5 Tips For Starting An Employee Wellness Program:

Tip #1. Gain Approval For Program: For most businesses, an employee wellness program is going to fall under the jurisdiction of the HR department. Of course, they cannot simply set off and start the program on their own. The first step to starting an employee wellness program is to gain approval from business leaders (provided they aren't the ones who had the idea in the first place). Explain to them that the benefits of employee wellness programs, such as reduced stress, improved employee loyalty, happier (and healthier) employees and increased productivity.

Tip #2. Create Wellness Teams: Once you have the approval to start an employee wellness program, it is time to create a plan for executing it. As mentioned above, your HR department will most likely manage an employee wellness program. But one or two HR pros may not be enough to keep this kind of program afloat, so designate roles and responsibilities to other employees in the company as well. This will prevent the HR pros from getting burned out handling the program, foster a company-wide sense of unity in the program and ensure that the program thrives.

Tip #3. Develop An Integrated Plan: Starting an employee wellness program is no different than starting any other project in a business -- it requires careful planning to make sure it executes without a hitch and without interfering with the business' day-to-day operations. One idea may be to replace vending machines with ones that offer more nutritional choices -- dried fruit and nuts, yogurt and green tea instead of fatty snacks and carbonated beverages. If you can, try to get approval on an employee exercise hour three times a week. If you can't get the time in-office, arrange employee workout nights at a nearby gym.

Tip #4. Pick The Right Program: In Tip #3, we touched upon the variety of ways you can institute employee wellness at your business, such as encouraging better diet, or incorporating or instituting employee workout sessions. All of these are great ideas, but may not be the best fit for certain businesses. So depending on what kind of business you run, plus how that business operates, you may need to craft your employee wellness program to best suit your business. For instance, perhaps your business doesn't have vending machines. In other words, as you develop your plan, be mindful of adjustments necessary for your business.

Tip #5. Regularly Evaluate The Program: For good or bad, some business leaders are so efficiency-minded that they see ideas like employee wellness programs as extraneous -- an unnecessary activity that takes away from time better spent working or focusing on the business. But if you track the efficacy of the program and how it improves your employees' mental and physical health, you can track how that in turn strengthens the business due to their increased morale and productivity. This data will keep doubters satisfied that the program is a useful component to their business.

Executive Summary: The human body is like a car, and like a car, they require proper maintenance and upkeep if you want to be operating at your very best. But unlike cars, humans function as a living, breathing organism. That said, the mental health of your employees is directly connected to their physical health, and both influence how well they perform at work. A strong, effective employee wellness program can yield tremendous benefits for your business. So, if you are ready to start an employee wellness program of your own, follow the five tips listed above and you'll be seeing happier employees in no time.