While wellness programs and their impact have come a long way over the past several years, it is important for leadership to properly invest in these programs in order to see results. As SHRM shares, “many wellness programs built on a “set-it-and-forget-it” mentality are often undervalued and inadequate in supporting employees’ needs, both on and off the job.” If companies are going to spend valuable time and resources on creating a wellness program, it will be critical to think about this as a long-term investment, not a flash in the pan.

 

Prior to developing a wellness program, it would behoove leadership to take a close look at their employee base, their culture, and their demographics. Do you have a distributed workforce, or are most in the office? Is your workforce multi-generational? What aspects of employee wellness do your employees value most? Are there wellness practitioners in your employee population that might be interested in playing a leadership role in your program? One way to answer these questions is by administering an employee survey. This will allow you to collect valuable employee feedback that can ensure your program will make the right impact and make your employees part of the process.

 

Once you understand your employee population’s demographics and preferences, you can build a program that will make a meaningful impact on your employees and in turn, your bottom line. Consider thinking about your program using these three pillars: physical fitness, mental health, and personal connection.

 

1. Physical Fitness. If your population is located in an office environment, consider offering onsite fitness classes during the workday. To ensure inclusivity for all age groups and activity levels, you might consider offering a low-impact yoga class and a higher-impact class like kickboxing. These involve little equipment and can be an effective workout in less than an hour! Better yet? Find out if any of your employees are fitness instructors and ask if they’d be willing to lead a class.

Flex HR employees are offered a 30-minute standing or sitting yoga session each quarter presented on a Zoom where our staff can tune in and take a good stretch break. If your population is primarily distributed, finding opportunities to offer online fitness classes during the workday, incentivizing a steps program where employees can log and be rewarded for achieving step goals, or offering gym reimbursements can be an effective way to promote physical fitness.

However, to avoid the “set-it-and-forget-it” mentality SHRM warns against, be sure to check in on how the program is being received, encourage, and incentivize remote employees to take advantage, and ask your leaders to embrace and promote the program.

2. Mental Health. Mental health and well-being have become an increasingly important topic for employers, and one that employees expect them to address. As Mind Share Partners reports, not only are mental health challenges more prevalent among workers, they are leading to increased attrition. “Sixty-eight percent of Millennials (50% in 2019) and 81% of Gen Zers (75% in 2019) have left roles for mental health reasons, both voluntarily and involuntarily, compared with 50% of respondents overall (34% in 2019). Ninety-one percent of respondents believed that a company’s culture should support mental health, up from 86% in 2019” (HBR).

In order to effectively address mental health, at minimum, ensure your benefits plans offer comprehensive mental health coverage. Offering a virtual session, discounted or free by the company, with a master board certified health coach is becoming a more popular employee wellness program perk. Equally as important, employers should actively publicize and communicate these benefits so employees know how to access and take advantage of them.

However, it’s critical to recognize that mental health support goes beyond benefits. It’s a true culture shift that encourages conversation about mental health, recognizes and addresses burnout, and actively prevents problematic behaviors like discrimination and harassment. This should come in the form of a top-down approach where, in addition to clear policies, leaders emulate the behavior they want to see.

3. Personal Connection. The foundation of a wellness program should involve creating opportunities for personal connection, regardless of where your employees are located. Effective wellness programs will engage your population, promote conversation and camaraderie, and celebrate successes. Involve your employees in the program. Maybe you have certified fitness instructors who could lead a class. Perhaps you have yoga and meditation aficionados who would be willing to lead a guided meditation (which can easily be done virtually!).

 

 

Jamie Sieja, Director of Marketing for Flex HR, comments “we recently had a fun health challenge for our staff members: ‘most miles walked within a month,’ where the winner received a $50 gift card. Each Monday an email was sent around with the top 5 names to encourage and engage co-workers to get up, move, and root for one another.”

 

You may also have an employee who’s overcome a particularly challenging obstacle that would be willing to share their story. Finding ways to engage your employees in your program will not only encourage connection but create opportunities for meaningful conversation and perhaps even friendships that might not have otherwise been forged. We spend a lot of time at work – finding ways to make it enjoyable will always pay off!

 

When done right, wellness programs have the potential to be hugely beneficial. The long-term impact can create a healthy, engaged workforce, and serve as a valuable recruiting and retention tool. However, it will take a concerted effort and regular evaluation by your HR and leadership teams to ensure the program is successful. We’d argue that this effort, while not always easy, will always be worth it. Be well!

 

Contact Flex HR today to be your HR support at info@FlexHR.com.