Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

A Workplace Wellness Program is an all-inclusive program to assist and support workers in implementing healthier lifestyles.  This can include increasing employee awareness on health topics, scheduling behavior modification programs, and/or implementing employer policies that support health-related objectives.  Programs and policies that promote increased physical exercise, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy diet 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 Dimension of Wellness,
   • Emotional Wellness,
   • Social Wellness,
   • Intellectual Dimension of Wellness

These dimensions are frequently portrayed as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include fitness, diet, purpose in life, financial planning, social connections & support systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and continued learning.   The key to personal health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance.  A all-inclusive workplace wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.

Why Company Wellness Programs?

staff members invest a great deal of time on the job, and the reality is that our traditional work-week is increasing.  In fact, the everyday American now is at work about 47 hours per week.  In addition, items such as modems, laptop computers, cell phones, voice and email have confused the line between life and work.  These realities cut down on the amount of time that the average worker is able to devote to health and wellbeing pursuits, and yet staff members are expected to be extremely efficient when at work.

A current study from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses saw that workplace wellness or Worksite Health Promotion Programs are efficacious in helping workers to make positive health changes due to several factors such as convenience, environmental reinforcement, and co-worker or social acceptance.  

What’s the Connection between Wellness and the Workplace?

Programs and policies that reward healthy behaviors are able to make a big difference on employee wellness AND influence the business’s bottom line.  Studies show that for each dollar invested by employers in Workplace Health Promotion Programs/wellness programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with a average savings of $3.14*.  In business vocabulary, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum ROI – a number that is hard to disregard, and a best practice that ought to draw serious consideration from employers.  In fact, a Workplace Health Promotion Program literature review published in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal saw:

   • 19 research studies found a 28.3% decrease in sick leave
   • 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6:1 return on investment
   • 23 showed a 26.1% decline in health care costs
   • 4 observed a 30 percent decrease in direct medical and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a comprehensive wellness program optimized to meet an enterprise’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, lowering healthcare costs, lowering employee turnover, and building productiveness.

• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2003