A Company Health Promotion Program is an organized program to assist and support workers in adopting healthier lifestyles. This might possibly include rising employee awareness on health subject matters, scheduling behavior modification programs, and/or adopting employer policies that support health-related objectives. Programs and policies that encourage increased physical exercise, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy diet selections are a few examples.
Dimensions of Wellness
Wellness is much more than fitness alone. In addition to physical fitness, the scope of good health include:
• Spiritual Wellness,
• Emotional Dimension of Wellness,
• Social Wellness,
• Intellectual Wellness
These dimensions are often depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health dimensions that include fitness, diet, purpose in life, monetary planning, social health & backing systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and constant learning. The key to personal health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance. A accross the board workplace wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.
Why Workplace Health Promotion Programs?
employees spend a great deal of time on the job, and the bottom line is that our traditional work-week is growing. In fact, the average American now works about 47 hours per week. Additionally, technologies such as modems, laptop computers, cellular phones, voice and email have confused the work-life boundary. These realities decrease the amount of time that the average person is able to devote to wellbeing and health pursuits, and yet employees are predicted to be at top performance when at work.
A new study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses saw that workplace wellness or Employee Wellness Programs are efficacious in assisting employees to make positive health changes due to several factors such as convenience, environmental reinforcement, and co-worker or social acceptance.
What’s the Link between Wellness and the Workplace?
Programs and policies that encourage healthy behaviors can make a big difference on employee wellness AND impact the employer’s bottom line. Studies show that for every dollar invested by employers in Worksite Wellness Programs/wellness programs, there were savings between $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*. In employer terms, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum ROI – a number that is hard to ignore, and a best practice that must warrant serious consideration from employers. In fact, a Worksite Wellness Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal observed:
• 19 research studies saw a 28.3 percent reduction in sick time
• 16 different studies shown a 5.6:1 return on investment
• 23 showed a 26.1% decline in healthcare costs
• 4 found a 30 percent decline in direct health care and workers’ compensation claims
There is little doubt that a accross the board wellness program targeted to meet a business’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, reducing healthcare expenditures, reducing employee turnover, and expanding productiveness.
• The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2003
