Just like that, with the turn of the calendar page, a new year is here. It’s a fresh start that often means setting new goals. Since many new year’s resolutions fall into the diet, exercise and weight loss category, businesses have a unique opportunity to serve both corporate objectives and help employees achieve their wellness goals.
Improving or launching a workplace wellness program can enhance corporate culture and retention, as well as equip employees to engage in and sustain new, healthy habits for the long haul. Healthy employees experience fewer sick days, lower insurance premiums and better productivity – all of which helps the organization achieve its full potential.
Read on to see why your company should enhance wellness program offerings in the new year.
Help Guide Your Employees’ Health Journeys
Before employees set out on a new health journey, they should know where they’re going. A fundamental first step of any wellness program should be the collection of biometric measurements and completion of diagnostic health screenings. These measurements serve as a starting point from which employees can measure progress throughout the year, while screenings may guide their attention toward addressing a specific health issue.
Biometric measurements cover “the vitals” and then some: height, weight, blood pressure, Body Mass Index (BMI), blood sugar, etc. These physical assessments can determine risk factors for chronic illness. Some onsite wellness programs offer additional diagnostic screenings, including cholesterol, depression, vision and hearing, among others. Together, all of this data serves as a guide for employees to kickstart their health journey.
The DHS Wellness 360 Platform makes biometric measurement collection and program evaluation a breeze. This affordable app can show how our programs impact each employee when compared to their baseline measurements. Ultimately, it shows how their wellness program engagement affects their attendance and productivity, and whether the program reduced turnover and workplace injuries, claims and the like. The platform is a single truth for all things wellness and drives a high-performance workplace.
Offer Weight Loss Programs
Is the cubicle farm buzzing about low-cal recipes and diet fads after the first of the year? Give them the support they’re already seeking at the office with organized wellness challenges and weight loss programming.
Survey employees to find out what kind of programs they’re most interested in, then make strides to bring them to life. Or, skip the survey altogether and start with something everyone can do. A walking challenge can be done over lunch, either alone or in small groups. Drinking eight glasses of water each day is an example of another achievable – and sustainable – activity any employee can participate in. Throughout the year and as engagement grows, deploy more intense challenges like quarterly weight loss programs. Bring in local experts like dieticians who can speak about healthy lunch habits, or personal trainers to lead ongoing exercise classes in the conference room after hours. Make additional resources accessible to employees and even incentivise their participation. These kinds of programs and challenges can build camaraderie while energizing your team, all the while helping them reach their own wellness resolutions.
Host Health Vaccination Clinics
Diet and exercise-related programs are an important part of the wellness journey, but vaccines also play a big role in keeping people healthy. Enhance wellness program offerings by hosting onsite vaccination clinics directly in your facility. DHS offers a wide variety of vaccines, including Pneumonia, Hep A, Hep B, Shingles, COVID-19, Seasonal Flu (or vitamin injections for those who prefer a natural alternative to the flu shot), and more.
From your first call to the final shot, our team will help make your vaccination clinic safe, efficient and worry-free. We provide everything you need and even handle full-scale coordination for clients with multiple offices and locations to ensure your event is a success.
Support Your Employees with Initiatives
Who says your organization can’t have a new year’s resolution of its own? Resolve to create and launch a wellness program that gives employees the support and means to create healthy habits for the long term. It will serve your employees physically and your business financially. Learn more about how to support employees with wellness initiatives from Discovery Health today.