Healthcare is all about taking care of patients while making sure their lifestyle is in order. However, while the sector dedicates itself to caring for patients, the healthcare workers often neglect their own well-being. Although it is valid for almost all sectors, when employees work and dedicate themselves to their jobs, they overlook the importance of their health. However, it is not entirely their fault, as most sectors, including the healthcare sector, are not proactive regarding employee’s health and well-being, but this needs to change.
If employees choose to continue neglecting their health, they may catch diseases such as diabetes and become obese. However, conditions such as these don’t translate well for the healthcare sector. It slows down employees and makes them more liable for sick day leaves. Eventually, their health doesn’t allow them to carry on working. For any sector finding a replacement, the process is both costly time-consuming. So this is where wellness programs come in, and here’s how they can improve the physical fitness of employees:
1. Interactive Sessions
It wouldn’t make sense to keep a wellness seminar without getting employees to move on their feet. So while you emphasize the importance of a wellness program, you may also encourage them to simultaneously add a fitness regime to their routine. Encourage employees while they stretch their unused muscles why they need to take care of their health. Even if the employees have an idea of a sober lifestyle, remind them that they’re nowhere near healthy. You may hire fitness consultants or ask your in-house trainers to enroll in executive MHA programs to equip them better and facilitate health management sessions. It will also serve you in delivering the cause to highlight the significance of fitness for employees.
2. Provide Better Meals
Most cafeterias stock up on easy meals for employees. Sure, it may cost a company much less money to stock these, but they are unhealthy for employees in the long term.
It would be wise to cut back on deep-fried items and heavy carbohydrates. There should be more options for lean meat, such as grilled fish, salads, and fresh fruits. It would also help if cafeterias cut down on artificially flavored beverages and focus on more water and fresh juices. While it’s essential to exercise, there is no point unless employees also eat nourishing meals that help them maintain a healthy diet.
3. Keep Workout Rooms
A workout room needs to have various equipment as everyone has a different approach to exercise. Some people can do continuous activities for at least an hour—some need to wrap up in a few minutes. You can help by putting up posters around the exercise room with simple 10-minute exercises.
4. Hire a Trainer
You can invite trainers into work to help employees exercise better. Trainers offer a more systematic and structured method of exercise. They follow a regime that covers all aspects of the body. Some employees may need a full-body workout instead of freestyling their training. So you may want to add them to the work environment and provide their schedules to workers. Trainees can quickly identify if the employee is working out properly or is doing it in a way that may injure them.
5. Give Raises
If an employee hits a milestone in their exercise regime, such as a bit more toned or lost weight, give them an incentive. The incentive doesn’t have to be so drastic that it doesn’t seem long-term sustainable for the budget, but it needs enough to incite them to work on themselves. Reward systems work with positive reinforcement and make for a decent incentive system. It can also be a vacation or putting out a suggestion box so employees can share what they want as a reward.
6. Allow Them Free Health Checkups
Every employee should have their annual health checkup. However, there needs to be a system that allows employees to take time off their shift and go for their healthcare checkups. Yearly checkups are a great way to determine if the employee has their health issues under control, such as cholesterol, weight, etc. It also ensures they are not at risk for any threatening disease such as cancer or a heart condition. If they are at risk of getting ill, a doctor can help them fix their lifestyle to bounce back right away. Usually, healthcare can be expensive, so you should provide insurance to cover these annual services as a healthcare unit.
7. Provide Resources
You can even share videos with employees on different exercises. If they have shifts that include walking and standing for long, what kind of exercises can they do then? Suppose they have shifts that require them to sit long. How can they make the most out of it? This way, the employees will always have stamina and won’t tire out quickly. It also helps them in case they don’t access extensive exercises for a while. You can also connect them with short clips, such as a quick 2-minute stretch or a quick 10-minute yoga session.
Wrap Up
Employees need to keep their physical fitness levels in check. It is not only beneficial for them but also beneficial for the sector they’re working in. Start by emphasizing the importance of physical activities while encouraging them to engage with mild exercises. There needs to be an exercise room where numerous pieces of equipment available for employee usage. Hiring trainers can facilitate the process even further. Make sure the meals at the cafeteria are healthy and free from deep-fried items. You can even give them insurance to make sure they avail themselves of their health checkups and give them incentives to go for exercise.