EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAMS

Employee wellness programs are employer-initiated programs to improve employee health. The employer can offer different wellness programs depending on the suitability of the dimensions for the well-being of the employee. Businesses can take advantage of a variety of wellness programs that must fit the interests of both employees and employers. Some of the employee wellness programs are

Source: terryberry.com

Biometric Screening

By using a biometric screening, the employer can measure the physical characteristics of an employee such as weight, height, body mass index, glucose levels and cholesterol, etc. Early detection of health-related problems helps the employee and employer in disease management.

Sickness Management

The programs aim to manage employees’ chronic illnesses. Healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and pharmacists, are involved in educating employees on how to manage illness. Establishing a 24/7 call centre, telemedicine, and virtual counseling can help employees deal with the issues effectively

Financial Planning/Counseling

Financial planning programs are the most popular these days and organizations can enrol financial professionals to advise their employees.

Fitness Sessions

The courses often take place in conference rooms or in open spaces. It offers employees the opportunity to come together and have fun. Research shows that group fitness sessions improve employees’ physical, mental and social well-being. The stress management sessions have also proven to be highly effective for employee health.

Flexible Hours

The provision of flexible hours gives employees the flexibility to manage their work away from the office. Employees sometimes have personal priorities and being flexible with their work schedule will greatly help them to manage the situation effectively. Flexible working will improve the various dimensions of employee well-being.

Health Education and Risk Assessment

 Organizations need to raise awareness among their employees of the importance of maintaining good health. Health awareness can be raised by organizing seminars and publishing monthly newsletters. With a lot of incorrect information available over the internet, it is important to create employer-supported health literacy. The health risk assessment can be carried out by encouraging the employee to self-report. The data collected can be used for further health risk assessment.

Weight Management Programs

It can help employees achieve their ideal weight. By focusing on exercise and diet aspects, weight management activities help employees to reduce health risks.

Wellness Challenges

These are the activities and competitions to encourage employees to adopt healthy behaviors. It improves employee engagement and creates a sense of belonging among the employees of an organization. Wellness challenges can be designed to address the physical, mental and social well-being of the individual, and technology can be used effectively to deliver the wellness challenges programs

Many of the programs discussed above were aimed at physical, mental and social well-being, and choosing the right combination of activities will help employees to a greater extent manage their health. Each solution addresses one dimension of well-being, the combined use of several dimensions can bring about a far-reaching improvement in employee health.

Dr.R.Sethumadhavan
Faculty, DSCE-MBA

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