Workplace Wellness Programs:
Why and How to Create a Successful Wellness Program

Any organization can benefit from a Workplace Wellness Program. We're here to help make implementing one easier for smaller businesses and organizations by providing the support materials you need to get your workplace wellness program (or "health promotion program") off to a running start.

To go directly to specific information about individual workplace wellness program information: choose the option from the side nav (at the left) the specific information you would like about implementing a healthy workplace or workplace wellness program. The First aid section has recently been updated.

Introduction to Workplace Wellness

A comprehensive workplace wellness program ideally consists of three components: Prevention, Recognition, and Assistance. This can be implemented as various modules: healthy eating, fitness programs, smoking cessation, workplace safety, ergononic workspaces, first aid and C.P.R., coaching and counselling, lunch and learns, on-site healthcare, and so on.

From these main categories, you choose which elements are appropriate for your workplace, based on your goals for the program, and then choose the specific ways they will be achieved. Your program might consist of on-site massage, discounts at a nearby gym, smoking cessation challenges, and providing healthy snacks in the office. Someone else may choose to have a shower put in their office space to make it easier for their employees to exercise on their lunch breaks or to bike into the office.

It all depends on your office environment - both how much space you can dedicate to the program and the receptivity of the personnel. Begin with a questionnaire to find out what components interest the staff and go from there to build your unique wellness program.

Why implement a workplace wellness program?

Wellness Programs improve morale, reduce absenteeism, and add to the health and longevity of each participant. Wellness Programs are instrumental in keeping people on a healthy living path, especially in office environments where the employees are sedentary for significant portions of the day. (Want stats and more in-depth info?)

This section of the site contains information about creating Wellness Programs for small and medium businesses, as well as some free tools to help you along. These businesses often do not have sufficient Human Resources personnel to devote the time to learning about and implementing a Wellness Program. It has tools to help you plan which elements might be of use to your organization and to see which will most likely succeed.

Additional content and support for this section of the site is developed in conjunction with our Strategic Partners, Employee Energizer, Laura Alleyne, first aid and CPR Instructor-Trainer, Wendy Woods, MBA and Corporate Trainer, Diana Foster, certified yoga instructor, and now Wellergize™ (our new brand) has even more development partners to offer you many more tools and tips for creating a successful program.

Features

Choosing an appropriate Wellness Program for your personnel can be labour intensive. We have provided an employee questionnaire to help you determine the likelihood of success of a program. We will be providing the follow-up survey to help you choose which items are most likely to work in your environment.

Visit our Starting A Wellness Program for a step-by-step guide on implementing a program. Browse the other articles in this section for more information on specific wellness program elements that you might want to investigate for your business.

If you are looking for ways to convince your employer to implement a program, statistics and additional information are available on the Benefits of a Workplace Wellness Program page.

Downloads and Support

Looking for workplace wellness posters and supplies? Visit our new spinoff site: Wellerize.ca

Partnering Opportunities

If you are interested in developing a Strategic Partnership with NaturalHealthcare.ca whether in the area of workplace wellness programs or other healthy living areas, or in joining our network of workplace wellness professionals, please contact us at:

NaturalHealthcare.ca, a division of pixcode
200 Spadina Avenue
Suite 201
Toronto, ON
CANADA
M5T 2C2

Please begin your subject line with "[NHC]" so that we can spot valid email should it end up in the spam bin.

If you have sent a message and it did not receive a reply within 2 business days, we apologize, but assume that something triggered the spam filter and please resend with a different subject line.

You can find workplace wellness statistics and quotes among other great wellness program tools at our Wellergize.ca site.