In recent years, more and more companies have begun to launch their own employee wellness programs. These otherwise simple programs are beneficial for both the executives and the employees. If this is your first time hearing about employee wellness programs, you’ll want to pay close attention, as it could offer your company some enormous benefits. Here we’ll take a closer look at what exactly these programs are and how they give practically any company a much-needed boost in productivity.

Employee Wellness Programs – The Basics

While there are hundreds if not thousands of different employee wellness programs floating around in the corporate world, they are built around the same fundamental principles — to encourage employees to make better lifestyle choices regarding their health. By having healthier employees at work, your company will naturally become more productive and hopefully more profitable.

So, how does an employee wellness program work? Once the program is created, employees are then given the option of participating in it. Remember, companies can’t legally force their employees to participate in a wellness program. The employees who decide to join can then follow the program’s instructions to achieve better health. This is done through exercise, diet, nutrition and other lifestyle changes.

You might be surprised to learn that U.S. businesses lose around $150-$170 billion in revenue each year due to sick days and leave. By encouraging your employees to make healthier lifestyle choices, you’ll naturally experience fewer sick days. Of course, your employees will also benefit from participating in the wellness program by having better health. It’s a win-win situation for both the employer and the employees.

Tips on Creating an Employee Wellness Program

You can’t expect to run a successful employee wellness program unless you take the time to properly organize it. Don’t just type up a single page consisting of dietary and exercise changes, but instead plan out a full month. You can have something basic on the first few days, such as running or jogging for half an hour. As the wellness program progresses, you can kick it up a notch with strength training, aerobics or even yoga. Have some fun with your employee wellness program and don’t be afraid to experiment with new techniques.

While numerous employees can participate in the wellness program, it should be ran by a single individual. This individual needs to already have a clear goal of promoting better health. If they aren’t fully driven and capable of running the employee wellness program, you’ll need to choose someone else to handle the program.