Employee Health Promotion

Small business wellness programs are catching on. A well-designed wellness program can stimulate productivity, boost morale and vitality, reduce stress, decrease absenteeism, and control preventable healthcare costs within a business. The beauty of it is that you’re simply supporting employees to make smart choices so the costs of launching a wellness program are minimal in comparison to the benefits. Employee health is a major issue for small business owners. In a small business, even a few sick employees have the potential to disrupt the flow of the workplace and bring the operation to a standstill. Instead of sitting back and hoping for the best, some small business owners are taking the matter of employee health into their own hands by launching Employee Health Promotion Programs. Here’s how they work.

Overview of Employee Health Promotion Programs

Employee wellness programs are programs initiated by the business to better the overall health of their work force and to help individual employees overcome specific health-related hurdles. These programs have the potential to be provided in a variety of formats: In mandatory employee training meetings, as voluntary classes, or through an outside provider offering a wide-range of EAPs. In every case, however, the business foots the bill for the programs because an investment in employee health is a business cost that directly impacts the business’s bottom line.

Why offer Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Apart from the obvious issue for the health of your employees, there are several other reasons why Employee Health Promotion Programs make sense for small organizations. From the get-go, your business will benefit from the lowered level of absenteeism that goes hand in hand with a healthy workforce. Employee Health Promotion Programs will also decrease the number of injuries that occur in the workplace, not just from accidents, but also from repetitive motion and other recurring sources. Since even a minor blip in worker attendance can have a large influence on a small business, a more reliable workforce will finally translate into a smoother work cycle and a more robust bottom line.

Employee Health Promotion Features

Employee Health Promotion Programs have the potential to cover a broad range of health-related issues. Based on your employees’ needs, it’s entirely up to you to determine the kind of programming you want to offer. However, most Employee Health Promotion Programs offer some at least some programs in the following areas:

• Nutrition. Diet can significantly influence an employee’s ability to do their job effectively. Nutritional programs educate employees about diet options and equip them to make healthy dietary choices.
• Physical Fitness. In addition to diet, physical activity is an valuable factor in a healthy lifestyle. Employee Health Promotion Programs generally offer employees with opportunities to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives.
• Smoking Cessation. Statistics prove that smokers tend to fall ill more generally than their non-smoking peers. Since sick employees disrupt the workplace, tobacco cessation programs are a no-brainer for both employers and employees.
• Physiological Testing. Many employers offer physiological as a regular part of their wellness programs. Cholesterol tests, Blood Pressure screenings, and other simple exams have the potential to offer early warning signs for more genuine problems.
• Stress Management. Stress itself takes a toll on employees. However, stress is also linked to other health problems such as depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Employee Health Promotion Programs that help employees deal with stress better not only the mental health of your employees, but their physical health, too.