Corporate Wellness Blog

Can a small business support workplace wellness? Most certainly! In fact, in some ways it is easier to create a healthy workplace in a small business than in a sizable business.

Limited resources, especially in small organizations, can prevent a business from setting up a Company Health Promotion Program. Reasons can include:

• lack of budget resources;
• lack of employee;
• lack of senior-level support;
• sparse knowledge of the wellness concept and;
• problem about making wellness available to all staff members.

According to the Wellness Councils of America, some small company owners may have a flawed idea of what is involved in running a Corporate Health Promotion Program. Some employers aren’t sure a program would truly work and others feel that trying to change personal lifestyle behaviours is intruding and “none of their business”.  Maybe they don’t know that it need not be costly and that they don’t need special employee. They may not be aware that some employee would like to see some healthy changes and would help make things happen in their workplace.

It Can Be Done

Many small companies have found ways to have a Corporate Wellness Program that works for them. They keep the expense and effort to a minimum and still have results that are beneficial for everyone. In 2006, Graham Lowe wrote a report on the best places to work in Calgary. He said that healthy workplaces frequently have a “positive workplace culture”.  In a workplace with a beneficial culture, individuals feel appreciated, valued, and trusted.

Dr. Lowe says it is easier for a small workplace to have a beneficial workplace culture than for a sizable workplace. Many employees prefer to work for a small employer, he says, because it supplies more opportunities to work closely with others and cultivate a sense of community.

In his report, Dr. Lowe says the most efficacious businesses with fewer than 100 workers have:

• excellent employee benefits;
• policies that reward a balance between work and personal life;
• flexible schedules;
• competitive salaries;
• excellent leadership with an emphasis on teamwork;
• environmentally responsible organization policies;
• procedures for seeking employee input; and
• a focus on placing employees’ personal wellness ahead of the personal gain of Senior Management.

All or most of these elements are also components of a strong Worksite Wellness Program.

Tips and Ideas

There are various ways to include health and wellness in a small organization. You don’t necessarily need a wellness professional or a fancy health club. What you do need is backing from management and a Company Wellness Program Committee of a few committed people. Here are some ideas that your workplace can consider.

Communications and Promotion

• Send out a regular “wellness” newsletter on paper or web-based. Or send out a brief message such as the weekly Healthy U Hot Tip.
• Use promotions that are already designed, such as Healthy Workplace Week.

Active Living and Healthy Eating

• Urge employee to sign up for the Stairway to Health stair climbing competition.
• Have pedometers for workers and track their steps.
• Rent a nearby school or community fitness center and offer physical activity classes.
• Hire a local fitness instructor to teach classes or lead stretch breaks. Expenses can be shared with employees.
• Install secure bicycle parking.
• Offer healthy alternatives at company meetings and lunches.

Policy and Corporation Programs

• Enlist an ergonomics professional to evaluate workstations.
• Foster policies to support work-life balance (for example, mandatory vacations, flextime, limits to work and e-mail on personal time).
• Offer a wellness subsidy for a variety of health and leadership activities and courses.
• Provide monetary incentives to be healthy.
• Offer wellness incentives/rewards as rewards and recognition for a job well done.
• Conduct an business health audit.
• Become a partner with the neighborhood (for example, daycare, gyms, festivals, parks, restaurants).
• Spread the workload. Set up a Workplace Wellness Program Committee.

Small companies may not have an abundance of time, money, or human resources available for a Employee Wellness Program. But they frequently have a huge advantage over sizable companies-a beneficial workplace culture. That is a great foundation for a Employee Wellness Program. When workers are satisfied, enjoy their work environment, they are more beneficial, and tend to be healthier.  With a bit of creativity and passion, small companies can advance thriving Employee Wellness Programs. Get support from senior staff, form a Employee Wellness Program Committee of two or more and discover the possibilities!