Employee Wellness Newsletter : Corporate Health Promotion Program Ideas

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or perhaps you want to jump start or improve upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that can help meet any wellness program budget! The Corporate Health Promotion Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Conduct an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Design a Workplace Wellness Program Committee
• Select health insurance plans that cover expenditures for weight management and tobacco cessation
• Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive medical care visits
• Put up pamphlets on a variety of wellness subject matters for employees to take
• Design a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of issues of interest to employees
• Identify workers who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other workers
• Plan and encourage periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Establish monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Post a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Post messages from national health observances during the month
• Post healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Develop a benefits fair
• Sponsor organization fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Develop employer wellness fairs or other on-Site events

Nutrition Programs

• Provide free, healthy snacks for employees (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Offer healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at employer events
• Offer information to employees about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Design a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock snack machines with healthier options
• Partially fund healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¡ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Begin a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Have handouts available on a variety of healthy eating topics
• Include diet articles in business newsletters
• Schedule a healthy meal tasting contest Free
• Have educational sessions at lunchtime-time on a variety of diet issues of interest
• Sponsor an employee healthy food cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all staff members

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Provide flexible work schedules so that workers can take part in weight-loss programs
• Partially fund registration costs for weight-management programs
• Form a support group to help employees who are trying to lose weight
• Arrange for registered dieticians near your workplace as a resource for staff members who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight management
• Offer individual counseling for workers trying to lose weight
• Provide onsite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Provide an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Provide flexible work schedules to encourage exercise
• Develop a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Develop accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Urge workers to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Develop a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Have walking meetings
• Make the stairwells more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Offer reduced gym membership fees to all staff members
• Give facilities for workers to secure bikes
• Schedule 5 – ten minute stretch breaks during the day
• Subsidize health club membership for staff members who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or company sports team
• Encourage stairwell use and rewards and incentives
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Promote & support community walks or fitness activities
• Urge walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Give periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Schedule educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Organize a smoke-free grounds
• Organize a tobacco-free workplace
• Promote the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s no cost Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Reimburse for tobacco replacement products
• Partially fund the cost of smoking cessation classes
• Offer handouts and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Schedule awareness sessions to encourage employees to try to quit tobacco use
• Schedule workplace tobacco cessation workshops

Employee Health Screening

• Discount healthcare insurance premiums or reduce co-payments for staff members who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure (BP) monitoring equipment
• Offer flu shots for staff members and family members
• Provide Health Risk Assessments to all employees, including counseling and follow-up
• Offer periodic Blood Pressure screenings and follow-up
• Offer periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Allow flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Offer and reward an Employee Assistance Program
• Provide information on substance abuse prevention
• Give pamphlets and information on stress management and mental health
• Provide brochures and information on work life balance, such as financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Give supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, corporation stressors, etc.
• Review company policies and work schedules to identify company stressors
• Evaluate the EAP to make sure it is meeting the needs of the workers and corporation
• Have educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Have seminars on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance topics