new year means new goals for wellness

By: karen walsh, senior account executive - employee benefits, ioa

Now that we have officially started a New Year, many of your employees are buckling down on their New Year’s resolutions and taking steps to lead a healthier, happier lifestyle. As leaders in the insurance industry, it is our goal to make sure that business leaders have the proper tools and resources to help support their employees on this journey.

In order to provide additional insight on this topic, I have enlisted help from our in-house wellness consultant, Jordan Boudlal, who was willing to provide me with some of his proven methods that can be used by employers to help promote healthier employees, which in turn, can also lead to lower health care costs, less absenteeism, higher productivity, and increased employee engagement. Below are some ideas he shared:

Education

The most effective and successful wellness programs begin with education—both for leadership and employees. Through regular communication, give your employees tips on leading a healthy lifestyle such as maintaining a balanced diet, staying active, and having regular health screenings. Provide information on the negative effects of smoking, obesity, alcohol use, and unhealthy practices that can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress, and depression.

Management Participation

Managers and executive leadership should lead by example by exercising and practicing healthy habits. Your employees are watching you, and if they see you taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or grabbing a bottle of water instead of an afternoon dose of caffeine, they may follow your lead!

Appoint Wellness Leaders and Ambassadors

Whether they are on your HR leadership team or individual contributors within your organization that are fired up about health and wellness, it’s key to assign wellness leaders and ambassadors that can support your organization’s wellness goals. If you have an employee that runs marathons in their free time, empower them to start a running club that employees can join. If you have an employee that loves to cook healthy meals, give them the resources they need to share healthy recipes with the rest of your employee population through email newsletters or bulletin posts in your breakroom.

Empower wellness leaders to sponsor training webinars, maintain an online wellness resource center, organize health fairs, and promote local health events within the community, such as 5Ks. When your employee population feels like they have a like-minded support system that can give them tips and encouragement to jump on the path to wellness, they are more likely to stay motivated and involved.

Offer Positive Incentives

Contests, rewards, and incentives are a great way to get your employees engaged in your wellness program. By leveraging people’s competitive nature, you can foster healthy competition within your employee base. Offer rewards for adopting a healthier lifestyle and provide employee access to assistance for those who may be suffering from unhealthy addictions such as smoking or alcohol abuse.

Prioritize Mental Health

It is a well-known fact that satisfied and happy workers provide better customer service and are more productive each day, leading to a 12% spike in productivity for your business and higher profits, according to a recent study at the University of Warwick. Think beyond diet and exercise and provide your employees with access to counseling and mental health resources to help them combat mental health ailments such as depression and anxiety.

Include Individualization

Use biometric screenings to determine employees' health status and track wellness progress, while maintaining employees' confidentiality. Ensure your employees have access to their individualized health and wellness information so they are aware of their conditions and can take proactive measures to make improvements.

Make Exercise Fun

For some people, the thought of going to a gym to exercise is dreadful. To encourage employees to get up and get moving, even if it's not in a traditional gym, promote events and activities that involve dancing, swimming, martial arts, playing sports, biking, yoga, or walking trails. These days, especially in our COVID-19-world, there are endless athome workouts that you can share with your employees to encourage them to stay active. The key is to educate your workforce that any form of movement and exercise is good for their health.

Provide Healthy On-Site Foods

Due to COVID-19, many businesses and organizations do not have employees on-site, but if or when things return to “normal,” or you’re an essential business, it’s more important than ever to provide healthy on-site snack and food options to your employees. You can make it easier for your employees to access options by stocking vending machines, self-service kiosks, or on-site cafeterias/restaurants with healthy food and drink choices.

Leverage Partnerships

Develop relationships with outside vendors that provide healthy products and resources. For example, partner with a local sandwich or smoothie shop to give employees discounts or loyalty cards that can be redeemed for free healthy goods. Do you have a local gym in your area that might be willing to offer your employees a discounted membership? These type of partnerships are a win-win for your business, their business, and most importantly, your employees!

Cheers to a Healthy 2023!!