Wellness programmes demonstrate employee health and wellbeing is a priority, and that they are at the forefront of the company’s mind. A wellness programme can reduce absenteeism, improve productivity, reduce injuries, boost morale and employee loyalty. An academic study has shown that the return on investment for some workplace health initiatives can range from £2 for every £1 spent to £34 for every £1 spent.
One-size doesn’t fit allWellness programmes need to be customised to your specific workforce as what may be of interest for one company may not for another. The approach needs to be unique to staff and frequently reassessed to see if improvements can be made. Start by consulting employees to deem what is relevant to them, surveys/polls or focus groups can help you to do so. Create the wellbeing strategy and put into place the employee offerings, set an outcome you would like to see and then engage your workforce in the health and wellbeing plan. Internal communications, promotional content around the office, national health campaigns and challenges can all help to capture your businesses attention. Analyse the results against the desired outcome and reassess if changes need to be made to the plan.
Focus on relevant topics to your workforceIdentify employee interests and needs in order to determine the direction to help mould your wellbeing strategy. If back pain, smoking or lack of physical activity are prevalent issues within your workforce then focus on a plan to discuss and provide solutions to tackle those needs.
Offer staff benefitsIncentives encourage employees to make healthy lifestyle choices and maintain those behavioural changes. Health and wellbeing services available to staff can include discounted gym memberships, health assessments, on-site massages, standing desks, wellbeing days, walking and fitness tracker initiatives, mindfulness and relaxation classes, health insurance and much more.
Help with stress managementWorkplace stress has become the norm within businesses, however, it can lead to employees burning out and leaving the company in turn creating a high staff turnover. Common causes of stress can include heavy workloads, unrealistic deadlines, feeling underappreciated and lack of clarity about the role. Employers can help their staff with coping strategies to minimise the impact of stress and ensure they feel supported within their workplace.
Emphasise a balanced work and home lifeA wellness programme can lead to happier employees. Work-life balance needs to be an essential element of that programme as it helps reduce stress levels, increases job satisfaction and motivation, increases job security and improves focus. Understanding behaviours around work-life balance will make line managers more successful and interventions will only work if they meet the employees needs, such as offering flexible hours. Having employees who are satisfied with their work-life balance will reduce staff turnover, lower recruitment and training costs, create a positive image, reduce absenteeism and improve productivity.
Incorpore offers a discounted gym network that not only benefits the employee but also human resources and rewards teams by giving them the opportunity to engage more with their staff and build better relationships. Offering discounted gym memberships and wellbeing services can boost productivity and help reduce staff absenteeism as regular exercise reduces proneness to illnesses. Thus, saving your business money in reduced productivity and missed opportunities. Incorpore offers two gym solution products: GymFlex and My Gym Discounts.
Along with a discounted gym network, Incorpore also offers discounts on health, sport and fitness products through My Active Discounts. Our newest product which is coming soon is Your Wellness Hub, a dedicated site offering discounted goods and services to support your wellbeing strategy. Your Wellness Hub offers flexible, bespoke & tailorable wellbeing solutions to support healthy behavioural changes within your workplace including health calendars, wellbeing workshops, health assessments, team events and health products such as sit and stand desks.
