Your business rises and falls on the strength of its employees. Especially for small businesses, when an employee is out sick it can really cost the company money. Not only that, with rising health care costs it’s imperative that you find ways to keep premiums under control.
Encouraging employees to stay health pays off for your business in a number of ways. When your employees are healthier, you:
- See fewer employee sick days.
- See higher employee productivity.
- Can have reduced health care costs over time.
Some medical insurance companies will even give you a discount on your group health care premiums if you participate in certain employee health programs. Here are a few ways you can encourage your employees to stay healthy:
- Implement a smoking cessation program. If you haven’t done this yet, it should be the first thing on your agenda. Most insurance companies give a discount when you have such a program. Even if you don’t, they’re relatively inexpensive to implement, and they pay off big. You’ll wind up with greater productivity as fewer employees stop for a smoke break. You’ll wind up with fewer sick days due to a compromised immune system. You’ll wind up with fewer employee long-term illnesses. This is probably the fastest way for you to realize health care improvements in your business.
- Get them moving. Consider starting a lunch time exercise group. Organize a running club, or even a friendly racquetball tournament. Put employees into groups, and have them compete in a walking contest, providing T-shirts, movie tickets, or even a paid afternoon off work to the winning team. Get the junk out of the vending machines. Your employees will moan about this at first. After a while, however, you’ll see that they’re making much better snack choices. You can’t change the way employees eat at home, but you can limit their access to foods that just aren’t good for them while they’re at work.
- Engage in an employee health education strategy. You can bring in speakers to talk about various health topics. You can distribute literature designed to raise awareness of various diseases or other health conditions. There are even non-profit organizations that will supply you with speakers to come to your place of business and help educate your people on a number of topics, such as weight control, menu planning, or even smoking cessation. Model healthy living. Being the boss is, in many ways, like being a parent. If the boss smokes, drinks excessively, and is 50 pounds overweight, it’s not surprising that you’re having a hard time promoting a culture of healthy living. On the other hand, a boss who announces to her team that she’s decided to live a healthier lifestyle can be an inspiration to everyone else. Encourage management, in particular, to take advantage of health-related programs and resources.
- Turn pot luck meals into an opportunity for good nutrition. Instead of having a chili cook-off, why not have a low-fat dish cook-off this year? Alternatively, you can plan your company meals in a healthier fashion. Have people sign up to bring specific types of food, and limit the amount and type of desserts people are bringing in. The same goes for meals you have catered; talk to your caterer about healthy options.
- Offer a group membership plan to the local gym. Many local fitness centers will offer your employees a discounted plan to join. If possible, you might even decide to subsidize gym memberships for your employees. If you can’t subsidize them directly, consider offering a discount on their health insurance premium portion if they join (and stay active in) the gym. Talk to your insurance company about other offerings. Sometimes, your insurance carrier will provide other assets to you to encourage your employees to stay healthy. That might take the form of educational materials, speakers, or even specific programs designed for your company. Once you know those resources exist, make sure your employees know that they’re there and that they know how to take advantage of the opportunities.
You want to have healthy employees, ultimately, because you care about the people who work for you. You want them to be around for a long time, doing the great job that they do. Encouraging employee health through some of these methods will do just that, and it can also contribute to your bottom line at the same time.
Guest Writer – Dorothy Wheaton
Dorothy Wheaton, PA-C, is the lead clinical provider for Careworks Convenient Healthcare, a US company operating health clinics and urgent care centers in the Northeast United States.