IBEX

Communication of living a life of wellness leads to healthier, more productive employees.

We all know that living a life of wellness isn't easy. At home or at work. With our personal and professional lives so over-scheduled many people wish we could add another hour to our days, most of us don't take time to take care of our physical and mental health. Here are some ideas on how to improve the communication of fitness, nutritional and wellness programs in the workplace:

• Host employee information sessions about your group benefit plan. Many people may not be aware of alternatives to prescriptions in the plan such as access to dietitians and nutritionists.
• Create an electronic claim booklet so people don't have to go rummaging through their files at home or at work to find out what all their options are. It's also easier for the plan administrator to send out a link to the plan booklet rather than handing out multiple copies every time someone has misplaced the original. And hey, it's good for the environment, too.
• Include information about healthy living and how your benefit plan can contribute to healthy living in your employee newsletters.
• Provide information on extra-curricular activities in the workplace such as a corporate softball team. Getting out and playing some ball not only contributes to your employees' physical health, it also improves inter-departmental communication and team comradery.
• Communicate your employee assistance plan, or other support program, with well-placed posters in high-traffic areas so those in need of the services are aware of the availability.
• Provide a wellness resources link on your company's Intranet. If you don't have an Intranet, provide links to the resources and communicate them through internal messaging.