Company Health and Wellness : Worksite Health Promotion Programs: What Can Employers Do to Promote Healthier Eating and Active Living for Staff Members?

In today’s organization climate, the health of workers is often related to the health of the organization. Increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced illness and injuries, and increased work rate are just some of the advantages of having healthy workers. Promoting health in your workplace need not be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Any organization, big or little, can promote healthy eating and active living in the workplace. Here are some recommendations:

Healthier Eating

• For breakfast meetings, rather than serving donuts, big muffins, cookies, tea and coffee with cream and sugar, offer healthier alternatives such as bagels, small muffins, fresh fruit, water, 100% fruit juice and milk with coffee and tea.
• For lunch meetings, avert serving chips, fried foods, rich pastas, and salads loaded with dressing. Instead, offer sandwiches, bagels, whole grain low fat crackers and cheese, 100  percent fruit juice, water, salads with dressing on the side, vegetable and fruit trays.
• Reimburse employees for items purchased to improve their health (e.g. healthy eating cookbooks, consultation with a Registered Dietitian).
• Arrange for the cafeteria or food vendors to offer healthy meal choices.
• Arrange to have healthy choices like bottled water, 100% fruit juice, fruit bars, and raisins available in vending machines.
• Offer a means for people to share healthy recipes with each other (for example, posting recipes on the Intranet, on posters or by e-mail).

Active Living

• Establish programs and group activities to encourage staff members to become active, such as walking programs, contests and challenge programs, stretch breaks, team sports or participation in local or provincial programs.
• Offer onsite health professionals (e.g. personal trainers, fitness instructors) or incorporate this service in EAPs to help employees work towards physical exercise objectives and goals.
• Offer a supportive environment in the workplace that makes healthy choices easy: bike racks, shower facilities, clean, safe and accessible stairways, walking or running routes in the vicinity of the workplace, and health club facilities.
• Provide|Offer|Give} flex time so that workers have more opportunities to participate in exercise program as part of their working day.
• Reimburse health club membership fees, fitness class registrations, and fitness equipment purchases.
• Give corporate health club memberships to reduce expenditures of individual memberships.

Keeping It Fresh!

Find a champion to:

• Organize lunch ‘n learn sessions to provide information and motivation for healthy eating and active living.
• Invite demonstrators to provide cooking lessons or tips for making healthy foods.
• Post a list of local restaurants that offer healthy food choices on their menus.
• Distribute information to educate workers on portion sizes.
• Include physical activity and nutrition information in newsletters, pay check inserts, bulletin boards or e-mails.
• Plan activities that promote healthy eating and physical exercise. For example, start a year-round lunch-time walking club, and special activities