3 ways workplace wellness programs can encourage healthy choices

Given the number of hours that full-time employees spend in the workplace, it isn’t hard to imagine that habits established or reinforced at the office spill over into the family home.

Employers can play a vital role in promoting healthy habits for their employees and employees’ families. The returns on investment are real—less absenteeism, increased employee productivity, and reduced health care costs, to name a few. 

The key is to use your existing communications tools and other simple strategies to educate and motivate employees about wellness, provide access to helpful resources, and create a workplace culture that values healthy living. Here are three ways to share information and promote healthy choices:

Hang signs and posters

Hang signs encouraging employees to choose stairs over elevators in the lobby, near elevators, and on stairwell doors. Signs that encourage drinking water can go near a water cooler or soda machine.

Where else do employees tend to gather or wait at your worksite? The break room? Restrooms? Entrances/exits? Mail room? Locker area? These are all great locations for simple handouts that provide bite-sized wellness tips.

Here are some to try: Making Sense of Portion Sizes, Understanding Food Labels, andStep Away from the Screen.

Feature articles in newsletters

Place a 1-2 paragraph wellness article in your company newsletter. Feature a new topic with each issue: for example, How to Make Healthier Choices When Eating Out, or 10 Easy Exercises You Can Do Anywhere. 

Feel free to use material from the Jump IN for Healthy Kids blog, perhaps creating a summary or excerpt in your enewsletter with a hyperlink to the full post for those who want to read more. 

Get more material for your newsletters. 

Post tips on intranet, social media, and/or text

If you have an intranet site or private landing page that all employees see when launching their web browser, post short wellness tips there with links to your longer newsletter articles or handouts such as those mentioned above. 

Consider featuring your company’s wellness program in social media messages. Showcasing your wellness initiatives is an excellent way to attract new talent, as 75% of employees say they want a workplace wellness program. 

If employees have company-issued mobile phones, send all users a short wellness tip once a week via text message. 

Get 52 short, ready-to-use wellness messages.

Get more ideas

Discover other strategies and resources in our guide, 5 Ways to Promote Healthy Habits to Employees and Their Families.