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First Steps to Health & Wellness for Small Businesses
How to Start Your Workplace Wellness Program
1. Make a commitment by expressing your support for workplace wellness to your employees
2. Designate a wellness leader &/or create a small wellness committee
3. Review & promote any existing worksite support or policy related to wellness
4. Seek employee opinions regarding how the company could help support a healthy lifestyle
5. Select one or more wellness activities to promote & deliver at the workplace
6. Encourage employee participation in wellness activities & be an active role model
7. Each month, ask employees for feedback on the use & effectiveness of the wellness activities
8. Each quarter, introduce additional wellness activities (see resource for additional information)
Examples of Free or Low-Cost Activities to Promote Workplace Wellness
Physical Activity
□ Incorporate flexible schedules to allow for physical activity or schedule periodic physical activity breaks
□ Encourage “walking meetings” instead of sitting at a desk or table
□ Provide secure areas to lock or store bicycles
□ Put up motivating signs near stairwells to encourage the use of stairs
□ Create team challenges using fitness apps or activity trackers
□ Create employee activity or recreation groups
□ Map out walking routes inside & around the workplace (include mileage/steps)
□ Contact local gyms for reduced-cost gym memberships or provide vouchers towards memberships
□ Give incentives or prizes for active transportation to & from work
□ Provide on-site recreation activities (Wii/Kinect, ping-pong, bocce ball, basketball hoop, etc.)
Nutrition
□ Provide access to clean drinking water throughout the workplace
□ Make gradual changes to add healthier options & nutritional information to vending machines
□ Increase the number of healthy food options provided at meetings
□ Provide access to a clean refrigerator, microwave, & prep-area
□ Encourage employees to bring a healthy lunch from home
□ Host healthy pot-lucks or “salad bowl” lunches & share recipes
□ Establish a fresh fruit & healthy snack bowl funded by employee donations
□ Host healthy cooking lessons or a healthy cook-off
□ Invite a registered dietitian for a lunch-n-learn session
□ Establish a community supported agriculture (CSA) drop-off point near the workplace
Tobacco Cessation
□ Promote the use of the state or local tobacco quitline at 800-QUIT-NOW
□ Encourage employees to support each other’s efforts to quit smoking
□ Establish written policies for a tobacco- & nicotine-free workplace
Stress Management
□ Maintain a clean work environment & remove unnecessary clutter
□ Offer a time management & personal organizational skills training
□ Connect employees with local mental health services & support groups (parenting skills, stress management, etc.)
□ Establish a quiet, softly-lit room for relaxation & meditation during work breaks
□ Support a work-life balance & encourage employees to electronically disconnect after-hours
□ Take time to volunteer in the community as a group
□ Utilize available outdoor green space & create a company garden
Additional Workplace Wellness Resources for Small Businesses
American Cancer Society
Meeting Well- A Tool for Planning Healthy Meetings and Even
