Abstract Through the many stresses and tensions that employees face on a daily basis in the workplace and at home, wellness programs were setup to assist in alleviating the health risks that are brought on by prolonged workplace stress. Health wellness programs are beneficial to employee health outcomes, but they are extremely beneficial to organizations in regards to employee retention, and job satisfaction. In my paper you will read how wellness programs continue to have considerable growth, even though wellness programs are a direct cost to the employer, they have had positive benefits to the employer that prove that they produce a great return on investment for organizations. Research suggests that even in this economic climate, businesses should not be focusing on the costs of time and money for these wellness programs but should be looking at these programs as an asset that will give their business a competitive advantage over others, and will reduce turnover and eventually save the organization money. Still some businesses yield to the traditional wisdom that employees in the workplace need to focus solely on work and nothing else, however this unfashionable way of thinking is steadily declining. It is becoming the norm for large organizations to implement employee wellness program, as many are continuously recognizing the long-lasting positive effects on the employee and the organization/employer.
The notion of well-being as defined by Merriam-Webster
Share with your colleagues, your experience working with, or been impacted by a worksite wellness program. How did the experience impact your health?
General motors have a great wellness program that keeps their workforce healthy. They use a program called LifeSteps which helps employees identify controllable health risk.
Your health and wellness is vital wherever it is you may be and these days, individuals are spending an abundant amount of time in the workplace. In the typical workplace, this usually means there is a significant amount of time spent in an office, sitting down at a desk. Depression and hypertension are diseases that influence the overall health of employees to spiral out of control. By doing so, this has the potential for one's health expenses to increase for not only the employees but for employers as well. As a result, many businesses have raised the awareness for their employees' health while at the same time reducing health costs; wellness programs to employees have been set forward. Offices should offer more than just a safe environment and also focus on the long-term health of the working population.
An employee can help reduce the cost of health cost by doing several things. There has been an outcry from organizations due to the rising number of competitors with high expenses catering for health benefits during employment periods and on retiring. The employee can be of great help by being participative in the programs set by their employers to benefit more from other advantages far from health costs (Kerzner, 2013). Some of the choices an employee may consider to help control health costs are by boosting consumerism, use technology to manage benefits, and indulge in fitness and health programs.
This will allow for increased spending in other areas of our company, creating a more productive budget. In addition, participation in the Wellness Program will provide employees that are able to work more often and more efficiently. This will undoubtedly increase productivity and decrease turnover. With 39,000 employees in the United States and 30 foreign nations, it is imperative that we maintain healthy and productive employees. Because of these significant benefits, it is crucial that we maintain and improve participation in the program. However, there are several concerns that may hinder such participation: 1. Despite Whirlpool’s guarantee of confidentiality, many employees do not trust the company with such private information. a. Employees have expressed their fear in the use of the information. They are concerned that their health status may negatively affect their position in the company. b. Although it is assured that no records are kept, employees fear the leak of private health information to their peers. If information was leaked, they fear the effects on their reputation and social standing within the company. 2. In order for the new addition to our program to be successful, it is important that we stress the benefits to our current employees. a. If our employees do not
Communication of wellness activities is important in the workplace. In order to get employees involved in the wellness programs that a company has to offer, many times wellness teams in addition to promoting a regular fitness routine, they will hold a variety of competitions that could include weight loss competitions for a certain period of time. Other competitions may be available for employees who cannot exercise due to physical complications. Wellbeing in the workplace can also include preventive care webinars, stress management seminars; financial 401K planning for the future, smoking cessation, community opportunities and getting involved in charitable events. Some companies are bringing chair massages into the workplace. Some employers believe it makes employees happy, is a stress release, and spiritual uplift.
The aim of this case based study, is to Promote Health and behaviour changes within the work place,
Foremost, the healthier a society is, the more productive employees are, which boosts revenue. When an employee’s health is in question, an employer may actually lose 77 percent of productivity, making the loss greater than that of health care expenses. These numbers go up with the combination of lack of exercise, 96 percent loss, and unhealthy eating habits, 93 percent loss, said a study from Brigham Young University, according to an article in a 2012 Education Letter. The study included “those who did not believe their workplace environment would support them in becoming physically and emotionally healthier were more likely to
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, with the intent of ensuring that most people in the United States have medical insurance. With this new healthcare system came the responsibility that individuals would have to take initiatives in an effort to stay healthy or at the least, increase their level of activity and health awareness, making them more responsible for their own wellness. The preventative care portion included in the Affordable Care Act is one of the fundamental items of the law and is a particularly meaningful, very positive attribute in health care reform for the American people. Wellness in the workplace has become an essential issue to help reduce companies’ medical cost, and to help employees get on track to know their numbers, get healthy, and have a positive healthy mental attitude. Many employees do not understand or know how to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. With the rising cost of healthcare, especially relating to people not taking care of their bodies, wellness in the workplace has become even more critical. Author Lori Breiner (2007) “believes wellness in the workplace has economic benefits for organizations, because if workers are healthy, they miss less time from work.” Breiner’s theory would suggest that better health increases productivity and profits in the workplace.
Best health practices and worksite wellness program is about engaging with employees to understand what they want, taking a tactical method about looking at health holistically. According to Lacoma, (1999 -2014), these worksite wellness programs are intended to help the workers upgrade their health and maintain healthy lifestyles. This package includes exercises, variety of care and treatment for various illnesses (mental and emotional health), healthy food, on time check up reminders, outlined health checks assessments, consultations and therapy. Moreover, Engelman (2012) determined that many of the conditions impacting workers were preventable and requires increased amounts of education, screening, encouragement and benefits to help understand how these affect the quality of their lives. These shifts gained prominence during the 1990s from increased research, about the importance of prevention and the advantages it can provide employers inside the marketplace.The recent Affordable Care Act workplace wellness provisions on implementation and expansion of employer wellness programs serves a great means to offer great opportunity of improving the citizen 's health and also control health care spending. The effectiveness and benefits of such programs should be evaluated to encourage opportunities to support healthier workplaces (Kisberg, (2014).
Triumph Industries Inc. should be aware that according to Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) signed in 2008, generic screening is not allowable. This act protects Americans against discrimination based on their genetic information when it comes to health insurance and employment [5].
In my department our organizational structure has evolved over the past years. My career has evolved from me and one other employee simply dividing up task to eight different people creating a team. My department is made up of nurses and health educators. Each person on staff has a variety of different task/projects and areas that we are considered to be experts in. As an employee of the Employee Wellness department, work specialization has been common for the last five years.
Health and wellness in the work place is a vital part to a company’s success. Employees who are healthier and more productive are less likely to call out from sickness. There are not many companies that have affordable health care coverage for employees. More companies should make healthcare affordable for their employees and their family. Research has been done on how effective health and wellness programs can be in the workplace. Throughout the reading these points will be discussed. The effectiveness of health and wellness in the workplace will also be spoken of. Health and wellness activities in the workplace will be a positive move for companies and employees.
Setting the stage for starting a workplace-based wellness program will be the most difficult part. The program can be achieved by getting upper management support and forming a wellness/health services unit to help plan, promote, implement and maintain the program.
Health and wellness in the workplace is crucial to business success. Increasingly, it is recognized that the workplace itself has a powerful affect on people’s health. When people are satisfied with their job, they are more productive and tend to be healthier. When employees feel that the environment at work is negative, they feel stressed. Stress has a large impact on employee mental and physical health, and in turn, on productivity. Companies that promote healthy lifestyle habits for employees to improve their health, often take the success of the company to heart and are likely to be absent less often for health related reasons.