Employee Wellness Newsletter : What is a Workplace Health Promotion Program?

A Corporate Wellness Program is a comprehensive program to assist and support workers in establishing healthier lifestyles.  This can include growing employee awareness on health subject matters, scheduling behavior modification programs, and/or establishing business policies that support health-related objectives.  Programs and policies that encourage increased physical activity, 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 optimal health include:

   • Spiritual Dimension of Wellness,
   • Emotional Wellness,
   • Social Wellness,
   • Intellectual Wellness

These dimensions are often illustrated as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include fitness, nutrition, purpose in life, monetary planning, social wellbeing & reinforcement systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and ongoing learning.   The key behind personal health is keeping the “life wheel” in allignment.  A inclusive workplace wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.

Why Worksite Wellness Programs?

workers invest a great deal of time on the job, and the fact of the matter is that our traditional work-week is increasing.  In fact, the typical American now works about 47 hours a week.  Additionally, items such as modems, laptop computers, cell phones, voice and email have confused the work-life boundary.  These realities diminish the amount of time that the average worker is able to devote to wellness and health pursuits, and yet workers are expected to be at top performance when at work.

A new study from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses saw that workplace wellness or Company Wellness Programs are successful in supporting workers 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 promote healthy behaviors have the potential to make a big difference on employee wellness AND have an influence on the business’s bottom line.  Studies have shown that for each dollar invested by employers in Corporate Wellness Programs/wellness programs, there were savings between $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*.  In business terms, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum ROI – a number that is tough to ignore, and a best practice that must draw serious consideration from employers.  In fact, a Corporate Wellness Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal observed:

   • 19 studies saw a 28.3 percent decrease in sick leave
   • 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6:1 ROI
   • 23 showed a 26.1 percent reduction in healthcare costs
   • 4 observed a 30 percent reduction in direct healthcare and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a all-inclusive wellness program designed to meet an enterprise’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, decreasing healthcare costs, decreasing employee turnover, and expanding productivity.

• The United States Department of Health & Human Services, 2003