What’s a Wellness Program?
A Wellness Program is an organized program to assist and support workers in establishing healthier lifestyles. This can include increasing worker awareness on health topics, scheduling behavior change programs, and/or establishing company policies that support health-related objectives.
Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, use of tobacco avoidance and cessation, and healthful food selections are a few examples.
Dimensions of Wellness
Wellness is more than physical fitness. In addition to physical fitness, the dimensions of optimal health include
• Spiritual Wellness
• Emotional Wellness
• Social Wellness
• Intellectual Wellness
These dimensions are often depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include –
• fitness,
• nutrition,
• purpose in life,
• financial planning,
• social connections and support systems,
• stress management,
• mind-body health,
• career planning and
• continued learning.
The key for individual health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance. A robust wellness program addresses most, when not all, of these dimensions.
Why Corporate Wellness?
Employees spend a great deal of time on the job, and the truth is that our traditional work-week is increasing. Indeed, the average American now works about 47 hours per week.
Plus, technologies such as modems, laptops, cellular phones, voice and email have blurred the work-life boundary. These realities cut down on the amount of time that the average individual can devote to wellness pursuits, and yet employees are expected to be at top performance when at work.
A recent study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that corporate wellness or wellness programs are successful in helping workers make positive health changes due to a few factors like convenience, environmental support, and colleague or social acceptance.
What’s the Link between Wellness and the Workplace?
Programs and policies that promote healthy behaviors may make a large difference on employee wellness AND have an impact on the corporation’s bottom line. Studies have shown that for every dollar invested by employers in corporate wellness/wellness programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*.
In company terms, that’s more than a 3 – 1 minimum return on investment – a number that is hard to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from companies.
Truly, a corporate wellness literature review posted in Wellness Practitioner Journal found –
• 19 studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick leave
• 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6 – 1 return on investment
• 23 showed a 26.1% reduction in medical costs
• 4 found a 30% reduction in direct medical and workers’ compensation claims
There is little doubt that a robust wellness program targeted to meet a corporation’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, lowering healthcare expenditures, lowering staff member turnover, and increasing productivity.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003