Wellness Program Ideas – Onsite Wellness Classes.

The feasibility of worksite based wellness courses depends on the size of the workforce. Worksite programs have to be supported with an enough of interested workers to keep a class going.

Generally a certain level of worker involvement is also necessary to ensure availability of facilities such as a room and equipment.

There are broad ranges of ongoing courses which may be offered in the worksite, including aerobics, yoga, tai chi, stretching, weight control, stress management, use of tobacco cessation, and self defense.

Depending on results from an interest survey, offering an “introductory” mini class series regarding a topic of high interest might  be a good beginning idea.

For  instance, offer a series of five starting yoga classes to acquaint workers with the posture and relaxation advantages of yoga. After an introductory series, workers may want to pursue something on their own in the community.

Or, possibly an employee interest group could create where interested employees would pursue the chosen activity as a group.

Who Pays for What When? (Staff Member Subsidies and Discounts)

Many staff members and wellness teams are underneath the impression that the company should pay for all wellness activities. Remember the company is paying the bulk of the employee’s health and benefits package.

When vacation time, insurance costs, and sick costs are all factored in, the typical American company spends very close to $10,000 per year per employee on related health, time off, and lost productivity costs.

Health is an individual responsibility and a gift we can all give to ourselves. Be sure to help employees increase their understanding and appreciation of self-care for their health by encouraging their share of accountability for healthy and safe living and working.

Other ways of financing worksite based wellness activities and to also “internally” motivate staff members are included here –

Subsidies

If there is a budget but not enough space or staff to offer on-site classes that are available elsewhere (like Weight Watchers, health clubs exercise classes, Jazzercise, hospital community ed programs, etc.), a subsidy can be offered to those who take advantage of these community resources.

Establish guidelines ahead of time about eligibility and maximum reimbursement, conditions for reimbursement, whether proof of participation is required and what form it should take (receipts, log forms, etc).

The wellness policy also needs to address whether someone is eligible one time only, once a year, every five years, etc. for reimbursements.

• Subsidies work best when the staff member puts out the money and effort first, and then gets a partial reimbursement or completion gift based on some sort of attendance or participation completion.

• the reimbursement ought to be big enough to be worth the trouble of implementing the program, but should not cover the entire cost the program.

• It’s easy to get carried away with requiring “proof” in these kinds of programs. Don’t make it too bureaucratic or no one will use it. It is important to remember no matter how well your policies are set up, there will be people , ordinarily very few, who cheat-that’s unavoidable and should not become the major focus of documentation requirements.

• Consider appropriate participation gifts for financial reimbursement. for example, when an worker meets attendance criteria for a stretching class, provide a stretching strap or yoga mat as the completion gift.

• Be sure to check with the management team regarding policy for subsidies, tax reporting, etc.

Discounts and Donations

Staff Member discounts and donations may be sensitive areas for public companys and staff members. In many jurisdictions, public staff members are not allowed to receive any type of special consideration, including discounts, from local businesses, vendors, or providers.

Make certain to check organizational ethics and procurement policies before asking for discounts.

When management policy does allow for discounts and donations, the whole solicitation process needs to be conducted fairly and spelled out in writing. All interested, licensed vendors, and service providers should’ve a fair unbiased opportunity to participate if they so choose.

No inappropriate advantages are given to one provider over another in terms of access to workers, publicity, etc. No provider or service provider should be promised or guaranteed additional revenue, company, or anything else when they choose to voluntarily offer a donation or discount to workers.

Follow the same donation and/or solicitation policies when offering vendor door prizes or gifts at an employer-sponsored health fair.