Although large companies may have the funds to roll out a comprehensive program – small- and mid-sized companies must make their dollars stretch further – and these companies need to make certain that every dollar spent on an employee benefit helps the company in some way. Fortunately, there are many types and sizes of employee wellness programs, and some are ideal for a business your size.

Understanding Employee Wellness Programs

Employee wellness programs or wellness plans are a form of health benefit that many employers provide – in one form or another – in addition to health insurance. The definition of a wellness program is a program that helps employees stay healthy or – in some cases – helps them improve their health. Wellness program ideas can range from ideas that have a specific purpose, such as helping the employee to stop smoking or to lose weight; to onsite gyms or gym memberships; to incentive programs that provide rewards for participation or in achieving the desired results.

Unlike insurance programs in which companies must sign up for and must choose options that last at least one year, wellness programs can be ongoing or they can be one-time events or activities. Some companies contract with businesses to provide and run their employee wellness programs for them, whereas other employers organize a smaller program on their own. Companies are not required to provide employee wellness plans or programs, nor are there are rules that businesses must follow regarding such plans.

Analyzing Popularity of Wellness Programs

Employee wellness programs have become so popular that some people describe them as a fad. The fact is, though, that employee wellness plans are increasing in popularity rather than fading away as fads do. Some surveys have found that more than 80 percent of companies have an employee wellness plan of some kind, and that figure goes as high as 92 percent in companies with 200 or more employees.

If you don't offer an employee wellness program or some kinds of wellness activities, you're competing for good employees with companies that do provide such programs. Employee wellness activities have become such sought-after benefits that large employers are expected to spend $3.6M in 2019 for employee wellness programs, on average. Small and mid-sized companies can't be expected to invest so heavily in wellness programs, but there are ways you can offer the benefit without great expense.

Improving Your Bottom Line

Having an employee wellness plan can help you attract and keep good employees because they view it as a benefit they'd like to have at work. But wellness programs also provide benefits to the company that can clearly affect and improve your bottom line.

Curbing absenteeism: Employers have always struggled with absenteeism and the loss in productivity it causes. Yet, when workers come to work when they're sick, they're spreading germs throughout the office so everyone tends to become ill. If employers could find a way to keep employees healthier, there would be less absenteeism.

Improving morale and productivity: Health experts say that exercise releases endorphins (the "feel good" chemicals) that help improve mood. People who are happier have a more positive outlook, which can translate to more energetic workers, better problem-solving and increased productivity. Participating in non-work activities together also strengthens employee relationships and your company culture.

Increasing employee retention: Employees feel valued when their companies invest in their well-being with wellness programs. This, and their positive attitude towards their work, makes them more likely to stay at their jobs.

Saving money: Studies of the benefits that employee wellness programs can bring to a business show that for every dollar spent on wellness activities and programs, employers saved $3.27 in health care costs.

Keeping it Simple and Easy

One of the keys to having an employee wellness program in a small company is to keep the program on a scale you can comfortably handle. For example:

• Holding a health fair takes a lot of time and resources; Hiring nurses to provide flu shots and take blood pressure readings one or two days at work is doable.
• Having a dedicated nap room or exercise room might not be possible; Hiring a local yoga instructor once a month or once each quarter to teach stress-relieving poses that can be done at home or in the office, and this is easy to arrange.
• A comprehensive change-your-eating-habits program might be too extensive and expensive. Hiring a vendor to provide healthy snacks requires only a phone call or two, and this is affordable, because employees purchase the snacks.  Look for local farms that deliver monthly boxes of in-season fruits and vegetables and let you choose what you want in your box.

Providing Help Beyond Physical Wellness

Most people think of employee wellness programs as programs that focus on the physical body – such as providing means to exercise during the day – eating healthier or losing weight. But it is just as important for your employees to have good mental and emotional health. Perhaps you might provide a workshop on recognizing how stress affects mental health, and make that program mandatory for all to attend, because no one really knows when they might need it. Be sure that your health benefits cover confidential mental health and substance abuse treatment, too.

Adding Incentives for Participation

When researchers studied the phenomenon of employee wellness programs, an interesting fact emerged. It seems that even though employees say they want their company to offer wellness activities, few employees actually take advantage of them after they're initiated. So someone came up with the idea to make program activities irresistible by rewarding those who attend with prizes, points, cash or paid time off.

• Ask your employee benefits administrator if your insurance company will reduce the cost of health care premiums for those who participate in specific programs.

• Award points for participation

  – the more involved the activity, the more points awarded –

  and allow participants to redeem points for prizes. Companies that run these incentive programs may have a catalog of prizes, but you can also simply type up a list of prizes, if you're running it yourself.  * Or offer paid time off for accumulated points, with you deciding how many points it takes to receive an extra half-day of vacation.

Getting Wellness Program Ideas

Since there are no rules specifying exactly what constitutes an employee wellness plan or program, yours could be anything from providing information on healthy eating to having scheduled workshops and seminars monthly on different health topics. For inspiration, ask your employees what kinds of activities they'd participate in if they had the opportunity. You could conduct an informal survey, hold a brainstorming meeting, ask everyone to email ideas or set out a tried-and-true suggestion box.

Start small and work up to a more substantial program. Some ideas to get everyone thinking are:

• Provide an informal, monthly newsletter with tips on getting healthier that are easily implemented.
• Add time to the lunch break so that employees can go to the gym, take a walk or go home for a healthy meal.
• Offer workplace weight loss programs with data to prove their results.
• Offer smoking cessation programs.
• Contract with a company that installs and services healthy vending machines.
• Set up a company gym that can be used before and after work and at lunchtime.
• Install online programs with information and quizzes on health, exercise and nutrition. Completing the quizzes earns points.
• Create camaraderie among employees with "game hours" to play board games, charades or other games.
• Start a friendly sports league between local companies and play softball, basketball or other games that involve lots of movement. (Avoid risky games like football and low-activity level games like bowling.)
• Start a running club for runners of all levels.
• Install massage chairs at work for all to use.
• Hire massage therapists to give 10-minute upper back and neck massages at work. 
• Try out unusual exercise ideas that most people haven't tried: Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Prancercise are just a few.

Knowing What You're Getting

Like any other business service, be sure to ask questions and get clarification so that you understand what any company or individual you hire will be providing. Some sample questions you might ask include:

1. If you're getting health information to distribute to your employees, is it a one-time download or does it include updates? Are printed copies available, as well?
2. If you're hiring someone to design an employee wellness program for you, what are its components? After the program is set up, will they run it for you or is that up to you? Will they provide data to you about who is using each of the components, their progress and their results?
3. Let's say you hire a Tai Chi instructor to lead your employees in a mini class. Is there a discount if you hire him for a series of classes instead of just one?

Planning Your Employee Wellness Program

Even a simple employee wellness program requires some planning. Take it step-by-step and watch it take shape.

Place the plan in capable hands: To take the onus off of you, consider asking several key, organized employees who are passionate about instituting wellness ideas at the company, to do the organizing and planning. When employees take ownership of the plans, they are more likely to promote the programs and to participate in them. If you have an HR department or an HR employee, that's a good place to start.

Create a budget for the program: Taking into consideration the cost of the types of activities you and your employees want, determine the budget you can allot for your wellness program. If you're starting it after your fiscal year has begun, you may want to budget and plan only for the remainder of the year. That way, you can assess how the activities are working out, how many employees are participating, the results so far, and what you'd like to do differently moving forward.

Try a variety of ideas: This first year is your time to explore different types of employee wellness programs, so try to vary them as much as possible, including:

1. Some form of exercise. 
2. At least one relaxation technique such as yoga or meditation.
3. A  means of eating healthier at work, such as installing healthy food in vending machines. 
4.  A clinic day where several medical procedures, such as blood pressure screening and flu shots, are given.
5. Massage therapists for the neck and shoulders.                                                           

Ask for feedback: After each activity, give attendees some rating forms, so that they can provide anonymous feedback. Make it clear that you want their honest feelings about the activity. After all, it costs money and time (and time is money to a business) to plan and host an activity, so if people don't love it, the company's money is better spent elsewhere.