Employee health and wellness programs impact the culture of the entire workplace. They not only create a culture of health and wellbeing but also demonstrate to employees that they’re more than just a number — it shows they’re a truly valued part of your organization.
In fact, our very own Richard Branson said it best: “Take care of your employees and they will take care of your business. It’s as simple as that. Healthy, engaged employees are your top competitive advantage.”
In other words, when you put your people first, both your employees and your business will thrive — and employee wellness programs are a great way to do just that. When employees are happy, healthy and satisfied with their role in your organization, they’re more productive, collaborative, innovative, loyal and energized.
With that said, a top-notch strategy and modern technology are essential to bring robust corporate health and wellness programs to life. Learn what your organization can do to start building a successful program and inspiring your workforce today:
How Health and Wellness Programs Inspire Employees
Providing a robust health and wellness program demonstrates to employees you care about them, creating a healthy and happy culture where people love to work.
Health and wellness programs benefit employees and employers alike in numerous ways, helping to:
- Prioritize holistic health
- Increase engagement
- Improve job satisfaction
- Reduce employee stress
- Lower healthcare premiums
- Strengthen company culture
- Boost team camaraderie
8 Ways to Build a Robust Health and Wellness Program
Of course, not all health and wellness programs are created equal. Your company needs to develop a comprehensive strategy and embrace personalization in order for your program to be effective. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you get started:
1. Develop a Strategy With Goals and KPIs
Start with developing a health and wellbeing strategy with clear goals, objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) in mind. Your goals should be tailored to your organization’s wellbeing needs, with KPIs tracked over time to assess your progress.
2. Listen to What Your Employees Are Saying
When you’re determining your health and wellness program goals and building out your strategy, your employees are your best resource. Make it a point to listen to what they’re saying, and then incorporate those learnings into your program initiatives.
3. Advocate for a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance plays an important role when it comes to the health and wellbeing of your employees. Advocate for a healthy work-life balance, train managers to balance each employee’s workload and encourage your team to ask for help when they need it.
4. Take a Holistic or “Whole-Person” Approach
It’s also important to consider all aspects of your employees’ lives when crafting health and wellness programs. That means taking a holistic or “whole-person” approach to wellbeing and focusing on emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual and spiritual wellness—not just physical health.
5. Instill a Culture of Health and Wellbeing
Successful health and wellness programs tend to focus on instilling a culture of health and wellbeing within the organization. Find ways to celebrate healthy habits, champion wellbeing initiatives and lead by example to initiate cultural change.
6. Incentivize Engagement With Rewards
Your employees are more likely to take an active role in their own health and wellbeing if they’re incentivized with rewards. Track progress toward meeting goals over time and offer incentives like extra paid time off (PTO), company swag and more.
7. Make It Social With Group Challenges
Forming social connections and workplace friendships can positively impact productivity, engagement and health outcomes. Make health and wellness programs social with group wellbeing challenges, team-based competitions designed to build healthy habits.
8. Provide the Right Wellbeing Resources
Make engagement easy for your employees by equipping them with the knowledge, tools, support and resources they need to build and maintain healthy habits over time. A digital wellbeing ecosystem like Homebase for Health® brings all relevant resources together in one convenient, centralized location for your employees.
With the right strategy and technology in place, you can build a robust health and wellness program that checks off every box in order to empower your employees, enhance your company culture and achieve (or even exceed) your organization’s goals.
Schedule a meeting to learn about Virgin Pulse’s personalized and holistic digital wellbeing ecosystem, Homebase for Health®.