Effective and successful workplace wellness programs can help SME to improve organization’s efficiency and effectiveness as it builds culture and change individual’s lives. SME can also benefited from improved attrition indexes, lower absenteeism, increased productivity & higher job satisfaction.

Wellness program demonstrate to employees that their health is important and employer knows & care about this aspect. It also is beneficial for employee’s in improving their physical strength, stamina and general well-being thus, improving their focus at work.

Workplace wellness is a health promotion activity or organizational policy designed to support healthy behaviour in the workplace & to improve health outcomes. Secondary prevention programs are targeted at reducing behaviours that are considered as risk factor for poor health.

Small Business Wellness is the future and small business wellness program has a lot of advantages -  

• India is a country of small businesses employing around 10-50 employees
• Leadership is more visible
• Most of the broking happens at SME s
• Absenteeism has a big impact
• Small Businesses can self-insure
• Wellness programs are well within affordable cost

To promote employee wellness programs, following steps can be initiated -

• Set the Goals that benefit the SME and staff
• Form a team to create the employee wellness program
• Get to work planning the program
• Get feedback and optimize the efforts for the program

For an SME, wellness program interventions are required to assess the needs. The following can be done for that -

• Conduct an Assessment as to what is required or employees looking forward to
• Get the buying in from the promoters
• Let the formal welfare committee be formed
• Seek the employee’s inputs
• Conduct a survey as to what is happening in parallel or similar set ups
• Develop well defined milestones using 80:20 Principle
• Design & implement the Program
• Select the incentives for the early successes/achieving low hanging fruits
• Measure the effectiveness of the program from Value Creation perspective

Some of the effective wellness program for SME’s can be:

• Placing the eco-friendly plants in the workplace
• Playing relaxing music
• Meditation & Yoga programs
• Setting up small gym
• Medical & health check-ups programs & Vaccination Clinics
• Ensure basic hygiene & sanitation
• Nutrition Education & Healthy food by the caterer
• Smoke free environment
• Allow pets at work place
•  Communicate & Create awareness on critical diseases & ailments
•  Creating Fun Environment
•  Employee Assistance Programs – EAP
• Ergonomic Work Station
• Encouraging physical /outdoor sports activities

The role of Senior Leaders become very important to promote & live up to wellness programs

• Define the purpose & objectives – it starts from the Top
• Communicate & Communicate to have awareness across levels
• Be the part of wellness program & walk the talk
• Listen to Staff Voice & act on feedback
• Recognize & Reward
• Focus on Organization & People Strength
• Show gratitude & accept the difference – appreciate diversity at workplace
• Engage the staff & celebrate small successes

The best practices used in new starts ups/SME’s for wellness program are :

• Greeting the staff
• Praising staff in public for good work
• Make Workplace fulfilling
• Work life balance
• Hiring Happy Employees
• Encourage Wellness initiatives
• Use feedback as Mentoring Tool
• Work on Individual Development Plan
• Meaningful conversation with staff
• Refrain from Micro managing

The benefits can be Reduced stress, Reduced absenteeism, Lower health cost and Building a culture of Health First
Wellness cannot be centred around one-time activity. Wellness needs to be about the whole employee – Physical, Mental, Emotional/Social and Financial. The whole employee Matters. Focus on Value Creation by wellness program rather than ROI. Also ensure that wellness becomes part of SME’s culture
Today, the People are the key differentiator, they are responsible to make or break the organization, healthy people means healthy organization.
Some of the leading SME’s having best people practice are EMC, Zappos, Altizon, Droom, Go Pigeon, Hashtaag, Healthify Me, Ixigo, MedEcube My kind of job, Mystifly and  Ninjacart.

The most talked about organizations for wellness programs are Google, Microsoft Asana, Draper and Accenture. Their wellness programs focuses on the health, happiness and work life balance of the employees and is considered as being instrument in its business growth.

In conclusion, health is a state of mind and wellness is a state of being.