A Corporate Wellness Action Plan is something that wasn’t very important 20 or 30 years ago. But with increasing numbers of Millennials coming into the workplace—a younger generation that views the workplace as a reflection of its own values—a Corporate Wellness Action Plan is pretty standard today.
So, what should be included in a Corporate Wellness Action Plan?
The plan should include concrete steps that your company is going to take to promote health and wellness among your employees. While you may be doing this plan because your employees expect it, in fact, promoting health and wellness among your staff members is good business. Helping your employees stay healthy keeps them motivated and at work instead of off on sick leave.
You might include making available stand-up desks and/or anti-fatigue mats for all employees standing for long hours or for those who request them. Anti-fatigue mats cut down on wear and tear of joints, back, and feet, which translates into less lost work time.
You could include having fresh fruit available in the break room instead of chocolate bars.
Instead of giving employees occasional tickets to the theater, you could make available passes to a local gym.
Employees with a certain level of seniority might have a choice of a gym membership or a new bicycle or a pass to a local yoga studio. And you may want to offer a special secure place to park bicycles. Or employees could have a choice of a public transportation pass or bicycle.
Supporting mental health should also be a part of the plan. Make sure supervisors understand what it means to be supportive of their charges by praising good work and making employees feel valued. Supervisors might need to have some appropriate training to be more effective at creating a positive work environment.
You could have someone come to the office to teach employees how to meditate to relieve stress.
There’s no limit to what your own policy or action plan could include: you could offer to pay for quitting smoking aids or counseling, offer perks for weight loss, and pay for a nurse to come to the workplace and offer free flu shots for everyone.
You could set up an office soccer team (or teams), softball team or golf team.
Instead of just taking everyone out for a staff lunch, consider taking them for a walk or hike first, and then going to lunch.
Take some time to develop a plan, and perhaps consult with employees and get some suggestions before you ink it up. Try to come up with ideas that will benefit everyone and not only the ace athletes in your group. A good corporate wellness plan can make a big difference, not just in the overall health of employees, but also in office morale.
And be sure to include putting some good quality mats down at all entrances and exits, which is a simple and inexpensive way to make all your employees and visitors safer by cutting down on slips, trips, and falls.
Do you have other questions? It’s easy to contact us, and we’re happy to help you. You can always call us at (877) 333-1018 or email us at sales@eaglemat.com for more information or if you aren’t sure what you need.
