Employee Wellness Program Ideas That Actually Works

Employee Wellness Program Ideas

Employee wellness programs have become a staple in many countries to nurture the prime assets of the organizations, which are employees. Providing a healthy workspace where employees feel productive is beneficial for both the employers and the employees. As we talk about health, employees can find it hard to manage their personal life and work life. Earlier people used to focus on their physical health only, but now mental health is also equally important. So now it’s important to know all kinds of wellness programs that may help in increasing productivity and overall performance of employees. Here are some of the best employee wellness program ideas–

Employee Fitness program 

To encourage employee fitness, this program can be implemented in several forms. Be it scavenger hunts, wall sit-ups, or push-ups, hold workplace fitness challenges to encourage wellness. 

Yoga on Wednesday

You can hold a Wednesday yoga program once a week. Yoga holds the power of healing the body, mind, and recovering from any health problems. Employers can arrange a 60-minute yoga session every Wednesday. Most of the organizations prefer yoga wellness programs as it brings fruitful changes in employees behavior.

Exercise sessions

Employees can choose whatever exercise they find beneficial for them. Confide in a healthcare organization that offers workshops on different types of exercises. The workshops can be even held virtually. This wellness program idea is adopted by many employers.  

Weight-loss promoting Activities  

By sitting in one position for a prolonged period of time, employees tend to gain weight. Organizations can promote activities that will help employees in losing weight. For example, Healthy eating, walking after lunch regularly can help in managing weight.                 

Reward healthy eating habits

Eating healthy every day is only possible when the environment around employees helps them do so. Ask in the canteen to only keep healthy recipes for lunch. And reward the employees who are following the diet plans continuously. It will generate a sense of competition among other employees and help them eat healthily.

Promote a meatless day        

An average non-vegetarian person eats around 100 pounds of meat every year. But all these meat-heavy diets can develop many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases like cancer, and heart diseases. Make a rule that prevents your employees from eating meat at the beginning of the week.                  

Give incentives on smoking cessation

A study shows that employees who are incentivized for quitting smoking managed to ditch the habit by 3 times more than the non-incentivized employees. It helps attract new customers and retain current ones which increases revenue by a great margin.   

Plan a healthy office cookbook

Create a healthy office cookbook to help employees add more fruits and vegetables to their diet. These employee wellness program ideas will not only improve employees’ health but also increase productivity for the business. 

Organize a health fair

Invite healthcare companies and vendors to educate employees about their health. Provide pamphlets on quitting smoking, fitness tips, and healthy recipes to give out during the event.  This employee wellness program idea includes an employee health fair that will provide helpful information.

Monday motivation program

Employee wellness program ideas provide a Monday Motivations Session that is held every weekday morning and includes breakfast. I really like my job but I am having trouble quitting smoking. What can I do? Very sure many employees feel like this. But if you provide a Monday motivation program, they will be excited to come to the office on Monday and will stay motivated throughout the week. 

Start a health newsletter

Start a company newsletter highlighting the importance of health and wellness at the workplace. Employee wellness programs provide a free employee newsletter template that you can use to begin showcasing your health and wellness initiatives. This can be useful for employees. 

Encourage several short breaks

Throughout the day for your employees to get up and stretch, walk around, or simply relax. Encouraging several short breaks can be a valuable resource in helping you create an employee health program that will not only promote healthy habits but also increase productivity among all of your workers. 

Host a virtual wellness retreat led by expert

If you want to invest in your team’s wellness programs and want to see a positive change, consider hosting virtual wellness programs by experts. Virtual programs increase engagement because they are convenient for the employees. Among employee wellness program ideas this is one of the best.        

Flu Shot Programs  

Workplace flu vaccinations are the best investment for employee wellness and organizations. Annual flu vaccination helps employees stay protected against any possible viruses. This will reduce absenteeism and keep the company protected.

Fun Fridays

Encourage your employees to participate in fun games and activities and help them release stress. Playing together can also build communication among team members and bring rejuvenation. 

Install Indoor games

Installing some fun indoor games at the workplace can be a stressbuster on any hectic workday. These activities promote healthy habits among employees. They can play games during lunch hours or whenever they feel stressed, and relax their mind.

The reward for good work    

Whenever an employee is doing good and going the extra mile to perform a task, do not forget to reward them. It is going to make them feel appreciated and others’ competitive to do better. Loyal employees are your most valuable assets for the company.

Provide mental health support

Not everyone is okay with talking about their emotional state. Some employees may be reserved and for this reason, employers should offer mental health support by a professional. This way one can talk about the issues they are facing without being hesitant. 

Put plants in the office 

Plants are more than just a decorative item in the office. A little greenery can help employees feel better. Plants give a lively vibe wherever they are and encourage well-being.

Group Outings        

Probably one of the best employee wellness ideas is going on a group outing. Organize a group lunch or a sports day to build bonds with the team members outside the work. Try to make your employees have as much fun as they can.

Help defeat eye strain

Employees spend most of their time on screens. This can cause eye strain, headache, or fatigue. Provide them enough freedom of using different tools for minimizing eye strain. Arrange an annual eyesight check-up drive to help them combat eye diseases.

Take feedback from Employees

Whenever you are providing for employees, do they find certain activities more effective than others when it comes to engagement level? Ask them what is working and what is not. 

The 8 Glasses of Water Challenge

The employee wellness program idea is to focus on your employee’s overall health. Motivate them to drink 8 glasses of water every day and give them exciting prices for doing so. You can also provide water bottles to encourage participation in this challenge.

Monthly and weekly health challenges

The employee wellness program idea is to focus on fitness by providing staff members with ways in which they can have fun while being active. Some of the best health and wellbeing activities for people include running, walking, swimming, or riding a bike. These physical activities are helpful in giving an extra push to those who enter fitness challenges.

Employee Wellness club

Employee wellness club is a group employee wellness program that brings employees together to participate in activities. It can hold wellness activities meetings and discuss the next steps as well. 

Employee morning meeting

Employee morning meetings are a daily employee wellness program where the first 15 minutes of each workday is dedicated for everyone on staff to meet and discuss something new or interesting they learned, upcoming birthdays, etc. It’s a really nice way to stay in touch with everyone in the company. 

Employee movie night

Employees might find it interesting, but it not only lets them relax and enjoy a movie night together on the big screen. It’s also one of the best employee wellness program ideas that bring everyone closer as one team.

Employee volunteer day

This might not be for every company, but it is such a cool idea to have once or twice per year where employees can spend their workday doing volunteer work. It will boost their confidence and make them feel positive.

Employer-sponsored gym membership access

This is also a great employee wellness program idea because it gets employees out of the office and moving. Whether your team enjoys a gym or yoga studio, this is a wonderful way to get them off their feet for an hour at least twice per week.

Employee onsite lunch

One of the best employee wellness program ideas is to provide employee onsite lunch. This might seem like a simple idea, but it goes such a long way for employees and companies alike. Like access to healthy snacks in the office kitchen and employee onsite lunch is a great way to keep employees energized and motivated all day long.

Healthy snacks in the office kitchen

Employers should provide their teams with both healthy food options when it comes to meal times but also for snack time throughout the day too. Healthy snacks will boost the energy levels of employees and will keep them in shape as well. 

Description of company retreats

Company retreats are a great employee wellness idea because it gives the opportunity to bond with co-workers, discuss future goals and dreams as well as develop the connections within the team. This is also a perfect opportunity for employees to develop their leadership skills by learning how to run certain events or activities that benefit the well-being of all employees.

Run health campaigns for female employees

Female employees may be going through some disorders related to their menstrual cycles like PCOS. Give extra health support to female employees and help them combat the struggles they might be facing.

Flexible work hours

This is one of the best things you can do for your employees. Give them the freedom to choose their work hours and respect their decision. Especially if they are working from home. Employers can give them a target and deadline to make the work more effective. 

Take help from healthcare organizations

If the employer is not sure about which employee wellness program will work, they can collaborate with an employee wellness organization. You could get customized healthcare plans according to the needs of employees. 

Practice Gratefulness

This will encourage employees to prioritize what is important on their list and help them focus on employee wellness program ideas that will bring positivity to the workplace environment.

Acknowledge employee good deeds

This employee wellness idea can be very powerful and motivating because it gives employees a chance to feel appreciated for the work they put in every day which, of course, also helps them be more productive at work. 

Get rid of complaining

This is a great employee wellness idea because it can affect the overall happiness and productivity levels in the workplace. Removing negative employers’ reactions to certain events or activities will bring positivity into employee mindsets which, in turn, encourages them to do better.

Encourage employees to be active

This is among great employee wellness ideas because it helps employees see that taking care of your body can also affect their well-being at work as much as it does elsewhere in life. Employees will feel more motivated and encouraged to participate in activities.

Offer vacations

When you show trust in your employees to be responsible and take time off whenever they need it, they repay it tenfold.  The best way to implement this employee wellness idea is to tie it with performance, meaning projects and goals need to be on track. 

Ideas such as these tend to encourage employees more than just offering them a reward at the end of participation. Employee wellness programs can become successful through incentives and rewards during work hours that will ultimately lead to healthier employees and better outcomes. These employee wellness ideas are very effective in bringing people together to work toward a common goal.

These employee wellness ideas can be integrated into your company’s employee engagement program for maximum benefit.

There are many fitness challenges that encourage employees while bringing them together in social activities like running, walking, or swimming which is very effective and encouraging ways of working on the goals alongside the people you work with every day.

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