Your Guide to Implementing an Effective Workplace Wellness Program
Investing in employee wellness has been shown to improve employee mental and physical health, boost morale and teamwork, increase employee retention, productivity, and job satisfaction, as well as reduce costs associated with absenteeism, burnout, and other mental health concerns. Click here to read more about the extensive benefits of investing in workplace wellness.
So, what are the steps you can take to implement effective wellness initiatives in your workplace?
1. Conduct a needs assessment to identify the wellness wants and needs of your employees.
Each workplace and team is unique. An effective employee wellness program should be tailored to fit your company's culture and the specific needs of your employees.[1] For example, research shows that employees value incentives for engaging in various wellness-related behaviours, like managing their mental health and eating healthy foods.[2] However, these preferences may differ based on demographics such as gender, race, annual wage, and union membership. Taking the initiative to understand and design a workplace wellness program that aligns with the behaviours, support, and incentives that employees value is likely to increase the program’s effectiveness.[1] This is because we are more likely to adopt behaviours that resonate with our personal values.[3]
2. Develop a well-rounded program.
Wellness is multifaceted: mental, physical, and social factors all play a role in promoting wellbeing. Research shows that employees prefer workplace wellness programs that target multiple dimensions of wellness, take place in different locations, and include a range of intensities.[4] In fact, such well-rounded initiatives garner significantly more employee engagement than programs with a more limited scope.[5] For instance, mental wellness supports could include mental health and wellness workshops, stress management tools, and mindfulness and meditation initiatives. Physical wellness supports may include memberships and flex time for fitness classes, or workplace equipment and infrastructure that promote standing and movement. Social wellness supports may include opportunities for employees to share their experiences and perspectives as well as policies and education that promote Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility.
3. Offer incentives to encourage participation.
Companies that offer their employees incentives for participating in workplace wellness programs report, on average, a 22% higher participation rate than those who do not.[5] Such incentivized workplace wellness programs lead to improvements in employee health and health behaviours, and decreases in healthcare spending.[6] When employees experience enhanced health and wellness, employers benefit from increased employee engagement, performance, and retention.[7,8] Ultimately, investing in wellness incentives can benefit both the company’s people and its profit.
4. Provide education and resources to help employees make healthy choices and practice self-care.
Strong research shows that more education = better health outcomes (Click here to learn more about the impact of health and wellness education). Those who have attained higher levels of education typically engage in more health-promoting behaviours and experience better health outcomes than those with lower levels of educational attainment. Health and wellness knowledge equips individuals to take informed and proactive steps to bolster their own wellness, such as understanding their health needs, following health and wellness recommendations, advocating for themselves and the people around them, and communicating effectively with healthcare providers.
5. Work with health and wellness experts to implement each of these recommendations.
Conducting a needs assessment, developing a well-rounded workplace wellness program, securing and offering the right incentives for wellness-promoting behaviours, and providing credible wellness education can all seem like daunting tasks. If your organization is ready to invest in employee wellness, working with health and wellness experts can ensure that your investment is worthwhile.
All WellIntel Talks Speakers have achieved at least a Masters degree and are experts in their fields of wellness. We provide talks and workshops on a variety of wellness topics in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Toronto, and virtually across Canada. Talks and workshops are tailored to educate and empower employees to take charge of their own wellbeing, provide leaders with strategies to enhance workplace culture, and develop skills that support employee wellness and performance.
Looking for more insight on the research and benefits of implementing wellness initiatives? We can help with that too. We are passionate about science-backed solutions to mental health and wellness and will work with you to understand and meet the unique wellness needs of your organization. Get in touch here to start creating a healthier, more productive workplace.
Written By:
Jordan Beck, BA, WellIntel Talks Volunteer Intern
References:
[1] Tapps, T., Symonds, M., & Baghurst, T.. (2016). Assessing employee wellness needs at colleges and universities: A case study. Cogent Social Sciences, 2(1), 1250338. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2016.1250338
[2] Jenkins, K. R., Fakhoury, N., Richardson, C. R., Segar, M., Krupka, E., & Kullgren, J. (2019). Characterizing employees' preferences for incentives for healthy behaviors: Examples to improve interest in wellness programs. Health promotion practice, 20(6), 880–889. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839918776642
[3] Sagiv, L., & Roccas, S. (2021). How Do Values Affect Behavior? Let Me Count the Ways. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 25(4), 295-316. https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683211015975
[4] SantaBarbara, N. J., Rezai, R., Soetenga, S., Terry, E., Carpenter, C. L., & Comulada, W. S.., Exercise preferences for a workplace wellness program to reduce cardiovascular risk and increase work productivity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 64(9):p e545-e549. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002608
[5] Huang, H., Mattke, S., Batorsky, B., Miles, J., Liu, H., & Taylor, E. (2016). Incentives, Program Configuration, and Employee Uptake of Workplace Wellness Programs. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 58(1), 30–34. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000000613
[6] Einav, L., Lee, S., & Levin, J.. (2019). The impact of financial incentives on health and health care: Evidence from a large wellness program. Health Economics, 28(2), 261–279. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3840
[7] Rajgopal, T. (2010). Mental well-being at the workplace. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 14(3), 63–65. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5278.75691
[8] Cancelliere, C., Cassidy, J. D., Ammendolia, C., & Côté, P. (2011). Are workplace health promotion programs effective at improving presenteeism in workers? A systematic review and best evidence synthesis of the literature. BMC public health, 11, 395.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-395