wellness initiatives - a little prevention goes a long way
Researchers have estimated that preventable illness causes 70 percent of all illnesses and their associated costs. Wellness Programs are one way that businesses can proactively reduce overall health–care costs.
Education and communication are important parts of a strong wellness program – leading to healthier employees, better health–care decisions and a shared responsibility for controlling costs.
TriSure recently hosted a Wellness Seminar presented by Terrie Reeves of the Wellness Coalition of America. Terrie gave tips for evaluating a wellness program and how to successfully start one in your business.
Getting Started
- Contact your TriSure representative to review what preventative care provisions are included in your current plan. Your representative can share materials from our Wellness Seminar.
- Login to TriSure Online and go to the Wellness Toolkit section for posters, newsletters and other tools for education and communication.
- Get started today with these 10 easy tips that will help you establish a healthier, happier workplace.
10 Tips for a Healthier Workplace
- Promote healthy eating at the workplace. Instead of ordering donuts and pastries for a company breakfast, offer bagels with low–fat cream cheese and fruit. Educate employees on healthy eateries that are in close proximity to your office.
- Have water available. Provide a water cooler, fill the soda machine with water, or have a vending machine full of water, vitamin water and 100–percent juice offerings.
- Fill the vending machine with healthy foods. Offer discounts on healthy options to encourage employees to choose them.
- Give discounts on healthy cafeteria options. Encourage employees to choose the turkey sandwich instead of the hamburger by charging more for the hamburger.
- Encourage employees to get active. Place signs in the parking lots or stairwells that tout the benefits of exercising each day.
- Provide corporate gym memberships. Forming a partnership with a local gym allows employees to join at a discounted rate. This can encourage exercise amongst employees.
- Create an onsite walking program. Encourage employees to walk before, during, or after work with co-workers.
- Encourage smoking employees to stop by instituting a tobacco-free policy. The CDC offers a how-to guide for implementing this type of policy.
- Educate, Educate, Educate. In whatever way possible promote health and wellness to employees (payroll stuffers, bulletin boards, lunch & learns, etc.) Create your own or visit www.welcoa.com for flyers and publications.
- Be family friendly. Consider offering flex-hours, part time, or job-sharing options in order for employees to have more time to spend with their families. The Families and Work Institute offers suggestions on making this realistic in the workplace.
You might also be interested in pending legislation called the Healthy Workforce Act of 2009 that would provide a tax credit to companies with qualified wellness programs. Read more about the Healthy Workforce Act on our Web site.
