Wellness Program Ideas

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or maybe you want to jump start or better upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that can help meet any wellness program budget! The Worksite Wellness Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Program Ideas

• Administer an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Establish a Company Wellness Program Committee
• Select medical plans that cover expenditures for weight management and tobacco cessation
• Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive medical care visits
• Display pamphlets on a variety of wellness topics for staff members to take
• Organize a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of subject matters of interest to employees
• Identify employees who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees
• Plan and promote periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Create monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Put up a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Display messages from national health observances during the month
• Offer healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Organize a benefits fair
• Offer business fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Offer organization health & wellness fairs or other on-Site activities

Nutrition Programs

• Provide free, healthy snacks for employees (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Provide healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at organization events
• Offer information to staff members about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Organize a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Subsidize healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10� apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Create a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Provide brochures available on a variety of healthy eating topics
• Include diet articles in corporation newsletters
• Schedule a healthy meal tasting contest Free
• Provide educational sessions during lunch-time on a variety of nutrition issues of interest
• Offer an employee healthy diet cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all staff members

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Provide flexible work schedules so that workers have the potential to participate in weight-loss programs
• Subsidize registration costs for weight-management programs
• Form a support group to help workers who are trying to lose weight
• Locate registered dieticians near your workplace as a resource for employees who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight management
• Offer individual counseling for staff members trying to lose weight
• Offer worksite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Have an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Allow flexible work schedules to encourage physical activity
• Design a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Design accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Urge workers to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Organize a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Have walking meetings
• Make the stairways more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Provide reduced health club membership fees to all employees
• Give facilities for staff members to secure bikes
• Provide 5 – 10 minute stretch breaks during the day
• Partially fund gym membership for workers who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or company sports team
• Urge stairwell use and incentives
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Urge & support area walks or fitness events
• Urge walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Provide periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Have educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Establish a smoke-free grounds
• Organize a smoke-free workplace
• Promote the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s no cost Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Reimburse for tobacco replacement products
• Subsidize the expenditure of tobacco cessation classes
• Give brochures and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Schedule awareness sessions to excite staff members to try to quit tobacco use
• Provide worksite smoking cessation sessions

Employee Health Screening

• Discount healthcare insurance premiums or cut co-payments for workers who take part in screenings and who take part in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure monitoring equipment
• Offer flu shots for staff members and family members
• Provide Health Risk Assessments to all staff members, including counseling and follow-up
• Provide periodic Blood Pressure (BP) screenings and follow-up
• Provide periodic screenings for blood lipids, blood glucose, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Offer flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Provide and promote an Employee Assistance Program
• Give information on substance abuse prevention
• Provide handouts and information on stress management and mental health
• Offer brochures and information on work life balance, such as financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Offer supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, company stressors, etc.
• Assess company policies and work schedules to identify company stressors
• Evaluate the Employee Assistance Program to ensure it is meeting the needs of the staff members and business
• Have educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Provide classes on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance issues