11 Oct Wellness Program in a Box
Keeping employees healthy and doing the right things is hard. Really hard. 当观察整个幸福的范围时，这一点尤其正确, which addresses an individual’s comprehensive health status. Elements of well-being include:
- 目标/事业:喜欢你每天做的事情，有动力去实现你的目标.
- Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life.
- 财务:管理你的经济生活，减少压力，增加安全感.
- 社区:喜欢你居住的地方，感到安全，并为你的社区感到自豪.
- 当然，身体方面:身体健康，有足够的精力完成日常工作.
Addressing mental health, as we’ve written about before, is also a crucial part of the pie, 但是，如果满足其他组件，则假定在此模型中包含它.
According to a recent JAMA study that we highlighted in a previous blog post, 传统健康项目的投资回报率很难证明, 传统的健康项目的效果也不尽如人意. 那么，作为雇主，你能做些什么来在不倾家荡财的情况下提高员工的福利呢?
One tool to rule them all
如果有一种工具能够影响幸福的所有组成部分呢? I’m here to argue there is. The bicycle, as simple as it is, 仍然是人类拥有的最有效的工具之一吗. While it is great as a recreational tool, 代替汽车使用时，自行车的力量才真正释放出来, as in “active transportation.” Let’s break it down by well-being component:
Physical health: 而燃烧的卡路里数量则取决于人的体型, speed, distance, and other factors, the average person will burn between 450-750 calories per hour. You can enter in your specific numbers if you’re interested to see how much you’d burn. 当你燃烧所有的卡路里时，骑自行车上下班可能会减少你的心理健康天数 by over 20 percent.
Financial health: Driving a car is expensive. The IRS mileage reimbursement rate is currently $.545 per mile, which is based on the realistic addition of costs. This accounts not just for gas, 但也有“磨损”，你的车辆最终需要维护(如.e, transmission, motor, tires, etc). Assuming an 8-mile commute (1-way), which is still manageable, that saves the bicycle commuter more than $8 EVERY DAY they ride. 即使你一开始每周只上下班两天，每月也能省下65美元.
Social health: 自行车社区，尤其是在威奇托，非常团结和热情. There are cycling groups for just about any demographic. The Wichita Geezers is a great group for older riders, WomenBikeICT is perfect for women of all ages who want to ride with other women, Sunday Dose of Vitamin G for those who prefer gravel biking, Sunday Slow Rolls 对于那些喜欢慢节奏的人来说，还有很多我没有提到的人! Bike Walk Wichita 也是骑车者和其他志同道合的人见面的好地方吗. Whichever group you choose, 你可以花时间和别人在一起，同时从事有趣和健康的活动!
Community health: As you begin biking through Wichita, and seeing the city at 10-15 mph instead of 40+ mph in a car, you really begin to appreciate all our wonderful city has to offer. According to Strong Towns philosophy, this is also good for the economic viability of a city, 因为如果居民骑自行车而不是开车，他们更有可能在商店停下来. 所有这些都更有可能让一个人真正为他们称之为家的地方感到自豪. 我几乎每天都骑自行车上班，我可以诚实地说，这是我一天中最美好的时光之一.
Purpose/career: By biking to work, 你会自然而然地感到更有活力，更有动力去迎接新的一天, 因为只要你开始工作，你就已经完成了一些事情. 反过来，这有可能增加你的员工的工作满意度和目标.
What you can do
所以这些都很好，但是你如何利用这些好处为你的员工? This is where strategic wellness programming come into play. 而不是为完成生物识别筛查或参加营养课程等提供奖励, you might consider shifting that money to pay for things such as:
- Providing bike amenities such as a bike rack or on-site shower.
- Stipends for employees to buy or repair their bicycle.
- 员工每天选择骑车上班而不是开车的奖励. This could be a per-day incentive payment, or a per-mile incentive.
By making it easier for your employees to bike to work, you are ensuring they are receiving all the benefits stated above, with very little money needed from you as the employer. And what money does get put into active transportation is well-spent. An analysis of Portland, Oregon, where roughly six percent of the population bikes to work, 研究发现，考虑到直接医疗成本，与自行车相关的交通投资回报率约为3:1. 当延长人类生命的价值被增加时，投资回报率上升到近50:1(单个质量调整生命年被认为是值得的 roughly $100,000 by actuaries).
如果你或你的员工担心骑车的某些方面, such as how to repair and maintain a bike, how to ride a bike for those who have ridden in a while, or how to safely commute on the roads, organizations like Bike Walk Wichita 为任何感兴趣的人提供教育和帮助(通常是免费的，或者花费很低). Making the decision to begin riding is the hardest part!
