Corporate wellness has come a long way, no doubt about that. We are now past the days of generic step challenges and fruit baskets. This is all thanks to company managers and owners realising they have to get serious about supporting real, lasting employee health. The tool of choice for this goal? Corporate health coaching.
But what does it actually look like in practice? How does it even work? And what should you expect when you bring it into your organisation? Find the answers to these questions in the sections that follow.
First, What’s Corporate Health Coaching?
Corporate health coaching is when companies provide employees with access to professional, one-on-one or small group health coaching services. Such programs are usually part of the larger wellness benefits package that the company offers.
Of course, such a program works best when you engage a workplace wellness coach from a reputable company like Plus One. Such coaches go beyond just offering fitness tips. They are trained in lifestyle management, behavioural science, and motivational techniques to help employees improve any area of personal health, be it sleep, stress, nutrition, work-life balance, movement, and more.
The best part about health coaching is that it’s personalised, so employees get support based on their unique goals.
How Health Coaching Works
Here are the steps to succeed in offering health coaching as part of your workplace wellness strategy:
1. The Company Partners With a Coaching Provider
The most important step of any health coaching program is to team up with the right coaching providers. In most cases, this is usually an external wellness company. However, it could also be an in-house team, depending on company size or an insurance plan add-on. Whatever the arrangement you use, the provider will supply certified health coaches who are trained in evidence-based wellness strategies.
2. Employees Opt In
Participation is usually voluntary (and it should be). It’s important that the employees can sign up easily, either through the HR department, a benefits portal, or a wellness app. Easy accessibility boosts employee uptake, making it likely for the company’s management to reap the benefits they’ve been targeting.
3. Coaching Starts
As soon as the employees have started registering, the provider will create a schedule for one-on-one or group sessions. These are usually private, recurring sessions, which in some cases can be offered in a virtual format to promote convenience.
Employees will work with their coaches to:
- Set meaningful goals like reducing stress, improving sleep, or losing weight.
- Create a customised, realistic action plan
- Identify roadblocks and habits that need adjusting
- Stay accountable and motivated over time
Every health coaching session is supposed to be judgment-free and entirely confidential, which is why companies should involve expert health coaches.
4. Progress Tracking Stage
Most health coaching programs will have a form of light tracking to ensure the targeted goals are being met. Such tracking can be in the form of progress reports, satisfaction surveys, and behaviour assessments. Ideally, it’s supported to be a process that’s as non-invasive as possible.
The main goal here is to focus on long-term habit change as opposed to instant results. Some programs will also offer incentives and wellness credits to encourage users to stick with them.
Boost the Success of Your Company With Health Coaching
Not so many times you’ll hear someone claim that you can use health coaching to enhance your company’s success, but with benefits like lower burnout and turnover, reduced healthcare costs, improved productivity, and others, we dare you to try it! The best part is that you are getting long-term benefits, so the return on investment should be incredible.
So, start your health coaching program today by visiting plusoneworkplacewellbeing.com, and you’ll see just how much that will improve the overall performance of your organisation.