5 Top Employee Health Programs That Employees Love
You wake up and do your morning routine. Maybe that includes getting kids ready for school, taking the dog for a walk, or just staring at the ceiling. You head to work and proceed to spend the majority of your waking hours at that one place. (Obviously, if you have a job that requires you to travel to different locations then that changes the statement. You get the point though!)
By the time you get off work, you’re exhausted. Managing the last few hours of your day at after school activities, a friend outing, or cooking dinner. You get a moment of peace right before you close your eyes and go to sleep. Then you wake up and repeat it all over again. Now think about what if your employer offered you a way to take a break and recharge. They could give you access to fitness centers, onsite wellness programs, health hotlines, or more. Read on to learn about the 5 top employee health programs that have benefits for employees and employers!
Employee Health Programs are All the Rage
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “full-time employees spend a large portion of their day at work. So workplace health programs can lead to positive changes that can make a lasting impact. Some benefits include reducing health risks, reducing absenteeism, aid in recruitment and retention, improving workplace culture, and boosting productivity and morale. According to a rigorous study done by Holisticare, they found that 84% of employers reported higher employee productivity and performance with employee health programs initiated. They also saw medical costs drop approximately $3.27 for every dollar invested in wellness programs. Meanwhile, absenteeism-related expenses decreased by $2.73 per dollar spent. Adding in employee health programs can even see a drop in chronic disease amongst employees. Incorporating employee health and wellness programs can benefit all parties involved.
Benefits of Employee Health and Wellness Programs to Employers
For employers, many benefits come from offering employee health plans. They can make the company look more employee focused by offering programs that aim to improve employee wellbeing. Many new applicants will be looking at all the workplace benefits before applying. Checking for health care or 401k and PTO, paid time off, policies. However, the chance of prospective applicants applying increases when they see that there are wellness programs in place.
Current employees will feel like their health actually matters to their employer and they will be less likely to apply elsewhere. This, however, is contingent on the rest of the workplace as well, not just wellness programs. When an employer treats their employees like human beings and not cogs in a machine, employees are known to stick around a little longer.
Benefits of Employee Health and Wellness Programs to Employees
For employees, finding a job that values employee health and wellbeing is great. It creates a healthy balance mentally, emotionally, and physically that will let employees power through longer assignments without burnout. This also helps you to boost your productivity. It can also make you happier to work for a company that offers those benefits.
For instance, a large project with tight deadlines is looming over your head. So many moving parts, but you and your team manage to get it done right before the deadline. Then, imagine you’re able to head to the gym to blow off steam. Maybe you can work from home the next few days or call a therapist to vent over the phone. All courtesy of your employer. Not only does the actual wellness program bring you a sigh of relief, so does knowing your employer ensured you had access to it.
Improve Company Culture with Employee Health Programs
If you aren’t sure how to incorporate an employee health program at your workplace, don’t worry. I have researched some of the most common employee health programs that employees love! Remember that finding a way to bring one of these health programs to your workplace will be beneficial for you and your employees. The cost will vary and some employee health and wellness programs are more beneficial to larger companies than smaller, and vice versa. However, many of these programs usually offer some type of discount for companies. For instance, the first on the list is having gym access available for your employees. Quite a few fitness centers offer corporate discounts for employers looking to improve their workplace wellness.
Access to a Fitness Center
When most people think of the employee health programs, so many think of gym access. Some companies, especially larger or Fortune 500 companies, actually have a gym on site for employees to use during their down time. Other companies, will give their employees credit for or a discount on a gym membership to a local gym. The thought behind this is that you want your employees to be physically healthier. So if they have access to a gym to get physically fit and blow off steam, they’ll be more engaged and productive at work.
Having an onsite gym may not be practical for everyone. However, a discount to a local gym can be, and would be, appreciated by employees. A full blown fitness center isn’t necessary either. Having a few treadmills, free weights, and yoga equipment would be doable to create a version of your own office gym. If a gym is out of budget, there are virtual fitness apps that you can purchase for the company. Everyone can track their progress and you can even host competitions with everyone to hit a certain goal.
Virtual fitness apps also have the added benefit of allowing people to do them at home. Some might find it more beneficial to wake up earlier and get in a workout through the app before work. People with kids and pets would especially benefit. They would be able to get fit on their own time without needing a sitter or having to make other arrangements.
Health Hotline
Some employers have used services to offer employees and their children access to an online (or over the phone) therapist or dietician. A therapist is extremely helpful for employees. An employee doesn’t need to say they’re anxious or depressed, and they probably won’t. Quite a few health plans don’t even cover, or fully cover, a therapy visit. So having access to a medical physician to vent to, especially if they have a high stress job, can make for a more productive employee.
Employee’s mental health is just as important as their physical health. Some employers will also give employees access to an online dietician a certain amount of times per month. Dieticians can help them come up with a balanced diet and exercise plan. Since they may have inside knowledge of the workplace, this is extremely helpful. Having these service providers can improve employee focus and reduce health risks that could require long PTO.
Rehabilitation Care
I was talking to my sister and she was mentioning how she had to go to the chiropractor. We talked about it and she mentioned that her job required her to be on her feet all day and her team was constantly lifting and pushing heavy material. Because of these serious workplace hazards that can lead to workplace injuries, they were given a discount to a local chiropractor. I started seeing this more and more. Doing some digging I found that more and more companies are offering some type of rehabilitation service as part of their wellness program. A chiropractor or even a massage therapist can be added into your wellness plan and boost morale and relieve physical, and mental, stress from employees. Even an employee assistance program to reduce the cost of services for massage therapists, chiropractors, or even a spa.
Incentive Based Workouts
Incentive based workouts are exactly like how they sound. Some employers will attach an incentive to a specific task that boosts employee health and wellbeing. Whether it be a gift card or a job perk, like a half day or a new desk chair, it’s up to the company. Whatever the prize, make sure the task matches. Offering a company branded tumbler if an employee runs 50 miles that month is a little unbalanced.
For instance, a Chinese company took this thought process a step further and tied running directly to a company bonus. Business Insider reports, “Employees need to clock 62 miles every month if they want to get an annual bonus worth 130% of their monthly salary. Staff would get an annual bonus equivalent to a month’s salary if they ran 31 miles every month.” This story has been spreading like wildfire lately and has received controversy from everyone, but the employees. This type of incentive directly relates to a bigger paycheck, so the employees have welcomed it.
However, there are less extreme ways to go about incentivizing workouts. For instance, employers can create a point system per exercise and allow employees to track it in an online account. This could directly equate to a bonus, gift card, or merch and points could rollover into the next calendar year. Say ‘run 5 miles, get 5,000 points’. An option could be ‘ yoga for 30 minutes, get 2,000 points’. Then you can make it so those points can be cashed out. This incentive is also great because it creates healthy competition between coworkers, promoting communication and team bonding.
Onsite Wellness Options
If you’re a smaller company or on a smaller budget, you can still incorporate employee wellness programs into your workplace. If you can offer some type of employee health service like health care or a therapist hotline, that’s great. However, offering a place on site for employees to unwind and recharge is a much better option than nothing at all.
Turn your break room into a respite for employees by including comfortable seating arrangements. You can also invest in some type of individual oasis like a massage chair or an egg chair. Providing quiet areas is also a great way to allow stressed out employees take a break and regroup before getting back to work. Offering a comfortable space for employees to recharge and offering healthy snacks and charging stations, can reduce minute stressors. Companies with a bigger budget even offer a food truck or have a caterer or restaurant on site. Making things simpler for your employees cuts out a lot of the extra tasks of having to find a way to relax during a 15 minute break or something.
A productive and engaged employee stems from one who feels empowered and isn’t stressed. Employees are the beating heart of an organization. From warehouse or retail employees to upper management and HR, they all play a part in the success of the company. It only makes sense that they should know that through actions that the company takes for their betterment. Open Loop Health states” 62% of employees and 82% of c-suite executives would be more likely to stay with their company if it better supported their well-being.” They also found that, “U.S. businesses with wellness programs saw a 63% leap in financial growth.” Offering some type of wellness program may seem like it’s for the benefit of the employees, but the employer benefits too. More companies are making a move toward offering employee health and wellness programs and the data proves it’s the right move!