Components of an employee wellness program

There are many different programs or components that can make up an employee wellness program. Employers who are setting up their employee wellness program can often find themselves overwhelmed with the number of choices. Because of the number of available choices many business owners give in to the temptation of using a pre made employee wellness plan or using someone else's program. It is important to understand that this is rarely successful. It is crucial to take the time to determine what aspects of employee wellness out of the many that are available would be of most interest and most value to your employees. While this process may take longer this is the best way to insure that your employee wellness program will be successful. Here is what you need to know about the components of an employee wellness program-

The first step is to take into account the size of your business. Obviously the larger your business the larger your employee wellness program can be. However, even if you own a smaller business that doesn't mean that your employee wellness program will have to be small. You can pool your resources with other small businesses in order to expand your employee wellness program. Secondly, you will need to determine the budget for the employee wellness program. Just like anything else in your business you will need to have a very clear idea of how much you can spend. Keep in mind that part of the reason that you are establishing an employee wellness program is so you can save money so watching your costs will be crucial. Finally, you will need to take into account the needs and interest of your employees. If your employee wellness program does not appeal to them there is little chance that it will be successful. Once you have this type of information you can then move on to start setting up the components of your employee wellness program. Here are a few of the most popular components of employee wellness programs-
- Fitness and exercise-One of the most popular and widely used components of an employee wellness program is based on fitness and exercise. Most employees are looking for ways to include fitness into their lives. The bottom line is that when your employees are more physically fit they are healthier. The obvious solution is to offer an onsite gym. However, this is not an option for many businesses. You may want to consider offering your employees discounted or free passes to a local gym, putting in biking and walking paths around your building, or even putting weights and exercise bikes into an empty conference room. The solutions are nearly endless and only require planning, creativity, and a little resourcefulness to get your employees up and moving as part of your employee wellness program.
- Nutrition and diet-Another widely popular component of an employee wellness program is based on nutrition and diet. Weight loss is a major concern for most employees and employers are finding out that when their staff is obese it is costing them big money. There are many ways to put in this type of program. You can start small and change out your vending machines to carry water and healthy snacks instead of soda, candy, and chips. If you have a cafeteria in your business you can bring in a registered dietician to do a menu overhaul to offer more nutritious food. You can offer cooking and nutrition classes as well as bring in more structured weight loss programs. Again the options are nearly endless and only depend on the cost, interest of the participants, and resourcefulness of the management.