Health and Wellness Leads : Workplace Health Promotion Programs on a Budget

Free Company Wellness Programs and Low Cost Health Management Alternatives

Organize a no cost Employee Wellness Program or run a successful health management program in the workplace for little or no expense to your company. The advantages of workplace wellness and learning how to start a health management program at work are numerous. The articles on health management have generated a variety of questions, mostly from wellness providers but also from employers trying to start their own wellness workplace programs. There are a number of things to do to start a successful health management program at work.

Recommendations for Starting a Free or Low Cost Company Health Promotion Program

Prior to starting a low cost or free wellness program for your business, learn more about what workers desire. Survey workers to learn more about their wellness problems. Keep the survey confidential to protect employees’ identities. Typically the most popular workplace wellness subject matters are smoking cessation, weight loss problems and heart and blood lipid health.

Look for Employee Health Promotion Program Freebies

Discover who will come in for no cost to talk to employees and explore partnerships with outside agents involved with workplace wellness. For example, contact a local branch of a well-known weight loss business and ask if someone can come in and talk to employees. Look for agencies that are willing to come in and talk about topics related to wellness at no cost to employees, in exchange for something from you.

Find Worksite Health Promotion Program Partnerships

Working with a weight loss employer to set up a speaking engagement for staff members is the perfect opportunity to explore a potential wellness partnership. The weight loss employer may say that if 10 staff members join the program, they will hold weekly meetings at employer headquarters for the people who joined. The weight loss group also might offer employer staff members a discount if several people join the program.

Nonprofits an Untapped Health Leadership Resource

There are also plenty of nonprofit agencies who would be thrilled to visit a employer to discuss health management. But it’s up to you to offer them something in return. By way of example, if the MS Society came in and talked about the signs of MS, the employer might offer to organize an MS walk (in keeping with employer health management objectives, right?), or an auction with employee and employer-donated items where the proceeds go to MS. The people at the nonprofit agencies would be glad to open a dialog with your employer and to talk about what they would want in return for a speaking engagement. In many cases, they won’t need anything at all for a first meeting.

Collecting Data and Analyzing Corporate Health Promotion Program Results

Collecting data and analyzing results of a Worksite Wellness Program has the potential to be tricky because of HIPPA laws. Nonetheless, if at least ten workers joined the weight loss program, or 20 people participate daily in the all-new “Let’s Walk a Mile at Lunch” program, that sort of progress has the potential to speak strongly to management. And, organization successes will potentially give management more incentive to support money for additional health management and Worksite Wellness Programs in the future.