Employee Health Promotion

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or perhaps you want to jump start or better upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that have the potential to help meet any wellness program budget! The Employee Health Promotion ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Administer an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Design a Employee Health Promotion Committee
• Identify health insurance plans that cover costs for weight management and tobacco cessation
• Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive healthcare visits
• Display handouts on a variety of wellness issues for employees to take
• Design a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of issues of interest to employees
• Identify employees who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees
• Plan and encourage periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Plan monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Display a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Display messages from national health observances during the month
• Post healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Sponsor a benefits fair
• Sponsor business fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Sponsor business wellbeing and health fairs or other on-Site programs

Nutrition Programs

• Provide free, healthy snacks for employees (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Provide healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at business programs
• Provide information to employees about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Design a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Partially fund healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¢ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Start a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Have handouts available on a variety of healthy eating issueS
• Include diet articles in business newsletters
• Have a healthy meal tasting contest Free
• Have educational sessions at lunchtime-time on a variety of diet issues of interest
• Sponsor an employee healthy diet cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all employees

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Offer flexible work schedules so that employees have the potential to participate in weight-loss programs
• Partially fund registration costs for weight-management programs
• Form a support group to help employees who are trying to lose weight
• Arrange for registered dieticians near your worksite as a resource for employees who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight management
• Provide individual counseling for employees trying to lose weight
• Provide worksite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Have an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Consider offering flexible work schedules to encourage physical activity
• Design a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Design accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Encourage employees to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Design a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Have walking meetings
• Make the stairways more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Provide reduced gym membership fees to all employees
• Provide facilities for employees to secure bikes
• Have 5 – 10 minute stretch breaks during the day
• Partially fund gym membership for employees who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or business sports team
• Encourage stairwell use and incentives
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Urge & support area walks or fitness programs
• Urge walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Provide periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Have educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Design a smoke-free grounds
• Design a smoke-free workplace
• Encourage the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s no cost Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Fully reimburse (or partially reimburse) for tobacco replacement products
• Partially fund the expense of tobacco cessation sessions
• Provide handouts and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Have awareness sessions to arouse employees to try to quit tobacco use
• Have worksite tobacco cessation sessions

Employee Health Screening

• Discount medical insurance premiums or decrease co-payments for employees who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure monitoring equipment
• Provide flu shots for employees and family members
• Provide Health Risk Assessments to all employees, including counseling and follow-up
• Provide periodic Blood Pressure screenings and follow-up
• Provide periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Consider offering flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Provide and encourage an EAP
• Provide information on substance abuse prevention
• Provide handouts and information on stress management and mental health
• Provide handouts and information on work life balance, such as financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Provide supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, business stressors, etc.
• Review business policies and work schedules to identify business stressors
• Review the EAP to ensure it is meeting the needs of the employees and business
• Have educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Have sessions on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance issues