In many ways it can seem like companies are helpless when it comes to the rising health insurance costs around the country.Every year health insurance costs seem to jump even higher.Luckily for companies, there are a few things they can do to help keep health insurance costs for jumping too high.One thing the health insurance companies are interested in is how healthy the work environment is at a given company.Because of this interest from the health insurance companies, employers are also taking a renewed interest in making the work environments at their companies healthier.Here are a few tips for making a work environment a little bit healthier.
Redecorate the Office
One minor improvement that employers can do to help promote health in the office is to redecorate.When offices are out of date, dirty, or simply unorganized it can have a direct affect on the health and moral of employees.Repainting the walls, bringing in some live plants, hiring an office organizer, or simply replacing the furniture can help lower the amount of stress in the office which will translate into employees that are more productive and healthier.
No Junk Food
Many break rooms are complete with a soda machine and a candy machine.Both of these vending machines are detracting from employee health.Some employees substitute a healthy lunch for a bag of chips and a soda.These types of habits lead to employee obesity and sickness.Employers should consider replacing these unhealthy snacks with more healthy snacks like vegetables and fruit.The soda can also be replaced by milk, water, and juices.Employees will now be rejuvenated after lunch instead of simply being on a sugar high for a few minutes.
No Smoking
One major improvement employers can make that will catch the eyes of health insurance companies is to make a non-smoking office.Some companies have even gone as far as requiring employees to quit smoking all together.This will help employee health in a number of ways.First, the smoking employees will drastically improve their health by quitting.Their immune systems will get stronger, and they will get sick less often.This will in turn keep sickness out of the office protecting other non-smoking employees.Also, by taking smoking out of the office the company will also be saving money on cleaning and maintenance costs.
Wellness Programs
Another popular trend for helping companies improve employee health is to institute a wellness program.Wellness programs can be large or small depending on the size and budget of a company.Larger companies may consider employing a wellness expert that is trained in measuring the overall health of employees and can prescribe diets and exercise routines to help improve health.They can also teach wellness classes on how to deal with stress, eat healthier, and change unhealthy habits into healthy ones.Smaller companies may just assign a secretary to research a topic on wellness every week and write a small email with a few wellness tips for that week.Small companies may be able to strike a deal with the local private gym to get their employees a discount.
No matter the size of a company, there are things that can be done to help employees be healthier.As employees begin to be healthier, the overall health insurance costs will begin to lower.