Posted by Health Handouts | Posted in Health Handouts, Health Tips | Posted on 03-07-2009
A Corporate Health Promotion Program is a multi-faceted program to assist and support staff members in adopting healthier lifestyles. This might possibly include growing employee awareness on health issues, scheduling behavior modification programs, and/or adopting employer policies that support health-related objectives. Programs and policies that reward increased physical movement, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy meal selections are a few examples.
Dimensions of Wellness
Wellness is much more than fitness alone. In addition to physical fitness, the scope of optimal health include:
• Spiritual Wellness,
• Emotional Wellness,
• Social Wellness,
• Intellectual Dimension of Wellness
These dimensions are frequently depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include fitness, nutrition, purpose in life, financial organization, social health & support systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and ongoing learning. The key to individual health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance. A all-inclusive workplace wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.
Why Corporate Health Promotion Programs?
workers invest a great deal of time working, and the fact of the matter is that our traditional work-week is growing. In fact, the everyday American now works about 47 hours per week. In addition, items such as modems, laptops, 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 wellness and health pursuits, and yet workers are predicted to be top of their game when at work.
A recent study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses observed that workplace wellness or Employee Health Promotion Programs are efficacious in assisting employees to make beneficial health changes due to several factors such as convenience, environmental backing, and co-worker or social acceptance.
What’s the Association between Wellness and the Workplace?
Programs and policies that encourage healthy behaviors can make a big difference on employee wellness AND impact the business’s bottom line. Studies show that for each dollar invested by employers in Workplace Health Promotion Programs/wellness programs, there were savings between $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*. In business jargon, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum ROI – a number that is difficult to disregard, and a best practice that must draw serious consideration from employers. In fact, a Workplace Health Promotion Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal observed:
• 19 studies observed a 28.3% decrease in sick leave
• 16 research studies demonstrated a 5.6:1 return on investment
• 23 showed a 26.1 percent decline in medical costs
• 4 found a 30 percent reduction in direct healthcare and workers’ compensation claims
There is little doubt that a inclusive wellness program targeted to meet an enterprise’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, lowering health care expenditures, lowering employee turnover, and building work rate.
• The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2003