in employee wellness programs Leveraging the Power of Employee Engagement in employee wellness programs

WHY ENGAGE EMPLOYEES? Research shows us that organizations with highly engaged and healthy employees outperform those with low employee engagement According to the Harvard Business Review, employee happiness is based on four needs: Physical Mental Emotional Social well-being Only 7% of employees actually think employers care about their happiness.

THE FACTS 1 in 5 workers reports feeling extremely stressed, mostly due to work or finances. These “high stress employees” are 4X more likely to suffer from symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety. And twice as likely to report poor overall health, leading to increased absenteeism and decreased productivity. It’s a vicious cycle!

YOU CANT AFFORD NOT TO HAVE A WELLNESS PROGRAM Happy employees are better employees - they sell 37% more, take 66% fewer sick days, and companies with happy employees outperform the competition by 20%. 91% of workplace injuries are due to human error 1/3 of workers reported that they placed work commitments over family commitments = detrimental effect on personal relationships

WHY AN EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM? PROBLEM: Overall, work-related stress costs US companies $30 billion a year in lost productivity due to sick days and absenteeism. SOLUTION: Increasing employee engagement and wellness programs are two initiatives that can help bring this number down. 

10 steps to a Wellness Program So now what? 10 steps to a Wellness Program

START BY ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS Citywide Employee Wellness Survey  Ask employees what they're main areas of stress are, what needs do they have. People are more willing to participate and support wellness efforts if they are involved in the decision- making process. Taylor programs and focus on the top responses

STEPS 1 AND 2 STEP 1: Put wellness front and center! Get the leadership on board, help them understand the importance and financial impacts of Wellness Programs Step 2: Make participation contagious! Seek out Wellness Champions in each department -get their supervisors permission to have them participate as members of the Wellness Committee

STEPS 3 AND 4 Step 3: Make Wellness FUN, not formal! Walk with the City Manager or Police Chief Try new things– Zumba, Yoga, Tai Chi Step 4: Keep people engaged - Departmental competitions! Walking challenge City-Hall-o-ween challenge (teambuilding) After hour events – company picnic, dep. bowling parties Volunteering

STEPS 5 AND 6 STEP 5: Cooperation and teamwork! Employees participating in teams are 600 times more likely to sustain engagement over time Step 6: Add incentives! Swaaaagg! This could be a small token, or even a “trophy” that is rotated every year to the winning department

STEPS 7 AND 8 STEP 7: Treat the whole person! Keep the needs of everyone in mind ; remember wellness is about the physical, mental, social, financial, and emotional wellbeing of the employee Financial planning services, meditation classes, stress mgmt. courses Step 8: Don’t forget to track! Asses engagement and healthy behavior over time What's working? Not working? Repeat employee surveys

STEPS 9 AND 10 STEP 9: Refocus the “return on Investment” conversation Yes, this will result in insurance premium savings, reduced abseenteism, etc… Also think about the long term - heathy lifestyle changes A reduction in the levels of stress Increased overall job satisfaction STEP 10: Just do IT! Embrace trial and error! Don’t get overwhelmed start small and grow your programs

ENGAGEMENT LEVELS HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON A COMPANY’S BOTTOM-LINE Engaged organizations are high-performance organizations—and the reason why is simple: employees are driven and motivated to put forth extra effort for their company, and it pays off. To put it simply, because they’re in an environment perceived as meaningful and supportive, they are willing to give their best selves at work.

SEEK OUT PARTNERS League of California Cities Risk Management Recreation Departments – lease those instructors for a 30 minute lunchtime exercise session Seek out internal trainers Employee Assistance Programs Engage local service providers to provide lunchtime talks

SUMMARY Develop a work culture that is focused on: Work that’s meaningful Great leadership A humanized, inclusive workplace Opportunities for growth and development Vision, purpose and transparency

QUESTIONS?