By Theresa Bontempo
While, in general, most employers agree they provide their staff with the tools they need to perform their job duties, that may not include employee wellness programs tailored toward their needs. This should include all of your employees, including deskless staff that can’t scroll through weekly newsletters at a desk.
Besides, what good is an employee wellness program if it doesn’t meet employees’ health and wellness needs and isn’t equally accessible to all employees?
Try some of these ideas to create an employee wellness program that works for all employees and for your business.
These are the foundations of all types of employee wellness programs
When employers (and everyone else) thought the Great Resignation was behind us, American employees showed us otherwise. With 67% of employees positioned to quit their jobs this year, citing stress, burnout and financial issues, refocusing retention efforts on building a customized employee wellness program is more critical than ever.
Your workforce is your greatest asset. Investing in multiple workplace wellness program ideas can benefit you and them by:
- Reducing absenteeism
- Improving engagement, productivity, creativity and quality of work
- Boosting your retention rate
- Reducing healthcare costs
- Cultivating a positive corporate culture of wellness
You must ensure your employee wellness program embodies a few fundamental components to reap as many benefits as possible.
A robust approach is a must for successful employee wellness programs
Wellness isn’t just about eating a healthy diet or working out. Your program strategy should include a holistic approach to bettering your employees’ well-being.
As you begin rolling out wellness initiatives, ensure they address at least a few of the following factors:
- Employees’ physical health
- Emotional wellbeing
- Financial wellness and stability
- Inclusive work culture initiatives
Relevant information that is tailored to your employees
Ask each of your employees what health and well-being mean to them, and you’ll undoubtedly receive a different response from everyone. While you can’t please everyone, you can collaborate with your employees and learn as much as possible about the types of employee wellness programs, offerings, and resources that will or won’t work for them.
Consider following some or all of these suggestions as you begin to build your employee wellness program:
- Circulate a survey or an anonymous questionnaire to learn what employees need and want
- Listen with intention and do your best to incorporate your employees’ needs into your program
- Tailor initiatives toward their roles, needs and concerns
- Create personalized incentives to drive sign-ups
Learn About Employee Wellness Program Ideas For Deskless Employees
Learn More About Employee Engagement Systems
Making your wellness program activities accessible and visible
Ensuring your employees know about and can access your wellness program is critical to driving participation. This is where you can let your digital screens take the lead.
Shift is a digital signage software solution you can use to create custom health and wellness displays, resources for living a healthy lifestyle and so much more. What’s more, you can schedule wellness content via playlists and display them on whichever screen you choose, anytime you choose.
This way, you know you’ll make your wellness program accessible to (and engaging for) all employees — especially your deskless workers.
Employee wellness program ideas that reach even your deskless employees
Instructional videos and educational material that is on the go
Each of your employees will have a different understanding or background knowledge in health and wellness. Some may work out before work and consume only organic whole foods while others may be at the beginning of their wellness journey.
New, data-backed educational tutorials and other resources will get everyone up to speed on current health and wellness methods, no matter their level of experience or expertise. Linking your team to these resources and wellness ideas for employees via Shift’s QR code campaign creator will make them accessible from their smart devices.
Games, polls and surveys that liven things up
Let’s face it–not every employee will look forward to changing their lifestyle or engaging in physical activity, especially if they’re already tired. You can spice things up with Shift by:
- Displaying health and lifestyle surveys alongside other wellness content to collect feedback
- Linking the team to a company-wide social media account devoted to their wellness
- Showcasing wellness–centric trivia for individual or team competitions
- Inspiring friendly competition by creating health initiatives like a daily water intake challenge or team step counts to encourage physical activity
Celebrate achievement to keep the momentum going
Recognition and praise are powerful motivators, especially for completing tasks you don’t feel like doing. Employee wellness is a long game — participation matters far more than hitting a benchmark or seeing immediate results.
Use Shift to craft custom displays that celebrate their participation and achievements. Spotlighting their successes reinstills your company’s investment and dedication to their well-being as employees and human beings.
You can even schedule new content playlists for each shift so that the appropriate employees are privy to that praise or any resources that apply to them.
Employee wellness that gets all of your staff involved requires innovative strategies
Building a tailor-made employee wellness program that works for everyone on your team is a challenging feat. But if you seek their feedback, collaborate and try out some of these strategies, you’ll all be on your way toward a healthier lifestyle.
Shift is the partner you need to make wellness resources visible and accessible for all your employees.
Contact us for a free custom demo and show your employees that you’re willing to invest in their wellness so that they can thrive on and off the clock.
