Health And Wellness In The WorkplaceHealth And Wellness In The Workplace

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or maybe you want to jump start or better upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that are able to help meet any wellness program budget! The Employee Health Promotion Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Conduct an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Develop a Employee Wellness Program Committee
• Select medical plans that cover costs for weight management and tobacco cessation
• Remove co-pay or reimburse for preventive medical care visits
• Display handouts on a variety of wellness issues for workers to take
• Establish a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of issues of interest to staff members
• Identify employees who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees
• Establish and encourage periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Establish monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Post a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Display messages from national health observances during the month
• Publish healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Offer a benefits fair
• Offer company fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Organize company health & wellness fairs or other onsite activities

Nutrition Programs

• Offer free, healthy snacks for employees (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Offer healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at corporation programs
• Give information to workers about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Develop a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Partially fund healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¡ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Begin a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Give handouts available on a variety of healthy eating topics
• Include diet articles in employer newsletters
• Provide a healthy meal tasting contest Free
• Provide educational sessions during lunch-time on a variety of diet subject matters of interest
• Sponsor an employee healthy food cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all staff members

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Consider offering flexible work schedules so that workers have the potential to take part in weight-loss programs
• Partially fund registration expenditures for weight-management programs
• Offer a support group to help workers who are trying to lose weight
• Locate registered dieticians near your worksite as a resource for workers who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight management
• Provide individual counseling for staff members trying to lose weight
• Provide workplace fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Provide an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Offer flexible work schedules to encourage exercise
• Create a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Create accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Encourage staff members to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Develop a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Hold walking meetings
• Make the stairwells more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Provide reduced gym membership fees to all employees
• Offer facilities for workers to secure bikes
• Schedule 5 – 10 minute stretch breaks during the day
• Partially fund gym membership for employees who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or organization sports team
• Urge stairwell use and rewards and incentives
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Promote & support community walks or fitness activities
• Promote walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Provide periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Have educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Design a smoke-free grounds
• Create a smoke-free workplace
• Promote the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s no cost Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Reimburse employees for tobacco replacement products
• Subsidize the expense of smoking cessation courses
• Provide brochures and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Provide awareness sessions to arouse staff members to try to quit tobacco use
• Schedule worksite smoking cessation seminars

Employee Health Screening

• Discount healthcare insurance premiums or lower co-payments for staff members who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure (BP) monitoring equipment
• Offer flu shots for employees and family members
• Provide Health Risk Assessments to all employees, including counseling and follow-up
• Provide periodic Blood Pressure screenings and follow-up
• Provide periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Offer flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Offer and reward an EAP
• Give information on substance abuse prevention
• Give handouts and information on stress management and mental health
• Provide brochures and information on work life balance, such as monetary planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Provide supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, company stressors, etc.
• Review organization policies and work schedules to identify organization stressors
• Assess the EAP to be sure it is meeting the needs of the employees and corporation
• Have educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Have workshops on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance issues