| 01 July 2009
Corporate wellness programs … Do they really improve employees health or are they just an attempt to be seen to be doing the right thing by their workers?
I was recently chatting to a human resource manager for a large power company. We were talking about the wellness program that was being incorporated into his firm.
“We are starting yearly health check ups for our staff,” he stated.
“Tell me, what do they test for in these physicals?” I asked.
“The routine blood pressure and blood tests. They test your sugar and cholesterol levels,” he replied. “We also are providing free flu shots and subsidizing gym memberships.”
Don’t get me wrong. It is important to get these tests done but screening for disease is hardly a wellness program.
Unfortunately programs like this promote wellness by name only. Wellness is not disease detection or providing some incentives to exercise. Nor is it providing a jab that, at best, offers questionable protection to the flu. Wellness is about being well. Wellness programs should be teaching people how to be well. Some programs involve a health professional teaching what people should do to be healthy such as stress less, eat better and exercise more.
Unfortunately, my experience has shown that outlining this conventional health program is simply not doable to the average working professional. The challenge is that most recommended health programs are hard to fit into an already busy life.
“They are telling us what we already know,” sighed Ann, a top sales and marketing manager when recalling the wellness program in her company. “What we really want to know is how can we have a healthier lifestyle and work these long hours and still be able to enjoy times with our friends and family.”
There a several easy ways that the company can create a healthier work environment.
But if your company is interested in providing a genuine wellness program that the employee is likely to participate in you need to know about each employee’s current lifestyle and circumstances. Only then can lifestyle strategies be created that will fit into the life of that employee.
The Work Life Balance Foundation’s Workplace Environment Audit helps to identify what the common health and work life balance goals amongst the employees. Using his considerable clinical experience combined with a large dose of lateral thinking, Dr. Lanthois then provides guidelines on how your business can provide a wellness program to support their employees’ health and work life balance goals.
Imagine the benefits to companies that provide wellness programs to their employees that can fit into their already busy schedule rather than the other way around?
Imagine the impact on a business where the health, productivity and capacity to handle stress are improved in every employee? How much would it save your company in terms of the number of days absent through staff illness and a reduced staff turnover?
The Work Life Balance Foundation actually tests and measures their results of their wellbeing and work-life balance training program to ensure that your company gets an excellent return on investment. In fact, a pilot study on our wellbeing and life balance program created annual productivity savings of $6436 per employee who participated in the program....A 2682% return on investment.
To enrol yor company/organisation in this effective wellbeing and life balance training program call 0409 286 612 or fill out our online contact form.
