Healthier Employees = Healthier Business
From SHRM come 7 tips to help your employees stay healthier, which can keep your bottom line healthier:
Incentivize Physical Exams. It’s easy to put off that annoying visit to the doc, especially when one is feeling fine, but some issues only make themselves known when it is going to require more than just prevention – or when it is too late. Possible incentives could include cash payouts / bonuses, or a discount on insurance premiums.
Offer Flexibility to Facilitate Cancer Screenings. This is one of those areas where procrastination can be dangerous – or even fatal. One key is education regarding the different kinds of screening, especially where early-stage cancer is asymptomatic. Another “boost” is flexible time off for this purpose.
Conduct an Ergonomic Analysis. A study by Sun Life, covering over 65,000 health claims from 3,000 employers over 3 years found that “musculoskeletal/orthopedic ailments moved into the top three costliest conditions for the first time in 2025.” If the cause is in the workplace, this can become a Worker’s Compensation issue. One effective countermeasure in this area is to conduct an ergonomic study and make any necessary adjustments to workers’ stations.
Encourage Breaks, Skip Unnecessary Meetings. Stress is a silent enemy that can wear out – or burn out – workers. Allowing them a bit of time to “decompress” can make a big difference in their health and productivity.
“Cool It on the Free Food.” A SHRM survey indicated that 44% of employers offer free snacks and beverages (not to mention office parties). If such offerings are made available to employees, ensuring that healthy options are available is important. Another important piece of advice is to ensure that water is available to employees. If a drinking fountain is the only means available, it would be smart to have one that has a filler spout as well, so employees can refill their own drinking vessels.
Invest in Health Coaching Tools. Providing health coaching — including digital tools such as fitness trackers, medication tracking apps, smartwatches, or paid health app subscriptions — can help employees to understand how behavior affects these health indicators. This is particularly important for heart-related health, since cardiovascular diseases/conditions are the biggest killer in the US.
Be Smart About Illness. The office is fertile territory for respiratory germs (think flu, COVID, etc.). Encourage vaccination (when proven effective, of course, e.g., for flu, measles, etc.).
