Create A Company Wellness Package That Really Works

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By Audacy

Industries ranging from food service to technology programming can benefit enormously from offering their workers a wellness package. Numerous studies have proven that the implementation of an initiative designed to improve employee health and wellbeing results in increased productivity, lowered healthcare costs, and increased employee retention. But to enjoy all these benefits, Bay Area small business owners have to take steps to ensure they create the right kind of program.  

Finding the Right Fit
Just like picking out the perfect pair of jeans, creating a great wellness package is all about finding the right fit. Copying the program used by another company, even one in the same industry of similar size, doesn’t guarantee success. It’s all about assessing the needs of the individual company and its workforce and building a package around those needs. For example, a small firm that employs a significant number of overweight workers should launch initiatives that promote weight loss. That way, the package would appeal to workers who want to change their lifestyles and help the company save on healthcare and increase productivity.  

Providing Financial Incentives
While one might assume that any person would jump at the chance to participate in an initiative that would make them healthier and happier, corporate wellness experts say that’s not actually the case. As this Forbes article by Kinema Fitness President Joshua Love explains, wellness packages need incentives to succeed. Whether it's cash prizes for hitting monthly exercise goals or extra paid days off for those who complete smoking cessation programs, rewards go a long way toward making wellness packages work.  

Voluntary Health Screenings Are a Must
Voluntary health screenings should be part of your company’s wellness package because they give workers the crucial health information they’ll need to achieve a better quality of life. Getting regular examinations that include body mass indexing, cholesterol testing, cancer screenings, diabetes tests, and blood pressure checks will let your employees know the status of their overall health and alert them to any troubling health risk factors. Using that data, they can make the life changes they need to avoid contracting debilitating and life-shortening illnesses later in life.  

Creating a Culture of Wellness
When instituting a new wellness program, founders should make changes to their company cultures to prioritize employee health and wellness. Offering incentives for weight loss and diabetes testing while also making sugary sodas and fatty junk food available in the break room is a confusing contradiction. In tandem with the launch of the new wellness program, Bay Area-based employers should stock up on healthy snacks and water, invite nutritionists in to give onsite lectures about healthy eating, and organize lunchtime running clubs. Doing so will prove to current and future employees that the health and well-being of your team members is one of your company’s core values.  

 

Canopy Health is a community of caregivers creating an integrated healthcare experience where quality care and coverage arCae provided by an alliance of top caregivers throughout the Bay Area. They offer refreshingly clear, human care that is achieved by making each unique member’s journey predictable, transparent, and cost-effective.  

For more tips and inspiration for small business owners, visit Small Business Pulse SF Bay Area.