There are plenty of good reasons for business owners to implement employee wellness benefits and incentives. For starters, you can really show your employees how much you appreciate them and care for their wellbeing. You’ll boost office morale and productivity and cut down on the costs of healthcare coverage and sick days. It’s a win-win for everyone!

In fact, implementing corporate wellness programs is on the rise in businesses all over the US. According to a study by The Rand Corporation, 70% of employers offer a workplace wellness program — and benefit from a 150% return on those investments. It’ a no-brainer!

In order to help you put your employees first and begin offering corporate wellness benefits to them, we’ve put together a helpful list of workplace wellness benefits that won’t break the bank, as well as alternative benefits that offer a bit of an upgrade.

1. Host a Massage Hour Once a Month

Most office employees spend hours, if not all day, sitting in a chair at their desk, hunched over their computer screen. This tightening and contracted position can cause back and neck pain that will affect employees overtime, causing stress and bringing productivity levels down. Help relieve employee stress and honor their daily work by hosting a monthly massage hour with trained massage therapists who specialize in chair massage to relieve workplace aches and pains.

Upgrade: Weekly Massage Hours With UWC Corporate Wellness
If you really want to impress your employees and improve their posture, stress and wellbeing, our team of massage therapists at Urban Wellness Clinic will visit your office once a week for a massage hour. We offer raffle prizes like a free full massage in the office and a 1-hour personal training session with our trainer, Matt Semrick, who has 21 years of training experience.

2. Host a Posture and Ergonomics Lunch & Learn Workshop

Our experts at Urban Wellness Clinic will come into your office to lead a workshop about the benefits of good posture; how to improve it, and techniques on how to improve the ergonomics of each employee’s desk set up. Bringing our expertise to the table, we encourage your employees to participate and ask questions about any aches they may be experiencing or trouble they are having with past injuries or chronic pain while at work.

Upgrade: Personalized One-on-one Ergonomic Assessments
During our one-on-one assessments, we will evaluate each employee’s personal desk set up and adjust as needed for total ergonomic health. Each personal ergonomic workstation assessment lasts about 15 to 20 minutes and provides us with the information needed to apply ergonomic best practices to reduce the risk of injury. We even take before & after photos of each employee’s posture on their phone, because a photo doesn’t lie, it really shows the improvement in their posture.

3. Offer In-Office Healthy Snack Options

Set aside the free soda machine and junk food in the break room and replace it with healthier snack options your employees will enjoy. Try Bulletproof coffee or fresh-pressed juices for beverage options. Mixed nuts, fruits and veggies, protein bars, greek yogurt and hummus make for great healthy snack options.

Upgrade: Host a Nutritional Counselling Lunch and Learn Workshop
Our nutrition experts at Urban Wellness Clinic will come into your office and lead a workshop about the benefits of proper nutrition in the workplace. During our healthy lunch meeting, we will talk about how to beat the 2 pm slump by making better food choices and give a specific road map to lead your employees to better nutrition and lifestyle choices.

BONUS: Create a map with a 5 block radius around the office of healthy food options for your employees so they don’t have to think too hard when they need to run out for a quick lunch.

4. Install Filtered Water Stations Around the Office

As a reminder for your employees to stay hydrated on the daily, you can install filtered water stations around the office.

Upgrade: Personalized Water Bottles
Provide your employees with personal Mobot water bottles as an incentive to stay hydrated. You can even personalize each water bottle with a name and company logo, and as a bonus, they can double as a foam roller for stiff muscles that need some working out.

5. Boost Mindfulness by Offering Free Subscriptions to Headspace

Headspace is an app designed to help you through guided meditations. Meditation is proven to reduce stress and anxiety, promote emotional health and enhance focus and productivity. Offering a free subscription to your employees will benefit them both in and out of the office.

Upgrade: Sign Employees up for a Ziva Meditation 10-week Online Training
Ziva’s online course offers 10-weeks to less stress, a perfect way to show your employees their wellbeing is important to the company and help increase focus and mental clarity.

6. In-Office Yoga Classes

Office jobs require employees to sit in chairs for long hours day after day. At Urban Wellness Clinic, we have developed a corporate yoga and meditation practice with a focus on reversing the body’s compensations for prolonged sitting. Our in-office yoga will help employees find a fuller range of motion and strengthen those weak and underused muscles from sitting all day.

Upgrade: Host a Chair-Yoga Lunch & Learn
Our experts will come into your office to lead a yoga workshop during a nutritious lunch hour. We’ll teach your employees about the benefits of yoga and show them strengthening and stretching exercises they can take back to their desks and do on the daily to improve posture and focus.

7. Improve Employee Relations & Fitness With Walking Meetings

Exercise is necessary for good health and finding ways to sneak it into your employee’s work schedules can be a great way to improve office energy levels and fitness. Implementing walking meetings is an easy way to accomplish this and it is certainly more enjoyable than sitting in a conference room. Employees will communicate more naturally in a more relaxed meeting environment.

Upgrade: Personality Testing
Have your entire staff take a Color Code personality test to learn more about each other’s personalities and how to better communicate.

8. Sample Essential Oils That are Proven to Beat Stress

Bring in some essential oil samples for your employees to test out. It’s a simple way to promote better mental health, focus and mindfulness and your employees are sure to enjoy slowing down and using their sense of smell to relax during the workday.

Upgrade: Air Quality Test
Have a complete air quality test done at your office and install a HEPA air filter to ensure you are providing clean, dust-and-particle-free air to your employees.

9. Reduce Noise Pollution

Take measures to reduce the noise pollution in your office and your employees will certainly thank you. Studies have shown that exposure to excessive noise such as workplace chatter, modern appliances, and traffic noises can increase stress levels and blood pressure. If your employees need a break from the chaos, try creating a designated quiet space for deep concentration.

Upgrade: Offer Noise Cancelling Headphones
Provide your employees with a set of their own noise-cancelling headphones so they can choose whenever they want to cut down on the racket.

10. Free Subscriptions to Fitness Apps

Exercise is necessary to maintain good physical health, but it’s also proven to reduce stress and improve focus. Offer your employees a free subscription to an on-demand fitness app such as NEOU so they can keep up a regular workout routine outside of the office.

Upgrade: Monthly In-Office Bootcamps
Hire the personal trainers at Urban Wellness Clinic to come into the office and guide your employees through an in-office Bootcamp.

Learn more on how we can help boost employee morale, increase productivity and add value to your bottom line. We offer 12 years of experience in the corporate wellness world and a unique approach to up-level your company. Find out how our team can help.

In Good Health,

Dr Emily Kiberd