Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2023 64 S mall employers – you might be tired of hearing about it, but do you really need to have a fitness or wellness program for your employees? The short answer is yes. It's in the best interests of your employees and your company to develop a plan. We're all aware of the talk about various health care costs and protocols, but the one thing you can do as an employer is to offer your employees healthy options – and thus increase the odds of reducing their health care costs (and yours). Let's face it, our society has become largely sedentary. Many employees are tied to their desks all day working at their computers, while others are more mobile but spend a lot of time driving around in service vehicles and downing less than ideal menu options. Stress is a constant in everyone's life today, and diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol and weight control issues plague us as never before. In recent years, as work at home became much more common, some employees didn't even get out of the house to go to work. So what can we do about it? You're not a large company that offers all sorts of health and wellness options like the big guys can. Even so, there are many lower-cost or even free options that you can take advantage of to help drive a healthier lifestyle for your employees. Start with your vending machines or break rooms. Clean out the junk food and offer healthy alternatives like granola bars or lower- calorie foods. Offer fruit or healthy snacks to your staff one day a week. Start a weight loss contest, or perhaps set up a company fitness program, partnering with a local fitness club. Some companies provide their employees with "fast food facts" so they can make healthier choices when they pull up at the take-out window. Or you can offer your employees health risk assessments through your insurance carrier or by working with a local health care provider. Offer your employees a premium of some type to complete the assessment – maybe a pair of movie tickets or something similar. Take a look at your company's demographics. If you have many men in their 50s, maybe you can offer prostate screenings in con- junction with a local clinic. If you have a large female staff, consider screenings and testing for breast cancer. If you are in a fast-paced and stressful environment, maybe you can offer blood pressure screening opportunities. Local hospitals will almost always cooperate with you if you'd like to have speakers visit your company to talk about health issues and fitness options in your community. Regular employee meetings are a great place to hold these discussions. Even small efforts like walking contests will go a long way toward improving your team's health situation. Pedometers are reasonably inexpensive – buy one for each of your employees and set up teams to see who can walk the most in a month's time. Give prizes to the winners. It doesn't have to be extravagant, and it might help develop some healthy team competition around the office (as long as the competitive aspect doesn't get out of hand). Any added steps the employees take will improve their overall fitness. You can offer a weight-loss competition, or any activity that will improve the employees' overall wellness. One small business had their employees team-up to shop for what they believed were healthier options for meals and snacks. Their shopping carts were evaluated by a nutrition professional for the best choices, and the members of the winning team received gift cards from the grocery store. Roughly 25% of health care costs incurred by workers are estimated to be directly related to health risks that can be modified by diet, exercise, and lessening tobacco use and other risk factors. Some health care legislation offers incentives to help promote employee wellness programs and encourage employers to support healthier workplaces. Everybody has an opinion of the potential new health care plan requirements, but the fact is, while we may welcome new technology and business practices, they aren't always conducive to a healthier lifestyle and work environment. As a society, we need to do more to improve our overall health and physical fitness, and a more active and aware workplace is a great place to start. It presents employers with a way to help keep their health costs in line, protect their employees, and make their business a better, more inviting place to work. It's a win all the way around, so take a look at the opportunities that exists in your community. Talk to your staff and see what they might have to say – that's a great place to start and get their buy-in! S E R V I C E D E P A R T M E N T Randy Carney, Executive Director, PSA TAKE STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR COMPANY'S HEALTH RO

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