December 12, 2008

The Wellness Committee: New Ideas for a Healthy Bottom Line

Guest Blog by WAVE Staff Member Monica LeClair

Across the nation, companies are finding ways to fight the rise of corporate healthcare costs. Many have added a Wellness Committee to promote healthy habits in fitness, nutrition and even mental wellness. As a company who has already started seeing the benefits of having a Wellness Committee, we recommend exploring the options.

The first step is to appoint the members of the committee. Find members of your staff who are good role models for living a healthy lifestyle, and who are willing to volunteer their time to this cause.

Secondly, the committee is responsible for developing and implementing a wellness plan for all of the company’s employees. Our Wellness Committee has come up with a variety of ways to encourage employees to live a healthier lifestyle, including:

A weekly email with tips for exercise, nutrition and emotional wellness
Voluntary activities, such as group walks, yoga sessions and meditation
Recommendations for small steps to wellness (i.e., taking the stairs instead of the elevator)
A local restaurant menu book, with healthy options highlighted
Guest speakers at staff meetings on topics such as massage therapy and financial wellness

It’s also important to track the success of your program. This will help you to determine how much you’ve improved from the beginning, as well as what steps you can take to improve the program as you move forward. It may even be helpful to do a company-wide survey on a regular basis to find out what changes and recommendations employees have.

What can you do in your workplace to encourage healthy lifestyles? Consider a Wellness Committee on your company’s journey to wellness. Not only will you help to improve the lives of your employees, you’ll improve your bottom line through reduced healthcare costs. We’d love to hear about your company’s Wellness Committee! Feel free to post your ideas below.

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