Maintaining employee wellness during cold and flu season can be a challenge for any company. The average adult can get up to four colds in one year, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized every year for flu complications. From December to March, there are more employees out of the office due to illness, and others who barely made it to the office and can hardly think over their constant coughing and sneezing.

Prevention is the Key to Employee Wellness

Prevention is the key to maintaining good health in the workplace and increasing overall employee wellness. Fighting infection after the cold and flu epidemics hit is a losing battle and can best be combated with early action, such as implementing a corporate wellness program in the office for good health year-round.

Keeping the Office Germ-free During Cold and Flu Season

The typical office is the perfect breeding grounds for influenza or the cold virus. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that there are higher chances for the spread of infection during winter because people spend more time indoors. In an office, this risk is increased by cubicles, bringing many people into a close space. On-site health screenings conducted regularly as part of an overall health management program will increase the chances of employee wellness year round, and especially during cold and flu season.

Education Can Increase Employee Wellness During Cold and Flu Season

Educating employees about various ways to stay healthy during cold and flu season may help prevent the spread of any sickness to the entire office. Hand washing is a crucial component in maximizing employee wellness, as bacteria collects on keyboards, mouses, around the water cooler and next to the community coffee pot. As employees shake hands, infection may be passed, multiplying the chance of getting a cold or coming down with the flu. Hand washing and anti-bacterial cleaners for surfaces can help reduce the spread of sickness.

Employee wellness is possible during cold and flu season. With Employee Wellness USA, your office can reach one step closer to immunity from sickness during cold and flu season.

Employee wellness programs: worth the wellness

Employee wellness programs are as close to a slam-dunk proposition as you’ll find in health management, according to most researchers and corporate wellness experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the time and expense of starting an employee wellness program, you may be wary too. Aren’t employee wellness programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Employee wellness programs are capital-free projects

Fortunately, employee wellness programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other corporate project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of employee wellness programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, employee wellness programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and employee wellness health fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized employee wellness program machinery.

Employee wellness statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, employee wellness programs actually add to employee satisfaction - but they also reduce health insurance premiums and employee absenteeism.

What are some common employee wellness programs?

Employee wellness programs run the gamut, depending on your workplace demographic, from exercise for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace greasy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Here are some examples of employee wellness programs:

• ergonomics
• cardiovascular disease testing
• employee safety
• health risk assessments
• walking wellness
• sexual health tests
• drug testing

Ask us your employee wellness program questions

We welcome your employee wellness program inquiries. We’d be happy to advise you on building your employee wellness programs, without obligation. We also believe we’re your best employee wellness program partner. With our proprietary online health management system and our experience crafting employee wellness programs, we’d love to help you! We can even come to your campus to perform health screenings. Don’t hesitate to contact us with your employee wellness program needs.