Physical Wellness and Weight Loss Challenges (Jamie Spreeman)

The Importance of Physical Wellness

Physical wellness could be considered the foundation of the other areas of wellness in a similar way that physiological needs are the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Physical wellness has an effect on one’s emotional and social wellness certainly, and that can result in an indirect effect on intellectual and spiritual wellness of an individual too.

It is important to address physical wellness in the workplace because the physical wellness of employees can have large benefits or costs to the employer. Health care costs can be drastically reduced when employees are encouraged to embrace physical wellness and healthy habits. Employee morale and emotional health can benefit from a workplace that embraces physical wellness. An author in the British Journal of Sports Medicine endorses physical activity at the workplace and points out that it’s an ideal environment for promoting physical wellness because of the support, motivation and encouragement from co-workers and the easy access (Karch). Because we spend a majority of our waking time at work, it is important for this place to give employees opportunities to better themselves and their health through physical activity.

Physical Wellness in the Workplace: Weight loss Challenge

 A fun and effective strategy to encourage physical wellness in the workplace is to implement a weight loss challenge once a year. This will help employees kick start a healthy life style and the nature of a competition will help them stay motivated and committed to their goals. In a 2012 survey, 73% of employers said they use some type of incentive to engage employees in health improvement programs (Swayze). A weight loss challenge with rewards and incentives along the way can get employees into a routine that will provide rewards to their health for a lifetime.

There are a few questions that should to be answered before the wellness team or HR representatives roll out the weight loss challenge:

·         What will be the duration of the challenge and when will you implement it?

·         Will employees compete in teams or individually?

·         How will you measure success and determine the winner(s)?

·         Why would employees be motivated to participate in the weight loss challenge?

o   determine “prizes” and set a budget

·         How can you keep employees committed to the competition?

There are important notes to consider on the questions you should answer before beginning the weight loss challenge. When determining the duration of the weight loss challenge you need to consider the time of year to implement the program. Try not to select a time frame that is particularly busy or stressful for employees because this may influence the participation and success of the challenge. You also need to consider how long it will take employees to get results that will be sufficient enough to determine a winner without pressuring them to reduce their weight at an unhealthy pace. Twelve weeks is a good suggestion for this type of program. It is not too long that employees will lose interest and it’s not too long for a wellness team or HR to administer and keep up with (Sammer).

The question of a team competition versus individual competitors can be a difficult decision. There tends be better motivation, support and accountability when employees are part of a team competing to win the weight loss challenge versus an employee working on their own to lose weight. However it becomes difficult to decide who comprises the teams. If employees are left to choose their own teams, the nature of the competition might encourage them to choose employees for their team who will be more likely to lose weight and win the competition. Let’s discuss how to determine the winner and revisit the question of teams vs. individual.

To avoid being brutally honest about employees’ weight, it is better to use percentages of body weight or BMI to put things on a common scale to compare. This will allow for greater respect to participants privacy. In addition to the common scale measures, you should contract a third party to do the weigh-ins for employees to protect the sensitive information. At an individual competitor level there should be a male and female winner. This is fair because it is common for men to have an easier time losing weight than women. When it comes to teams, if the measure of percentage of total body weight lost is used, the whole team’s total weight will be used (add all the member’s weight’s together and determine how much of the whole team’s weight is lost). Employees might choose unfit team members or who have a higher beginning body weight because the less-fit employees will be more likely to lose a greater percentage of their weight than a fit person who will have to work a lot harder and won’t have as much body weight to lose in the first place. It is the wellness team or HR’s role to regulate the team decision making, while at the same time be sensitive to people’s measurements.

A strategy to regulate the team member decisions would be to require a common beginning weight for the teams. For example, each team needs to have a beginning weight as close to 600 lbs as possible (all members’ weights added together), no matter how many members this takes. This will allow teams of a few more fit individuals, a couple unfit, or mixed teams more equal chances to win the competition. You can also try a combination of teams and individuals. You can have the competition divided between departments or floors of a building, or even two separate buildings. Employees of all large teams will compete individually for a grand prize and then there can be a winning “team” between the departments, floors, or buildings.

Prizes of the competition will help motivate employees to participate in the competition. However, you should consider how to KEEP employees engaged in the competition so that they don’t choose to give up. A great way to combine motivation for prizes and engagement throughout the competition without putting a huge dent in your budget is to have employees get some “skin in the game” by paying into a kitty to participate in the challenge. Employees can have a buy in to the competition from $5 to $25 would be appropriate, depending on the duration of the challenge, and then this kitty can be used as a cash prize for the individual winners (split between the male and female winners) or to pay for a smaller prize for team participants. With the money saved in having employees buy in to the grand prize, the wellness team or HR can buy a smaller prize for the larger team winners, or use the money to award to incremental winners for sub challenges throughout the competition. An example of sub challenges might be weekly winners who lost the most weight since the previous week who would receive a voucher for a free healthy lunch.

Corporate Benefits

When you decide to implement a weight loss challenge it is important to get input from corporate benefits. They will be able to provide you with tools and resources from the benefit providers and other contacts that can make administration on your part easier and provide employees with information that will help them be successful in the program. Often, health care providers offer health advocates or health coaches to policy holders in addition to financial incentives on premiums employees pay when they enroll in wellness programs. You should start off your weight loss challenge by presenting these corporate benefits’ resources so that employees know what is available to them and corporate benefits gets their ‘plug’ in by supporting your competition.

Works Cited

Karch, Robert. "Physical Activity at the Workplace in the USA." British Journal of Sports Medicine (2010): 44. http://bjsportmed.com/content/44/Suppl_1/i74.1.abstract.

Sammer, Joanne. "Launching a "Winning" Wellness Contest." 3 December 2012. SHRM.org. http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/articles/pages/wellnesscontests.aspx. 28 February 2013.

Swayze, Jason S., Lisa A. Burke, PHD SPHR. "Employee Wellness Program Outcomes: A Case Study." Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health (2013): 46-61. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15555240.2013.755448.

5 Dimensions of Wellness (Lauren Schumacher)

In today’s society, there has been a more extensive focus on overall health and wellness. Our overall well-being is extremely important and it is directly connected to many things in our lives. When your mind and body are performing at their best, we can live a more peaceful and enriched life; which in turn, leads to overall success and happiness. Wellness can generally be defined as, “the quality and state of being healthy in body and mind” (Envick, 2012). Corporate wellness programs are designed to take care of wellness in employees, and these programs help employees with improving their current state of health. There are five dimensions of wellness including physical, emotional, social, spiritual and intellectual. Each of these dimensions can be implemented into the workforce to help lead to a more positive individual and a more positive work environment.

           

Overall wellness has been shown to have a positive effect on worker productivity. “Physical wellness is a critical antecedent in the relationship between psychological well-being and worker productivity” (Envick, 2012). However, studies show that there has been an overall decline in the health of the American workforce with the continued rise in obesity and unhealthy habits (Envick, 2012). Due to this decline in overall health, many workers are not performing as well as they could be which contributes to a less productive workforce. Wellness programs increase productivity and decrease unwanted behaviors such as employee absenteeism and turnover (Envick, 2012). In a recent article, it is said that, “86 percent of full-time employees in this country are above normal weight or have at least one chronic condition. Together, these employees miss an estimated 450 million extra days of work each year, compared to healthy workers, costing at least $153 billion in lost productivity” (Ross, 2012).

Physical wellness includes exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, caring for one’s body and avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Physically well individuals have the ability to apply their knowledge, behavior, skills and attitude towards reaching their personal fitness and health goals ("Physical wellness," 2013). An example of a physical wellness program in the workforce is weight loss management. Many companies now offer free fitness classes or individual workouts onsite or at a nearby facility to make fitness opportunities more convenient and goals more attainable. Along with exercise, managing a healthy diet in the workplace is also imperative for achieving physical wellness. Companies are promoting healthy eating and are starting to include vending machines with options for fresh, healthy snacks instead of the usual junk food-filled ones (Patel, 2012). Although these are just a few examples of how companies are implementing physical wellness programs, each of these is helping to contribute to a more physically well workforce.

Another dimension of corporate wellness that can be explored is emotional wellness. Emotional wellness entails the capability for individuals to be aware of and accept their feelings, have an optimistic approach to life, express feelings freely and manage feelings effectively, express emotions appropriately, adapt to change, and to cope with stress in a healthy and safe way ("Emotional wellness," 2012). Emotional wellness is extremely important in the workplace because it creates a positive and optimistic work environment. An employee that understands themselves emotionally and who can also be aware of how to handle themselves in different situations will be the most productive and beneficial in the workplace. Jobs come with all different types of stress, but what makes or breaks an employee is how they can handle that stress. In an article about corporate wellness efforts, it is stated that, “Aggregate data from health risk assessments across ComPsych's customer base show that stress, anxiety, depression and poor social support may be hampering employees' efforts to achieve wellness goals. To be effective, corporate wellness programs must focus on emotional as well as physical factors of the employee” ("Compsych report: Employees'," 2011). An example of an emotional wellness program in the workplace is self-help groups. Self-help groups are designed to assist employees in emotional situations in which they feel alone. The purpose of these groups is to allow people to safely feel and express their emotions, and to help break their isolation at work or in society and reinstate them into society with the support of a peer group ("Workplace wellness program," 2011). Emotional wellness is so important because how one feels emotionally can directly affect so many other aspects their life.

Social wellness pertains to one’s ability to interact with the people around them. Social wellness involves using good communication skills, having meaningful relationships, respecting yourself and others, and creating a support system that includes family members and friends ("Social wellness," 2012). Achieving social wellness is highly important not only with friends and family, but also among co-workers in the workplace. Once wellness programs are put into action, many companies are faced with the challenge of how to get employees involved and excited about participating. Social wellness can work along with physical wellness in the workplace to achieve the overall corporate wellness goal. In today’s society, technology has become so intertwined with almost everything that is done, so therefore, many companies are turning towards social media to help engage employees with their wellness programs. Social media can help boost involvement and aid in reaching overall wellness goals. Use social media sites to make a wellness program something employees want to be a part of. For example, “Post pictures of employees participating in a local 5k, start a Facebook contest between employees around a health goal or highlight individual employees succeeding with the program. Visibility often increases accountability on the part of the employee, and other employees who see their colleagues participating in these programs will be encouraged to join in as well” ("Making workplace wellness," 2012). Using social media is such a simple thing that can increase participation immensely which can lead to a more successful wellness program.

Spiritual wellness is a personal matter involving values and beliefs that provide purpose in our lives. Different individuals will have different views of what spiritual wellness means to them, but it is mainly considered to be the search for meaning and purpose in human existence, leading one to aspire for a state of harmony with oneself and others while working to balance inner needs ("Spiritual wellness," 2012). Being spiritually well is important in the workplace because it means that one is at peace with themselves and their minds will also be in a positive place. Employees who are in tune with their spirituality will also tend to be more open and accepting of others, which is essential when working with so many different people with contrasting beliefs and values. Companies are starting to offer programs to help instill spiritual wellness. For example, many companies are willing to spend more to sponsor workshops and seminars on spiritual growth, meditation, yoga, creativity and living a balanced life. Employees who are spiritually in tune with themselves are beneficial because they have improved self-esteem and are more productive.

Lastly, intellectual wellness includes engaging employees in creative and stimulating mental activities to expand their knowledge and skills, and to help them reach their full potential. Employees can easily help contribute to overall intellectual wellness simply by learning something new. Intellectual wellness is one of the easiest dimensions of wellness to implement because it can be something as straightforward as reading a book, magazine or newspaper. Keeping updated on current events and ideas can also help improve intellectuality. Expanding one's knowledge challenges the mind and promotes creativity, leading to an employee who is more informed and open.

Overall corporate wellness is so important because when a plan is implemented successfully, the workplace as a whole can excel and thrive. Each of these five dimensions are entirely different from one another, however, they all directly affect each other. In order to achieve overall wellness, each of these dimensions has to be explored and carried out for harmony within a company.

Works Cited

Compsych report: Employees' poor emotional wellbeing is hindering wellness efforts. (2011). Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/docview/884240604/13C5F2D858C1141AFB 1/11?accountid=12924

Emotional wellness. (2012). Retrieved from http://wellness.ucr.edu/emotionalwellness.html

Envick, B. R. (2012). Investing in a healthy workforce: The impact of physical wellness on psychological well-being and the critical implications for worker performance. Academy of Health Care Management Journal, Retrieved from             http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/abicomplete/docview/1037802667/13C5ECEFB21990CD8E/1?accountid=12924

Making workplace wellness sexy…through social media. (2012, November 26). Retrieved from            http://www.benefitfocus.com/blogs/your-hr-blend/2012/11/26/making-workplace-wellness-sexy/

Patel, J. (2012, March 3). Five trends shaping health and wellness at the workplace. Corporate Wellness Magazine, Retrieved from
http://www.corporatewellnessmagazine.com/article/five-trends-shaping-health.html

Physical wellness. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.redlands.edu/academics/11761.aspx

Ross, R. (2012, May 15). Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-ross/workplace-wellness_b_1463526.html

Social wellness. (2012). Retrieved from http://wellness.ucr.edu/social_wellness.html

Spiritual wellness. (2012). Retrieved from http://wellness.ucr.edu/spiritual_wellness.html
          
Workplace wellness program : Boost company wellness through emotional wellness techniques. (2011). Retrieved from
http://workplacewellnessprogram.org/workplace-wellness-program-boost-company-wellness-through-emotional-wellness-techniques/

Wellness - An Overview (Lauryn Morrison)

Not only are making a profit and being successful important aspects of a company, but also the overall well-being and health of their employees are key ingredients to making a business efficient and productive. A company depends on its employees and the efforts they make to be successful in the workplace. What does “wellness” actually mean? Wellness consists of not only your physical health, but also consists of your spiritual, emotional, social and intellectual health. To make sure that you perform to the best of your ability at work you should take into consideration ways to improve each wellness aspect in your everyday life. This could untimely lead to a better, less stressful work day and overall better you. If you feel good at work then you have the power to succeed at your job.

According to Patricia Case, writer of the article Worksite Wellness: Investing in Healthy Employees and Economics, heart disease, diabetes and generally over eating can and will lead to an unproductive workforce.  She quotes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by stating that, “ensuring good nutrition and controlling the trend towards overweight are critical to the wellbeing of the nation; not only for the health and life expectancy of the people, but for the productivity of the country”. She goes on to mention that if a company is losing profits from employees being incapable of doing your work then this could hinder the business’ future with their competition. To help eliminate factors influencing sick leave and loss of productivity, companies are introducing workplace wellness programs. These programs will help employees not only being healthier but also help their business’ improve. “Wellness programs can help businesses improve productivity through reduced absenteeism, better morale, and enhanced recruitment and retention,” (Case, 2010). Being healthy physically and mentally is not only good for you, but looking like it’s becoming more important to the function of businesses.

Dee W. Edington wrote, Who Are the Intended Beneficiaries (Targets) of Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Programs? In his article he explains how wellness programs benefit not only a company, but also yourself and your family. A less stressed home environment can lead to a stress free work environment. He mostly talks about how your health is largely weighted on company’s costs. If companies have to spend more on health care costs for its employees then that leads to less money they have to spend on their own company. Unhealthy and unproductive work environments can mess with a companies “natural flow”. Edington describes a “natural flow” as being the already high risk, high stressed environment that is present in firms to begin with.  Adding stress on top of stress is never a good thing at work. You don’t want to pack an already heavy load. Mistakes are made all the time and most of them can be avoided. Edington states that the benefit of wellness programs for employers is survival and prosperity. “It is clear that as the world moves toward a global economy and world-wide competition, any company committed to maintaining a competitive position will need to develop and maintain a healthy and productive worksite and workforce,” (Edington, p.427). Healthy completion starts with a healthy you. You don’t realize how much of an impact you have at your daily place of work and I strongly believe that how you feel about yourself reflects on how you perform in the workplace.

In the last article I read about Wellness, The Importance of Promoting Health in the Workplace, I began to realize just how important employee’s health is to the overall succession of their work. Employers are taking these wellness programs into serious consideration because employee satisfaction is something all businesses strive for. Large firms want people to enjoy their work so that it reflects how well the business is running to its competitors. There is nothing companies like more than seeing employees who enjoy their work.

Keeping in good shape mentally and physically can eliminate distractions at work and can also ensure that your not making the everyday little mistakes that people tend to make. These mistakes tend to happen when we are tired from lack of sleep, hungry because we have skipped breakfast, or simple lack of exercise can cause us to be too lazy for the minimal requirements of our daily duties. People don’t seem to realize that a functional and profitable workplace runs smoothly when its employees are on top of their game. Even for those who smoke, the amount of breaks you take could really add up to a loss in getting work finished. It is the little things that take a toll on how well we function at work. For those who come home everyday from work tired and exhausted, think about how that might have contributed to your work ethic that day. Going in to work with even the smallest bad attitude can make an impact on how you treat employers or other co-workers that day. “Employers rely on measures of the energy level, productivity, and creativity of the employees,” (Edington, p. 425).

           

           

Case, Patricia. "Worksite Wellness: Investing in Healthy Employees and

Economies."Journal of Extension 48.5 (n.d.): 1-8. Kresge Library. 28 Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.joe.org/joe/2010october/pdf/JOE_v48_5a8.pdf

Edington, W. Dee. (2006). Who Are the Intended Beneficiaries (Targets) of

Employee Health Promotion and Wellness Programs?. NC Med J, 67(6), 425-427.  https://www-hmrc-umich- edu.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/content/documents/tree/2006.pdf

R. Cogwell Anderson, B. Kaczmarek: The Importance of Promoting Health in the

Workplace. The Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants. 2004 Volume 4 Number 1. DOI: 10.5580/236b. http://www.ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-academic-physician-assistants/volume-4-number-1/the-importance-of-promoting-health-in-the-workplace.html#sthash.PmkStyiK.jwBWdc6Z.dpbs