Celebrate National Employee Wellness Month in June

National Employee Wellness Month was originally founded by Virgin HealthMiles in 2009 when they partnered with The Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance to educate employers and employees about the benefits and importance of preventative health and wellness concerns at work. After a very successful first year, June is now dubbed "National Employee Wellness Month" and efforts to create awareness of wellness in the workplace continue.

Employers and employees alike are beginning to realize that workplace wellness is crucial to the reduction of the national healthcare crisis. Healthcare costs continue to rise at rates that are by far too high for even the national government to handle and many proponents of employee wellness programs agree that wellness at work is the starting point for lifestyle changes that can greatly reduce this crisis. Studies show that workers and employers who take a proactive approach to wellness see reduced sick days, increased production and better company morale.

Simple Ways to Celebrate National Employee Wellness Month

If you company already has an employee wellness program implemented then you can celebrate National Employee Wellness Month simply by taking place in the initiative and maybe informing your coworkers of benefits that they may not already be aware of regarding the workplace wellness program at your office. For those who do not work in a facility where workplace wellness is already a part of the daily routine, talk with your employer (or if you are the boss, think) about the ways that you can implement healthier options at work to increase employee wellness.

Start a little healthy competition between workers. For instance, you could have a competition throughout the month of June to see who takes the most steps (supply pedometers to all employees and calculate steps at the end of each week to track progress of each individual). Another great way to celebrate National Employee Wellness Month would be to have each person in the office bring a healthy snack in to share each day. For instance, each person picks a day to bring the snack and then at the end of the week a favorite could be chosen.

There are many things that can be done around the workplace to promote wellness for employees. Studies show that wellness programs will work best when both the employees and the employer is involved so it's important for the employer to take an active role in facilitating wellness in the workplace. Some additional options to celebrate National Employee Wellness Month in June include having a wellness fair at work (offer free health risk assessments), offering financial rewards for those who can lose the most weight, or even creating a workplace smoking ban. The possibilities are endless really!