If you are a business owner in North Carolina who pays for your employee's health coverage and sick leave, you have good reason to motivate these employees to stay healthy. Good employee health translates to good financial health for you and your business!
Promoting employee health can be tricky, though. After all, your employees are generally neither your family nor your friends, so it may not be appropriate for you to discourage Mabel in Accounting from eating those jelly doughnuts for breakfast, or to comment on Jack in Human Resources about his recent weight gain. How can you inspire your employees to take care of their health while remaining professional and providing alluring incentives? Here are some ideas:
Make Money the Reward - Enlist the help of an incentive-based health engagement company-there are a few different ones out there-which will set up a program for your employees. In a typical set-up, employees receive points for engaging in different healthy behaviors, such as using the stairs instead of the elevator, and each point has a monetary value. Employees can earn a maximum amount of dollars per year through the accrual of their points. - Create Company Sports Teams - If you employ enough people, you can create two or more teams and have a weekly game of basketball, soccer, softball, or any other sport after work hours. If you have a small number of employees, ask another local business to form a team to play against yours once a week. In addition to promoting fitness, this activity can create more camaraderie among coworkers-always a good thing!
- Make Small Changes to the Environment - Post a picture or sign near the door of the elevator that will inspire people to use the stairs. For example, a simple graphic showing a person walking up a stairway with the words "Stay Healthy" printed on it can be motivating without having the effect of a shaming lecture. If your business has a snack or drink machine, keep it filled with healthful options like whole grain crackers, fresh fruits, juices, and waters. Even better, have a well-equipped kitchen available for your employees so they can prepare their own healthful lunches and snacks each day rather than ordering less-healthful options from restaurants and fast food chains.
- Exercise to Benefit Your Community - Does your community ever have walks, races, triathlons, or other similar events to raise funds for non-profit organizations? If so, encourage your employees to participate. If not, consider creating an event-like a 5K walk to raise money for your local animal shelter. Doing so will have many benefits: it will be good for employee health; it will increase the visibility of your business; and it will benefit the organization for which the funds are being raised
- Host a Healthy Recipe Potluck Invite all your employees to participate in a company potluck. Make the theme of the potluck low-fat, low-calorie, healthful recipes. Use this as an opportunity for employees to share healthy eating tips and recipes. As an incentive for participating in the potluck, have the evening culminate in a "tastiest dish contest"; employees can sample each dish and vote on their favorite one, with the winner receiving a prize or cash reward.
For any questions about employee health coverage, Contact Litaker Insurance today.