Wellness Wisdom

Promoting a healthy lifestyle among your employees benefits your business on several different levels, says Brian Passon, director of Marlborough, Conn.-based Corporate Fitness & Health, which specializes in creating wellness programs for small businesses.

“Healthier employees are generally more productive, less sick and have fewer medical claims,” which can lead to lower premiums over time, he says.

Here are three tips from Passon on starting a wellness program at your small business.

1. Tailor the program: Passon says wellness programs aren’t one-size-fits all. So find out from employees what’s most important to them and then tailor the program as much as possible to their needs. Also, include employees in the planning process, giving them a say on what to call the program. Gestures as small as this can make the program more effective.

2. Practice what you preach: Let your employees know how excited you are about the wellness program--and actually participate in it--to get maximum buy-in, says Passon. “When you’re on board, it’ll be much easier to get your workers involved.”

3. Evaluate: Is the wellness program achieving what you want? Lower premiums, fewer sick days? Develop a way to measure its success and reevaluate it regularly. If it’s not doing what you want it to, switch things up. For tips on new ideas to incorporate into you wellness program, visit the Small Business Wellness Initiative’s Web site.