5 Simple and Cost-Effective Workplace Wellness Initiatives

Truworth Wellness

Jun 6, 2024 • 6 min read

Workplace wellness programs are the initiatives taken by employers to improve the health and well-being of their employees. The wellness initiatives aim to prevent sickness, stress, and other physical and mental disorders that might affect employee productivity and well-being. Workplace wellness programs help employees feel that their employer has invested in their well-being, which in turn motivates them to perform to the best of their abilities.

Creating an on-site wellness program is an important step because the majority of an employee’s time is spent at the workplace. By following a wellness program you can easily prevent chronic diseases that sum up to nearly 75% of total healthcare costs. Let’s see below which are the simple and cost-effective workplace wellness initiatives employers might take.

1. Take the Stairs

If you’re interested in starting a workplace wellness program or looking for new ways to encourage employees to be active during the workday, consider launching a “take the stairs” initiative.

Why Take the Stairs?

Walking is a simple way to work out that helps you burn more calories. It has a significant impact on keeping you healthy and fit. Walking:

Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
Improves blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and blood lipid profile
Maintains body weight and lowers the risk of obesity

Taking the stairs is more than walking as it is a slightly heavier activity that enhances the capacity of the heart and lungs and burns more calories per minute than walking or jogging! Employees should give preference to stairs over an elevator in their daily routine as a part of their personal wellness initiative.

How to Encourage the Use of Stairs?

Here are some ideas to encourage your employees and other visitors to your office to opt for the stairs.

Hang signs: Make stairwells easily visible to employees and guests. The floor of the office should be painted with footprints. Directional signs can be placed to help people to find the stairs.
You can try displaying motivational messages on office walls to inspire your employees to make healthy choices.
Try to make stairwells more appealing to draw the attention of employees.
Try to brighten stairwells to increase their visibility.
The office walls must be painted with bright and energetic colors.
Consider installing speakers in the stairwells that play music. It will keep your employees not feeling tired while walking up the stairs.
Hang motivational cartoon pictures or any other artwork designed by the office employees.

2. Healthy Meals In Cafeteria

A cafeteria is a crucial space in the office building for relaxation and information sharing. This space can be utilized to promote healthy eating as employees or other visitors to the office often visit the cafeteria to consume eatables.

Promote Healthy Eating

Organize a cafeteria wellness program. Denote healthy menu choices with a colorful symbol such as a heart or thumbs-up sign in a bright, easily recognizable color. Each time an employee goes for a healthy meal, the symbol of a card is punched. When a specified number of punches are completed the employee receives a reward. This reward could be anything like a T-shirt with some catchy health-related slogan, a water bottle, a gym membership gift card, a discounted coupon, or any other item that promotes health and well-being.

Cooking Classes

Conduct cooking sessions after office hours in the workplace cafeteria. Demonstrate and instruct cooking skills like making healthy salads and snacks, barbecue sauces, and different cooking techniques such as Italian, French, or Mexican, and teach heart-healthy low-fat cooking meals or recipes with the use of locally grown ingredients.

Seek Advice from a Registered Dietitian

A professional dietitian can educate your employees about the nutrients their bodies need on a daily basis which in turn helps them to change their eating habits. You can also use a food tracking tool in order to better manage the eating behavior of individual employees. It allows the dietitian to monitor each employee individually and suggest a personalized diet plan.

Interestingly: Snacking At Workplace: 7 Tasty and Healthy Office Snacks You’ll Love

3. Switch to the Standing Desk

The standing desk also known as a stand-up desk, is a desk that enables you to work comfortably while standing. Various modern versions of a standing desk are present that are adjustable so that you can very easily adjust the height of the desk and alternate between standing and sitting. These are very popularly known as sit-stand desks or height-adjustable desks.

According to research, sitting in one place for a longer duration has also been associated with the “new smoking” in accordance with its harmful effects, while on the other hand, standing desk can have various impressive health benefits. A standing desk may also increase productivity and at the very least, practicing this type of desk can partly neutralize the harmful consequences of “sitting too much”.

Advantages of Standing Desk

Reduces the risk of weight gain
Can reduce blood sugar
Improved productivity
Decreases heart disease risk

Note: It is crucial to make sure that while working with a standing desk you have the correct viewing distance and posture between you and your monitor.

4. Weekly Or Bi-weekly Yoga Sessions

Yoga and dance fitness at the office can help employees at many levels. They aid in strengthening an individual physically, assist the immune, digestive as well as other bodily systems as well as aid in keeping the mind remain focused, calm, and alert. Participating in yoga or dance fitness at the workplace is time maturing to be an exciting and engaging thing the offices are conducting worldwide which most employees look forward to. Employees describe that these sessions are just like a spring of calmness in the midst of a hectic schedule and this helps them maintain their physical health while restoring their peace of mind and alertness.

Workplace yoga makes it simple for employees to join in and it saves their travel time, which they would be wasting while traveling to and from any yoga studio. Corporate yoga is beneficial as it promotes stress relieving and self-care techniques during an exhausting workday.

Benefits of Yoga At Work

One of the numerous advantages of Yoga is cultivating an awareness of the consequences of stress in our routine lives and the expertise with which we can easily manage them. These advantages naturally spread from an individual participant to the work environment. Also, practicing yoga on a regular basis is known to bring enhanced health and increased energy, productivity, and well-being.
Different from other types of exercise routines, yoga is low impact, it increases strength and flexibility, builds concentration, as well as decreases physical and mental tension and stress. In addition, yoga is recognized to generate energy and eradicate fatigue, all of which results in increased morale and productivity. Yoga exercises are easy and can be adjusted according to different abilities and skill levels- which sounds good for an office environment!
Yoga can have a positive influence on one’s ability to gain confidence, build concentration, and reduce stress. All of these result in a more harmonious and productive work environment. But that’s not it, offering yoga sessions at the workplace can also significantly decrease the operating costs.

Conducting yoga sessions at work is an innovative and low-cost solution for companies who want to decrease healthcare expenses, reduce workplace stress, and encourage employee well-being.

You May Try: Desk Yoga Poses To Relieve Stress At Work

5. Start Employee Health Screenings

Planning corporate health checks for employees can be a significant initiative to build your wellness program at the workplace more engaging. It will also encourage your workforce not to seek time before or after office hours for health check purposes. Additionally, you will have knowledge about which health issues are common among your workforce which enables you to tweak your corporate wellness program and make it more personalized according to your workforce requirements. Wellness programs that are personalized have a greater probability of influencing the well-being of employees in a positive manner.

6. Set-Up Step Challenges

With many of us living such hectic lives, even a primary task like, walking can become challenging to make time for. There can be plenty of excuses like driving a car is comparatively quicker, taking life is comfortable. Moreover, after a long working day, most of us feel like settling in our bed in front of our television screens. This growing sedentary lifestyle influences not only our well-being but also the environment at work. An office that is unhealthy is often low in energy, professionalism, positivity, and quality. To make sure you don’t fall into this, you need to make certain that your workforce keeps moving!

A Pedometer Challenge

Walking is one of the most effective exercises one can perform. A pedometer challenge can help you and your workforce enjoy the benefits of modern technology and put it to work while helping you achieve positive well-being goals. A pedometer challenge is an exciting well-being initiative that can motivate your employees to get moving towards a healthier and happier lifestyle. With the use of smartphone apps, your workforce can now easily track their steps every day and reach their progressive goals.

Executing a pedometer challenge in your office is an excellent way to see positive changes in your workforce. All in all, a pedometer challenge is a sure success if implemented and followed correctly. It is sure to pay off on interpersonal, individual, and corporate levels.

If you would like to implement a comprehensive and successful workplace wellness program at your organization, click hereto contact us or email us at info@truworthwellness.com