Employee Wellness on a Shoestring.

Top companies realize the affects of employee wellness on their bottom line. This is evident by the billions of dollars spent on wellness initiatives by larger corporations every year.

Think you can’t start a wellness program for your small business? Think again. There are literally hundreds of ways to work on wellness at any budget. Here are just a few ideas to help you get started.

Spark People – SparkPeople’s mission is to SPARK millions of PEOPLE to reach their goals and lead healthier lives. They offer nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are 100% free! On their site a company can start a “Spark Team” where employees become members. They earn points by reading articles and meeting the health goals that they define for themselves. A small business could easily create some excitement about a program such as this by offering a small prize to employees who earn a certain number of points. Check them out at www.sparkpeople.com.

Purchase health and wellness magazines to leave in the break room.

WELCOA.org is another great place to start. They offer numerous resources to get a wellness program started. My favorite is an eight-page monthly publication that costs as little as .29 per issue.

Walk or Build for Charity – This will not only improve your employee’s health but can also be a great team-builder, marketing event, and will boost employee morale. There are numerous opportunities in every city. Habitat for Humanity is just one. Don’t forget to involve your employee’s family and friends for added work/life balance!!!

United Way 2-1-1 – I have mentioned this before, but what a great resource! You can now offer your employees assistance in all sorts of areas for free by using this resource. In the Kansas City area check out their site at http://www.unitedwaygkc.org.

Are your Employees Engaged?

Five years ago, The Gallup Organization began creating a feedback system for employers that would identify and measure elements of worker engagement most tied to the bottom line--things such as sales growth, productivity and customer loyalty.

After hundreds of focus groups and thousands of interviews with employees in a variety of industries, Gallup came up with the Q12, a 12-question survey that identifies strong feelings of employee engagement. Results from the survey show a strong correlation between high scores and superior job performance. Here are those 12 questions:

1. Do you know what is expected of you at work?
2. Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
3. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
5. Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
7. At work, do your opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
9. Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
10. Do you have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
12. In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Reprinted with permission. Copyright 1992-1999 The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ. All rights reserved. Gallup and Q12 are registered trademarks of The Gallup Organization.

As a small business owner or manager, you may be asking yourself how to find the time to keep your employees engaged. It is not as difficult as you might think and may be the most important step to improving your bottom-line.

Here are some easy steps to take.
1. Develop job descriptions for each job. Be sure to work with your employees in development.
2. Use these job descriptions as the basis of a performance evaluation system. By scheduling these every six months you will be sure that your employees continue to focus on their top priorities.
3. Hold weekly staff meetings. They do not need to be long, but this is a great way to ensure that everyone stays up-beat and gets regular praise and direction.

Remember, People Wise is here to help. Check out our site at www.pwhrm.com.

When does a small business need an employee handbook?

If you have employees, you need an employee handbook.

Improve your existing policies.
Writing an employee handbook is to your employment policies what writing a business plan is to your business. It is the act itself that can help you improve. Let’s face it, as small business owners we are often so busy that we can neglect our employee issues. When this happens our interactions can become an exercise in putting out fires, rather than acting proactively.

By partnering with an expert, whether your attorney or an HR professional to think through policies that will help your business run more effectively, you are taking the first step to becoming an employer of choice.

Stay out of court.
Many times the key to staying out of court is in consistency. Without having clear expectations written down consistency is difficult.

Because some states regard an employee handbook as an employment contract, handbooks can sometimes be a detriment to employers who find themselves in court. However, you can minimize your risk by using precise language and effective disclaimers.

Motivate your employees.
Employees are at their best when they know exactly what you expect of them. You can use your employee handbook as a tool not only to lay down the law of the land, but also to let employees know exactly what they are working towards. Add sections about performance appraisals, raises, and promotions to let your employees know what steps to take to get ahead.

Create excitement.
When hiring someone new an employee manual can be used to communicate your desired culture and make your company appear more professional. Use the first few sections of your handbook to give a history of your company, your mission and values, and add a welcome letter to let them know who your company is. The first day can set the tone for years of great success.

When rolling out a handbook to existing employees, take it as an opportunity to create excitement. Let them know how much you have grown and plan on growing in the future and be sure to let them know how they have contributed to that growth.

Buyer beware.
If you google “Employee Handbook” you will find thousands of sites offering inexpensive handbooks that can be downloaded on the spot. However, when you use somebody else’s handbook are you creating your culture? Find a company that will partner with you in writing your handbook to ensure that it represents your company and not someone else’s.

You can find many great tools to get started on your employee handbook on our website, www.pwhrm.com. There you will find a free sample employee handbook as well as a free quote form.