Tips for promoting employee health

More employers then ever before have come to see the importance of promoting employee health. This only makes sense because the people that work for you will have the biggest impact on whether or not your business is successful for the long term. The bottom line is that when your employees are healthy they are more productivity. In addition, healthy employees use less sick time, health insurance, and have higher morale and job satisfaction. This makes it in everyone's best interest to make employee health a priority. Here are some tips for promoting employee health-

- Set up an employee wellness program-Thebest way you can promote your employees health is by setting up a formalized program to do that. An employee wellness program can help you give your employees the tools and information they need to improve their health and that of their families. In turn for promoting your employees health they become more productive and long term employees. Many business owners are seeing an employee wellness program as an investment into the long term success of their business. Keep in mind that you will need to design your employee wellness program to meet the needs and the interests of your employees in order for it to be truly effective.
- Change the way everyone eats at the office-One of the easiest ways to make a big impact on employee health is to change the way everyone eats at the office. While you don't have control over what happens when your employees go home you can provide them with better options while they are at work. Many business owners have begun changing out their vending machines to offer healthier options such as: bottles of waters, fruit, and nuts. They are replacing the soda, chips, and candy that is traditionally found in vending machines with healthier options. If you have a business cafeteria you can have a registered dietician revamp the menu so that healthier options are being offered. In addition, you can forego the usual offerings of soda and donuts at business meetings and instead offer fruit and veggie trays and bottles of water. All of these steps show your employees that you care about what they eat and how healthy they are.
- Offer sick time-It may come as a surprise to many business owners but one of the best things that you can do to promote employee health is to offer sick time. The reality is that most employees feel that they can't take unpaid time off work in order to get well. This means that they come to work and soon whatever they have is spreading through your business. While one sick employee can negatively effect productivity if your entire staff becomes sick it can seriously damage your business. If you are worried about abuse of sick time you can require a doctor's note before paying it. When you offer sick time you are showing your employees that you care about their health and their wellbeing.
- Promote exercise at work-One of the most effective ways to promote employee health is to get your employees up and moving. There is no denying that those employees who are physically fit are the ones that are the most healthy. There are a number of different ways that you can do this. Many businesses are choosing to add an onsite gym but this is not an option for every business. However, if your business cannot add an onsite gym there are other options that you can do to help your employees get exercising. You can use an empty conference room to put in weights and some exercise bikes for your employees to use during lunch and breaks. You can add biking and walking paths around your building and repaint and light the stairways to get your employees walking inside. If none of these are viable options you may want to consider giving your employees a discounted pass to a local gym.