How employees can motivate employers to start a wellness program

Do you have friend that get paid by their employers to live healthy and active lives? If you have heard about the benefits that come with a wellness program how can you motivate your employer to start one? Here are some helpful tips that will allow you to encourage your employer to get started with their own wellness programs.

Ask your employer
The first thing you have to do is to ask your employer about it. Your employer can tell you if this is something they think they can pay for or if it's just not in the budget for the company. They want to create a healthy work environment as well and if you take the initiative they may actually end up assigning you to the team to get started with the wellness program. This is a great way to make a name for yourself and to start showcasing your talents to your employer.

Before you just walk into your managers office and ask them about the wellness program you need to come to them with some benefits and statistics about wellness programs. They need to see how it can help the company and how much it will cost or save them money. Not only do you want to come to them with the numbers and data they need to make a well-rounded decision you should also come with some tips on how to start the wellness program in your office. The employer won't know where to begin so they need to have some tips on how to get the program started. If anything you should leave a complete packet onyour employers desk so they can read through the information and to see how the wellness program can be implemented into the company.

Be an example
If you are fortunate enough to convince your employer to start the wellness program you need to be one of the employees that is an example for the wellness program. Make sure you tell your co-workers what your goals are for the wellness program and let them see you actively working towards these goals. When people have a role model and an example to look at it will make it easier for them to get involved with the program.

Read through the program that your employer has put together and determine what you can do and make time for it. Try going for a 30 minute walk during your lunch hour or start taking advantage of the company workout facilities. This is a great way to be sure you are getting in plenty of exercise each day. Then you need to start packing healthier lunches and snacks to help improve your overall health.

Get a petition
If you feel like the wellness program could use some improvements, band together with your fellow employees in order to get the different things added to your program. Some of the additional things you may want to talk about include the following:

• Courses and suggestions for proper office ergonomics


• Lactation or privacy room for new mothers or individuals needing some quiet time to rest


• Stress management classes and coping tips


• Fitness room


• Smoking cessation program


• Weight management classes and nutritional programs


• Gym membership


• Child care center or passes to a child care center


• Yearly health screening examinations and immunizations

Quite often your employer will not know there is a need for many of these things if the employees do not come forward and tell them. If you have some ideas, pitch them to your co-workers to see if they have some of the same ideas so it can help you to make your case to your employer.