4 Fresh Tips to Improve Employee Wellness

Did you know that a majority of healthcare costs stem from lifestyle decisions? With employer healthcare costs continuing to rise in 2015, it is imperative not only to implement an employee wellness program but also to maintain employee engagement after the initial excitement wears off. We spoke in 2014 about the importance of wellness programs and offered tips to help improve your program and participation. With that being said, when was the last time you gave your employee wellness program a refresh? Coming into 2015 it’s more important than ever to keep engagement high and improve employee wellness.

Here are 4 fresh tips to keep in mind as you start off the year:

• Incorporate more walking and standing.  Offer your employees the option to have their own standing desk. Studies  show that incorporating more standing into  daily routines can reduce risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and more.
• Enlist your managers to promote the wellness program. As team leaders, managers are ideally positioned to promote wellness. With their encouragement and active participation can motivate employees to stay engaged.
• Connect with your employees via workplace social networks. Include things such as motivational quotes, informative workout tips, and even some humor. Laughter is a great stress reliever.
• Incorporate digital wellness devices. Wearable technology is hot, especially when it comes to fitness devices. The ability to track progress on digital wellness devices can give your employees the extra push they need to succeed.

Give these tips a try to implement or improve your employee wellness program. In doing so, your company will have the opportunity to lower its healthcare costs, assist in improving employees’ lifestyles, and boost moral by connecting employees through shared wellness goals.