A study coming out of Eastern Kentucky University found that U.S. industry loses around $300 billion a year to lost productivity, recruitment and extra healthcare costs. However, founders can lower those costs with the implementation of certain fitness initiatives. Here are five outcome-based wellness programs that Detroit-based small business owners can institute to help keep their employees as healthy as possible.
Off-site wellness adventures
This Mashable article details an atypical, but effective wellness program utilized by online shoe retailer Zappos. It involves a wellness coordinator gathering a group of team members together and taking them off-site for unconventional physical activities, such as laser tag sessions or indoor rock climbing. Not only will these adventures get your team some much needed-exercise, but it will also allow them to do so in a way that doesn’t feel like work.
Daily stretch breaks
According to a recent survey, 86 percent of the American workforce spends the majority of their day sitting. Unfortunately, excessive sitting can raise a person’s risk factor for contracting serious illnesses like heart disease, obesity and colon cancer. To address this problem, you should make sure all of your workers get up from their desks stretch out and walk around the office every few hours.
Healthy snacks
A 2015 study found that 50 percent of U.S. workers snack two to three times a day. That means a couple of those snack sessions happen at work where single serving size candies, chips and sugary sodas are typically available. As an employer, you can move your employees’ diets in a more healthful direction simply by making healthy snacks like granola, kale chips, nuts and bottled water available in the break room.
Free yoga sessions
The American Osteopathic Association notes that yoga practitioners enjoy increased cardiovascular health, optimized body mass and improved respiration. Since all of those things can have a positive effect on employee productivity, small business owners should do themselves a favor and offer to pay their teams to take yoga.
Weight loss programs
While some employees may jump at the chance to participate in a health improvement initiative, others will require a little push. For instance, some overweight workers probably want to be healthier, but they are unsure of the particular lifestyle changes they need to make in order to do so. In this instance, you might want to pay for your overweight staffers to join a weight management program. Making such financial investment is a win-win because it will improve your employees’ quality of life, while also helping them become more productive employees.
To learn more about affordable healthcare plans for your small business, visit Health Alliance Plan.
For more tips and inspiration for small business owners, visit Small Business Pulse Detroit.