Many organizations are now seeing the benefit of implementing a corporate wellness program for their employees. Studies have shown every dollar spent on health and wellness initiatives can save a company up to $6 in health related costs. In a time when obesity and stress are at all time highs and nearly half of Canadians are reportedly inactive, there has never been a more important time to encourage employees to "get healthy."
Employers are feeling the impact of unhealthy employees with increased compensation costs, lost work days, increased medical and insurance claims and lost productivity on the job. In fact, it has been reported a sedentary (inactive) employee costs his company an estimated $488 more per year than a physically active employee. Improving the health of your employees will improve the health of your business.
Getting started with a health and wellness program is easy and doesn't have to be expensive. Start by assessing your employees' needs. Ask them what they want. Although it would be great to install a full service fitness center and hire a full time wellness expert to work with your staff, this isn't an option for most businesses.
Contact Northern Athletic Club or another local fitness center. Many will have corporate wellness packages and a staff member committed to helping your business get started with a package that will meet your employees' needs and your company's budget.
Some small changes you can start making today are:
Replace the unhealthy snacks in the vending machine with healthy options.
Get rid of the pop machine and provide drinking water to employees free of charge.
Bring in only healthy snacks for meetings. No more doughnuts!
Host a "Lunch and Learn" seminar to educate your staff on a healthy topic of their choice.
Start a challenge with your staff. Examples are pedometer challenge (log 10,000 steps per day), walking challenge (must walk five miles per week), no more elevator (only use the stairs if possible). Have a prize or reward at the end of a set period.
Lead by example. If your staff see you making more healthy choices they will be much more likely to follow.
Get started today. Encouraging staff to be active will positively affect your employees' performance and productivity as well as improving company morale. All while improving your company's bottom line.
Say it! Mean it! Do it!
