Category — Workplace Wellness

A listing of potential wellness topics and ideas not previously mentioned follows. Take some time to “think tank and brainstorm” new ideas with your own internal worker Wellness Committee.

Nutrition Category

• Low-fat campaign/food groups

• Team salad bars

• Vending machine changes

• Diet analysis by a nutritionist

• Produce on parade

• Consuming disorder support group

• Restaurant education

Physical Activity/Exercise Category

• “Elevoiders” - stair climbing

• Poker walk

• Mall walking program

• Facilities - showers, bicycle lockers, exercise space, etc.

• Team treks

• Walk-a-block trails

• Recreational tournaments

• How-to-select equipment talks

• Running maps

• Biking maps

• Deskercises (mini stretches for desk jockeys)

• Fit-over-forty club

• Tennis shoe Tuesday

• Walk 100 miles in 100 days

• Walking “buddies”

• NW Trek!

Miscellaneous Category

• House calls

• Meet your benefits providers

• Dental health

• Fire safety

• Ergonomic assessments

• Self-help learning

• CPR/first aid course

• Hearing test

• Hand washing campaign

• Cancer screenings

• Back class

• Passports to health

• Vision screenings

Stress Management Category

• Comedy hour

• Stress Pest

• Humor newsletter

• Money management seminars

• Time management seminars

• Relaxation class

• Better sleep campaign

• Relaxation room

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of employee safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other HR (HR), employee motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which could  be coordinated together.

• Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains -  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. A lot of health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on -

• Warm up stretches before beginning work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Give training to work groups so they could begin a stretching program. These groups can then continue their own.

• the wellness committee may consider contracting a fitness professional to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for staff member groups throughout the year.

• Offer body mechanics training each year or more frequently if possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, as well as feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

• Partner with your corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which can help employees work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

• Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Be sure to encourage employees to report safety and/or injury concerns. Be sure to help management to establish policy to recognize and reward employees who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

• A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

• Partner with management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

• the ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

• Offer ergonomic training opportunities to interested staff members volunteers. These person can then assist other staff members to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

• It’s often more effective to have an observer evaluate workers for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it’s for person to assess themselves.

• One suggestion is to have workers remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

• Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make large comfort changes.

• Partner with the company’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to provide staff member training.

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a strategy commonly used to create interest and participation. Nevertheless, be aware that offering holiday activities in the workplace can create issues.

Your workplace might have policies and guidelines already in place about issues such as appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Be certain to check with management regarding all guidelines and policies.

Don’t forget to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It’s typically safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that aren’t specific to one culture, as others may feel left out.

In truth, acknowledging diverse holidays, if done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups.

Several topical ideas for holiday themes include -

• Wellness committee members distribute “healthful heart valentines” to each employee for Valentine’s Day.

• Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Workers who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a free turkey (can be purchased at the local supermarket or donated).

• Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up worksite introductory tai chi class offering.

• Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Members of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions.

Each individuals can say several words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food doesn’t have to be low fat or in particular healthy, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain may be a large health challenge. This wellness activity is fun, low-key, and assists staff members monitor their weight during the holiday season.

• Participants weigh-in with a “trusted” confident before Thanksgiving. the weigh-ins may  be conducted on the honor system, but weight should be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You may invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.

• Employees set a personal goal of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

• Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.

• Provide weekly weight control hints. These should be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or provided in  flyer form.

• Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthy recipe choices.

• Remind staff members of the necessity to continue physical activity during the busy holiday season.

• Weigh everybody the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.

• Employees who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.

• Staff Members who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. Many of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which may either be downloaded for free or purchased inexpensively.

Monthly health themes, week Iong events, and nationally recognized days of the year are also good ways to have fun while participating in larger events. Health observances are tied to almost every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider -

• National observances present opportunities to work with other community agencies and organizations to coordinate larger events and celebrations.

• A wellness message is more likely to stick with individuals  if the information is presented at work, in local grocery stores, and on television.

• National Employee Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to begin.

• A word of advice -  do not go overboard in attempting to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Select one to three events per year and stick with these.

Develop and promote events well ensuring that employees will come to expect and anticipate these programs each year. It’s best to do several wellnesss well than many promotions poorly.

Many staff members enjoy team related activities. These activities normally take place on an employee’s time away from work and participation is totally voluntary in nature.

Even though the sports team is not part of an employee’s regular work duties, when the team or activity is associated with the company, the company could be held liable in the event of an employee injury.

If the activity brings with it a risk of injury, it’s necessary to address the possible risk and liability issues with the correct corporation department. Additionally consult with your corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier and/or legal counsel.

• Organize summer softball or volleyball teams, a winter ski outing, fall and winter smoke free bowling teams, a spring golf tournament, summer walks, etc.

• Provide  brochures and catalogs from area Parks and Recreation departments and county park organizations so staff can take benefit of community leagues, trips and offerings.

• Invite an official from one of the above organizations to speak at a company brown bag event, or invite an area Parks and Recreation instructor to provide a demonstration of a new class offering.

Family Friendly Activities

Periodically offer activities which could be taken home and shared with the entire family. Ideas for these include -

• Television Free Week (usually in April) -  Create a chart for the children to use to record their TV-free participation.

• Offer a certificate to anybody who is TV-free for a week.

• If possible, offer several prizes (but not video rental certificates, video games or other TV-related items) for related categories, like less than 5 hours of TV, no video games for a week, etc.

Stress Management

A lot of simple wellness activities and practices can help employees understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It’s necessary to help employees understand simple stress management strategies for reducing stress levels.

• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for staff member use during a scheduled break time. Consider providing relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.

• Offer a stress management brown bag event at which staff members can try different types stress management tools.

• Make sure to encourage employees to take 10-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.

• Provide a comfortable worker break area.

• Designate a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, when possible.

• Make certain to work with Management to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the workplace. Supervisors are often the first step in helping staff members find different ways of managing work related stressors.

• Contact the Staff Member Assistance Provider (EAP) for a selection of stress management information and self-assessments.

• Offer stress management self-assessments to interested employees. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and well-being. Every wellness program should incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health issues.

Mental health topics may be sensitive areas for workers. Accordingly, it’s important to provide information in a selection of ways, worksite presentations being just one possibility.

For  instance, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to provide useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include -

• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will ensure potential participants won’t be put off by the name.

For example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent Univ.” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.

• Make sure to allot enough time when hosting EAP/mental health seminars for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions.

Always remind participants that individual help is available through the EAP and through their health benefits. Give written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.

• the Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) is an excellent partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. the employee assistance program (EAP) can help find ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related issues.

Tobacco use Cessation

Smoking cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Smoking is often a challenging habit to overcome. Corporate wellness activities to support “smoke-free” living include -

• Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There is also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.

• Reward person who have successfully quit smoking for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some type of incentive gift.

• Offer “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Great American Smokeout.

• Start a “quitting or thinking about it” support group to assist and encourage person attempting to stop use of tobacco.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

When a substance abuse policy isn’t in place in your workplace, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Wellness Committee member be included in the policy development process.

When such a policy is already in place make sure Wellness Committee members are aware of the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind staff members of wellness resources and programs available.

• Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a business building and/or publicize community meetings.

• Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and be certain food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.

• Provide easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the community. Put this information in an area where it can be viewed without embarrassment.

• When conducting wellness programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight management, nutrition, physical fitness, smoking, and accident prevention.

• Issues like co-dependence and the difficulty of helping a substance abuser can also be addressed. Offer this information as part of the wellness program by providing informational materials, brown bag sessions, employee assistance program information, etc.

• the Staff Member Assistance Program provider is an great resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or worker assistance.

• Other addictions, like problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., may be problematic and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Offer information, video review, or staff member assistance sessions addressing these topics.

• A Wellness Committee member may gain personal information regarding an employee problem. Don’t forget to keep all employee information totally confidential.

Interest in increasing exercise ranks almost as high as weight control in staff member interest and need. Ideas for increasing staff member awareness and participation in physical activities follow -

• Fitness classes in the worksite -  On-Site exercise could be much more convenient for workers. Notwithstanding, onsite classes require logistical planning and coordination with attention to details.

Onsite courses are ordinarily more feasible for larger employers. as part of the steps in planning and assessment, speak with other wellness programs offering worksite classes. Ask what their experience has been like.

Talk to potential providers in the area as well. Find out what it would take to offer an on-site fitness class. YMCA’s, fitness clubs, and community recreation programs are good resources for this kind of discussion.

It is also feasible to offer a “mini” introductory worksite class series. A mini series might consist of an introduction to a new physical activity area. Employees are then expected to make the transition to home or community based programs.

• Nerf Olympics -  Nerf games are fun (and entertaining) activities that encourage movement, flexibility, stress reduction, and typically are a good laugh. When planning such an activity consider setting up a “challenge” stations with various activities.

Ideas for activities include hula hoop contests, Nerf basketball free throws, Nerf football tosses, Frisbee “golf”, jump rope, etc. the Wellness Team will lay out the course.

Each participant goes through the stations and gets a “gold” medal (you can purchase these at party stores and toy stores inexpensively) for completing all of the stations (no matter how badly they perform).

Start each participant at intervals allowing for smooth running, but expect high difficulty stations to be backed up. This delay can add to the fun and creates a “keystone cops” scenario.

Nerf Olympics is a good activity to do with an audience, so encourage cheering colleagues.

• Offer incentives to staff members who engage in aerobic exercise like walking, running and biking on their own time (see goal establishing program, offer points toward prizes, etc.).

• Distribute maps of walking/jogging trails located near the workplace. Mark distances in steps and miles. Make certain to encourage staff members to walk during lunch and/or break times.

Post a steps gathered map on a workplace wall where staff members can log their steps or miles. Check with CIS Healthy Benefits representative regarding pedometers and exercise kits.

• Be certain to encourage joggers, walkers, and those who enjoying other forms of exercise to form exercise groups to meet before work, at lunch, or after work.

• Promote the use of stairs in lieu of elevators. Place bulletin boards, art contests, etc., in stairwells.

• Sponsor “Bike-to-Work” or Walk-to-Be certain to work week.

• Schedule five-minute desk stretching at the worksite. This can relieve repetitive motion problems as well as eye and back strain.

• Sponsor a personal challenge activity such as “Climb a Mountain” or “Swim a Sea”. This is an honor system program in which participating workers are awarded minutes, steps, or miles credit for cardiovascular exercise (swimming, walking, running, skiing, bicycling, stair stepping, aerobics, etc.).

The object of this type of challenge is to accumulate the equivalent mileage it would take to reach the top of a famous mountain, span a body of water (swim the Columbia River), or reach a distant city/county.

Attempt personalizing the challenge as much as possible to individual interests and/or area geographical matches close to the workplace.

• Collect a variety of exercise video or DVD tapes. Staff Members can either take a look at a tape for home use, or offer a group activity video class.

• When it isn’t possible for staff to leave the building to exercise or workout at lunch, attempt establishing an in-house aerobic walking track for employee use in an unused part of the worksite for lunch, break or after hours use.

An example of how this issue may  be solved is the use of stationary bikes and other small exercise equipment provided for staff by some 911 call centers.

• Sponsor a “Personal Best” Challenge”. Workers run, walk, bicycle, etc. their own personal best time. Repeat the personal best challenge each quarter to six months. Each time an staff member improves, offer recognition and an appropriate award.

Also, recognize those employees who maintain their personal best in the same way. Make sure to encourage non-participating employees to get involved.

Assist these individuals in choosing  an activity that is comfortable and of interest for them, and one in which they can succeed and progress.

• When you offer an introductory or other on-site exercise class or activity, make sure the instructor can relate to the audience, and the audience can relate to the instructor.

Have a Wellness Committee member attend a current class by the selected instructor class before the instructor conducting a class at worksite. Also, consider the employees who may  be potentially attending the class.

Sometimes bigger and/or older exercise instructors are often better accepted by audiences who are similarly sized and aged.

• Sponsor a themed “virtual” trek. Calculate the mileage for the proposed “trip” ahead of time. Make sure that the distance is appropriate for the number of expected participants and time for the event (six to eight weeks) works well.

For longer events, small teams can accumulate their mileage for the trip. Establish a reporting network. Post a map to track the trip. Chart the progress with stick pins, a magic marker, or a highlighter.

Give a brief humorous fictional narrative of the trip, posting a new one each week. Include as many participants’ names as possible. Alternate posting humorous texts with health tips along the way. Give an incentive at the end of the trip.

Ideas for Physical Activity Themes -

• Swim the Mississippi to the Mardi gras.

• Take a tour to all Oregon counties.

• Take a tour of Oregon from Enterprise to Brookings.

• Run or walk around the world (25,000 miles).

• Tour de France (take all summer)

• Tour de France on a stationary bicycle (take all winter)

• Indianapolis 500

• Climb Mount Everest (stairs or stair climbers). Target Sir Edmund Hilary’s birthday or the anniversary of the first conquest as a completion date.

• Climb Mount Washington or Mt. Hood. Target President’s Day as a completion date.

• Climb any meaningful mountain and tie it to any remotely related event.

• Use time in exercise as a measurement for the contest rather than distance. This allows you to treat all forms of aerobic activity more equitably.

Workers usually enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Sponsor a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.

• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of staff members set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A nutritionist from the health department or local hospital or community serves as the judge.

Dishes and foods are assessed based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes could be created and distributed to the entire staff.

• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People  with cholesterol over 200 mg. are invited to voluntarily participate. the invitation needs to be extended to all workers as the Wellness Team won’t have (nor should have) access to individual health information.

Offer a selection of services to assist in decreasing cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers cholesterol management health programs for employees qualifying by cholesterol score.

If an employee gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, provide an incentive such as a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply information and reminders for continued cholesterol control.

• Label reading contest. Designate a particular food or food category. Workers must find the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the supermarket. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants.

Or, provide samples of healthier food choices based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthful choices. Display results of the contest in the worker break room or at an worker brown bag event.

Other Wellness Program Nutrition Suggestions -

• Provide freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.

• Sponsor a healthful food “bake-off” once a year.

• Provide sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.

• at meetings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.

• Serve free popcorn in the break area.

• Develop a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by employees.

• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Display an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if peers know what it is. Workers can put their name and the name of the item on an index card.

These may be used to conduct a prize drawing after the week from the cards with the correct answer. to add fun, encourage individuals  to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item.

Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and provide a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Make certain it can be eaten raw.

Unusual food items like star fruit are now readily available in grocery stores work well for this activity as many individuals  haven’t tried these types of produce.

Weight management is a major area of both employee interest and need. Body Mass Index  is the clinical measure that indicates whether people  are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese.    

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are measured during the worker biometric testing. A computer mathematical calculation provides the Body Mass Index (BMI) score.    

Ideas for worksite based weight management programs include -    

• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight control groups meet in your workplace or nearby. Offer such groups before/after work or at lunch. Staff Member attendance is generally better if workers can attend either wholly or partially on work time.

Break times could  be rolled into lunch break times to minimize staff member time away from work duties (with management approval). Workers ordinarily pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.

• If the wellness program offers incentives based on participation, award a completion gift when worker has attended a certain number of weight control sessions or activities.

• Supply information regarding community weight management groups.

• Incentives like cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards can be given to individuals who write a weight loss contract and meet their goal.

• Establish a workplace commitment to offer alternative healthy snacks at corporation-sponsored meetings. Healthful snacks like fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies provide demonstration as to the corporation’s commitment to health and staff member well being.