Benefits of Wellness Programs

Research studies related to wellness indicate that Americans who take good care of themselves and make healthy lifestyle choices are healthier, happier, more productive, miss less work, and have lower healthcare costs. As a dental insurance broker, part of your role can be encouraging human resources representatives to bring wellness programs into their companies to encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles.

People today are busy. Very busy. There can be very little time for taking proper care of yourself. Between appointments, meetings and catching up on paperwork—and of course home lives—workers have barely any time to themselves. Putting an employee wellness program in place can boost morale, improve health and fitness, and increase productivity in the workplace. Before you can help HR in starting up a wellness program, you first need to help them understand the concept. 

Wellness is the process of being aware of your actions and making choices that help you lead a healthier lifestyle. A healthier lifestyle leads to happier employees. Here are eight benefits of wellness programs:

1. Emotional - understanding your feelings and coping with stress.
2. Occupational - satisfaction in your contributions and feeling appreciated at work.
3. Environmental - having respect for the world around you.
4. Physical - eating right, exercising and seeking medical attention when necessary.
5. Intellectual - having an open mind and expanding your knowledge base. 
6. Social - creating and being a part of a support network.
7. Financial - successfully managing your money.
8. Spiritual - finding meaning and purpose through your personal set of values.

It's important to have a multidimensional wellness program because the divisions can overlap and affect one another. A well-rounded program should include at least physical, intellectual, emotional and environmental wellness. 

There are many ways companies can implement a wellness program. Brainstorming and planning are essential in the beginning to make sure valuable ideas are not missed. You should start small and gradually introduce new things to your employees. As interest increases, your program can expand. We've put together a few suggestions to get you started:

• Invest in pedometers for each employee.
• Clean out the vending machine of junk food.
• Offer free health-risk assessments.
• Provide food facts for fast-food chains—and other, more healthy restaurants—within a certain distance of the office.
• Distribute a wellness newsletter.
• Invite a different speaker on different health topics.
• Solicit employee feedback.

Remind your HR reps that no matter how they choose to begin, don't get discouraged if it's not met with smiles and cheers. Making lifestyle changes can be difficult for people. Try a few different approaches and see what sticks. The important thing is to get a wellness plan started!