When it comes to achieving wellness in the workplace,
overall diet and nutrition is a large contributor in reaching an organization’s
corporate wellness goals. Diet and nutrition is part of physical wellness, and
many organizations have started to implement solutions to fight obesity and bad
nutrition habits, leading to healthier and more productive employees. Healthier
employees also save the company money in healthcare costs due to less
diet-related conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes
(PRNewswire, 2004). Research has shown that what we eat has a huge impact on
how well we work, and many organizations are diving in and taking the steps
towards a healthier workplace.
There are many different ways that better nutrition in the
workplace can be implemented. Organizations are always coming up with new
programs and ideas to help employees take the necessary steps towards becoming
healthier. One company, called Kaiser Permanente, has launched a new nutrition
program called Mix It Up. This program emphasizes a varied selection of
colorful produce and introduces participants to healthy eating patterns that
anyone can readily and easily adopt. There’s no calorie counting or fat-gram
measuring involved. With this program, employers are uniquely positioned to
support employees in making healthy changes (PRNewswire, 2012). According to
PRNewswire, “Employees spend about 2,000 hours a year at work, so businesses
are in a good position to promote prevention, influence employee decision-making
and support their workforce in living healthier lives” (PRNewswire, 2012). With
this program, employees can sign up online with the goal of eating at least
five servings of produce each day. There are more than 120 possible fruits and
vegetables choices and participants click on images of the foods they’ve eaten,
drag them to a virtual blender and process their choices. Mix It Up totals the
numbers of fruits and vegetables consumed and tracks their progress over time
(PRNewswire, 2012). This low-cost online program also offers nutritional tips
as well as the choice to compete against other employees. This program is great
because it promotes a healthy lifestyle, but also shows that being healthy can
be fun and rewarding. This program also does an excellent job with engaging
employees and also making them commit to better overall nutrition.
Well Street is another company that launched a new workplace
nutrition program called, “Healthy Nutrition Program.” This program focuses
exclusively on building good eating habits. Naturopathic doctors and
nutritionists developed this 3-week program where employees meet in a small
group with a health professional on a weekly basis where they learn nutritional
concepts and how to put said concepts into practice. Employees also get to
discuss their experiences and get feedback from a health professional as well
as their peers (Online PR News, 2013). Having people to talk to helps instill
commitment for the program and allows for employees to stay strong on their
journey towards wellness.
Another option that organizations are turning to is putting
vending machines up throughout the workplace that are filled with healthy
snacks and drinks. Having healthy options readily available for employees makes
it so much easier for individuals to make healthy choices. According to an
article, “The Healthyroads Healthy Vending Machine Program plays a vital role
in helping employers meet their corporate wellness goals by providing employees
with workplace access to a variety of healthy,
low-fat snacks and drinks” (American specialty health, 2005). Healthyroads
is a company that employers can purchase vending machines from and then the
employers choose which items they would like to stock it with. The simplicity
of this concept is very appealing and makes for an extremely easy way to help
organizations fulfill their wellness goals. This concept also makes it
difficult for employees to come up with excuses as to why they can’t make
healthier decisions because they have vending machines right in front of them full
of nutritious options. George DeVries, chairman, president, and chief executive
officer of American Specialty Health, partook in swapping out their company’s
vending machine contents for healthier options. He stated that, “As we've seen
in our own offices, offering healthy food and drink options is an
investment in the health and well-being of our employees and has led
to healthier lifestyles and higher employee satisfaction” (American
specialty health, 2005). Higher employee satisfaction and productivity levels
are just a couple of benefits that are possible with implementing better
nutrition habits. Another benefit is lowered healthcare costs for an
organization.
When a company sees possible ways to lower healthcare costs,
they will generally look into it. In this case, by engaging in nutrition
wellness programs, companies are killing two birds with one stone. They are
increasing employee satisfaction and productivity and lowering healthcare costs
all in one movement. In a recent article, an example of improving workplace
nutrition and exercise can be seen,
“Companies can save millions by
encouraging their sedentary, obese employees to exercise a little, says 2004
research by the University of Michigan,
even if it’s just a couple of times a week and they don’t lose any weight.
Researchers studied 25,000 General
Motors employees, 30% of whom were average weight, 45% were
overweight and 25% were obese. For the obese, health care costs averaged $3,000
a year; for the overweight that number was $2,400, and for the normal weight
group, $2,000. For those workers who did not exercise, health care costs went
up by at least $100 a year. But for the group that added two or more days of
light exercise to their schedule, costs went down by an average $500 per
employee per year. The exercise lasted for 20 minutes and while it was
considered “light,” it was hard enough to increase heart rate and breathing.
The conclusion: “Physical activity could offset at least some of the adverse
effects of excess body fat, and thus help moderate the escalating health care
costs.” If the company’s entire workforce had taken part in the exercise the
potential savings could have reached $7.1 million annually. Just getting the
most sedentary obese workers off their chairs twice a week would have saved GM
about $790,000 in a year” (Cutting health care, 2011).
This just goes to show that better nutrition and a little
bit of exercise can go a long way; and because these wellness programs benefit
both the employer and employees, everyone involved comes out ahead.
These are only a few ways that show just how beneficial
workplace nutrition programs can be for everyone. Eating healthy and exercising
is not an easy task, but when all the resources are provided, committing to a
healthy lifestyle is becoming easier than ever. Change is uncomfortable, but
knowing that you have the support of your workforce behind you encouraging you
along the way makes a healthier lifestyle seem a lot more achievable.
American specialty health; vending machine program offers
healthy snacks and drinks. (2005, August 24).Fitness & Wellness Business
Week, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/abicomplete/docview/2 14057685/13D12EAFC782135506F/3?accountid=12924
Employers have
new tool to help improve workplace productivity. (2004, May 07). PR Newswire, Retrieved from
Kaiser permanente launches mix it up online nutrition
program to improve better eating in the workplace: Program offers employees a
fun way to track fruit and vegetable intake. (2012, May 09). PR
Newswire, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/abicomplete/docview/1011584424/13D0E88E0F928B37EE/2?accountid=12924
Well street
launches new workplace nutrition program. (2013, March 25). Retrieved from http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/363075-1364170914-well-street-launches-new-workplace-nutrition-program.html
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