5 Tips for a successful employee wellness program

Full-time employees may consume half or more of their daily calories while at work and spend 25% or more of their waking hours at the office each week. There’s no doubt that employers can play a vital role in promoting healthy habits for their employees and their families. 

If you already have an employee wellness program—or are ready to start one—you’ll want to keep these 5 tips for success in mind as you plan and implement the program.

1. Get your company’s leadership on board. If the CEO and other leaders are not already aware, show them that the potential return on investment for employee health programs includes reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, improved retention and recruiting, and reduced healthcare costs. Ask the top executives to participate in the effort and be role models for other employees. 
   
   
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. When you’re ready to start, encourage the company leader to promote new policies and programs in communications to all employees. Get sample messages.

1. Start small and manageable. As you begin, choose one or two policies or programs that make sense for your colleagues and environment. There are lots of ideas provided in our healthy workplace guides and Resource Hub. Don’t feel that you must do everything at once. 
   
   
2. Let the effort evolve over time. Get feedback from staff and refine your approach to ensure that the program or policies remain relevant, feasible, and supportive of employees’ personal goals.
   
   
3. Incorporate routine health messages. Regularly share tips, resources and information on healthy habits with your co-workers, including ideas they can take home to their families. Use the tools that work best for your organization: email, company newsletters, intranet, signage, posters, etc. Get messages and ideas.

Need help getting started?

Get an overview of three simple employee wellness strategies that can provide the foundation for a successful program. Our guide, 3 Steps to a Healthy Workplace, provides everything you need to get started. 

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