Hi there, A Advisor,
I work for a company in the public health sector. I enjoy where I work, but I wish our company would offer more opportunity to practice what we preach: we promote a health-conscious lifestyle for our clients, why can’t we encourage the same lifestyle for our employees? What are some ways that I can advise our company to make employee health and wellness a priority?
Thanks!
Run Around Sue
Dear RUS,
A healthy lifestyle can be a significant aspect in employee happiness. In your case, incorporating health and wellness into your working life is a fantastic way to align your brand with your corporate culture. Here are three tips to promote health and wellness in your organization:
- Set Goals. For many employees, health and wellness entails making positive changes in their lifestyle. Encourage employees to set goals for their health, fitness, or personal growth and recognize them for meeting those goals.
- Define Values. If living a healthy lifestyle is not already part of your corporate culture, incorporate it into the set of values that your company looks for and promotes in its employees. If you make health and wellness one of your clearly defined corporate values, then employees are provided with a platform to support initiatives in line with your values.
- Reward Participation. Hosting collective health and wellness activities offers a perfect opportunity to build community around your new initiative. Hold contests, events, or ceremonies to promote and celebrate health and wellness.
These tips can be adapted for many different initiatives. These three elements—goals, values, and participation—can be leveraged to promote environmental, charitable, or community activities, just to name a few. The real value in these initiatives lies in assuring employees that their employers care about their physical, emotional, and professional well-being.
Good luck with your new initiative!
The A Advisor7