How would you like to boost employee morale while decreasing your employee absenteeism rate? This may sound impossible, but it’s not. It’s usually just two of the results of introducing a wellness program into your workplace. 
A wellness program is an initiative to encourage your employees to eat more healthfully and get more exercise. Many of these programs have employees take fitness assessments when they enroll so they can track their progress throughout the year. Here’s why you should care about the health of your employees:
- Employers that offer wellness programs have overall higher rates of employee satisfaction. Wellness programs convey your sense of concern for your team, even if that’s not usually your interpersonal style.
- Wellness program activities foster teamwork. Sports and group activities like running encourage teams to interact with each other when normally in the office they might not. When you participate alongside everyone else, employees get to interface with you in a non-threatening way that fosters a greater sense of teamwork and communication.
- Healthy employees handle stress better than unhealthy ones. Wellness programs teach your team members how to handle stress in healthy ways, like yoga and other forms of exercise. Employees who embrace this concept are less likely to handle stress with outbursts, substance abuse, or calling in “sick”.
- Fit employees have better attitudes. When employees are sick and tired, it tends to show in their outlook on work and life, and your customers then experience this too. Employees who aren’t sick and tired don’t appear sick and tired.
- Fitness programs teach goal-setting and self-discipline. Reaching a goal like running a 5K doesn’t happen overnight. Employees learn to break large goals into smaller steps, and keep working at it even when they feel discouraged.
- Healthy employees make better leaders. Their self-confidence and attitude improves, and they more readily encourage their teammates, even off the field. They set positive examples for others being being on time, working with focus and modeling positive, can-do attitudes.
- Fit employees come to work. The healthier your employees are, the less likely they are to get sick. Many wellness programs include vaccine clinics on-site to offer flu shots for free or at dramatically reduced prices.
