Changing Employee Health Behavior
The answer to this question until recently was primarily financial; namely, to get health care cost savings and Return on Investment (ROI). However, while this was primarily the main driver initially, there is now evidence that employers are looking for additional outcomes, beyond ROI, which gave rise to the concept of Value on Investment (VOI). This encompasses metrics other than the traditional ROI measures of sick days, pharmaceutical and other health care savings or workplace injuries. Value on Investment typically includes broad measures such as improvements in morale, job satisfaction, worker relationships, energy, and vitality. And a central reason among these is a change in employee health behavior.
Wellness Engagement
Companies globally are realizing that success in this increasingly competitive world depends on healthy and productive employees and the employees themselves are realizing that they can improve their lives by becoming self- leaders and taking charge of their health. So a critical requirement for a successful corporate wellness program in the workplace is engagement from both senior management and employees, a two-sided coin. And engagement is the pre-requisite to participation, which in turn is the prerequisite to achieving success in corporate wellness programs
We know that if employees are to make a sustainable behavior change, they must work in an environment that supports that change. Although this is widely accepted, it is often ignored, with companies focussing only on employees and their health issues and ignoring the environment in which these employees work. The main reason for that is because the corporate wellness program is not driven from the top, treated as just another employee benefit. Unless there is engagement in corporate wellness from both “top-down” and “bottom-up”, the initiative will only partially be successful and will not achieve its full potential.
“Top-down” engagement involves a clear and widely circulated statement from senior management of what the corporate wellness program is all about, why it is implemented and what are the expected goals. “Bottom-up” engagement involves empowering and listening to employees and facilitating their participation through wellness programs that are varied, based on their needs and offered during work hours.
Wellness Return on Investment
Poor Employee Health is Costly for Employers
Employee health represents a significant burden for organizations in terms of health care costs, absenteeism and loss of productivity. Health risks such as obesity, depression, and inactivity often lead to poor employee health and the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes that further drive employer costs. Health risks also tend to increase with age and older workers will soon account for a larger share of the working-age population. Furthermore, the current workplace demographics in developed countries paints a picture of aging workers with increasing health risks and younger employees who show significant signs of poor health at an earlier age, due to sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition, and obesity.
Read morePrevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)
What are Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s)?
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) include disorders and injuries involving muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, and joints, collectively known as the Musculoskeletal System. This is essentially Movement Central for the human body; it helps us move, work and do any kind of physical activity. It is a complex system with more than 200 bones, 400 muscles and joints, over 800 ligaments and miles of nerves and blood vessels. And all these parts must work well together for workers to be productive and fulfill the tasks required by their job, whether the job requires sitting, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, typing, standing and a combination of any of these activities.
Read moreBest Benefits of Corporate Wellness
Employee Health Risks Link to Employer Health Costs
Employee health represents a significant burden for organizations in terms of health care costs and loss of productivity. Health risks such as obesity, depression and physical inactivity often lead to poor employee health and the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Health risks also tend to increase with age and older employees will soon account for a larger share of the working-age population. As health risks increase in a population, so do health care costs and loss of productivity.
Read moreWellness in the New Year
It’s this time of the year again when many of us start thinking about a fresh start. The New Year is a time for new opportunities, new beginnings, new initiatives and new ways of thinking and acting. And below are some healthy resolutions you may want to consider for yourself, your family and friends.
Engagement in Corporate Wellness
Companies globally are realizing that success in this increasingly competitive world depends on healthy and productive employees and the employees themselves are realizing that they can improve their lives by becoming self- leaders and taking charge of their health. So a critical requirement for a successful corporate wellness program in the workplace is engagement from both senior management and employees, a two-sided coin. And engagement is the pre-requisite to participation, which in turn is the prerequisite to achieving success in corporate wellness programs
We know that if employees are to make a sustainable behavior change, they must work in an environment that supports that change. Although this is widely accepted, it is often ignored, with companies focussing only on employees and their health issues and ignoring the environment in which these employees work. The main reason for that is because the corporate wellness program is not driven from the top, treated as just another employee benefit. Unless there is engagement in corporate wellness from both “top-down” and “bottom-up”, the initiative will only partially be successful and will not achieve its full potential.
“Top-down” engagement involves a clear and widely circulated statement from senior management of what the corporate wellness program is all about, why it is implemented and what are the expected goals. “Bottom-up” engagement involves empowering and listening to employees and facilitating their participation through wellness programs that are varied, based on their needs and offered during working hours.