Inexpensive ways to promote employee health

Developing an effective illness prevention program within the workplace can be an inexpensive asset to your company and an effective means to protecting the bottom line in business. Not only does an illness prevention program take into consideration the hazards that exist and how to correct them, it also includes a wellness program that can change the environment of the workplace with positive strides.

With a few simple guidelines, reducing illness can be achieved by any company, big or small.
Promote prevention. Train employees about the use of common sense, good judgment and adherence to company policies. Develop ongoing training to ensure everyone is up to date on the expectations of specific jobs.

Expect your employees to participate. Leading by example is a great way to encourage healthy living among employees. Having a management team member lead the program is a perfect way to show employees that you "walk the walk" when it comes to protecting their health and the health of others.

Include mental health prevention. Not every problem at work stems from safety concerns. The mental and physical well-being of employees is just as important as working within safety regulations. Companies are more in tune with the emotional needs of their employees and have begun offering employee assistance programs that can include on-call counselors, stress relief and grief recovery programs.

Healthy living. Health awareness in the workplace can be a great and relatively cheap way to boost morale and productivity in the office. Employers are feeling the squeeze of the economy, and cutting back in order to save the business, but one area of utmost importance to both employers and their employees is staying healthy. Every year almost 22 million days of lost work are accumulated in the United States. Employees coming to work sick have an effect on everyone and hours of productivity can be lost when illness spreads around the workplace.
Friendly competition. A great new competition hitting the workplace is the organized weight loss competition. Team up and hold some of those employee activities for a little healthy competition. Sponsor a walking challenge to see who can walk the furthest in a given time frame or set up games that encourage physical strength or activity in the break rooms.
Reduce germs. Provide employees with an effective and convenient means of disinfecting their workspace. Disinfect everything that is touched regularly. Clean telephones, light switches, doorknobs, filing cabinets, keyboard and break areas frequently. Encourage washing hands regularly and the use of hand antiseptics. Viruses spread through the air and by touching any surface so minimizing the amount of germs on common areas will increase the health of your workplace.

Offer health advice. Invite a local hospital or medical clinic to a workplace health fair. Simple screenings for blood pressure, weight and diabetes can be an effective way to encourage employees to take care of themselves without added costs to them. Vendors such as nutritionists, health food stores and gyms can talk to employees about programs and products.
Walk away. A good walking program at work can be an excellent source of cardiovascular health, as it promotes weight loss, increases circulation, reduces stress, boosts energy levels rewards the walker with an extra two hours of life for every 30 minutes walked. Employees who walk at least 30 minutes a day find their stamina at the desk increases, focus is more acute and they tend to be healthier, saving their employer hours of sick leave and lowered productivity due to sickness.

Employers are realizing quickly that retaining healthy, happy employees is in itself a valuable commodity. More and more are working to offer creative benefits that will help retain quality employees without damaging the productivity bottom line. Safety and wellness are foremost in the minds of both employers and their employees. After all, having healthy, happy employees is in the best interests of everyone.