Prioritizing employee health is essential for a lot of reasons; from securing higher retention rates to improved morale. And if you’re thinking about costs, unhealthy employees make unproductive employees who’ll cost you money in the long run anyway. How do you prioritize employee health? 

Here are some tips. 

Start a Lunch Service

Providing healthy food is the start to prioritizing employee health. Lunch service is a great way to make sure your employees are getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy and productive. 

To start a lunch service, you can either contract with a local catering company that specializes in healthy food to take lunch orders or set up a lunch service in-house where you hire a company caterer.

If you opt for the latter, make sure to hire a chef who is experienced in preparing healthy meals so that you can provide healthy options for employees with different dietary needs.

Encourage Physical Activity

Exercise is the next step in prioritizing employee health. A sedentary lifestyle is an unhealthy one.

There are a few ways you can encourage physical activity in the workplace. 

One way is to set up an on-site gym or subsidize memberships to a local gym. Another way is to hold regular fitness challenges like charity walks to raise money for senior retirement communities or 5K races with cash prizes.

You can also create a company fitness club. People tend to exercise more in a group setting. 

Promote Mental Health

It’s easy to neglect mental health when thinking about employee health, but that would be a huge mistake. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

There are different ways to promote mental health in the workplace. 

One way is to hold regular wellness days where employees can participate in activities like yoga and meditation. You can also create an employee assistance program (EAP) that provides confidential counseling services for employees. 

Finally, don’t just listen to concerns,  actively work to solve any issues negatively affecting employee mental health.

Offer Health Insurance

Last but not least, if you don’t already, offer health insurance to your employees. This is one of the most important benefits you can provide. 

Health insurance will help employees pay for doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, and other medical expenses. 

Keep in mind that there are a lot of different options out there, so it’s important to do your research. Research things like deductibles, co-pays, and coverage levels. You should also find out if there are any discounts available. For example, some businesses qualify for a small business health care tax credit.

These are just a few ways to prioritize employee health. By providing a lunch service, promoting fitness activities, not neglecting mental health, and providing health insurance, you’ll create a healthier workplace that results in happier and more productive employees.