A lot of people want to be healthier. Sadly, many American office environments make that goal hard to achieve. The prevalence of sedentary computer usage is removing employees’ back and heart health. If you are an employer, you should realize that employee wellness programs are a necessary part of your business.
If they are treated poorly, they will work poorly. Although it may seem easy to squeeze money out of them, without a thought to their personal wellness, this is not good. Preparing a workplace wellness plan is a mark of a mature and compassionate employer. Employees that are healthy work much better. We have collected some ideas that will transform your company’s health environment.
6 Employee Wellness Programs You Should Check Out
1. Gamification
Gamification is taking principles from board and computer games such as points, rewards, and teams, and applying it to the workplace. People work much better when they feel like their work is fun. A lot of people are naturally competitive. They like to win, and want to be on a team full of winners. Bosses can greatly increase the wellness of their employees by adding a game type environment to the workplace. Have team red, team blue, or team green. Have them compete for a cash prize, or a certain amount of pushups a day. These sort of things encourage their mood, and keep them from getting gloomy. Employee wellness programs benefit from a fun atmosphere.
2. Myers-Briggs Psychology
Despite efforts to remove it, widespread discrimination exists in many workplaces. This greatly damages the wellness of employees who are unjustly kept from promotion or new job opportunities. Discrimination can occur because of unacknowledged employer prejudices about gender, beliefs, or race. One of the lesser known forms of discrimination is psychological. If a certain employee does not think, talk, or act the way you do, it is easy to sideline that individual. In many American work environments, there is an excluded group of white practical friendlies deciding who is practical and friendly enough to join their social club. Realize that only having one type of brain on your team severely limits your capacity for growth and ideas. Companies that only have practical friendlies are cautious and hesitant to try something new. They often over leverage themselves financially. Maximize workplace wellness by understanding psychology better in your employee wellness programs.
3. Leverage Myers-Briggs to the Exercise Program
One of the experts in psychological exercise planning, Suzanne Brue, has matched 8 types of exercise programs that match the different personality types. Your workforce can greatly benefit by helping employees work out in ways that suit their preferences. Many employees refuse to work out because the exercise program does not motivate them. Knowing how to motivate your people is very important. Employee wellness programs that incorporate different learning styles and abilities bring more results than rigid ones.
4. Have Healthy Food at Work
Although it may be tempting to buy donuts for the team when they get something done on time and under budget, their waistlines will eventually suffer if this becomes a habit. Go for bananas and strawberries instead. Find healthy and tasty treats that will keep your employees’ lunches filling, but not degrading to their wellness. Teaching them how to eat at work encourages them to make better food choices when they are off work. There are all sorts of good healthy alternatives to the popular catering treats that you can use in your employee wellness programs. The key is to do some research at the grocery store. Many caterers specialize in making dishes that are gluten free, whole, Indian, Chinese, or vegetarian. Try to contract with these types of businesses for your food services, and watch how your employees are more alert and less drained during the day.
5. Be a Positive Example
It is hard to follow a leader who is obese, cowardly, or sickly. Make sure that you and your management are setting a good example of wellness for your team. Employees tend to copy their leadership. If the leadership is fat, they probably will be as well. If the leadership is running 5K marathons, the employees will likely want to follow suit. Require that your management staff do all the wellness programs as a part of their position, and watch the profits roll in. Clear thinking and large muscles have many tangible and intangible benefits. If you and your management team are daily speaking of the benefits that exercise brings them, your lower level workers will want to copy you.
6. Have People Take More Breaks
Mandate breaks that are refreshing and actually get them outside. If your employees are stuffed inside a box all day, their brains will be as well, and your company will suffer. Have them exercising and working hard. Install a gymnasium with showers. Have bike facilities where people can park. All of these things will greatly help the environment. Your employees will be less negative and more ready to be on the team. Outside breaks can greatly increase the mood of your employees. No employee wellness programs should be without them.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the things that experts use to make their staff function like a well-oiled machine. You might have questions or concerns about some of them. That is why we would love to hear back from you via Facebook or the comment page. We want to know what works for you and your team. Give us some more ideas that we can include in the future. Make sure that you are applying wise principles in your employee wellness programs. Your staff will thank you for it.
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