By Katie Morell
You're a busy small-business owner. You have sales to close, employees to hire, leases to negotiate and meetings to attend. Why should you care about office wellness?
In your former corporate job, the institutionalized office-wellness program included snooze-inducing monthly seminars on healthy eating that hardly anyone attended, an in-office gym that went largely unused and Biggest Loser-like contests that only the administrative assistants participated in.
Not only are you too busy for this, you don't have the money to dedicate to such formulaic programs.
Think again.
"Office wellness is incredibly important," says Luci Gabel, founder of LuciFit. "It brings higher morale and value-add to staff. [That] brings loyalty and, ultimately, will increase your profits." LuciFit is a healthy-lifestyle company based in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
Here's the good news: Your wellness initiative doesn't have to be anything like the company programs you remember. Instead, it can be a relaxed program that transforms a sedentary, pizza-loving office culture into one that's more focused on health-without shoving initiatives down the throats of employees.
Here's how to do it.
1. Schedule an all-company meeting
Before committing to a wellness program, gauge your employees' interest during an office-wide meeting. Survey them, and try to solicit honest answers about what types of programs they would like to participate in.
"There are lots of things you can do, but if your employees won't participate, it will be a waste of your time and money," Gabel says.
2. Assign a team leader
Crystal L. Kendrick, founder of The Voice of Your Customer, a Cincinnati marketing firm, started a wellness program in early 2011. After the company's initial meeting, she assigned someone to spearhead the project.
"Especially if you are busy, it's important to have a cheerleader to keep the project moving," she says.
3. Get creative
Sit down with your survey results and team leader and brainstorm ideas. Wellness programs are not one-size-fits-all. Consider your company culture in your planning process.
About a year ago, Liz Jones-Dilworth found herself deep in this process. She knew her employees wouldn't go for contests or seminars, so she decided to offer $500 for full-timers and $250 for part-timers (per year) to use on any wellness initiative they liked.
"I didn't want to discriminate anyone or make anyone feel like they had to do something," she says. "Our plan addresses mental, physical and financial health."
When employees are hired at Jones-Dilworth, a public-relations firm in Austin, Texas, they are given a packet of information. Part of it explains that the per-employee wellness-program allowance can be allocated according to employee's wishes. It can cover such things as sessions with a personal trainer, financial-planner meetings, alcohol- or drug-abuse counseling or stress-management classes.
Jones-Dilworth says her employees love the "choose your own adventure" setup and it helps the company save on programs employees wouldn't use anyway.
Kendrick's wellness program is even looser. The five-person staff decided to participate together in the wellness program. It features "meatless Mondays" and bring-your-lunch to work Thursdays. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, the team chooses healthy restaurants to eat lunch in, a change from past habits.
"Our office is in an urban environment. We used to just go to any restaurant we wanted to for lunch," she says. "Now we really think about where we will eat and try to pick healthier options."
The year-old initiative seems to be working. Kendrick says employees encourage each other to make more nutritious choices. Snacks in the office have changed from candy to fruit. And employee family members are touting the effects of the program.
"I have husbands tell me their wives (my employees) are more health conscious. It's a great by-product," she says.
If your company wants a seminar-style program but can't afford it, Gabel suggests calling up local gyms and seeing if they'll offer freebies. A lot of personal trainers will do free workshops or sample fitness sessions if they can pitch services to your staff.
Or, ask for a group discount at your local gym. If the price is steep, ask your employees to pitch in a small amount and then cover the rest.
Step 4: Commit to a new company culture
Just like a personal diet program, an office-wellness program is only effective if everyone sticks to it, including management.
"You need to create a culture that supports the program," says Gabel. "Make sure that you are participating, too. It will set the example for your staff.
"And don't just run with it. Check back with your employees for constant feedback and be willing to tweak the program over time."
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