Tips to improve the health of your employees

There are many things that employers can do to help keep their employees healthy. While it can be frustrating, once your employees understand that their health is a priority to you, they will develop a sense of loyalty, to you and your business. Having a healthier workforce not only helps to keep things running better at your business, but it can add to your bottom line. Here are some tips to improve the health of your employees-

• Keep things clean-Your employees most likely spend a lot of time together, in fairly close quarters, everyday. This means that germs have a great chance to jump from person to person. It is important to make sure that your office practices the highest standards of cleanliness. If you have a janitor, make sure that they are using antibacterial cleaners on all surfaces that everyone touches. This includes but is not limited to: doorknobs, keyboards, phones, and shared equipment. You should also provide plenty of tissues (many have antibacterial solution on them) as well as wipes that will help all employees, keep things clean.
• Have a sick day policy-One of the major reasons that people come to work sick, is that they can't afford to stay home. The result is that one sick employee then infects the entire staff, and soon there is an epidemic throughout the company. Employees need to understand that having a sick day policy can actually save them money. When an employee is sick, they need to stay home and recover and not affect the productivity of other workers. In addition, if a sick employee shows up at work, they should be sent home, in order to protect the health of other workers.
• Offer health screenings-One of the best ways to make sure that your workforce is healthy is by offering health screenings. The major advantage of health screenings is that they often find problems, when they are small. This means that they are easier and cheaper to treat. This not only keeps everyone a lot healthier, it can save you money in both the amount of health insurance premiums that you pay, and the sick time you have to pay. Remember, that the bottom line is that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce. Check with your community health resources to see what kind of health screenings are offered. Many times these health screenings (including immunizations) are offered at a very low cost, or are even free.
• Set up an employee wellness program-When you put an employee wellness program in place, it shows your employees that their health matters to you. One of the biggest advantages of an employee wellness program is that it can be structure to specifically meet the needs and wants of your employees, in addition, to fitting your budget. This means that you don't have to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to implement an employee wellness program, into your company. You can offer several different components of your employee wellness program that include but are not limited to: fitness, nutrition, weight management, emotional issues, stress management, and smoking cessation.
• Educate your staff-One of the best things that you can do to help improve the health of your employees is to educate them about certain health issues. Even with the ease of finding information today, many people are woefully uninformed when it comes to health issues. Many employers have chosen to focus on having different awareness days that include but are not limited to: heart health, cancer awareness, sign of depression and mental illness, as well as many others.