80% of American adults do not get the recommended level of physical activity. As adults, we spend most of our week at work, most at desks. Due to a combination of companies losing money and the obesity crisis in America, some HR departments have implemented employee wellness programs to allow their employees to grow both personally and professionally while increasing company revenues. Employee wellness programs help employees implement and maintain changes to their lifestyle in a supportive environment that will improve their overall well-being and encourage productivity at work. As a result, 66% of employers with employee wellness programs report increased productivity.
Whether it’s a steps challenge or volunteer work, defining employee wellness goals are essential for a successful program. Workplace wellness programs should not only be clearly defined with a set mission and incentive, but they should have goals and objectives set in place to help employees grow.
What Are “Goals and Objectives” for an Employee Wellness Program?
So, what are the “goals and objectives” for an employee wellness program? Generally, goals are broader than objectives and are valuable for setting a direction or vision. Objectives are measurable building blocks that will help you accomplish the goal. Goals that are not assigned measurable objectives will likely never get achieved.
Sometimes, goals can only seem possible by breaking them down into measurable tasks using objectives. For example, the goal, “I want to make more money,” is broad, and “I will work with my team to practice my sales skills and increase my sales rate by at least 10% by the end of the month” is more narrowed and will give the employee a roadmap on how to earn more commission.
Many companies will use the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method to lay out specific objectives toward reaching each goal in a clear, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely way.
There can be many different benefits to starting a wellness program, and employees can set their own wellness goals if they wish to. Employee wellness challenges are a fun and engaging way to positively impact workplace morale, motivate others to do their best at their jobs, and optimize organizational performance by improving the health and wellness of employees.
Employers could provide employees with health education and lifestyle skills, empowering them and promoting employee well-being by having access to organized health and wellness opportunities. Such education will optimize performance and productivity and positively affect employee morale and job satisfaction. Another objective of employee wellness goals is to provide valued, tangible employee benefits, like an on-site gym, which can motivate employees to work out together and make exercising fun with healthy competition.
Next, let’s review some examples of employee wellness goals and objectives or ways to reach those goals.
Examples of Goals for an Employee Wellness Program
- Reduce Healthcare Costs
- Provide healthy foods in the café 2x week for employees.
- Increase employee productivity and engagement.
- As a group, discuss challenges and find solutions together.
- Improve Employee Morale
- Provide access to counseling as part of the employee benefits package.
- Fitness competition
- Increase Attendance
- Consider environmental improvements such as new paint colors or adding some plants around the office.
- Increase Retention Rates.
- When someone wants to leave the company, interview them to explain why they weren’t happy and then try to improve what they tell you.
How to Set Employee Wellness Goals that Work
As mentioned before, many companies will utilize the effectiveness of S.M.A.R.T. goals to get their teams on the right track to achieve the desired outcome. For example, say that the employee wellness goal includes accessing public transportation or a bike. Employers should provide employees with the resources they need to complete the objectives. In this case, they could provide bus or train passes or a pass to a bike-sharing company. Now, let’s delve into S.M.A.R.T. some more to see how you can utilize the goal setting guidelines in your workplace.
S.M.A.R.T. goal framework is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Specific: A practical goal should be clear, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
- Measurable: The goal should have some quantifiable quality, and you should be able to track the progress. Measurable goals allow you to see when you hit a benchmark or, more importantly, the finish line.
- Achievable: Will you be able to reach the goal? Goals must be realistic.
- Relevant: The goal you’re setting should contribute to your bigger goals. In the case of wellness programs, does the goal improve the wellness of the employees?
- Time-bound: Objective goals should have some defined time frame. How long will the event or program last?
An employee wellness program will help curate a supportive company culture and improve employees’ overall productivity and well-being while increasing company revenues.
To learn more about setting attainable goals and objectives for your wellness programs, contact the experts at BioFunctional Health.
