An effective way to measure the health of an employee population is to screen individuals for common health risks such as obesity, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But when is the best time of the year to offer on-site biometric screenings?
The short answer. Anytime is the right time to give your employees invaluable information about their health. Now for the long answer. If you are looking to provide on-site biometric screenings, consider the following times:
Healthy Start to New Year
With the number one New Year’s resolution to lose weight and/or get healthier – what better time to offer onsite health screenings to your employees than the start of the year? The beginning of the year is the perfect time to encourage employees to live healthier because you have a captive audience eager to learn more about lifestyle changes. Screenings are an ideal way to educate and help employees get on the road to health by taking charge of their preventable risk factors.
Spring into Better Health
Spring brings new life and energy. The beautiful days of spring can inspire us to think about a fresh start. Just like with spring cleaning, it's about a new attitude, "out with the old and in with the new". So it can also be a terrific time to offer employees a spring "check-up" via health screenings.
Fabulous in Fall
By choosing the fall season, you can combine flu shots and screenings to create more of a health fair environment. This can help generate excitement and create visibility for the company's health and wellness programs. Bundling wellness services is a great way to get employees engaged without taking up too much of their time.
Annual Benefits Open Enrollment
When employees are reviewing their insurance options for the next year, they are often thinking about their health care costs. This is the perfect time to explain how the wellness program is connected to the company's benefits strategy. You can explain how by staying healthy, they can reduce their need for medical care and lower their health care costs. Plus, wellness incentives are often linked to employee health care premium reductions - making a perfect cross selling point.
Overall, it's best to avoid scheduling a health event before or after a major holiday since many employees may take vacation during that time.
