Wellness is taking over the corporate world by storm.
Employers are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits wellness can offer
their bottom line and the benefits to their employees. That is why 75% of high
performing companies measure employee health status as a part of their overall
risk management strategy (Chenoweth, 2012) . It is critical for a wellness program to be an
intrinsic part of an organization’s culture in order to succeed. This is where
HR plays a key role in strategically implementing a wellness program that will
engage leadership at all levels and help generate a healthier workforce. It is
critical to have leadership input, commitment, and engagement in a wellness
initiative. They will help drive the culture shift and guide employees to a more
wellness-oriented work and lifestyle. The wellness program should also align with
the organizations values (i.e. continuously moving forward, dedication to innovation,
environmental commitment). This will make it easier for leadership to support the
wellness program and it will have a greater impact on the organization as a
whole.
To shift to a more health conscious culture, one must
consider the both the physical work structure and the employees’ perception of
the work environment (Chenoweth, 2012) . The work
environment can include:
·
Physical characteristics of the workplace
·
Safety policies
·
Noise levels
·
Lighting
·
Air quality
·
Ergonomically adapted equipment and furniture
·
Healthy eating options (in vending machines, or
other food services to employees such as catering for conferences and meetings)
·
Updated cafeteria menus (using strategies like
the ‘new’ food pyramid and better portion control)
·
Smoke-free policies
·
And opportunities for employees to integrate
physical activity into their day
Employees should have the impression that their work
environment is a safe place, free from disturbances, where they can perform
their jobs comfortably. Employees spend so much of their waking time at work, so
it is important for them to have access to wellness-oriented choices, like
healthy eating options (vending, cafeteria, catering) and opportunities and encouragement
for physical activity during the day. Time spent at work is roughly 31% of the
24 hour day according to a study in the Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine (Tudor-Locke, Leonardi, Johnson, & Katzmarzyk,
2011) .
That is a very large amount of time in comparison to an average 32% of the day
spent sleeping. If an organization is able to foster a culture that promotes
wellness not only within the workplace but wellness in all areas of life, it
will be easier for the employees to spend their time outside of work carrying
the wellness themes home to live more active and fulfilling lifestyles.
Establishing a Wellness Program
A wellness program needs to be a dynamic program that will
adjust as the company’s culture adjusts to increased awareness and attention to
wellness. At a SHRM conference in 2009, a Farmington Hills executive (CEO of the
American Institute for Preventive Medicine) Don Powell, outlined ten guidelines
for creating a wellness program from scratch within an organization (Miller, 2009) . A few that I thought
were most beneficial to a wellness program are as follows:
·
Multi-Component: Make sure the program is versatile
so that employees don’t get bored. Communications of wellness tips and facts in
all medium are good practice. Group activities like ‘lunch & learns’ and
personal coaches can foster a sense of comradery help employees stay committed
to their wellness goals.
·
Demand
Management: It is important to teach employees the information they should know
so that they can determine when they really need to see a doctor, or if they
can treat their ailments themselves. This smart consumerism will save the
employees money on benefit plans and employer’s money on health care costs.
·
Address psychosocial issues: A wellness program
should include all areas of wellness. Establishing a counseling service or employee
hotline for stress management is a great way to introduce emotional wellness
and can really help employees be more productive at work.
·
Paper vs. electronic info: If you’ve experienced
an intranet, you will understand that because the information is out there,
does not mean that people are reading it and using it. When communications are
tangible or placed directly before the eyes of employees, they are much more
likely to be absorbed. You don’t have to print every wellness communication,
but a bi-weekly email or slide loop on message monitors with a wellness update,
including upcoming events would work. Determine what communication styles best
suit your workforce and then try different mediums to see what is the most
effective.
·
Maximize participation: Offering employees
incentives such as a wellness metric tied to an annual bonus, discounts on
benefit premiums, or a year-end rebate for using a gym membership will
encourage employees to follow the shift towards a wellness-oriented culture.
Involving the employee’s family is also a great way to increase participation
and further decrease the costs (after all, the employee’s family is likely on their
benefit plans too, which means the company is paying for ALL of their health).
There is a lot to consider about a wellness program and I would
recommend establishing a committee of HR staff as well as management and
functional participants. This will provide a holistic point of view on the
program and allow for a faster flow of information and feedback. Having leadership
and non-HR employees on the committee can help HR see what is working in the
program and where improvements should be made. Having a committee also allows employees
to feel they have a role in the wellness program and it’s not just an HR ‘thing’.
Wellness Programs: Also a Financial Benefit
The costs of poor health increase year after year and both
the employee and the employer bear the financial burden of deprived wellness.
Everyone benefits from a wellness program because it is smart dollars spent on
behalf of the company to invest in their most valued asset’s well-being. For
every dollar spent on a wellness program, medical cost decrease by $3.27 and
costs due to absenteeism decrease by $2.73 (Katherine Baicker, 2010) ! These are
remarkable investments for a company who is looking for savings, especially
savings on costly health care. This is also great news for employees because
they will receive the financial benefits of being healthier people along with
the positive effects of wellness embraced in the workplace.
A shift in culture along with leadership support
and a dynamic wellness program can help employers reap the rewards of a
healthier happier workforce. Employees are a company’s greatest asset and an
investment in their wellness will hopefully encourage them to invest in their work
and maintain commitment to an organization that is committed to them.
Works Cited
California, U. o. (2012, September 27). Emotional
Wellness. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from University of California,
Riverside: http://wellness.ucr.edu/emotional_wellness.html
Chenoweth, D. P. (2012, January 11). SHRM
Foundation Executive Briefing: Wellness Strategies to Improve Employee Health,
Performance and the Bottom Line. Retrieved March 31, 2013, from SHRM:
http://www.shrm.org/about/foundation/products/documents/wellness%20exec%20briefing-final.pdf
Katherine Baicker, D. C. (2010, January). Workplace
Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings. HealthAffairs, 29 (no.2),
304-311. Retrieved from
http://content.healthaffairs.org.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/content/29/2/304.full.pdf+html
Miller, S. (2009, July 1). 10 Steps for Wellness
Program Success. Retrieved from SHRM:
http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/10stepsforwellness.aspx
Tudor-Locke, C. P., Leonardi, C. P., Johnson, W. D.,
& Katzmarzyk, P. T. (2011, December). Time Spent in Physical Activity and
Sedentary Behaviors on the Working Day: The American Time Use Survey. Journal
of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Volume 53(12), 1382–1387.
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