In the war for talent, companies have to compete for the best workers. While salary is important, prospective applicants also consider other benefits. With wellness programs, you can stand out to prospective recruits and show current workers your appreciation. Plus, wellness programs can often be integrated into your organization for a minimal cost.

Do You Offer a Wellness Program?

Recently, Asure completed the 2024 HR Benchmark Report, which included a survey of over 1,000 small businesses. During the study, we asked about eight different HR topics. We devoted five questions to each of the topics. 

As a part of the benefits section, we asked small businesses if they offered wellness programs. We found that the difference between fast-growth companies and zero-growth companies was larger than any other question in the entire survey. 

• 74% of fast-growth businesses offer wellness programs to their employees. 
• 35% of zero-growth organizations give their workers wellness programs.

Wellness programs can help employees have healthy lifestyles, which may reduce insurance costs and decrease how often workers call in sick. Ultimately, healthy employees tend to be productive employees. This may be the reason why wellness programs and fast-growth companies are so closely correlated.

What Counts as a Wellness Program? 

Once you’ve made the decision to start a wellness program, the next step is figuring out what you want your wellness program to consist of. While many different benefits are called wellness programs, they don’t always have the same efficacy level. As you research what you want to offer, consider the following ideas. 

Bring in an Elder Attorney

Many workers are taking care of their elderly parents. Often, there are local organizations devoted to elder care and elder rights that will talk to your workers for free. An elder attorney can help your employees plan how to care for their parents and address common legal concerns.

Help With Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation programs are an excellent way to improve your employees’ health. These programs can also reduce the amount you spend on health insurance. Because smoking increases the odds of respiratory illnesses and chronic diseases, smoking cessation programs can decrease the number of sick days the average employee needs.

Provide Fruit in the Breakroom

If you’re looking for an easy way to encourage wellness, try adding fruit in the breakroom. It’s a simple, low-cost way to show employee appreciation and encourage a culture of wellness.

Offer Fitness Apps and Devices

You can encourage good health by offering fitness apps, pedometers, wearables, and gym memberships to your employees. If you want to offer wellness programs without straining your budget, many gyms and fitness companies will offer corporate discounts that you can pass on to your workers. You can also incentivize wellness by giving employees prizes, like fitness trackers, when they reach certain goals. 

Host Cooking and Fitness Classes 

To create a culture around wellness and healthy living, consider bringing in a chef for a lunchtime cooking class. You can also consider offering fitness classes at your company or finding special deals for your workers on group fitness classes.

Consider Financial Wellness

Many financial advisors will come to talk to your workers so that they can potentially gain new clients. If you’re trying to run a wellness program on a limited budget, this is a good option.

Incentivize Screenings

To help workers stay in good health, offer incentives when they complete preventative screenings. For example, you could provide gift cards to a fitness, diet, or exercise company whenever someone completes their annual screenings. 

The Benefits of Offering a Wellness Program

As an employer, there are a number of advantages of employee wellness programs that make it worthwhile to include them in your benefits mix.

• Better retention
• Lower stress levels
• Better employee engagement 
• Improved employee recruitment
• Lower health insurance premiums
• Higher worker productivity 
• Happier, more satisfied workers 
• Less absenteeism
• Higher morale 

How to Integrate Wellness Programs Into Your Small Business 

You don’t have to adopt a bunch of new programs overnight. Instead, gradually assess your workers’ needs and implement the new initiatives. As you figure out which wellness options are the most effective, you can reconfigure and expand your wellness offerings. 

To start integrating wellness programs into your business, use the following tips.

Look for Free Options

Before you invest heavily in wellness programs, look for free options. Many people and groups will give talks at your organization for free. In addition, many fitness centers, meal kits, and other healthy living companies will give you discount codes and prompts to pass on without your company having to spend anything for them. 

Assess Workers’ Needs 

Before doing any kind of wellness program, figure out what your workers need and want. If your workers aren’t interested in a yoga class or smoking cessation options, spending time and money on offering them is a waste of time. Try talking to your workers or conducting a survey to see what they like. 

Integrate It Into Your Workplace 

Instead of simply offering apps or fitness discounts, try integrating healthy living into the day-to-day lives of your workers. For example, some workplaces offer fruit on the table or weekly weigh-ins for health-conscious employees. You can find a good example of this type of integration at Johnson & Johnson. Beyond building fitness centers, Johnson & Johnson offers lunchtime wellness classes as well. 

Lead by Example 

Your executives set the tone for the entire organization. For example, employees may be less likely to take paid leave if executives boast about never having a day off. To get workers to use wellness programs, executives and management team members must lead by example.

Give Wellness Gear 

Incentives can encourage employees to participate in wellness programs. You can reinforce your wellness message by making sure these rewards are connected to physical fitness and health. For instance, you could reward participants with pedometers, free cooking classes, meal kits, or wearable fitness trackers.

Consider Mental Wellness Apps

Mental wellness apps, like Calm and Headspace, are easy ways to offer well-being programs in your workplace. Often, these programs will give discounts to corporations, so you may be able to offer them at a reduced cost.

Review the Success of the Wellness Program 

On a regular basis, you should review how successful your wellness program is. The metrics you track will depend on the program. You may want to monitor the number of participants, the number of hours spent exercising, how many smokers are in your workplace, or the average reduction in sick days. 

Tracking key metrics is important because it helps you determine the success of each program. Then, you can make changes or try out different wellness programs as needed.

Find Out More About Incorporating Wellness Programs Into Your Small Business

Whether you want to reduce your healthcare costs or improve your workplace culture, wellness programs can help. Many of these programs are available for a minimal cost, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get them started. 

If you’re interested in learning more about incorporating wellness programs into your workplace, we can help. Reach out to our small business HR and payroll experts today to learn more.