As the importance of employee health and wellness continues to grow, so do wellness programs. The goals of employee well-being programs are to improve employee health, morale, and quality of life, while lowering healthcare costs. There are many different elements to consider when creating a successful employee wellness program. One of them is health coaching. A health coach is a professional who works with employees on a one-to-one basis to facilitate healthy behavior change. There are many benefits to including health coaching in your organization’s wellness program.
Each employee has unique nutrition and wellness goals driven by their personal history and experiences. Some people are intrinsically motivated to engage in healthy behaviors such as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, but others need more accountability and guidance. This is where a health coach can provide benefits. A health coach can help employees understand their health risks and the lifestyle factors that affect those risks. The coach can offer tools and skills to help employees make healthier food and lifestyle changes and provide accountability for meeting goals. Implementing a one-on-one health coaching program can provide your organization with six important benefits:
Increase Productivity
Employees are more productive and engaged at work when they feel their best. Creating a more productive environment starts with creating a healthier environment. A health coach assists employees by providing them with the tools they need to be successful in their life - both at work and at home. Many employees need the motivation and accountability a health coach provides to implement healthy behaviors.
Foster Healthy Behavior Change
A health coach will work with employees to identify unhealthy behaviors they may want to work on. In order to be effective, the health coach will work with each individual to create SMART goals, ones that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely. This helps employees work on health goals that are practical for them and feel empowered once they achieve those goals. Making healthy changes helps both the employee and your organization succeed.
Decrease Costs
When employees have a higher risk of health concerns, they lose time from work for medical visits and sick days and can be less productive even when they are at work. Higher health risks also lead to increased costs for healthcare and worker’s compensation. When an employee works with a health coach, their health improves. Investing in your employees’ health will boost your bottom line. A shift to a healthier workforce means everyone wins.
Increase Morale
Health coaches can improve an employee’s life and help them make positive changes that they can feel good about. These positive feelings carry over from their personal life to their work life, resulting in a more positive, happy workforce. Another morale-boosting benefit is knowing an employee was able to improve their health because of an initiative their employer provided.
Attract High-Quality Employees
Wellness programs are attractive to potential employees, especially those programs that offer individualized health coaching. Both current and potential employees want to feel that their company cares about them and their health. More and more individuals look for these programs when searching for a job, and including health coaches in your wellness program will help attract top talent while retaining your current employees.
Decrease Risk of Employee Burnout
Burnout is caused by high levels of stress, particularly at work. Stress has been associated with various health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and mental health disorders. Health coaches can help employees find ways to manage and cope with their stress levels. As the workforce becomes better at managing stress, the risk of burnout decreases.
Health coaching is a valuable part of an employee wellness program. It benefits the employer by increasing morale, productivity, and employee retention and benefits individual employees by increasing productivity, reducing stress, and improving overall health.
Wellness Workdays develops and implements wellness programs for organizations across the country. We have years of experience designing programs that are both engaging and successful. Contact us to learn more.