Employee Wellness Newsletter : Workplace Wellness Programs: Small vs. Big Company Options

Can a small corporation support workplace wellness? You bet! In fact, in some ways it is easier to establish a healthy workplace in a small corporation than in a sizable corporation.

Limited resources, especially in small companies, can keep a company from setting up a Corporate Wellness Program. Reasons can include:

• lack of fiscal resources;
• lack of employee;
• lack of senior-level reinforcement;
• little knowledge of the wellness concept and;
• problem about making wellness available to all workers.

According to the Wellness Councils of America, some small corporation owners may have a flawed idea of what is involved in running a Employee Wellness Program. Some employers aren’t sure a program would really work and others feel that trying to change personal lifestyle behaviours is intruding and “none of their business”.  Perhaps they don’t understand that it doesn’t need to be costly and that they don’t need special employee. They may not know that some employee would like to see some healthy changes and would help make things happen in their workplace.

It Can Be Done

Many small employers have found ways to have a Corporate Health Promotion Program that works for them. They keep the expense and effort to a minimum and still have results that are beneficial for everyone. In 2006, Graham Lowe wrote a report on the best places to work in Calgary. He said that healthy workplaces often have a “positive workplace culture”.  In a workplace with a beneficial culture, people feel appreciated, valued, and trusted.

Dr. Lowe says it is easier for a small workplace to have a positive workplace culture than for a large workplace. Many employees prefer to work for a small organization, he says, because it supplies more opportunities to work closely with others and cultivate a sense of community.

In his report, Dr. Lowe says the most efficacious businesses with fewer than 100 workers have:

• excellent employee benefits;
• policies that reward a balance between work and personal life;
• flexible schedules;
• competitive salaries;
• great leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;
• environmentally responsible corporation policies;
• procedures for seeking employee input; and
• a focus on placing employees’ personal well-being ahead of the personal gain of Senior Management.

All or most of these elements are also elements of a good Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Tips and Ideas

There are multiple ways to include health and wellness in a small employer. You may not necessarily need a wellness consultant or a fancy gym. What you do need is backing from upper management and a Company Health Promotion Program Committee of a handful of committed people. Here are some ideas that your workplace can consider.

Communications and Promotion

• Send out a regular “wellness” newsletter on paper or internet based. Or send out a brief message such as the weekly Healthy U Hot Tip.
• Use promotions that are already designed, such as Healthy Workplace Week.

Active Living and Healthier Eating

• Urge employee to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.
• Have pedometers for employees and track their steps.
• Rent a nearby school or neighborhood fitness center and offer physical activity classes.
• Bring in a local fitness instructor to give classes or lead stretch breaks. Expenditures can be shared with employees.
• Install secure bicycle parking.
• Serve healthy alternatives at organization meetings and lunches.

Policy and Business Plans

• Enlist an ergonomics expert to assess workstations.
• Foster policies to support work-life balance (for example, mandatory vacations, flextime, limits to work and e-mail on personal time).
• Offer a wellness subsidy for a variety of health and leadership activities and courses.
• Give monetary incentives to be healthy.
• Offer wellness incentives and rewards as rewards and recognition for a job well done.
• Conduct an business health audit.
• Become a partner with the community (for example, daycare, gyms, festivals, parks, restaurants).
• Distribute the workload. Establish a Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee.

Small companies may not have an abundance of time, money, or human resources available for a Employee Wellness Program. But they often have a large advantage over sizable companies-a beneficial workplace culture. That is a strong foundation for a Employee Wellness Program. When employees are satisfied, enjoy their work environment, they are more advantageous, and tend to be healthier.  With a bit of creativity and passion, small companies can develop efficacious Employee Wellness Programs. Obtain reinforcement from senior staff, form a Employee Wellness Program Committee of two or more and discover the possibilities!