How to start a wellness program for your business

Most employees realize the impact that the health of their employees has on their business. Healthier employees are more productive, perform a higher quality of work, and are more focused. A healthier workforce also has a higher morale than employees who tend to be sick often or suffer from health programs.

So how can you help your employees to be more productive? One way is to implement a wellness program for your business. Wellness programs take a number of forms, including weight loss programs, flu shots, smoking programs, healthy eating, exercise programs, and many, many others. Most employees will take advantage of them when given the opportunity.

But implementing a wellness program is not as difficult as it may seem. The following are the steps you need to take to start a wellness program for your business:

1. Appoint a wellness coordinator. You will need to have someone in charge of organizing and carrying out your wellness program. This can be an employee within the company who has an interest in health and wellness, or you can hire a private contractor or business that specializes in it. If you are looking to do wellness programs on a budget, the best way is to have a wellness coordinator oversee everything. The wellness coordinator will most likely form a committee of other volunteers to help.
2. Set a budget. Wellness programs are not free. You will need to determine a budget for your wellness program, or programs. Some are cheaper than others; for example, a Biggest Loser competition in the office would need not cost more than money for prizes; whereas a wellness fair would cost around $50-100 per person. Get an idea of what type of program you would like to have, then budget around there.
3. Call your health insurance provider. Many health insurance providers will have discounts to come to your office and have a wellness fair or program. Most providers are very supportive of this, as they know lowered health costs come from healthier employees. It's not a bad idea to shop around for a provider who will provide discounted services, if your current one will not.
4. Have a plan. Your wellness committee should map out a plan for your wellness program. This will first include finding out what type of program to implement. A few ideas include on-site health shots, weight loss programs, exercise programs, stress management, and more. The committee should talk to the employees to find out what type of programs they would use.
5. Encourage employees. Start wellness programs with a kick-off party to introduce the employees to the program and get them excited about it. Offer incentives, such as gift certificates, extra days or half days off, prizes, or an office party for those who participate and finish the programs you start.
6. Evaluate. After you finish a wellness program, make sure you evaluate its effectiveness. Did employees participate? Did you promote lifestyle changes? Did anything change (like weight loss or smoking habits)as a result of your program? These are all things to take into account.

A wellness program can be a wonderful benefit to both employees and businesses. Starting a wellness program is not difficult. These are the steps needed to start a program.