Wellness Fairs with a Twist..
A few years ago, company health fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.
In the past, the fairs often better served the provider(s) who came onsite than the needs of the hosting company or their workforce. More lately, businesses have refined the planning of the events to serve particularly to launch or promote a wellness program.
To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes – boosting worker education and building their enthusiasm to take part in the health promotion program.
To make certain you and your personnel get the most out of a wellness fair, it helps to be conscious of the plusses and minuses – and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.
Health Fairs – Double-edged sword
On the plus side, employees received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics like illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.
On the down side, some specialists said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “wellness fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and personnel weren’t namely tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.
Health Promotion program consultant Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their health fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples -
o A booth from a local health-food store
o A chair-massage station
o elder-care info from the AARP, or
o A “complimentary medicine” info booth (e.g.,a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).
Offering incentives
In many cases, personnel still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, in addition to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life wellness programs that’ve worked -
o A contest offering prizes to workers who visit every station
o quizzes and prizes based on info from different vendors’ literature
o flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an extra afternoon off), and
o cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people who voluntarily take part in various screenings.