A Healthy, Holiday Wellness Plan is Possible!
By Jaime Kennedy, MPH
Published November 19, 2014
The holiday season is fast approaching! With Thanksgiving only one week away, how many of us are thinking about their worksite wellness plan for the holiday season? Probably slim to none!
The holidays can be a stressful time for many people. Life kicks into full gear and most of the time our health gets put on the back burner due to holiday parties, corporate cookie swaps, and who could forget, shopping. Did we mention still working 9-5?
So why even tackle employee wellness at a time like this? I’m so glad you asked! For many reasons: But, let’s talk numbers first.
On average, Americans gain 1 pound over the holiday season, and individuals who are overweight average a 5 pound weight gain. You might think one to five pounds is no big deal; we all make New Year’s resolutions to lose it, right?
38% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions to lose weight.
8% of Americans actually complete their resolutions.
Those are scary statistics. In a few short weeks, employees can undo what they have worked so hard for all year. Creating a healthy company plan to navigate the holidays is vital! Here are a two healthy holiday tips to help guide your company through your holiday journey.
- Limit Office Leftovers – We are all guilty of taking left over holiday treats to the office, to “clean out” our home environment. But what about our work environment? The average working adult spends 55% of their waking day at work. You’re going to see those leftovers more than you think! Instead of inundating the break room, for weeks with leftovers, make the one day rule. Goodies, treats and dishes can stay for one work day, after that, it’s see ya! Believe me your fellow employees will thank you and so will their self-control.
- Run an Incentive based Challenge – Incentive based challenges at work are fun and help foster a fun work place culture. Here at The Bailey Group, we kick-off our holiday season with the Maintain Don’t Gain The principle is very simple; employees register, pay the allotted registration fee and try to maintain their weight through the holiday season. At the end, whoever maintained their weight within a certain poundage gets entered into a raffle for the “pot” of money.
If you’re interested in starting your own Incentive based challenge or a wellness program this holiday season; contact us. Our Health Promotion staff can work with you to create a challenge personalized to your employees; as well as, walk you through the world of compliance!
We are here for you! From our family to yours, we hope you have a happy, healthy holiday season!
Jaime Kennedy is an #EmployeeBenefits fanatic with a passion for holistic well-being. She developed her niche in Employee Benefits Consulting after earning a Masters of Public Health in 2012. Since joining The Bailey Group team, Jaime has become a strategic asset to our client’s by proving creative strategy designs that focus not only on cost-containment, but go further to look at how we can use benefits to propel their business forward. Jaime especially loves her family, church, Eco-living, and making green smoothies a part of her daily routine.
