Strategies for Health Management at Work
A business might have the tools to boost health management, but there are pieces of the puzzle that both employers and employees must do to meet those goals. Employers must know how to empower employees to take proactive steps toward managing and improving their health. Employees must know what tools they have access to and how to properly use those resources.
Healthy employees equals happy employees
This goes for the average human. When a person is healthy, they’re more capable, comfortable and energetic. Their bodies also do a good job of producing endorphins, which makes them happy. Being healthy is more than not being sick. Healthy employees not only avoid sickness and injury but also prioritize wellness, fitness, connection, family and growth.
Reaching milestones with employer health support
As an employer, it’s your responsibility to create an environment for your team that encourages healthy behaviours while managing your team efficiently. You might have large goals for the business, and to reach them, individual employees should be showing up to work with energy and capacity. Setting up a comprehensive group benefits plan for your team is a great place to start.
1. Establishing health management at work
First, your team needs access to a comprehensive group benefits plan. We offer plans for groups with three to thousands of employees.
- Blue Essentials™ plans for three to 19 employees offer flexible rates and customizable plan options, allowing you to design the benefits package that best suits your business.
- Our custom workplace benefits plans offer flexible rates and customizable options, giving organizations the ability to design a package that covers their unique needs, whether they have a team of twenty or upwards of thousands.
2. Promoting employee health empowerment
Once a group benefit plan is in place, employees need to know about it, and employers need to know how to best use those resources for a connected, inspired and devoted team.
Onboard your team
New group clients can use our simple electronic onboarding process to enrol employees. Our dedicated team of Client Experience Specialists will guide you through each step of the process. You’ll start by setting up your member enrolment dashboard. You’ll be provided with a data template to upload employee information into the dashboard. Then, you’ll invite employees to complete their enrolment online.
Guide your team to understand their benefits
Getting started with a workplace benefits plan is simple. Your employees will have access to a comprehensive guide to getting started. If your plan members ever need assistance with navigating their plan, our member service team is here to help.
Employer health support
Plan administrators gain access to exclusive resources like step-by-step guides and a centralized library of forms, documents and materials to help you promote your workplace benefits plan to your employees.
3. Offering employee wellness programs
In addition to group benefits, implementing employee wellness programs that complement the perks of their benefits plan is another great step towards creating a healthier work environment. Programs could include stress management courses, fitness classes, meditation, mental health programs and more. These programs will give employees a work community to tend to multiple needs. Instead of going to work simply to get projects done, they can go to work and have time for other pillars of health as well.
Employee wellness programs encourage work-life balance and connection with others. They’ll lead to happier, more satisfied and more productive team members.
4. Embodying the initiative
Once you’ve implemented these strategies, keep them strong and functional by embodying the health and wellness initiative. As a manager or leader, you have a stake in your team’s morale. Participate in wellness programs, take advantage of your benefits, setting an example for your employees.
Take note of how the team is responding to these strategies. Are changes needed? Do they need more encouragement? Are they using the right resources to care for themselves and be great team members?
It can take some time to get into a good routine. To create a new community, keep encouraging employees to use their benefits and participate in employee wellness programs. Workspaces improve when people enjoy working together and feel part of a group.
Employee health empowerment
Employees should feel empowered to take advantage of the benefits and wellness programs available.
As an employee, understand the benefits available to you and use them. They’re there for a reason. Get into the courses, classes and opportunities created for better social, mental and physical health. While you work for a business, ensure the business is working for you, too.
The result: a health-forward, successful workplace
As both employees and employers work towards the same goals, the workplace becomes healthier and more productive. A Saskatchewan Blue Cross group benefits plan can help you meet your health-forward workplace goals.