With five generations of women in the workplace today, improving well-being programs for women should be on every organization’s must-have list. If you have a corporate wellness program, you’re already one step ahead. Check out these 11 ways to leverage your program to improve women’s well-being in your workplace and ensure women of all ages remain healthy, engaged and supported.
One of the benefits of a corporate well-being program is the ability to tailor the array of offerings to support different segments of your population. Put your well-being program to work for women with these 11 strategies for improving well-being.
1. Offer a health assessment.
You probably already have one, but don’t underestimate the value a health assessment can have for women in your organization to gain a better understanding of their current health and learn about health risks, like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and autoimmune disorders. Understanding these risks is one thing, but guiding them to relevant resources, personalized recommendations and reminders for preventive care is even better.
2. Promote preventive care screenings and vaccinations.
A well-being program can send reminders to women to receive recommended age-specific preventive care screenings and vaccinations, such as mammograms and the HPV vaccine. Outside of your program, post preventive care screenings in the workplace and celebrate specific health months such has breast cancer, skin cancer and menopause months.
3. Leverage health coaching.
A valuable service your well-being program should offer is health coaching. Health coaching gives women the personalized, one-on-one attention they need to make real changes in their health and well-being. Health coaches can assist with top-of-mind health concerns such as hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause, pregnancy and post-partum questions, tobacco cessation, weight management, incorporating exercise, improving food choices, managing stress and mental health, and more.
4. Use incentives to drive participation.
An incentive program can keep women engaged and motivated to boost participation and support healthy choices throughout the year. Common incentives include health care premium discounts; contributions to Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) or Lifestyle Savings Accounts (LSAs); additional paid time off; prepaid VISA cards, debit cards, or gift cards; health-related items from on online shopping mall; or charitable donations.
5. Prioritize a whole-person approach to well-being.
Ensure you are addressing the full spectrum of women’s health and life experiences. From physical, mental, emotional and social needs, various tools within your program are essential to supporting the unique health journey of women across all stages of life.
6. Tap into wellness champion networks.
A wellness champion network can be a great resource for your employees, including women. Female peers who advocate for better well-being in the organization can provide a supportive ecosystem, encouraging open and honest conversations around health challenges that are specific to women.
7. Educate women on a range of well-being topics.
A well-being program should be comprehensive, providing educational programming that delivers content that is relevant to women, such as childbearing, caregiving, mental health, work/life balance, menopause and more. Continue to collect feedback to evolve topics to better support women in your organization and what resonates most.
8. Plan wellness challenges focused on women’s health.
A corporate wellness challenge can be a great way to increase camaraderie among women in the organization and encourage healthy behaviors. Challenges might focus on issues that are of importance to women, like sleep, self-care, gratitude and healthy eating.
9. Increase social connections.
A well-being program can help your organization develop activities to boost social connections among women and create a supportive network. Coffee meet-ups, after-work events, employee resource groups or volunteering activities are all great ideas.
10. Raise awareness for financial wellness programs.
Your well-being program may offer financial wellness support that focuses on confidence, education and women’s unique needs. Women tend to live longer so the importance of retirement planning should be promoted. Other financial topics should account for life milestones and could include boosting financial skills like budgeting, establishing an emergency fund, paying off debt, and budgeting during caregiving years.
Interested in finding out how WebMD Health Services can help your organization develop a women’s wellness workplace strategy? Request a demo for more information.
