Fall is upon us and when the cold weather hits, inevitably everyone in the office starts getting sick. Those with small children bring the germs from home to all of us at work. Everyone around you is sneezing into their hands (yuck) and then touching door knobs, keyboards, and calculators and before you know it, everyone in the office is calling in sick -- even those who aren't really sick but take the opportunity to fake sickness on a Friday afternoon.
When employees take off unexpectedly, no doubt your company suffers to some capacity. The healthy employees carry the burden of taking on additional tasks, you as a manager must work additional hours to keep the business running smoothly and morale tends to decline during these winter months.
I have found that employers who participate in Corporate Wellness programs have fewer absences due to health-related issues. When employees pay attention to their health, i.e., working out in a gym or joining a group such as Weight Watchers, absence due to sickness declines dramatically and the morale of the company goes up. You will notice that people feel better physically and are healthier overall.
Many local gyms offer corporate memberships where the company pays the initial registration and then a portion of the employee's monthly cost. The gym will bill the company and you can deduct the remaining portion from the employee's paycheck. Weight Watchers will actually come to your place of employment and hold meetings. You may call them at 1-800-8-AT-WORK to obtain more information.
Another excellent tool, absolutely free to anyone, is www.prevention.com. This site contains free health trackers, which are used to track foods eaten, activities performed, moods, measurements -- you name it. I believe this site could be used to start a fitness contest in the workplace and obtain some valuable information for that contest.
Another very important thing to consider is an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This is a employee benefit program offered by many employers, typically in conjunction with a health insurance plan. EAPs are intended to help employees deal with personal problems that might adversely impact their work performance, health, and well-being. EAPs generally include assessment, short-term counseling and referral services for employees and their household members. EAP Consultants, Inc. provides some great information on choosing an EAP that is right for your organization.
Minimally, encourage your employees to keep their offices germ-free, wash their hands often, and for goodness sake, sneeze or cough into your sleeve and not your hand!!!
