Archive for October, 2010

Employee wellness is evolving.

Early efforts to create healthful workplaces focused on safety at the workplace and injury avoidance for workers.

More recently, health promotion programs are designed to assist staff to choose healthier behaviours like being more physically active or quitting smoking.

Campaigns to elevate awareness, educational sessions to elevate knowledge, opportunities to learn new skills, and changes to policies to make it easier for workforce to make healthy options are often included.

This approach is taken because the worksite is a good way to reach individuals , since most adult American Citizens spend a big part of their day at work.

While safety and lifestyle programs are two aspects that contribute to the health of workforce, employee wellness is more effective when a third factor is brought into the equationâ.”the environment at work.

Precisely how the workplace affects health.

Increasingly, it’s recognized that the workplace itself has a powerful affect on individuals ‘s health. When individuals  are satisfied with their job, they’re more productive and tend to be healthier. When workers 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.

Consultant Graham Lowe has identified five components of workplace culture that directly affect employees’ health and the health of the business overallâ.”credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and friendship.

The underlying idea is that corporations must genuinely care about the well-being of their staff.

Companies today who want to attract and keep good workers have leaders who understand the connection between worker satisfaction and worker health and believe that corporate health promotion is a business strategy.

Their senior management practices include making reasonable demands on time and energy, involving workforce in decision making, rewarding work well done, openly communicating, and providing support to balance work and home life.

Companys know that employees are looking for jobs that pay well, have good benefits, are interesting, and include excellent health and safety programs. So in today’s competitive hiring market, it’s become more important than ever for corporations to enhance job satisfaction and ensure that employees enjoy being on the job.

Corporate health promotion benefits both companys and personnel.

How does corporate wellness benefit the corporation?

A health promotion program can help a business to -

o  Attract and keep employees;

o  reduce the costs of disability, drugs, and absenteeism;

o  reduce the effects of a stressful worksite;

o  reduce healthcare costs or keep them contained; and

o  improve morale by creating a happy, supportive environment.

How does company wellness benefit employees?

Employees of companies that have a wellness program are likely to have -

o  increased awareness and knowledge of ways to improve their health;

o  A better (less stressful) worksite;

o  increased protection from injury;

o  improved health and well-being;

o  higher morale and greater job satisfaction;

o  increased productivity and effectiveness at work;

o  lowered personal health care costs; and

o  A more relaxed/flexible approach to health issues.

Both businesss and personnel have a responsibility for creating a healthful worksite. Employees are expected to arrive at work in good health, and the business is expected to provide an environment that permits personnel to maintain good health, enjoy their work, and contribute to the company’s success.

Company wellness is more than a “lunch and learn” program. It is about developing a “individuals  first” approach to doing company.

It’s about taking care of workers, establishing a positive work environment, and paying attention to the factors that keep workers healthful and happy at work.

A good health promotion program has an impact on employees’ mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellness.

Many businesses recognize the need for a extensive strategy to help their employees be the best they can be.

They also know that successful and sustainable health promotion programs are much more than several “lunch and learn” programs.

Your wellness program should include a broad range of key elements, including -

o  A clear agenda or statement of goals.

o  A plan characterized by passion.

o  An effective leader who is creative and organized.

o  A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.

o  A measurable strategy (what’s important gets measured!).

o  A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Creating Your Health Promotion Program

Plan carefully to ensure that your health promotion program is seen as part of a wide commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all personnel. Yes, creating a good plan takes a lot of effort and time (and sometimes resources).

But planning is essential and well worth the investment required.  As the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You may begin by conducting a recent survey of employee needs and interests. If you take this route, pay attention to the results and plan hence. If you don’t, the staff members will not support the wellness program.

Collecting information about what you’re already offering is also a good idea. for  instance, you might be surprised by your organization or corporation’s current wellness and health policies.

Another important step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable objectives to help you determine priorities, timelines and the resources required to launch the wellness program. be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Leadership

The leader of your wellness program ought to be able to wear many hats.  The leader’s duties include -

o  Creating a vision of the health promotion program after receiving input from all interested personnel.

o  Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the corporation (to senior level managers and fellow staff members alike).

o  Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a health promotion program.

o  Serving as a role model and wellness coach.

o  Developing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You might want to stick to short-term objectives at the starting so that you get immediate and visible results.

These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many individuals  as possible in the wellness program. for  instance, you will want to form a committee made up of a diverse group of employees to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will -

o  Be certain to help you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the company.

o  Develop ambassadors who will help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always keep in mindhow you’ll monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Analysis allows you to -

o  Identify areas of excellence.

o  Identify factors that affect participation in your wellness programs.

o  Gain management’s support for your efforts (and maintain that support).

o  Better understand issues that need attention.

o  Learn from mistakes and change the wellness program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your health promotion program, you can measure such things as -

o  Employee absences.

o  Employee turnover rates.

o  The fee of your staff member assistance program.

o  The fee of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.

o  The cost of your drug plan.

o  Accident rates and safety records.

o  Employees’ participation in health promotion programs (and whether they are staying in the health promotion programs).

o  Changes in employees’ health habits.

o  Level of employees’ awareness of healthful lifestyle issues.

o  Results of your environmental wellness audit.

o  Other noticeable changes in areas such as morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan provides ongoing information to staff members (including upper-level managers) and fosters excitement about the health promotion program.

Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. for example, you could recognize people who have assisted set up the wellness program or offer tangible rewards for achieving objectives.

Everyone needs to know whether personnel are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a health promotion program has financial benefits is usually an important factor to maintain strong support from the top.

When you pay attention to the key elements of your health promotion program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you will lay a solid foundation and leave a legacy that lasts.

We all know that physical activity is an important part of health and wellness. But sometimes it is hard to find time for physical activity.

Lack of time is the number one barrier that individuals  say prevents them from participating in exercise on a regular basis.

The good news is that even short sessions of exercise help your health. Research has shown that 10-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day can produce meaningful health benefits.

Likewise, there are numerous ways busy people  can use to be more active. These strategies include -

o  multi-tasking

o  being active at work

o  being active with loved ones

o  scheduling activity into daily life

Different strategies work for different people . Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to check out strategies you can attempt. With enough commitment, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1 –  Multi-tasking

The first strategy you can try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way.

This way you get done what you need to get done and you get physical activity at the same time.

For example, you’re already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the automobile or the bus every time, attempt using active methods of transportation like biking, skating, walking and skateboarding.

When you can’t use active transportation for a whole trip, try to be active for at least part of the trip. When you’re riding the bus, for example, get off several blocks early and walk the rest of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by increasing your activity level, and it also benefits your neighbourhood and the environment by decling the number of cars on the road.

You can also get physical activity while doing housework and chores.

When you’re working around home, try to be creative and look for the active choice. for  instance, when you’re cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you can clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, choose the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they are ordinarily more active. for  instance, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2 –  be Active at Work

Many Americans spend eight hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are a few simple ways to keep your body moving during the workday.

The physical activity will revitalize you and help you be more productive.

When you’re working at your desk, attempt sitting on a stability ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abdominals a workout.

Take active breaks at least once a day. During your coffee break, try doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk.

You may find that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them in lieu of the elevator whenever you can.  The stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Organize walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal setting is a excellent way to be active, makes the workday more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3 –  be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do physical activity with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some great multi-tasking together –  enjoying quality time with each other and getting some of the physical activity that you all need to be healthful.

Go for walks, swims or bicycle rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your children to the park, play with them in lieu of just watching them play.

Many community facilities offer classes that keep you and your children active at the same time. Research these classes and take one or two.

You can even be active when you are watching your kids do activities without you. for  instance, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times.

When you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4 –  Schedule Exercise into Your Day

Schedule your physical activity directly into your daytimer. Make certain to set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your physical activity appointments a priority, just as important as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your exercise appointments, you may want to make appointments that involve other individuals  - such as by meeting with a fitness trainer, taking an exercise class or jogging with a friend.

When you are not sure how many appointments to make or what you must be doing during your appointments, try consulting with a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you develop a physical activity plan and schedule.

The bottom line –  figure out what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to other individuals  about how they keep active and what strategies they use.

Be creative and patient while you find out what strategies work best for you.  And be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you will discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

o  Be sure that your building’s stairwells are clean, attractive and safe, and post signs encouraging personnel to use the stairs.

o  Launch a wellness newsletter or intranet.

o  Promote the Activity Tracker and encourage workers to track their exercise every week.

o  be creative, and make the most of the workspace you have. for example, mark off a safe walking path inside or around the building.

You could also set up a training circuit, highlighting features of the worksite such as stairs.

o  Make available physical activity opportunities at different times to accommodate night-, shift-, and part-time employees.

o  For employees in remote or satellite offices, offer equal access to key health promotion programs via the intranet. Adapt challenges to suit their environment and take advantage of local facilities and resources.

o  Make exercise available to personnel with special needs. Adapt information and activities for any staff who are visually impaired or physically disabled in addition to for individuals  who speak English as a second language.

o  Educate workforce about physical activity using information from reputable sources like the Alberta Center for Active Living.

o  Give facilities that invite onsite physical activity. Possibilities include bike racks, an exercise room, change rooms with lockers and showers, and safe and attractive grounds for walking.

o  Hold walking meetings.

o  Be certain to encourage staff to walk to peers’ offices in lieu of e-mailing or phoning.

o  Make sure to set up a stretching room. This low-cost program requires only a room, stretching mats, stability balls and medicine balls. Put up posters that show stretches and exercises.

o  Provide incentives like shoe bags, ball caps, T-shirts or water bottles to reward staff participation.

o  Loan out pedometers for three months, so that workers can find out how many steps they generally take and how much activity they need to add to get basic health benefits.

o  Make space for staff members to plant and maintain a flowerbed or garden at the worksite. Use any resulting produce for meetings and potluck lunches or donate it to charity.

o  Plan a workplace health fair.

o  Hire a qualified fitness professional to design and manage an onsite exercise facility.

o  Supply staff members with active wear that shows off the business logo.