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It’s August. In New England, that means warm weather, long days, vacations, relaxing in the sun, and outdoor activities.

Taking time off to focus on wellness.

As an employer, you can promote employee wellness as part of the summertime fun, even if you don’t have an official wellness program. Simply start with activities that take advantage of the weather and summertime foods:

  • Forget the donuts. Many of us really like them, but treat employees with healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables, and yogurt instead. Grapes, apples, bananas, or other in-season summer foods are really the best fast foods.
  • With warmer weather and longer days, start a walking group during lunch or after work to get employees outside in the fresh air and sunlight.
  • Share nutrition and health tips. You can often get them “ready to go” from your health insurance carrier find them online for free. Employees tend to be more motivated to improve their health in the summer when it’s easier to be active.
  • Push the water. With heat stroke and dehydration more of an issue in the summer, have water available for employees and encourage drinking water versus sodas.
  • Part of wellness is mental health. Consider flexible scheduling or alternate work schedules during the summer months. Having time to enjoy the summer is something most workers want.
  • Establish a Wellness challenge with your workers such as healthy eating, walking a certain number of many miles, etc. Celebrate the completion of the challenges with a picnic or cookout—where you serve healthy foods, of course.
  • For all outside activities, don’t forget to apply sunscreen to keep your skin healthy!

Summertime wellness initiatives help employees enjoy the weather while they improve their health. Group activities are also great ways to build a sense of community and teamwork. Benefits to the employer include greater productivity, reduced absenteeism, and lower health insurance costs.

And you don’t have to stop when summer ends. Contact KMA today for ideas on how you can promote wellness now and use it as a starting point to a year-round program.