Photo by Francesco Corallo, Flickr
Workplace wellness benefits not only employees, but your business, too! As the CDC posts in “Wellness at Work,”
“Ideally, the office should be a place that not only protects the safety and well-being of employees but also provides them opportunities for better long-term health.”
It’s an important employee benefit, but it also improves your bottom line. In “8 Ways to Promote Wellness in the Workplace,” Inc. contributor Lauren Lastowka notes:
“Wellness programs are linked to greater productivity, less absenteeism, and a reduction of long-term health care costs.”
Encourage Fruits and Vegetables for Workplace Wellness
One way to improve workplace wellness is to help employees eat healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
In her Huffington Post article, “Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables,” Nutritionist Dr. Lisa Young writes:
“Veggies and fruits (both fresh and frozen) are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants, which have been shown to protect against chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer.”
You might arrange for employees to join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organization and collect deliveries at your office.
JustFood explains CSA membership in “What is CSA?”:
“When you become a member of a CSA, you’re purchasing a “share” of vegetables from a regional farmer. Weekly or bi-weekly, from June until October or November, your farmer will deliver that share of produce to a convenient drop-off location in your neighborhood.”
One of our previous blog posts, “Building Workplace Wellness and Employee Engagement with CSA’s,” quotes Lisa Young’s article:
“Bringing fresh produce into your office by way of a CSA is more than just employee engagement. It’s potentially prolonging the life span of those who work for you.”
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You can also reward employees with healthy treats via gThankYou! Fruit and Vegetable Gift Certificates. Your workers can choose the fruit and vegetables they want, at their favorite stores, when they want. Choose one of dozens of designs of our free ‘Thank You’ Cards and customize your gift with your message and company logo. All done with same day shipping!
8 More Ways to Promote Workplace Wellness
Lastowka’s article lists more ways to improve workplace wellness, even if you don’t have the resources to implement a complete wellness program.
- Promote preventive care. Encouraging and even funding vaccinations for employees has one of the clearest returns on investment.
- Encourage exercise. Encourage the entire office to use the stairs. Offer discounts or partially subsidized memberships to a local gym!
- Emphasize education. Brown bag luncheons or break-time seminars are prime opportunities for employees to learn more about healthy habits.
- Bring the doctor in. An on-site health clinics gives employees the opportunity to schedule office visits for routine care without taking time off work.
- Invest in incentives. A growing trend is to cover an additional percentage of the cost of health insurance premiums for employees who pass certain biometric markers – such as having a healthy body mass index, blood pressure, or blood sugar reading.
- Hone hunger options. Consider replacing sodas with milk, juice, or sparkling water and stocking snack machines with nuts, dried fruit, and other healthy options.
- Be mindful of mental health. Consider offering an employee assistance program for employees who have financial troubles, excess stress, or depression symptoms.
- Recommend behavioral resources. Consider offering tobacco cessation, weight loss, or stress management programs to help empower your employees make lasting, noticeable change.
Workplace Wellness Makes for a Healthy Business
Healthy employees lower company costs and make for a more pleasant workplace. As contributor Jacqui Cook observes on the Center for Association Leadership website in “The Benefits of Workplace Wellness Programs”:
“If you’re looking to build a workplace with more staff camaraderie, greater productivity, and less absenteeism, an organization-wide wellness initiative can help you get there. And the gravy? Lower insurance costs.”
For more great tips and insights into building a vibrant culture of workplace engagement, loyalty and appreciation, be sure to download our free Guide To Building Workplace Gratitude today!
About gThankYou, LLC
Turkey Gift Certificates and Turkey Or Ham Gift Certificates by gThankYou! are two of America’s favorite employee gifts and can be redeemed for any Brand (Turkey or Turkey Or Ham), at virtually any Grocery Store in the U.S.
gThankYou, LLC provides company leaders with a variety of easy, meaningful and affordable ways to recognize and reward employees, holiday time or anytime. gThankYou! Certificates of Gratitude and our free Enclosure Cards are personalizable including incorporating your company logo. And, nearly all orders ship same day.
gThankYou, LLC (www.gthankyou.com) is based in Madison, Wisconsin. Contact: Rick Kiley, Chief ThankYou! Officer, gThankYou, LLC at info@gthankyou.com or 888-484-1658.
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