Use the President’s Challenge, a free web-based tool you can use to help motivate employees and family members to be active.
Educate company leadership on the link between employee health, productivity, and the bottom line.
Encourage senior executives to support the program by actively participating. Chronic diseases and poor lifestyle habits such as inactivity can affect all members of the workforce, including the management team.
Be sure everyone receives and can understand program messages.
Can employees schedule breaks to use health and wellness facilities or local trails or walking paths? Allowing employees to schedule activity time outside of peak hours (before and after work and at lunch) is also important, since crowded facilities can often be a turn-off.
Offer incentives to encourage employees to participate in the program. For example, offer them an extended lunch hour to exercise or give them a small non-monetary or monetary reward if they complete the program.
Collaborate. If you are a small business or non-profit, consider partnering with other small businesses to find discounts at health clubs.
Encourage employee participation in (and group training for) a local road race. Local running clubs and other recreational leagues offered by the parks department can be good ways to engage more people.
Change happens gradually. Starting and maintaining a regular routine of physical activity is more challenging to some than to others. Individual and program success depends on how ready a person is to make a lifestyle change and whether or not the program utilizes messaging and offers resources that help a person in a particular stage. This concept is explained in the Stages of Motivational Readiness for Change Model.
Evaluate your program to ensure outcomes meet stated goals and participant needs. Be prepared to tweak your program based on regular evaluation results.
Assess the physical environment in your buildings:
Are stairways easily accessible and inviting, and is using the stairs promoted?
Are activity breaks encouraged by management? A 10-minute walk around the building is better than a 10-minute break to smoke a cigarette or stop at the vending machine for a high-calorie snack or drink.
Have walking paths around your building or campus been identified and distances marked?
Is there an on-site gym or a health club nearby that may offer discounts to employees?
Are well-maintained changing rooms and showers available so employees can clean up before they return to work?
You can also help your employees stay healthy by addressing other lifestyle factors, such as healthy eating and tobacco usage. Here are a few suggestions for a comprehensive employee health promotion program:
