Learn Five Valuable Ways to Improve Employee Health

Finding Ways to Improve Employee Health Can Reap Big Dividends For Your Company’s Workforce – And Bottom Line

If you’re looking for ways to improve employee health, you don’t need to look very far. No matter what your Colorado company does or the size of your workforce, you can take simple, inexpensive, and practical steps that will pay huge dividends in terms of your employees’ well-being, job satisfaction, and productivity.

So much of healthcare focuses on what to do when things go wrong. But when it comes to workforce wellness, that is like trying to board a train that has already left the station. You want to do all that you can to minimize illnesses and injuries in the first place before they cost you and your workers sick days that, in turn, will cost your company thousands of dollars in lost opportunities.

And in these uncertain times, with a still raging pandemic, keeping your employees healthy is more important now than ever before.

Here are five simple and cost-effective ways to improve employee health at your company:

1. Empower Them With Knowledge to Improve Employee Health

Knowledge is power. Provide your employees with actionable information they can use to keep themselves in good shape. Knowledge may include monthly lunch seminars about specific healthcare issues or the inclusion of informative articles in employee newsletters. Don’t get too technical and make sure the guidance involves diet, lifestyle, or other actions that your employees can take right now to improve their health.

2. Encourage Them to Use Preventative Health Services

Your Colorado company’s health insurer wants your employees to stay healthy just as much as you do. After all, fewer ailments mean fewer claims and fewer dollars out of their wallets to doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers. Measures that save money motivates insurance companies to cover a host of preventative health services and screenings. Make sure your employees know about the importance and availability of these resources and encourage them to go for regular check-ups, get flu shots and shingles vaccinations, and undergo recommended tests such as colonoscopies and mammograms.

3. Offer Incentive-Driven Wellness Programs

The prospect of lower healthcare costs and higher productivity provides an incentive for Colorado Springs area companies to do everything they can to promote their employees’ well-being. One way to do that is to, in turn, provide their employees with incentives for actively participating in those efforts.

An increasing number of businesses have wellness programs that offer employees perks, prizes, rewards, or other benefits if they have screenings, exercise, make lifestyle changes, and participate in other activities or programs designed to prevent illness and chronic health conditions. Many Colorado companies are beginning to take part in national Ride Your Bike to work days to encourage employees to get fit on their commute.

4. On-Site Fitness Classes

Not every company has the money or space for an on-site gym or fitness facility (though if you do, it’s a terrific investment in your employees’ health). One cost-effective and easy way to bring exercise and fitness directly to your workforce is to host classes at your workplace.

You can turn an empty conference room, an open space outside your building, or a common area in your office complex into a temporary yoga studio or aerobics class. Hire a fitness instructor or personal trainer to conduct sessions before or after the workday or during the lunch hour.

Also, consider helping cover the cost of employees’ gym memberships. Many Colorado Springs companies are starting to offer gym membership reimbursements to their employees as an extra incentive to get them active, especially in such a desk driven world.

5. Stock a Healthy Lunchroom or Cafeteria

Along with exercise, diet proves to be one of the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle. Don’t encourage bad eating habits by stocking vending machines with sugary sodas and salty snacks full of empty calories. Similarly, if your company operates a cafeteria or brings in food, make sure that you focus on nutritious offerings full of fruits and vegetables.

Looking For Ways to Improve Employee Health? Let Preferred Insurance Help

We know these are unsettling and uncertain times. Having a trusted partner in your company when it comes to the health of your workforce is critical. Preferred Insurance, an experienced Colorado Springs business health insurance broker, works closely with companies of all sizes to develop and implement health insurance programs that make sense and make wellness a priority. Our knowledgeable and accessible representatives are here to answer your questions and provide solutions that can keep you and your workforce safe and healthy. We are a locally owned and operated group health insurance broker that offers free quotes in less than 48 hours.

Call Preferred Insurance today to schedule a free consultation about your small business health insurance needs.