Employee Wellness Program Policy Template (by Workable)

This policy template was created by recruiting software and hiring platform Workable.

Policy brief & purpose

Scope

Our employee wellness program policy describes our company’s wellness initiatives that promote employee health. We want our employees to have access to wellness resources and a personalized wellness plan.

Employee wellness programs have many benefits. Wellness helps people become more productive. It can reduce the number of sick days employees take and various sickness-related expenses and accidents. But, most importantly, employee wellness is a vital aspect of building a happier workplace.

Scope

This employee wellness program policy applies to all our employees. We may offer our wellness program as part of a group health plan or separately.

Policy elements

What is a wellness program for employees?

Our company provides a wellness program that promotes employee health and disease prevention. Each employee can have a personalized wellness plan and a variety of wellness resources.

Our wellness program has several goals. For example, we want to help our employees:

• Lose weight
• Quit smoking
• Manage stress
• Lower blood pressure or cholesterol levels
• Improve their physical strength and stamina

This list isn't exhaustive. We aim to promote every outcome that will make our employees healthier. Some training or courses aim to prevent occupational accidents and promote correct use of equipment and material on the job. These fall under the purview of our workplace health and safety policy.

Wellness resources include any kind of information, advice, activity, facility, equipment and membership that promotes employee health (physical, emotional and psychological) and fitness.

Here are the wellness resources available:

• [Nap room]
• [Yoga classes]
• [Fitness activities]
• [Gym membership]
• [Access to a wellness coach]
• [Nutritious snacks and drinks]
• [Stress management seminars]
• [Nutrition/Health information classes]

Resources like the nap room and nutritious snacks are readily available to everyone. If employees want to sign up for other resources like gym membership and fitness classes, or have a wellness plan set for them, they should refer to our [Human Resources (HR) department/Wellness committee.]

As part of our wellness program, we may use third-party vendors such as gyms, wellness centers, coaches, physicians and health education providers. Physicians or health experts may ask employees to answer assessment questions and take biometric screenings to determine their health risk and help them follow a suitable program. Questions and screenings are voluntary and regulated.

We may also host competitions among our employees, like 8-week weight loss contests. Participating in these contests is also voluntary.

Team leaders' responsibilities

Team leaders should work with the HR department to communicate our wellness initiatives to their team members. They should tell their team members:

• That our company offers a wellness program
• How and when they can use our wellness resources
• That they can get personalized wellness plans
• Who employees can refer to for more details

We advise team leaders to encourage their team members to participate and be open to discuss any concerns when needed.

Wellness Incentives

We want to encourage our employees to participate in our wellness programs, so we'll provide employee wellness program incentives. We’ll also offer rewards for employees who achieve their wellness objectives, as they’re formed in their personalized wellness plan. Incentives and rewards may be:

• [Cash]
• [Time off]
• [Reductions in insurance premiums]
• [Other gifts and awards]

Incentives and rewards may be regulated by law. We’ll follow legal limitations at all times.

Employees with Disabilities

We can make reasonable accommodations for our employees with disabilities to help them have equal access to our wellness program. Our HR department will consult with physicians and wellness experts to help our employees with disabilities have a suitable wellness plan.

The same applies to employees who can’t participate in certain wellness activities due to age, pregnancy or other reason. We want everyone to have access to wellness plans and resources they can use. We’ll also pay any wellness incentives to all our employees who participate in our wellness programs without discriminating against protected characteristics.

We encourage our employees to reach out to our HR department. They can explain their situation and discuss options. These discussions and any relevant information will be kept confidential.

Legality of wellness program

Genetic information and disability

Our company will handle any health insurance and wellness plans with attention to relevant legal guidelines.

Confidentiality and respect to our employees’ rights are important to us. We won’t:

• use any genetic information and disability status to disadvantage our employees in any way.
• use wellness incentives in exchange for genetic information or information on our employees’ health condition or that of their family.
• try to coerce employees into providing health/genetic information or taking medical examinations.

We will let employees know what health information we need for our wellness program, who will be able to see it and why. All data will be kept confidential and our company will be able to access aggregated data.

Voluntary participation

We encourage employees to participate in our wellness program but their participation is voluntary . There won’t be any punishment or adverse action for employees who choose not to use our wellness resources and program.

Incentives

Any incentives that encourage employees to participate in our wellness programs will always be within legal guidelines. We’ll give the same incentive to all employees who participate in our wellness program, regardless of disability or health risk.

Design

Our wellness program will be designed with employee health in mind. It won’t be unpleasant, too time-consuming or require heavy spending by our employees. We can create personalized wellness plans for each employee. We always welcome ideas and suggestions for our employee wellness program. 

Disclaimer: This employee wellness program policy template is meant to provide general guidelines and should be used as a reference. It may not take into account all relevant local, state or federal laws and is not a legal document. Neither the author nor Workable will assume any legal liability that may arise from the use of this policy.

Further reading:

• EEOC's Final Rule on Employer Wellness Programs and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• EEOC's Final Rule on Employer Wellness Programs and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)

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