company newsletter, how often do you use it to provide wellness tips for your employees? Devote a section of the newsletter to spotlighting healthy ideas. A few starting points might include:
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Recipes for fast, healthy lunches
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An interview with an employee who has made a healthy financial change, such as upping their 401(k) contributions
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The benefits of budgeting your money
Make these articles short, punchy, and positive. Remember, people respond better to encouragement.
5. Sponsor an Employee Sports Team
If you don’t have a corporate sports team, now is the time to start one. There are plenty of fun team activities employees can engage in together that’ll give them exercise and the opportunity to bond. Check out the parks and recreation departments in your area to see what types of sports leagues you can participate in.
Possibilities might include flag football, volleyball, or indoor soccer. It doesn’t have to be a corporate league for you to participate – any type of league is fine. In addition to getting your employees active, team sports make them work together to accomplish a goal, not unlike what they do at work. You may find the shared bond improves the way they interact on the job.
6. Offer On-Location Financial Health Screenings
Preventative care is one key aspect to keeping your health insurance costs in check. Catching issues such as suspicious moles or soaring blood sugar could alert someone to a disease, leading them to early diagnosis and treatment – which can help them stay healthy over the long term. The same logic can apply to catching financial issues. Have a financial counselor come in quarterly to talk to your employees about:
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How they’re saving for retirement
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How much of their paycheck should be going toward savings
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How much debt they have and how to pay it down
7. Hold Employee Fiscal Fitness Classes Onsite
One excuse many people cite for failing to get their finances in order is lack of time. They say they can’t squeeze an appointment with a financial advisor into their busy schedules. Take away that excuse by bringing the advisor to them.
Provide onsite classes, such as budgeting or managing credit, either before the workday begins, during lunch, or right after the workday ends. Encourage people to try them by offering some type of incentive in return for participation, such as a $5 credit at the cafeteria or dress-down days.
We provide our Select Employee Groups – companies who offer PSECU membership in their benefits package – free financial workshops for their employees.
Learn how your company can become a Select Employee Group today.
8. Give a Series of Retirement Planning Talks Over Breakfast
Because fiscal fitness is a key aspect of overall health, you want your employees to understand how important planning for the long term is. Get financial advisors and other experts to present at your series, and offer a light breakfast to draw in participants.
By embracing fun and unique ideas, you’ll see participation in your employee wellness programs climb and spark enthusiasm. Your employees can learn more tips for improving their fiscal fitness and saving money by visiting our Resource Center.
