Group health insurance policies look at the health status of your group to be insured when coming up with your premium quotes, deductibles, and other costs. For businesses looking to lower their insurance costs encouraging a healthier lifestyle has a number of benefits. Not only can you lower your insurance costs, but you get to enjoy a healthier, more productive, and more motivated workforce at the same time.
Positive lifestyle changes benefit insurance costs whether your business opts for a traditional or self-funded plan. It can become part of your company culture and your entire business can enjoy the many fruits of living healthier together.
Tips For Encouraging Healthier Lifestyles In Your Business
If your business is looking to encourage healthier lifestyles within your workforce starting out is typically the hardest part. You’ll want to encourage and incentivize, not force, health and you’ll want to make it an enjoyable thing for your employees to take part in. A few tips to better encourage healthier lifestyles within your business are:
1. Encourage getting on your feet – Sitting for 6 to 8 hours per day can be deceptively damaging to the body, and a body at rest tends to stay at rest. This means that sitting encourages sedentary behavior, and those who spend most of their time sitting are less likely to get up and get moving when they have the opportunity. In the workplace there are a few ways to encourage moving around throughout the day like walking meetings. Rather than having a meeting while sitting in a meeting room, walking meetings have the group take a walk around the business complex, the building, the parking lot, or even a nearby park while you discuss all the topics at hand.
2. Support mental health and de stressing – Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it’s a lot less likely to be noticed as quickly. Encouraging employees to take their vacation days, having de stress areas in the office, or making some time for fun throughout the day can work wonders on taking care of employees’ mental health and wellness.
3. Bring healthy food into the workplace – We are what we eat and what we put into our bodies makes a huge impact on overall health. Rather than bagel breakfasts on Mondays or the pizza party lunch switch to healthier options like fresh fruit, salads, sandwiches, and whole foods. Installing a smoothie maker, sandwich press, or an office fridge for home lunches can also encourage healthier eating habits.
Keep Your Group At Their Best
When your workforce feels their best they’re able to give your business their best stuff. Encouraging a healthier lifestyle can not only lower your insurance costs, it can make your office an overall happier and healthier place. To learn more about finding the right coverage for you and your team, contact us at National Insurance Partners Inc., to speak with one of our professional health group plan agents today.