With growing costs of health insurance and economic challenges facing many companies, big and small, in the United States, improving employee health is a major concern in the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, presenteeism, or coming to work sick, is happening more often as economic insecurity sets in and the demands of the workplace increase. Presenteeism causes employers to lose more money because it decreases employee morale and it reduces productivity costs. Sick employees will get their co-workers sick and before you know it, you have 10 sick employees at the office.
The mental and physical well-being of employees is just as important as working within safety regulations. Not every problem at work stems from safety concerns.Many employers, realizing that prevention and intervention are more productive than dealing with the aftereffects,are more in tune with the emotional needs of their employees and have begun offering employee assistance programsto assist employees with mental and physical challenges.
Here are some steps to get your wellness program off the ground:
Expect your employees to participate. Leading by example is a great way to encourage healthy living among employees. Having a management team member lead the program is a perfect way to show employees that you “walk the walk” when it comes to protecting their health and the health of others.
Include mental health prevention. Not every problem at work stems from safety concerns.The mental and physical well-being of employees is just as important as working within safety regulations. Companies are more in tune with the emotional needs of their employees and have begun offering employee assistance programs that can include on-call counselors, stress relief and grief recovery programs.
Healthy living. Health awareness in the workplace can be a great and relatively cheap way to boost morale and productivity in the office. Employers are feeling the squeeze of the economy, and cutting back in order to save the business, but one area of utmost importance to both employers and their employees is staying healthy.
Friendly competition. A great new competition hitting the workplace is the organized weight loss competition. Team up and hold some of those employee activities for a little healthy competition. Sponsor a walking challenge to see who can walk the furthest in a given time frame or set up games that encourage physical strength or activity in the break rooms.
Offer health advice. Invite a local hospital or medical clinic to a workplace health fair.Simple screenings for blood pressure, weight and diabetes can be an effective way to encourage employees to take care of themselves without added costs to them. Vendors such as nutritionists, health food stores and gyms can talk to employees about programs and products.
Start a walking program. A good walking program at work can be an excellent source of cardiovascular health, as it promotes weight loss, increases circulation, reduces stress, boosts energy levels rewards the walker with an extra two hours of life for every 30 minutes walked. Employees who walk at least 30 minutes a day find their stamina at the desk increases, focus is more acute and they tend to be healthier, saving their employer hours of sick leave and lowered productivity due to sickness.
Employers are realizing quickly that retaining healthy, happy employees is in itself a valuable commodity. More and more are working to offer creative benefits that will help retain quality employees without damaging the productivity bottom line. Safety and wellness are foremost in the minds of both employers and their employees. When you offer up some good incentives like cash rewards, it is hard for anyone to resist participating in the program to get in shape!