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Starting a Workforce Well-Being Program

People are more engaged on the job when they’re healthy, financially secure, and feel connected to their work and co-workers. As an employer, you can improve the health of your employees every day by creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive work environment that prioritizes employee well-being. Help your employees stay healthy and engaged by downloading the Starting a Workforce Well-Being Program toolkit and creating a program for your team.

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A workforce well-being overview What you can do about it Download this toolkit

A workforce well-being overview

Below you’ll find fact sheets employers can use to set up, restart, or enhance initiatives to promote a culture of well-being in the workplace. Each fact sheet focuses on 1 of 6 areas of workplace wellness: community, financial, social, career, emotional, and physical well-being.

Community well-being

Health is partly determined by the communities in which people live, work, and play. Housing, food, jobs, education, and other social drivers play a significant role in health outcomes. Download the community well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Financial well-being

Financial well-being means you can pay your bills, save, and enjoy life. Financial struggles are a strong predictor of stress for employees. Download the financial well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Social well-being

Social well-being refers to the close relationships and social connections in a person’s life. Research shows that social connections influence our habits, behaviors, and health. Download the social well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Career well-being

Career well-being refers to a person’s sense of purpose in their job. When employees like their jobs and use their strengths to achieve goals, they feel connected to their organization. Download the career well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Emotional well-being

Emotional well-being enables you to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life. People with high emotional well-being can bounce back from adversity and stress. Download the emotional well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Physical well-being

Physical well-being means having good health and enough energy to accomplish daily tasks. Lifestyle behaviors like healthy eating and physical activity can improve physical well-being. Download the physical well-being fact sheet (PDF) to learn more.

Did you know

Companies that invest in well-being programs are 7x more likely to report increased innovation and creativity

— Cross, R., “Next Practices in Holistic Well-Being: The Performance Advantage,” i4cp, 2020

What you can do about it

This 4-step model provides a tested blueprint for designing a workforce well-being program that’s right for your organization. It’s important to make the work environment safe, supportive, and inclusive. You decide how simple or extensive you want your program to be. Then choose what you need from the resources we provide to meet your program goals, plus data to evaluate results and adjust goals for the future.

Assess

Launching a workforce well-being program may seem like a complex undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. To start, assess where your organization stands on workforce well-being. This means getting business owner, CEO, or leadership team support. Once you have that, conducting employee surveys to determine your most pressing workforce well-being needs becomes easy.

Plan

Informed by employee feedback, you’re ready to plan your workforce well-being strategy. This means setting goals and clear definitions of success. Appoint a dedicated wellness champion or form a wellness committee to generate momentum. This person or team will be responsible for developing a calendar of events and a communications schedule that will keep the rest of your workforce involved throughout the length of your program.

Engage

Now you’re ready to launch the program and engage employees. Use our educational resources, tools, and programs to encourage participation. Ongoing communications will help to promote your program, keep the excitement going, and celebrate successes.

Measure

Finally, you’ll want to measure and evaluate your program’s success. Use surveys to track employee progress, participation, and interest. Learn from mistakes and look for improvement opportunities. And always share health wins, participation numbers, and other positive outcomes with your employees.

Commit to workforce well-being

When you’re ready, we recommend using the Starting a Workforce Well-Being Program toolkit to design a successful, results-oriented workforce well-being program. In it, you’ll find:

Surveys

Gauge employee interest and measure progress.

Get the employee interest survey

Wellness Committee Toolkit

Form your own wellness committee.

Get the toolkit

Links to helpful information

Get assistance, guidance, and inspiration.

Download this toolkit for offline use

Get started with the Starting a Workforce Well-Being Program toolkit.*

Download the toolkit for offline use

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Footnotes

*Due to the pandemic, some of the tips and tools provided in this kit may not align with CDC-recommended safety guidelines for COVID-19 prevention. For additional information, please visit cdc.gov.