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Worksite Wellness’ Achilles Heel

March 5, 2018

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How helping employees develop healthy eating habits can help your bottom line

In recent decades America has fallen victim to the ‘save now, pay later’ mentality. Cheap, fast food that wreaks havoc on our bodies and leads to sky-high healthcare costs is a prime example—costs spared on your grocery bill will surely end up on your medical bills. Full-time workers who are overweight or obese and have other chronic health problems cost employers more than $153 billion in lost productivity each year. At the individual level, an unhealthy employee could cost up to twice as much as a healthy employee, and business owners have no choice but to pay attention.

Business owners and CEOs are moving beyond the aforementioned short-sighted mentality and demonstrating their belief in the phrase ‘a business is only as good as its people’ by investing in their employees’ health through workplace wellness initiatives. Some corporate wellness programs see $3-$4 return on every $1 invested. But most businesses don’t have the time, resources, or employee motivation to maximize the benefits of intensive wellness programs.

You know that healthier, happier employees are better for your bottom line, but most ‘wellness’ solutions that come across your desk don’t address the core problem—better employee health begins with better food choices each day. Exercise is a key piece of the puzzle, but we are what we eat, and good health and weight ultimately begins and ends with what’s on our plates. Historically, discussing one’s eating habits with employees would be taboo, so how can a company broach the topic of healthy eating successfully?

Two fundamental principles of discussing healthy eating at the office are: 1. Involve everyone instead of singling out individuals and 2. Don’t make it about weight loss. Involving everyone in a unified conversation prevents team member alienation, and focusing on healthy habits instead of weight prevents any passing of judgement—thereby creating a positive, universal, and level playing field upon which the entire team can actively engage in wellness activities and improve their health.

A unique solution has been developed using these very principles alongside the latest in behavioral medicine and nutrition—Foodstand’s Team Challenges empower people to make healthy habits an everyday behavior, and build the ‘rules for good eating’ joyfully into daily life. The healthy eating behavior-change platform is mobile-first and allows entire teams to work together judgment-free, giving HR Directors and Benefits Managers a turnkey tool to deploy effective and targeted wellness without much effort. The platform comes packed with easy tracking (appropriate for all ages), helping people pursue progress over perfection, and enable lasting change. With an up to 95% completion rate, Foodstand’s bite-sized Challenges are sustainable year-round, preventing the inevitable abandonment of January’s well-intentioned resolutions, and helping keep your company healthy 365 days per year.

Introducing Foostand’s Team Challenges as the nutrition component to your worksite wellness program takes the work of developing and managing a complex platform off of your slate. At an honest price point, Foodstand’s platform pays for itself—engaging the entire staff, generating measurable healthy habits, and eventually cutting costs and saving you time and headache—while providing your employees with the nutrition education, guidance, and inspiration they need to become and stay healthy.

Foodstand’s detailed weekly reports reveal trends, behaviors, outcomes, retention and more, offering your team full transparency. This is not a passive program. The goal is to improve impact by providing your company with a custom-fit program—workshops, intra-office competitions, and personalized reporting—to suit your unique needs.

Not only do Foodstand’s Team Challenges enable a healthy, achievable and sustainable lifestyle for your employees, they also foster team building. Employees compete against each other and toward common healthy eating goals in 30 day intervals, promoting mutual support and interaction. Social accountability is key toward achieving and maintaining goals, as well as for good company morale—a win-win for your business.

Pave a new path in comprehensive employee wellness—spanning from exercise to nutrition and everything in between. This ‘save now, save later’ endeavor is helping to develop and revolutionize an industry, and keep money in your own pockets. The health of your employees and your business are worth the investment.

Click here to learn more about bringing Foodstand’s Team Challenges to your business.