15 No Cost Employee Wellness Strategies For Workplace

Employee Wellness

The employee wellness movement has come a long way in the past decade. More and more companies are recognizing that employee fitness is important, not just for employee health but also to help them be productive at work. Recent studies show that employee engagement with an employer’s wellness program can lead to better employee retention rates, increased productivity, lower healthcare costs, and less absenteeism. Some employee wellness programs strategies have been found to reduce medical claims by as much as 40%.

Importance Of Employee Wellness Strategies

The main reason business owners don’t make an effort to get their companies and workers enrolled in a wellness program is cost. Some individuals claim that such programs are too costly, and the financial investment required to raise employee health. And, as a result, the company’s overall health can simply not be done. To get similar outcomes in your employee health education program. You must begin by developing a healthy culture that encourages your staff to devote their time and effort to employee wellness programs.

You won’t see any impact on employee health or healthcare cost savings, however, don’t expect anything in terms of better healthcare outcomes. When you integrate these employee wellness techniques and cultural change ideas into a well-designed and organized wellness program, you’ll be able to improve worker wellbeing skills while also reducing healthcare expenditures. This appears to be the case if done properly.

The aim of these workplace wellness initiatives is to improve policy and the working environment in order for employees to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors. Is there a lack of funds for the company’s wellness program? That is perfectly fine. In addition to many of the no-cost employee health programs described below, you may find even more low-cost health initiatives and activities in this post.

15 No Cost Employee Wellness Strategies For Workplace

Wellness programs don’t have to be extravagant or difficult to implement, and even small modifications to your daily routine will make a big difference in how you look, feel, think, act with others, and more. This essay not only provides suggestions for starting right now but also acts as a guide for developing your own employee wellness program or making improvements to your existing employee wellness program. Everyone has to start somewhere, and with these employee wellness strategies, you will be able to quickly see your employees become healthier day by day. Here are the best employee wellness strategies for a healthier workforce-

1. Distribute A List Of Healthy Dining Options 

Employees frequently travel to work from outside their homes every day. Because they won’t always be familiar with the eateries and dining choices in their region, they typically select the first restaurant they notice.

As a manager, you should develop a record of all the restaurants in a 2-mile radius of your workplace that provide healthy meals. employee wellness programs should always include nutritious food options.

You may also go a step further by providing specific examples of some of the healthy food options available at these eateries. This way, workers won’t have to guess what they’ll order when they arrive.

2. Provide Discounts For Healthy Foods At Work

People that aren’t used to eating well will require a push to do so. The high cost of healthy meals is one such popular misconception that keeps people from purchasing them.

If you’ve ever gone to a health food shop, you know that healthy meals are frequently more expensive than regular food available at a supermarket or restaurant. As a result, employers must offer discount health foods for sale in the workplace so that their employees have more nutritious options to select from. This will also make good foods more accessible for the staff without them having to travel to a restaurant on their lunch break just to get them. Otherwise, they’ll most likely stay in and eat unhealthy vending machines instead of going out and getting some healthy food.

3. Review The Catering Menu 

If you hire catering companies to prepare and serve meals in a cafeteria, be aware of the caterer’s cuisine and what is on it. Fast food should be avoided at all costs, including burgers, fries, and pizza.

Tell your caterers that you want to add healthier foods like salads, grilled chicken, egg whites, wheat toast, and so on. You may not be able to get rid of all the unhealthy foods on the menu, but if you add healthier options then people who care about eating healthy will be able to do so.

If your company organizes office parties or other similar events, suggest healthier foods to the event caterers. In an attempt to get people interested, offer a few more options for nutritious meals.

Salads, for example, maybe divided into several meal alternatives. You might have a cobb salad, grilled chicken salad, garden salad, Caesar salad, and so on. This will persuade staff that they have a lot of food options to pick from without making them feel deprived of their bad foods.

4. Vendor Communication Materials 

Vendors frequently provide businesses with non-nutritional holiday presents during the holidays. These presents are typically cake, chocolates, cupcakes, and other sugary or fried foods that aren’t good for you.

Some individuals may try to defend themselves by claiming that it is all right to have these meals since it is the holidays. However, the fact is that these foods do not only appear during the holidays, and employees must be encouraged to eat nutritiously throughout the year, not just on them.

Employees will almost always consume whatever holiday presents they are given, whether or not they are healthy. If you can get your suppliers to give fruit baskets, tropical fruit bars, or trail mix, it will be easier for workers to make a healthier decision. All of your vendors should be supplied with communication materials such as photos, letters, pamphlets, and infographics that clearly describe what you’re searching for. When you have support from suppliers, it’s easier to implement the best employee wellbeing programs and promote health at work.

5. Coordinate Community-Supporting Agriculture 

People are more likely to get interested in fresh food when it’s part of a group effort. Use the Farmers’ market locator on this website to locate local Farmers’ markets in your region.

The truth is that many communities do not have CSA organizations or farmer’s markets where fresh fruits and vegetables may be purchased. That is why a good employer should assist in this effort for the benefit of their staff. If there isn’t already an agricultural organization in your neighborhood, get out and start one.

You could have advertisements for the group on your company’s social media sites, website pages, or as a physical ad in your break room. Request that individuals join the group and contribute to increasing agricultural products in your region.

You can also try to negotiate a bulk discount deal with the closest farmer’s markets and attempt to get them to offer you a discounted price on their produce on a regular basis. Perhaps you could persuade them to provide your staff with a reduced price for their meals.

6. Facilitate Delivery Of Fresh Fruits And Veggies 

The break room is where workers eat their packed lunches or snacks. They’ll occasionally go to the vending machine and choose unhealthy junk food, such as potato chips or candy bars. Instead of vending machines, offer fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis to employees for free in the break room.

If it’s beyond the budget of the firm to do so, start a healthy food fund where each employee contributes money every month in exchange for fresh produce to be provided to them in the break room at any time they want. In either case, offering fresh fruits and vegetables in the vicinity of employees will encourage them to make better snack selections.

7. Start A Healthy Recipe Exchange Lunch

Employees enjoy company-sponsored events. Anything that diverts them from their typical work duties is beneficial. Take advantage of the situation to include a few unique activities that will make your staff healthier.

Another idea you might consider is a potluck lunch, in which all employees must prepare a hearty party-sized meal and bring it in for everyone to enjoy. You may organize it so that each employee submits a healthy dish for another person to cook.

The chef’s decision will be made using a hat. Simply fill a hat or bag with the names of all personnel, then have each person pull one name at random.

Once they’ve settled on a name, the employee must prepare that person’s healthy meal. This makes employees feel good about themselves while also encouraging them to eat healthier.

8. Encourage “Healthy Snack Of The Month” Club

Many consumers find the prospect of eating the same fruits and vegetables every month tedious. This might lead your workers to relapse and revert to their old ways of eating unhealthy meals.

As a result, start a “healthy snack of the month” club at your workplace. You can also add more variety to healthy eating options. Employees who wish to join may pay a small fee each month to participate. There are many online retailers that sells nutritious corporate snacks at an affordable cost. The advantages for them will be having a new, nutritious snack available at the workplace in that month. Nuts (no salt), strawberries, celery with fat-free dip, Greek yogurt, dark chocolate, protein bars, and smoothie beverages are all possible snacks.

Perhaps you could offer one of these treats on the last day of each week throughout the month. Then, when the next month arrives, switch to a new snack.

9. Arrange For Bicycle Racks

The manner in which employees get to work is a significant consideration. While the majority of workers travel by car, many do not have to. Bicycles are a form of transportation that frequently goes unnoticed by individuals when they go to work.

Bicycling to work is a common habit in many countries, such as Japan and Thailand. The reason is it is less expensive than driving and owning an automobile. However, encouraging staff to ride bicycles may be more about ensuring their physical health rather than financial savings. If you handed out “bike to work” advertising brochures to your staff. Please put up bike racks outside of the workplace. We are sure more individuals would prefer to bike to work than drive their automobile.

You need to tell people how to buy a bike, where they can park it, and how they can lock it up so that they do not get stolen. This will make more people ride their bikes.

10. Encourage Stairwell 

If your workplace construction is not particularly tall, your staff will most likely not need to use the elevator. Moreover, employees are only going from one to three stories. please encourage them to utilize the stairwell.

If your staff is unsure about the stairwell’s location, post posters on the walls to encourage stairwells. These posters should not only serve as a guide, though. Posters encourage staff members to utilize the stairwell by demonstrating the physical health advantages. They will receive throughout the day. Infographic posters that explain how replacing the elevator with the stairwell will benefit your heart. Employees who see these posters in their workplace every day. They might feel more compelled to use the stairs and will enjoy a happier heart as a result.

11. Discounts For Health Club Memberships

Some businesses these days are teaming up with local health clubs. The purpose is for their workers to obtain discounts on memberships if they join one of these places. Employees enjoy receiving price cuts on items and services, even if the reductions aren’t things they would have chosen previously.

If an employee has been thinking about joining a health club but hasn’t done. The reason perhaps is because it is too expensive every month. Therefore, the employee discount might be the push they need to join up. Some of these discounts are quite big. While typical members may pay anything from $20 to $30 per month. Generally, most company discounts allow workers to enroll for as little as $10 or less monthly. Who wouldn’t want to join a gym and improve their health for such a low price? This can be a fantastic method of employee wellness.

12. Process Of Holding Walking Meetings

For others, the concept of conducting meetings while walking may appear to be a joke. Meetings have generally been held in offices, conference rooms, or boardrooms with everyone when it comes to business.

However, recent research has shown the benefits of walking and jogging while meeting. This can actually promote creative thinking among employees.

So, what you’ll want to do is educate your lower-level managers. You need to teach them how to hold these walking meetings with their workers and clients. Of course, you don’t want certain things. Situations such as blind individuals with these walking meetings. Perhaps some of your clients or staff may be unable to participate. Mostly if you are planning to go outside. The ideal approach to have these get-togethers is to organize them in small groups. Obtain permission from everyone attending ahead of time. You don’t even need to emphasize the health benefits of walking meetings significantly. Simply mention how it helps with mental clarity, creative thinking, and stress reduction or anxiety alleviation.

13. Maps For Outdoor Walking Routes Or Trails

If your company is located near a lot of outside walks and walking paths. You need to make sure your staff is aware of it by displaying maps of these routes across your building. Give them a better option by informing them about additional locations. The places where they can walk during their lunch break. Since many workers prefer to go for walks around the parking lot. This may not be a good idea if they’re on their own.

If the company’s property is where the hiking route passes, you may put up maps their way back to work. Also, place reminders at the start of the trial for individuals to bring their cell phones with them. This will allow them to call for assistance if they get lost on the path. It is one of the most effective employee wellness strategies that can be implemented in the workplace.

14. Running And Walking Clubs

Workplaces should support as many healthy employee wellness practices as feasible. This isn’t merely about having employees take walks or stretches during their breaks. Your firm should establish or affiliate with a running and walking group.

After that, inform all of your workers about the running and walking clubs. Let them know how they can join these clubs. Provide them with a timetable for the times and places. The place where club members will congregate to walk or run as a group.

People suppose to frequently exercise in this manner when they see others around them doing the same thing. Running and walking clubs are excellent for employees. It allows them to improve their health while also meeting new individuals with a similar passion.

You may organize these club gatherings through your company’s social media accounts. Also, you can send out paper notes to all staff as a humble gesture. Here are some excellent places to proceed.

15. Start A Smoke-Free Policy For Work 

We all know that smoking is unhealthy in a variety of ways. The smoker himself is debasing his own health, as well as the health of those around him via secondary smoke. Most businesses have attempted to address this problem by establishing designated smoking sections. Within the structure where workers are permitted to smoke.

On the other hand, this is not sufficient since the workers who are smoking are still harming their health. As a result, their entire performance at work declines. That is why the entire business should have a smoke-free policy, with no designated smoking areas. Furthermore, employees must quit aids that will help them quit smoking for good. In this modern world, it’s all about the personal touch. Make it simple for your employees to get access to information regarding their health. This one might be difficult for smokers since they don’t have to force it on them. Rather make it readily available to everyone in case they decide to quit. This employee wellness strategy will pay dividends for the business in employee productivity.

A word from Mantra Care

Do you want to keep your employees happy, healthy, and productive? Join our employee assistance program and get a healthier workplace.