When was the last time you were truly blown away by a wellness offer? For me, it happened just a couple months ago.
The Edington-CBIZ Next Practice Awards are yearly prizes given to companies that have inspiring wellness programs, well aligned with the key principles from Dr. Dee Edington’s books, Zero Trends and Shared Values, Shared Results. For the last two years, I have served as a judge for these awards.
One of the contestants this year really impressed me. The company invites anyone from their local community to participate in their wellness initiatives. While the offer is free to their employees and spouses, other participants have to pay to join. The goal is not to turn wellness into a profit center, but to create a culture of wellness that transcends the organizational walls.
As an added benefit, the company offering above and beyond their product and services to the local community shows that it cares about people, not just profit. And when employees know that it wants to do good, their commitment to their work increases.
Now, that’s a great way to increase the meaning of your health promotion effort (not to mention the meaning of your job assignment!).
How can this practice inspire you? Can you broaden your wellness offer in a way that would spread more goodness to the world around you? If you’re not ready to open your program up to everyone, consider starting by inviting friends and family members of employees, customers, suppliers and other partners – not just those who are covered by your insurance program, but all those who are willing to join in. Love those who love you back!