Because corporations are facing a dramatic, exponential rise in the cost of health insurance for their employees, they are constantly looking for ways to lower costs. Some of the ways that have quickly gained in popularity are corporate wellness programs, which aim to encourage workers to embrace a healthier lifestyle and to more closely monitor whatever health issues they may have. There are many types of corporate wellness programs, for any size or type of company. Below are a few that have seen success in the workplace.

Physical Health Care Screenings

By offering on-site health care screenings for your employees, you encourage them to be more proactive with their health and motivate them to make healthier lifestyle changes, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. Engaging them in the health care screening process also identifies at-risk participants, thereby allowing them to deal with health issues before they reach a critical point. Screenings will identify those with a risk for such things as heart attack, stroke, abdominal aneurysms, and osteoporosis.

Look for a company that offers a quick turnaround on test results. Most doctors agree that waiting 21 days for your results is too long. Instead, find a screening company that offers results and ultrasound images in four days. Also, because your employees are busy people, look for a company that offers quick, convenient testing that takes 30 minutes or less.

Mental Health and Wellness Initiatives

Assisting employees with mental health and wellness issues can relieve debilitating burn-out and stress, which affects productivity and your company’s bottom line. Some corporate wellness programs focus on issues such as anger management, family counseling, financial planning, child care and elder care initiatives. Others may focus on relieving employee stress by offering alternate work arrangements, such as job sharing or telecommuting.

Environmental Health Issues

The physical and mental environment in your company can also affect your employees’ health. Some corporate wellness programs look at physical environmental issues, such as air quality and sick building testing, fire safety initiatives, injury prevention, ergonomic work station design, and CPR and first-aid training. Some also help companies with issues such as violence in the workplace, equity in the workplace, training for identifying harassment, and professional development. All of these can reduce stress, improving the health of your employees.

Corporate Wellness Assessments

Some companies will conduct an assessment of your workplace to find ways to improve your employees’ health. For example, they may look at vending machines to ensure that healthy choices are available instead of the standard fare of chips and sodas. Perhaps those items containing large amounts of sodium or fats can be replaced with healthier options like fruit, nuts, or granola, and fresh juice and bottled water could replace sugar-laden sodas. They may also examine no-smoking policies or implement incentives for employees to walk or exercise in company gyms during break periods, or perhaps recommend that the company install bike racks for employees who cycle to work.

Corporate wellness programs come in all shapes and sizes. All will benefit both your employees and your business. The trick is to identify which one will work best for your particular company.

Author Bio: Find out more about the different types of corporate wellness programs by visiting http://www.healthyes.com/Public/Misc/CorporateWellness.aspx.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: wellness programs, employee health, employee wellness, corporate health, corporate health programs