Gone are the days when you could distribute shiny water bottles to your employees and label this as an employee wellness effort in your annual report. You could buy stainless-steel bottles to make it look like you care about the environment too. No more. Here is a quick guide to help create the ultimate employee wellness package.
Corporate culture has experienced a paradigm shift when it comes to wellness programs. While feigning concern through namesake health programs are still widely in practice, you need to up the ante if you really want to make a difference.
According to a 2019 study, wellness programs can have a positive impact on employees’ well-being but haven’t exhibited impressive results. Having these programs hasn’t helped change most employees’ weight, blood pressure, or cholesterol, or improved absenteeism or job performance in the long run.
But how do you create a balanced health program that is actually useful to your workers? How can you ensure that both the collective and individual requirements of your employees are taken care of?
Well, the answer lies in a thoughtful employee wellness package.
Steps to Creating an Employee Wellness Package
Most leaders and HR managers are unsure where to begin. This is a critical starting trouble because not all organizations have the same type of workforce or requirements, which tends to influence the type of wellness program that needs to be executed.
Step 1: Talk to Your Employees
One of the ways to create the ultimate employee wellness package is by surveying your employees on their health and wellness challenges. This usually gets the ball rolling.
Talk to your employees and try to understand what kind of support they need from the company. This feedback will help you carve out a wellness program that’s perfect for your workforce.
Employee feedback is paramount to an effective wellness program
While finding a sweet spot can be challenging as you cannot cater to all the requirements that come in, consult with your human resources head to flesh and filter out the most common issues. Just make sure to keep yourself in the loop by incorporating training feedback forms so you know what’s working and what should be removed from your wellness package.
Step 2: Create a Wellness Program
In 2021 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, media conglomerate Publicis Groupe launched PubFit, a health and wellbeing program for its employees worldwide. Its ambition was to help the global workforce focus on health as they continued to balance work and personal life at home. While the program included seminars, mental health awareness sessions, and the facilitation of various resources, one thing stood out: a carefully curated wellness package.
Fitness trackers are an excellent addition to wellness packages (Luke Chesser/Unsplash)
Each employee received a hamper containing a vacuum flask, a resistance band, and a fitness tracker among other exercising tools. What the media company then saw was active participation from its workforce. Every other employee was wearing the smartwatch to keep tabs either on their daily steps or water intake. Those who were uninterested earlier saw their colleagues using it and joined the mission to reclaim their health.
Such wellness packages, if well-planned and executed, can do wonders for your workforce’s overall well-being. The key is to include useful, thoughtful products. Here are a few solid examples of employee wellness products that you can safely include in your package.
- Fitness Towels – A durable, antimicrobial towel meant just for fitness purposes
- Coloring Kits – To help keep the creative juices flowing
- Healthy Snacks – Dry fruits, nut-free energy bars, etc. to encourage healthy snacking
- Resistance Band Sets – For an introduction to resistance training
- Self-Care Kits – Skincare products, eatables like green tea, etc. to encourage detoxing
- Water Bottles – As a water intake reminder both in and out of the office
- Fitness Trackers – To help keep track of vital health metrics such as heartbeat rate
Aim for a program that encourages healthy snacking (Lisa/Pexels)
Try to improve upon these ideas to delight your employees. For example, instead of a regular water bottle, try something like this fruity infuser bottle in which one can add fresh fruits to get a healthy zing. Subscriptions to health programs and fitness apps are also a great idea.
The good thing about some of these ideas is that you can etch your company name and logo onto the products. It can give employees some bragging rights while helping you promote your brand passively.
Remember, distributing a wellness package that’s part of a bigger health program is a better way to do this than giving them ad-hoc. It creates a sense of purpose among your workforce, which will ultimately aid in your larger goal.
Step 3: Organize Wellness Competitions
Another way to create the ultimate employee wellness package is by maintaining a wellness community. Charge up the wellness program by regularly organizing wellness competitions, quizzes, fun activities, and talk sessions. For example, you can hire a health expert to host a virtual webinar on a pre-selected theme. Many companies hold sessions on mental health and work stress, which help employees address their concerns and find solutions.
Choosing a wellness ambassador within your company can also aid in improving the efficacy of the overall wellness program. This person can provide tips to help employees take control of their wellness. When employees see that people within the workforce are enthusiastic about fitness and well-being and are receptive to the company’s efforts, the impact grows and shows.
While these are some broad steps to take in order to create the ultimate employee wellness package, you can customize it according to your workforce’s needs. Remember every company needs a customized approach to wellness, the secret is to just start and adjust as you get going. This will help you build something that not only helps your employees fight work stress and maintain work-life balance but also pushes them to achieve personal health goals such as losing weight or eating right.
To a Fitter Healthier You,
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
