Worksite wellness is any activity that encourages employees to engage in healthy behaviors and help prevent chronic diseases. Ideally, programs will address multiple health factors and promote overall healthy living.

Programs should help employees:

• maintain better fitness and nutrition
• reduce healthcare costs
• limit missed days of work

Healthier employees are usually more productive, so it is important for employers to motivate employees to get and stay healthy.

For every $1 spent on employee wellness, employers get back $3 in saved costs and increased productivity…it’s a healthy investment. 2

Employers will also see:

• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
• Reduced healthcare costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Reduced employee absenteeism
• Improved employee relations and morale
• Increased productivity

Poor choices increase the risk of chronic conditions – like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure - which have a negative effect on employees’ lives and can raise health care premiums. These poor choices also make it harder to be productive, lead to sick days, and increase workers’ compensation costs. For instance, in the U.S.:

• Each employee who smokes costs his/her employer an extra $3,383 per year, including $1,760 in lost productivity and $1,623 in additional medical expenses.


• Medical expenses for an obese employee are estimated to be 42 percent higher than for a person with a healthy weight.


• Productivity losses linked to employees who miss work cost employers $225.8 billion, or $1,685 per employee, each year.

Many of these risks can be lowered by behavior changes in the work place.

• Have increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem 
• Weight loss 
• Improve your physical fitness level 
• Increase stamina 
• Lower stress levels 
• Reduce healthcare premiums you pay

Is your workplace smoke-free? Tobacco-free environments help create a healthy and safe workplace.

Call the Texas Quitline at 1-877-YES QUIT or (1-877-937-7848).

Employer:

Recognize the hazards caused by tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke. Adopt and implement a tobacco-free policy or designated outdoor smoking areas. Offer employees opportunities to attend FREE smoking cessation classes like Freshstart.

Request a group class for your worksite: Download this form and email to [email protected].

Employee:

Interested in quitting tobacco? You’re not alone! Most smokers in Texas have tried to quit.

You can participate in this FREE program, as well as the Texas Tobacco Quitline, whether you have attempted to quit or not.Texas Quitline offers free and confidential phone counseling services and resources such as nicotine patches, gums, or lozenges, to those who qualify.

To apply, complete the Texas Quitline form English | Español. For more information, call the Texas Quitline at 1-877-YES QUIT or (1-877-937-7848).

There’s a lot that you can do to help your employees be healthier. Promote and encourage physical activity in your workplace.

Try these ideas at your worksite:

• Policy changes that allow staff time for physical activity during the workday 
• Onsite exercise classes like Zumba, Yoga, or Pilates 
• Walking groups 
• Create a walking trail or map out a safe trail of various distances on Google Maps

More resources to get employees moving:

• President’s Challenge Program

Eating healthy can be difficult to do – especially at work when you’re often crunched for time.

Make eating healthy easy to do while at work! Employers can support healthier eating behaviors by offering:

• Vending machines – with healthy food options 
• Snacks at meetings - offering fruits, vegetables and water 
• Cafeteria foods - offer fair price healthy options in the cafeteria 
• Potlucks - encourage healthy potlucks 
• Candy jars - encourage a "fruit" jar or fruit basket 
• Catered events - provide plenty of fruits, vegetables and low fat/low calorie options as a policy

Farm To Work is a partnership between worksites and their local farmers. These partnerships create markets for local farmers to sell nutritious, sustainably grown produce directly to the staff of participating organizations.

Through this website, employees can learn about local food, download recipes, and order a basket of fresh, locally grown produce delivered right to work.

• Provide worksites and employees with access to fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables.
• Facilitate direct sales for family farmers.
• Promote awareness of the food system and educate consumers about sustainable food and farms.
• Offer educational opportunities for employees and their families about the importance of fresh food and nutrition.

Some women find it difficult to return to work after having a baby. As an employer, you can provide a supportive environment to help new moms who choose to breastfeed by becoming a breastfeeding-friendly (also called “Mother-Friendly”) worksite.

New mothers whose jobs offer lactation support are more likely to return to work with their current employer and report increased morale, higher job satisfaction, and better productivity.¹

Employers can enjoy benefits, as well, including:

• Lower health care costs.
• Decreased absences.
• Lower employee turnover.
• Improved productivity and staff loyalty.
• Enhanced public image of the employer¹.

Take the guesswork out of becoming breastfeeding friendly. Click here for more information and to see the list of 2300+ Texas worksites Designated as Mother-Friendly.
¹ Texas Department of State Health Services

Learn how to get started with establishing a Mother-Friendly Worksite program at your workplace. Click here to see how easy it is! Once your program is set-up, be sure to apply to become a designated “Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite.”

Texas Law

A mother is entitled to breastfeed her baby in any location in which the mother is authorized to be.

Making your workforce aware that you support breastfeeding is the first step toward a mother-friendly worksite. You can do this by:

1. Providing a private area and flexibility for a mom to pump her breastmilk.
2. Providing access to a refrigerator to store breastmilk.

Employees

Being a new mom and returning to work can be challenging.
But when your worksite supports your choice to breastfeed, you can:

1. Return to work sooner
2. Possibly have lower health-care costs because your baby is healthier