Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or maybe you want to jump start or better upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that can help meet any wellness program budget! The Workplace Health Promotion Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Administer an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Develop a Employee Wellness Program Committee
• Identify health plans that cover costs for weight management and smoking cessation
• Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive health care visits
• Display brochures on a variety of wellness subject matters for staff members to take
• Create a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of issues of interest to employees
• Identify staff members who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other staff members
• Develop and promote periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Establish monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Display a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Post messages from national health observances during the month
• Publish healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Organize a benefits fair
• Sponsor company fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Offer organization health and wellbeing fairs or other onsite events

Nutrition Programs

• Provide free, healthy snacks for staff members (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Provide healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at organization events
• Give information to workers about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Establish a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Partially fund healthy foods in the cafeteria or snack machines (10¡ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Start a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Give brochures available on a variety of healthy eating subject matters
• Include diet articles in business newsletters
• Provide a healthy food tasting contest Free
• Have educational sessions at lunchtime-time on a variety of nutrition issues of interest
• Develop an employee healthy food cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all employees

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Consider offering flexible work schedules so that employees have the potential to participate in weight-loss programs
• Partially fund registration expenditures for weight-management programs
• Offer a support group to help workers who are trying to lose weight
• Arrange for registered dieticians near your workplace as a resource for employees who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight control
• Offer individual counseling for employees trying to lose weight
• Offer onsite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Schedule an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Allow flexible work schedules to encourage physical activity
• Design a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Develop accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Encourage staff members to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Create a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Hold walking meetings
• Make the stairways more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Offer reduced gym membership fees to all workers
• Provide facilities for staff members to secure bikes
• Have 5 – 10 minute stretch breaks during the day
• Subsidize gym membership for employees who take part a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or corporation sports team
• Encourage stairwell use and rewards and incentives
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Promote & support area walks or fitness activities
• Promote walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Provide periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Schedule educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Create a smoke-free grounds
• Organize a smoke-free workplace
• Promote the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s free Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Reimburse workers for tobacco replacement products
• Partially fund the expenditure of smoking cessation courses
• Provide handouts and information on health effects from tobacco use and tobacco cessation
• Have awareness sessions to arouse staff members to try to quit tobacco use
• Have onsite smoking cessation seminars

Employee Health Screening

• Discount medical insurance premiums or reduce co-payments for employees who take part in screenings and who take part in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure (BP) monitoring equipment
• Provide flu shots for employees and family members
• Offer Health Risk Assessments to all staff members, including counseling and follow-up
• Provide periodic Blood Pressure screenings and follow-up
• Provide periodic screenings for blood lipids, blood glucose, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Consider offering flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Provide and reward an Employee Assistance Program(EAP)
• Provide information on substance abuse prevention
• Provide handouts and information on stress management and mental health
• Offer pamphlets and information on work life balance, such as monetary planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Provide supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, business stressors, etc.
• Evaluate company policies and work schedules to identify company stressors
• Review the Employee Assistance Program to be sure it is meeting the needs of the staff members and business
• Schedule educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Schedule workshops on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance issues