Employee Wellness Blog | TotalWellness

Who Says You Can't Have a Little Fun with Company Flu Shots?

Written by Lisa Stovall | Mon, Jul 30, 2012

Can you make employee flu shots fun? The flu is serious business, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little fun with promoting your flu shot clinics. After all, isn't moving people to take action about making an emotional connection. When a connection is there, it sparks new behaviors and actions. So infusing a little fun in your flu vaccination campaign can be an effective way to motivate employees to get their flu shots. 


Prizes

Here's a few ways to put some fun into your onsite flu shot clinic promotions:

  • Hold a raffle for those who get their flu shots — gift certificates to a sporting goods store can be a fun prize. And staying active helps people stay healthy. You can also give extra raffle tickets for those employees who help recruit others to get their flu shot. 
  • Offer a reward to the department with the highest percentage of participating employees.
  • Hold a photo contest and have employees share why they get their flu shot each year. Could be things like grandkids or places they love to visit when traveling.
  • Send out trivia questions via e-mail, newsletters, and paychecks, and display the questions on bulletin boards.

Freebies

  • Offer breakfast, lunch or snacks. Good food is a great way to attract employees to an event and reward them for their healthy behavior.
  • Give out buttons or stickers that employees can wear with pride to show they have gotten their flu shot.  

Invite the Family

  • Invite family members to participate in your clinic. This helps increase participation rates and leads to better overall family health. It also helps reduce the likelihood of employees missing work due to a sick family member!

Eye-Catching Materials

Get employees excited. Communication should be simple, straightforward, fun and conversational. Need a little inspiration? Here are some of the creative campaigns we have seen over the years:

  • Hit Me With Your Flu Shot
  • Be a Flu Fighter 
  • Stick it to the Flu 
  • Take Your Best Shot
  • Flulapalooza
  • Movie theme - The Flu as the "Creature from the Black Lagoon"
  • InFLUence Others: Get Vaccinated!
  • Beware of the flu cooties 

The best advice is to pick something that works for your employees and organizational culture. And don't be afraid to have a little fun!