Healthy Lifestyles Should be Encouraged

What is it to be considered “Healthy” anyway? Eating right, loosing weight, exercising, drinking water… The list goes on! Studies show that healthy employees are more productive and perform better, AND save you money!  But how can you help? That’s where we come in, we can help you.

Is Employee Health Important?

As I mentioned above, studies show that healthy employees are more productive and perform better, AND save you money! But how much? Good question, studies have proven that by reducing absenteeism, illness and injuries it can save up to $1,688 per employee! Well-being programs for employees have shown a reduction in turnover with the addition of benefit package initiatives. The combination of the two will also help with your company brand, even if your employees don’t participate. That’s a win-win in our book!

But How Can I Help My Employees Be More Healthy?

Don’t worry we aren’t going to ask you to build a state-of-the-art gym in your office. There are countless ways to make small impacts that can add up to a number of health improvements. Here are a few:

• Nutrition – instead of offering donuts for a morning meeting, birthday cakes at lunch, candy bowls in the office, offset the damage by providing alternatives. More nutritious snacks, filtered water dispensers, for meetings, healthy catering options are all ways to help start promoting healthier habits.
• Fitness – as I said before, you don’t have to build a gym, not everyone can afford to do so. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enable people in your office who do exercise or encourage the ones that don’t. Having an area with lockers or showers can be much more affordable than a gym. That way if someone wants to bike, run or walk to work or during lunch break they can. Look into your health insurance that you offer, usually they will offer a program for cheaper gym memberships, that won’t even cost you anything!
• Health in General – I know it’s impossible to prevent the common cold but there are some ways to help provide easier ways to stay well. A lot of insurance companies will offer on-site flu shots for everyone or even general health screenings. Bring in a local dermatologist to provide skin cancer screenings the incentive to the Dr. is more clients if they find something iffy. You can do your part by offering signs about washing your hands during sick seasons or hand sanitizer throughout the office. Another way to help is to offer a work-from-home policy. It’s good for the environment (from emissions) and helps save on gas! AND if an employee has a cold or feels yucky they can stay away but still work, not spreading those annoying germs.

 

“Healthy” Isn’t Just for the Body

It’s not just about the body. Employees’ mental health is very important. Stress is the number one cause of most mental health issues. Employee assistance programs provide aid through counseling and education but there are some simple ways your employees can fight stress.

• Finance – Money worries always causes stress. Financial advisors provide free consultations to their 401K investors, make sure your employees know about this helpful service. Offer a free course on budgeting, saving and investing for the future, plus a $100 reward for completing it!
• Benefits – If no one in your company knows how to use your benefits plan than it is worthless! Educate your employees how to utilize their full benefits. Claims, reimbursements and deductibles can be confusing.
• Company Culture – A strong company culture can make the workplace much less stressful. Support, honesty, and communication help employees feel safe when bringing up issues.

 

So now we know the full meaning of “healthy”. It is not just the body, or our mind or the spirit, it is the combination of the three! It is so worth having healthy incentives for a good and productive standpoint. Take it from the 9 out of 10 employers that have some sort of wellness program, it’s what makes a more modern organization now-a-days. It’s good for your company and your people and what goes around comes around!

To help find wellness benefits offered by insurance plans or to get a competitive rate on employee benefits, call us today!

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