Corporate wellness programs promote employees' holistic health including happiness at work.
Corporations large and small include employee wellness programs as part of their business models. Wellness programs decrease company health care costs and increase employee productivity. A comprehensive wellness program addresses physical health and mental health concerns including heart health, smoking cessation, stress management, and safety. Wellness program incentives provide employees with extrinsic motivation to participate in a wellness program. Incentives include tangible and intangible rewards beyond an employee's paycheck and benefits.
Host Healthy Breakfasts
Maintaining a healthy diet and weight is linked to several health benefits including reduced risk for heart disease or attack. Eating breakfast is an integral piece of a healthy diet because research has shown that a healthy breakfast can raise metabolism by 10 percent. Host an employee breakfast once or twice a month. Serve fruits, eggs, and whole grains. Invite a nutritionist to speak to employees about the importance of a balanced breakfast that boosts the body's metabolism and increases energy.
Complimentary Passes
Cash or gift incentives may need to be reported on an employee's taxes, so keep gift incentives to a minimum. However, complimentary movie passes or restaurant gift cards are typically non-taxed. Select one employee each month who has demonstrated exceptional healthy behaviors or lifestyle changes such as beginning a walking club, sharing healthy recipes or posting health research to a public bulletin board.
Company-Wide Recognition
If your company circulates a weekly or monthly newsletter, include a section that highlights an exemplary employee who has contributed to health and wellness campaigns within the company. Employees may be inspired by the success of one of their co-workers who has had success with a wellness initiative. Recognitions can also be distributed through a company email that updates workers about wellness issues or programs.
Massage Workshops
Wellness initiatives should include holistic programming that addresses mental as well as physical health. Arrange for a local massage therapist to host a massage workshop for employees; local massage schools may have students who need to record practice hours. Provide information about the health benefits of massage for relieving muscle tension and reducing work-related stress. Demonstrate stretching techniques for employees to use while at work or sitting at a desk. Purchase gift certificates for massages and award them to employees who actively work towards achieving wellness goals.
Friends and Family
Create a sense of partnership between the company and employees by inviting friends and family to wellness-related events. Host a healthy cooking class for employees and their families; provide participants with recipe cards for family-friendly healthy meals. Create a Family Health competition that instructs employees to record their family meals and physical activities; provide a prize like a gift card or a plaque to the employee who demonstrates the healthiest out-of-work lifestyle.
Wellness Bank
Provide employees with wellness tokens when they perform an act that promotes wellness, like preparing a large salad for a lunch meeting or circulating an email about ways to quit smoking. Employees turn in the tokens to a supervisor for small rewards like an extended lunch break or a day pass to a local gym.
Tags: employees with, gift incentives, health benefits, healthy diet, local massage, physical health
