How To Create The Perfect Corporate Wellness Plan For Your Organization

In today's world, there is a worldwide focus on employee wellness by organizations. Many large companies are investing in their workplace wellness efforts and health initiatives. Smaller companies are also not far behind, as they are also following suit.

Employee health is a top priority nowadays. It has fantastic benefits for both employers and employees. What else can be better for a company than a healthy and productive workforce?

Improving employee health can enhance an organization's bottom line. It will also help to increase productivity and enhance company culture. Most people aspire to work for a company caring for its employees' health and wellbeing.

We find that workplace wellness programs can help contain the current epidemic of lifestyle-related diseases, the main driver of premature morbidity and mortality as well as health care cost in the United States.
– Soeren Mattke, Lead Author of the Rand Report

Wellness Plan: What is it, and Why is it Important?

According to the Chamber of Commerce of the US, “Winning with Wellness” states a few statistics on the considerable need for a Workplace Wellness Program because:

• 78% of Americans explain their work as stressful
• 80% of Americans in jobs that need little or no physical activity
• Depression and obesity are the two chronic health diseases driving health-related expenses for employers
• 80% of people are not yet inclined to change their health behaviors
• 5% of employers’ healthcare expenditures and productivity are related to employee lifestyle choices

We know that staying healthy needs proper planning and a lot of discipline to execute.

Suppose you set a goal of losing 10 pounds in 3 months. To achieve this goal, you will include some physical activity in your daily routine. You will have to eat nutritious meals every few hours, for which you will have to prepare them beforehand.

All in all, you will have to plan and execute each day according to your goals for three months.

The same applies to corporate wellness goals. It needs a great deal of planning and proper execution to achieve success.

A well-designed corporate wellness plan is key to incorporate employee wellness programs. Such a health plan can help employers to improve their employees' wellbeing with great ease.

The perk of having an effective wellness program:

• Enhances employee engagement
• Significantly improves healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices
• Reduces elevated health risks
• Promotes productivity and reduces absenteeism
• Lowers health or medical care costs
• Improves employee morale and loyalty

Also read - Understanding The 9 Dimensions Of Wellness In The Workplace

Creating an Excellent Wellness Plan

If you are looking forward to install wellness initiatives among your employees, create a plan for their wellness. As mentioned above, a corporate wellness plan will improve your program's effectiveness. It will also help you target different aspects of your workforce's health.

Before you create a wellness plan for your organization, here are a few things your project should do -

• Your plan should set realistic well-being goals and objectives.
• It should mention practical ways and solutions to achieve those goals.
• It should be simple and understood by all members of your organization.
• Your plan should garner full support from your company's management and employees.

Now with that taken care of, let's dive into the process of creating a wellness plan for your organization.

Setting the Objectives

Health and wellness objectives may vary in different organizations depending on a variety of factors. It is thus essential to assess your workforce before setting any objectives. After the assessment, select the key objectives. Determine the key areas of wellness initiatives.

• Conduct a health-risk assessment or biometric test in your workplace. Determine any underlying health problems and chronic diseases among your employees. Assess their general health status.
• Give out questionnaires and conduct polls. The survey must involve general health questions among your employees.
• Use the data from the survey to determine which areas of wellness need the most attention.
• Set a timeframe to aim for significant improvements to your employees' health.
• Appoint a health coach to keep track of your workforce's progress. It will also help to keep them motivated.

Finding the right solutions

After setting your objectives, decide on the approach you will take to reach those goals. Also, determine how your corporate wellness program will help to achieve those goals.

Incentivize your employees to get them engaged in wellness initiatives.

You can design your wellness program as per your company's goals. Many corporate wellness companies provide wellness programs and other services. Digital wellness platforms and applications make wellness initiatives more fun and engaging.

Here are some fantastic wellness program ideas that your employees will enjoy -

• Step Challenge
• Office Fitness Challenge
• Office Weight Loss Challenge
• Cycle-To-Work Scheme
• Healthy Eating and workplace wellness Challenges
• Water Drinking Challenge
• Smoking Cessation Challenge
• Office Yoga
• Meditation mornings.

Also read - 101 Latest Employee Wellness Program Ideas To Create A Happy Workplace

Your wellness plan should cover all the facilities which support their wellness objectives. To keep things exciting, conduct team-building events throughout your organization's wellness journey.

For example, provide healthy snacks and lunches to your employees when you run a healthy eating challenge.

Here are some examples of attractive benefits that you can provide your employees -

• Free mental and behavioral health therapy or counseling sessions
• Healthy Breakfasts, snacks, and lunches
• Yoga Mats
• Running shoes
• Bicycles
• Office gym for employees
• Biometric Screenings
• Meditation and Yoga instructors

For events, here are some excellent ideas to boost employee morale and engagement -

• Health Fairs
• International Yoga Day
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• World Health Day
• Team Potluck Lunches
• Lunch and learns
• Walkathon for Charity
• Healthy cooking contests
• Educational seminars
• Mindfulness Monday sessions
• Sports Day Out

Expenditures

You must assign a budget for your wellness initiatives. Having a pre-defined budget will allow you to keep track of the expenditure on your wellness efforts and avoid overspending.

Many wellness program providers offer free trials and attractive pricing options. That allows you to learn how much money you should spend on your wellness initatives.

Promotion and Feedback

You need to promote your wellness program among your entire organization. Gather valuable feedback and support to make your wellness program a success.

• Share your plan throughout your organization using emails, brochures, and so on.
• Ask everyone for feedback and suggestions on how to improve your wellness plan.
• Survey to find out how many people like or dislike the plan.

Tweaks and Improvements

Use all the feedback and data generated from the surveys to make essential changes and improvements to your wellness program. Minor tweaks can help you understand what works better for your workforce.

Also, keep your employees informed about changes and updates in your wellness initiatives.

Final Words

New England Journal of Medicine says that for every 1% decline in total cholesterol, the risk of having a heart attack descended by 2 to 3%. There is another 2 to 3% reduction in heart disease risk for every one-point decrease in elevated diastolic blood pressure.

Lower health threats are the foundation of sound health, and wellness programs are a great way to help employees avoid high health risks.

A well-devised wellness plan is a certain way to improve employee health in an organization. A planned approach will help to make your wellness program more effective. It will also help it become adaptive to any changes that you or your employees might need.

Looking forward to implementing corporate wellness in your organization? Request a Vantage Fit demo now!