Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, health and wellness have become a top priority for almost all employers. Today, companies are investing more in the health of their staff, and one of the most effective ways to ensure this is through a good wellness program.
Unlike assistance programs, wellness plans are excellent solutions for preventing illness and addressing health crises in the workplace. In addition, these programs offer employees a variety of measures, training and quality clinical care to keep everyone healthy.
However, how do you distinguish between quality and effectiveness, and are there criteria for choosing an appropriate program for your company? If you’re wondering about this, you’re in the right place! As Lewer Canada, the best life insurance brokerage in Quebec, we will provide you with some tips to help you recognize a good wellness program for your employees. Let’s get started!
How does a wellness program work?
Wellness programs are, in essence, comprehensive initiatives designed to promote employee health. They also serve to prevent illness, manage work-related stress and educate staff on healthy habits, diet, exercise, psychological care, etc.
For example, there are various wellness programs that include rewards, discounts at gyms or premiums for medical examinations. Some even include free chronic disease check-ups, therapies, regular consultations and nutritional plans. Fabulous, isn’t it?
Benefits for your employees
With rising health care costs, absenteeism due to various illnesses and the COVID-19 health crisis, many companies have taken matters into their own hands. Employers are now taking effective measures to ensure the biosecurity and health of their staff.
Also, hiring rates for wellness programs have risen in recent years, as companies are becoming more aware of the importance of workplace wellness. Therefore, let’s review some of the main advantages of these programs:
- They are a promising solution to promote collective health and morale.
- They offer education and tips for your employees to lead a healthier lifestyle.
- They reduce long-term costs, such as disability or economic losses due to decreased productivity.
- They encourage the creation of a healthy work environment.
- Help employees feel important and treated fairly.
How to choose a wellness program?
While there are different offers and abundant options on the market, hiring a wellness program for your company is not an easy task. In addition, the commitment of your employees, and the support of all levels of your company’s management, go a long way in making a smart choice.
For these reasons, if you are an employer, supervisor, director or chief executive, you must evaluate certain factors, such as feasibility and resources, but don’t worry! Lewer Canada’s professional consultants will help you with these recommendations, so that you know how to choose an appropriate wellness program for your company.
Let’s take a look at the following tips!
1. Preliminary assessment
Before you start looking for options, the first thing you should do is to assess the health status of your staff. To do this, you can hire company doctors or a team of insurance brokers to determine the main health problems of your staff.
The results obtained will provide you with a broader picture of the needs to be met. In this way, as an employer, you can assess what type of wellness program is right for your company, as well as measure long-term risks and investments.
A good place to start is with baseline surveys, which provide an overview of employees’ physical and mental health. Some more attentive employers send their employees for specific medical examinations, while others seek a more personalized approach to clinical care.
2. Pay attention to the components of a wellness program
A key point in choosing a good wellness program is to look at the elements included. Many corporate wellness plans cover a wide range of medical activities and initiatives, including the following:
- Periodic screening activities.
- Biometric and routine examinations.
- Personalized questionnaires.
- Educational seminars (either on reproductive health, nutrition, relaxation, stress management, etc.).
- Preventive trainings on diseases.
- Psychological therapies.
- Support groups for quitting alcohol, smoking or drugs.
- Free clinical consultations.
- Nutritional counseling.
- Modification of food or company menu.
- Gym memberships, etc.
These and other included activities should drive measurable changes in the health of your staff, in addition to solving and preventing various medical problems. Therefore, it is crucial that you carefully compare what each wellness program offers, depending on your company’s needs.
3. Available resources
Another important aspect for contracting a wellness program is the investment and supply of resources. Not all corporate wellness plans include the required supplies. In fact, in most cases, companies will have to invest in them.
For such reasons, both management and staff must be committed to procure all the necessary resources, from scales, pedometers, weights, nutritious food, educational materials, exercise machines, etc. Only then will your company be successful in implementing these measures and investing (to a greater or lesser extent) in the resources determined by the program.
4. Scientific and consistent reporting
Any good employee wellness program must provide measurable and scientifically based results. Therefore, the providers your company hires should provide you with monthly or weekly reports, so that you know whether the program is working or not.
Don’t get carried away by cheap marketing, as many offers are misleading. The most accurate studies are based on medical and professional analysis. In this way, you can keep a clear record of the status of your employees, as well as the effectiveness of the providers, to promote wellness in your staff.
5. Assertive Communication and Assurances
Providers of a wellness program must know how to manage your employees, so that they are involved in all activities. Also, whether through incentives or corporate programs, providers must execute assertive health promotion strategies to engage your staff.
On the other hand, every wellness program provider is obligated to provide you with a contractual guarantee of return on investment. If the program does not pay off in improving the health of your staff within a certain period of time, the provider must return part or all of your fees.
6. State-of-the-art medical technology
An important sign when hiring a wellness program provider is the use of current technologies. In this sense, the company you hire should have all the current medical instruments and state-of-the-art clinical equipment, so that your employees receive the best care.
Likewise, a good provider should employ functional applications, such as secure databases, to measure your employees’ progress. Of course, human care comes before technology, but this aspect is just as important in modern health promotion programs.
Find the best wellness programs for your company at Lewer Canada
Now that you know 6 useful tips, to recognize a good wellness program for your company, what are you waiting for to apply this information? Workplace wellness programs are successful when:
- They promote significant improvement in employee health.
- They reduce medical costs and increase labor productivity, generating a positive return on investment.
So, remember, if the program does not meet these objectives, then look for other alternatives. In addition, it is essential that everyone in your company collaborate to achieve this end, from enlisting the support of management and the active participation of employees.
So, if you want to ensure the health of your entire staff, we can help! At Lewer Canada, we offer you the most popular and effective corporate wellness programs. With us, your employees will be able to improve their physical and mental health, saving you costs in the long run.
We guarantee you positive and innovative results, focused on the well-being of your staff!
But that’s not all! Our prestigious company offers you different collective benefit packages and programs to benefit your employees and protect your investments. Our coverages are the right solutions to support your staff and their families.
In addition, we provide you with comprehensive administrative and life insurance advisory services. Our highly qualified staff is ready to listen and attend to your problems. Therefore, our goal is to empower your company and satisfy your needs.
As if that were not enough, we have more than 60 years of experience and dozens of satisfied clients, from small to large companies. You can visit our office on Saint-Martin Blvd West, suite 410, Laval. You can also inform yourself and learn more on our blog. For more information about us and our services, contact us by clicking on the image below! We are Lewer Canada, the solution for the benefit of your employees.