Try out these suggestions to implement a successful employee wellness program at your business.

As a business owner, you are responsible for your employees’ health and safety.  While this means offering safety training, creating safe workplace environments, and having the right insurance protections in place, there is more that you can do for your staff.  One thing that you can do to care for your employees is implement a workplace wellness program.  Interested in creating a program for your business, but not sure where to start?  Then here are some of the suggestions that you should try.

Gain the Support of Senior Management

Gaining the support of your company’s senior management is essential to getting your wellness program underway.  As management is chiefly concerned with the financial success of the company, you should use projected savings to appeal to them.  For instance, you can reference case studies conducted by the Wellness Council of America that estimate that every $1 spent on wellness programs translates into a $3 reduction in the cost of employee health insurance.  You should also emphasize that wellness programs also reduce the number of workers compensation claims that businesses file.  According to the American Journal of Health Promotion, an effective employee wellness program can lead to an average 32% reduction in workers comp costs.

Get Employees Involved

Once you have senior management on your side, you need to get employees excited to participate in your wellness program.  To generate interest, you should ask for employee input and see what they would like to get out of the wellness program.  Survey workers to see which categories of care they would like to focus on.  Some possible options include:

  • Diet and nutrition
  • Healthy workplace dining opportunities
  • Weight-loss education and support
  • Physical fitness education, groups, and equipment
  • Cessation of smoking, alcohol abuse, illicit drugs
  • On-site flu shots
  • Ergonomics at work and at home

Give Yourself Time

After implementing a wellness program, you cannot expect to see immediate results.  You may need several years before your program starts producing measurable benefits.  So, stay patient and make sure that you survey your staff consistently to keep track of changing perceptions, successes, and new feedback.  This will help you evaluate your program and determine if it is a success.

These are some of the suggestions that you should keep in mind when trying to establish an employee wellness program at your business.  Want another way to take care of your business and employees?  Then make sure you have the right business insurance in place.  For assistance with all your commercial coverage needs, contact the experts at Scautub Agency in Scotia, New York to get started today.