Worksite Wellness-More Bang for Your Buck

Worksite wellness involves many aspects of the workplace and can look dramatically different based upon the shared wellness vision.

Wellness efforts can also be uniquely tailored to women and men, old and young or to special health needs. Wellness in the workplace should be a top priority regardless of gender, age or special needs. Living healthy requires time and attention and often special wellness activities designed by a wellness committee can help reach certain health goals.

Most worksite wellness programs allow for each employee to dictate the goals and activities that will make up their wellness goals. Often, the employer will jump in with health promotion programs or incentives. As if sponsoring a competition, some employers will pay employees for reaching weight loss goals.

Other health promotion ideas may include special benefits or compensation for reaching health goals. It can be difficult to gage what will motivate some employees, but knowing that most employees don’t want to pay more for healthcare is a good start.

A solid worksite wellness program is a surefire way to cut down on healthcare costs, lost vacation time, and other miscellaneous medical testing. With a unified wellness committee taking employees opinions into account, there should be goals set up across the board that will help focus and monitor health care goals for all involved employees.

Some employees may choose to focus on specific health concerns while others may want to improve their overall health through diet, exercise and stress relief techniques. If some employees seem adamant about admitting health concerns, it may be helpful to reaffirm confidentiality with each employee.

Other employees may find it helpful to join a group or a partner in working toward healthcare goals. Studies have proven that working on any type of goal with another individual increases the percentage of completion and success.

Worksite wellness can come in any shape, form or timeframe. It’s more important to have resources in place for employees to ensure a balanced and healthy lifestyle.