Workplace Nutrition (Lauren Schumacher)

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

 Cutting health care costs. (2011). Retrieved from              http://www.wfcresources.com/articles/cutting-health-care-costs/

Employers have new tool to help improve workplace productivity. (2004, May 07). PR Newswire, Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.huaryu.kl.oakland.edu/abicomplete/docview/446793301/13D0EB493D0612BCFA8/9?accountid=12924

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

Financial Wellness (Lauryn Morrison)

Financial Wellness in the Workplace

                  Being financially stable is important, not only financially stable yourself but stable within a company. It is also very important for a company to stay financially fit. You want to work for a reliable company that keeps track of spending and expenditures so that you get a sense of security when you’re working there. A company that cares about their finances is a trustworthy company and also profitable. What appeals to many employers is a company’s worth and how successful a company brings in revenue. You want nothing more than to work for a company that has a future and growth potential while also staying financially stable in the economy. The most important aspect, I believe, in being financial well is knowing that your company is tracking their spending and spending money based on more “need” than “want” attitudes.

                  “Financial wellness” means that you have a healthy financial lifestyle. This includes keeping track of spending and keeping your checking and savings with an adequate amount of money. This also means keeping on track with paying outstanding bills and such. Sohyun Joo wrote in Handbook of Consumer Finance Research (2008) that financial well-being also consists of a mixture between income and assets as well as professional guidance. Financial wellness is not to be confused with personal financial wellness. This work is not intended to differentiate the two but to discuss how the two go hand-in-hand in the workplace.  Personal financial wellness “is a comprehensive, multidimensional concept incorporating financial satisfaction, objective status of financial situation, financial attitudes, and behavior that cannot be assessed through one measure,” (Joo, 1998). Joo also explains that financial satisfaction doesn’t always mean that your debt free and bringing in a large income. This satisfaction just means that they have healthy attitudes and a considerable amount of desire to keep spending habits to a minimum.

Being financially stressed at home could ultimately influence your daily workplace obligations. Nothing is more stressing than having to worry about your personal money issues at home. According to the article The Potential Effects of Workplace Financial Education Based on the Relationship between Personal Financial Wellness and Worker Job Productivity written by So-hyun Joo and E. Thomas Garman,  business are starting to introduce workplace financial education, which is a type of employee assistance program. The goal at large is to increase worker productivity. Researchers know that if you’re not focused at work, then you’re not succeeding at your job.  The article also discusses the main reason for person financial debt is that many individuals are not taking the time to educate themselves about how to be financially managed. This includes reading up on financial literacy about facts that could help get you out of a ditch your spending has put you into. According to Garman, the main cause of financial trouble is, “…overuse of credit, overspending, lack of budgeting, too many debts, inadequate shopping and spending skills, low salary or wages, and lack of knowledge about money,” (Joo, Garman 1998). Company’s taking interest in programs to help their employees stay on track at home with their financial obligations look to seek ways in educating their employees about, …”retirement planning, benefit education, money management, credit management, college planning, investments, estate planning, insurance, major purchases (vehicle or house), and tax planning,” (Joo, Garman 1998). Overall, if company’s put forth the effort to show their employees that they care about their financial wellbeing it will also reflect positively on the business. Keeping your financial stressors at home when you come to work is beneficial to your work productivity and with the help of these workplace education programs, more people can feel good about coming to work with an open mind.

                  A company’s financial stability is crucial to the economy.  For a company to succeed it needs to be on track and in control of their financial wellness. A company who focuses on getting their employees financially reliable at home is good way to start getting the company in good finances. When a CEO recognizes the value that personal finances it reflects positive gear to good employment. According to the article Workplace Financial Education Improves Personal Financial Wellness workplace financial education is a growing benefit in the world of business. “Responsibility for providing personal financial education and services to prevent and alleviate money woes is increasingly falling on employers because they have access to resources that can make such programs a valuable benefit,” (Overby, 1998, p.1). If the stresses of employee money problems fall on the employers, who is to say that the company’s obligations to their own won’t fall? Then who is to blame? After employees participate in such programs, they feel a sense of accomplishment and have a better more positive attitude towards their personal finances. The benefits of these programs are not only beneficial to the employees, but also to the employers. Avid workers who are financially stable and in control of their financial management are more likely to be well respected in the workplace and most trusting with their businesses financial obligations.

References:

Garman, E. T., Kim, J., Kratzer, C. Y., Brunson, B. H., & Joo, S. H. (1999). Workplace financial education

improves personal financial wellness. Financial Counseling and Planning, 10(1), 79-88.

Joo, S. (1998). Personal financial wellness and worker job productivity. Unpublished doctoral

dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.

Joo, S. H., & Garman, E. T. (1998). The potential effects of workplace financial education based on the

relationship between personal financial wellness and worker job productivity. Personal Finances

and Worker Productivity, 2(1), 163-174.

Overby, S. (1998, December 18). Employees’ money woes affect the company bottom line HRToday, pp.

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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/