I Can Benefit

The feasibility of worksite based wellness courses depends on the size of the workforce. Worksite programs have to be supported with an enough of interested employees to keep a class going.

Usually a certain level of worker involvement is also necessary to ensure availability of facilities such as a room and equipment.

There are broad ranges of ongoing courses which can be offered in the workplace, including aerobics, yoga, tai chi, stretching, weight management, stress management, tobacco use cessation, and self defense.

Depending on results from an interest survey, offering an “introductory” mini class series regarding a topic of high interest might  be a good starting idea.

For  instance, offer a series of five starting yoga courses to acquaint staff members with the posture and relaxation advantages of yoga. After an introductory series, staff members may want to pursue something on their own in the community.

Or, possibly an worker interest group could create where interested staff members would pursue the chosen activity as a group.

Who Pays for What When? (Worker Subsidies and Discounts)

A lot of workforce and wellness teams are below the impression that the employer ought to pay for all wellness activities. Remember the employer is compensating the bulk of the staff member’s health and benefits package.

When vacation time, insurance costs, and sick costs are all factored in, the typical American business spends very close to $10,000 a year per employee on related health, time off, and lost productivity costs.

Health is a personal responsibility and a gift we can all give to ourselves. Be sure to help employees increase their understanding and appreciation of self-care for their health by encouraging their share of accountability for healthy and safe living and working.

Other ways of financing workplace based wellness activities and to also “internally” motivate personnel are included here -

Subsidies

When there’s a budget but not enough space or staff to offer onsite classes that are available elsewhere (like Weight Watchers, fitness clubs exercise classes, Jazzercise, hospital community ed wellness programs, etc.), a subsidy can be offered to those who take advantage of these community resources.

Establish guidelines ahead of time about eligibility and maximum reimbursement, conditions for reimbursement, whether proof of participation is required and what form it should take (receipts, log forms, etc).

The wellness policy also needs to address whether someone is eligible one time only, once a year, every five years, etc. for reimbursements.

o  Subsidies work best when the employee puts out the money and effort first, and then gets a partial reimbursement or completion gift based on some sort of attendance or participation completion.

o  The reimbursement must be large enough to be worth the trouble of implementing the wellness program, but should not cover the entire cost the wellness program.

o  It’s easy to get carried away with requiring “proof” in these kinds of health promotion programs. Do not make it too bureaucratic or no one will use it. It’s important to remember no matter how well your policies are set up, there will be individuals , usually very few, who cheatâ.”that’s unavoidable and shouldn’t become the major focus of documentation requirements.

o  Consider appropriate participation gifts for financial reimbursement. for example, if an employee meets attendance criteria for a stretching class, provide a stretching strap or yoga mat as the completion gift.

o  Make certain to check with the senior management team regarding policy for subsidies, tax reporting, etc.

Discounts and Donations

Employee discounts and donations may be sensitive areas for public businesss and employees. In many jurisdictions, public employees are not allowed to receive any type of special consideration, including discounts, from local organizations, providers, or providers.

Make sure to check organizational ethics and procurement policies before asking for discounts.

If executive management policy does allow for discounts and donations, the whole solicitation process needs to be conducted fairly and spelled out in writing. All interested, certified vendors, and service providers should have a fair unbiased opportunity to participate when they so choose.

No inappropriate advantages are given to one provider over another respecting access to employees, publicity, etc. No provider or service provider must be promised or guaranteed additional revenue, organization, or anything else if they choose to voluntarily offer a donation or discount to employees.

Follow the same donation and/or solicitation policies when offering provider door prizes or gifts at an business-sponsored health fair.