7 Ways to Improve Corporate Wellness in Your Current Job

 

If corporate wellness isn’t a priority at your company, you may be considering leaving your job. However, these days a job is like gold dust, so how do you look after your wellbeing in the job you already have?

 

1. Institute a Wellness Programme: According to corporate wellness expert Ryan Rivera, ‘Developing a wellness programme for the employees is important in keeping the workplace and workforce healthy. In Japan, companies are forcing their employees to keep fit or risk paying hefty fines. The move encourages companies to put in place wellness programmes that will see to it that employees are taking care of their midsections. Companies that are bent on putting a wellness programme should start with the kind of food being served in the cafeteria. Encourage employees to become more health conscious by raising awareness.’

 

2. Build Wellness Facilities: ‘There is no law that mandates companies to build wellness facilities,’ Rivera admits. ‘But, it will surely give your company better discounts when shopping for health insurance providers. Some health insurance providers are keen to give better rates to companies to cover employees when there is a solid programme for wellness. A company can start a great wellness programme through facilities such as a gym and a stress-relief room. A gym with modest equipment can immensely help employees release stress at the end of the day.’

 

3. Urge Employees to Get Involved with Sports: Rivera points out, ‘Leading companies that are concerned about workplace stress usually have a sports team that competes on weekends. In some localities, Sunday leagues comprise of people who wants to have a semblance of competition without the need of resigning from their regular jobs. Encourage employees to form sports teams that would carry the name of the company and compete with other companies in your area. It will not only help relieve stress but it is also a good way to foster camaraderie and company spirit not to mention teamwork.’

 

4. Provide Plenty of Growth Opportunities: ‘Inspiration is what drives people to excellence,’ Rivera asserts. ‘If you allow growth from within chances are people would stay driven to climb the corporate ladder. At the same time, it is important to provide lots of trainings to improve employee value and productivity.’

 

5. De-Clutter the Workplace: ‘A cluttered and disorganised workplace is a leading stress generator,’ Rivera explains. ‘Productivity is often impacted when things on top of the desk are left cluttered. When your desk is disorganized you waste precious time looking for articles and things that could have been easily located if things have been organized. Just imagine the amount of stress an employee is getting when the workplace is cluttered. Try to communicate with employees regarding best practices on organizing the workspace in order to effectively de-clutter things for better productivity.’

 

6. Improve Workplace Communications: Rivera comments, ‘Workplace communications will improve dramatically when you are able to define the roles of each employee in the organization. There should be a clear delineation of job descriptions. At the same time, encourage employees to have a say in the decisions that impact their jobs. Providing an open-door policy is one way to cushion the uncertainties of job security which is prevalent in these ever volatile times.’

 

7. Cultivate a Stress-Free Working Culture: ‘A stress-free working culture is one way to develop a less toxic working environment,’ Rivera details. ‘Management can start recognizing employees for their exemplary work and going easy with employees that screw up. A merit-based culture that is consistent and fair is the way to encourage people to perform better through inspiration. Leaders should be getting lots of training on how to handle their subordinates well and how to minimize stressors that can drive attrition to stratospheric levels.’

 

 

Categories: De-Clutter, facilities, Wellness Programme

Wellness Programmes: How To Build And Sustain Them

Workplace wellness schemes are becoming increasingly popular in companies, but there are unforeseen challenges in creating a successful programme which benefits everyone. Both employers and employees benefits from having a wellness scheme in place, such as better morale in the workplace, lower rate of absences and a higher rate of employee productivity. In particular, for employees, wellness programmes can become an important part of being physically active and leading a healthy lifestyle. There are often cases where a wellness scheme triggers an interest in healthier living, such as yoga sessions bringing a personal sense of satisfaction to an employee or cycling to work improving one’s health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, there is no right way to approach developing a wellness scheme, but there are many common factors in programmes which are currently very successful. The main factors to remember are a commitment from management, involvement from employees, adequate resources and a focus on policies regarding workplace health, wellness and safety. Careful planning is required if you are to set up a successful scheme. Why not invite employees to input their ideas? A suggestion box or staff meetings can be a great forum for these ideas. You may need to develop a business case to convince senior members of staff that a wellness programme would be useful within your company. There are many stats to support the benefits of having a wellness scheme but it’s important that you make it clear why your company should develop one to help both employees and employers.

 

Your messages to management should communicate the benefits of such a programme, including the facts and figures on employee health and job satisfaction, and how this affects productivity. Be sure to collect information to prove that the scheme is beneficial; establish a planning committee to represent the views of different departments; be sure to know the facts on what your company is already offering in the way of health benefits and such. You should put activities into place, such as those which increase awareness and knowledge, develop skills and provide social interaction. These could be activities such as walking clubs, golf tourneys, corporate challenge events and national campaigns which your company can get involved in. Healthy eating should also be part of the plan so develop a policy on food catering for the meetings, so that healthy foods are available – perhaps you can look to develop a healthier menu in the company cafeteria. Your wellness programme should take steps to regularly monitor the progress of employees and evaluate how successful the programme is. You can do this, for example, by tracking the number of participants in a given activity, or the number of employees who support some or all components of a programme. It’s important that you identify all areas of excellence, as well as looking at the factors which affect the participation in your programme. Mistakes will happen but the important thing is that you learn from them and develop a stronger programme for the future. As the scheme develops, continue to evaluate it and make changes as you and the company require them. If you pay close attention to the key elements of a wellness programme within your company, and you ensure that the lines of the communication remain open at all times, you can develop a strong foundation from which to sustain an effective wellness programme which will leave a lasting legacy.

Categories: Advice, company, Corporate, employees, Programme, scheme, Wellness, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes, wellness scheme

Four Steps for Implementing a Corporate Culture of Wellness

Many businesses are implementing corporate wellness programmes, but there are those for whom such plans are a privilege, or optional extra. According to Joshua Love, the president of national corporate wellness company Kinema Fitness, ‘When I stop and think about employee wellness, I have to step away from my day to day responsibilities and take a look from the employer perspective. I think it’s a no-brainer to install a wellness programme at every company, no matter the size, demographic, location or what service or product the company provides. My belief is that no company can be successful without paying attention to the wellbeing of their people — and people can’t be successful without feeling good every day.’

 

Love continues, ‘We live in a fast-paced, busy world, full of constant distractions. We’re constantly dialed in with technology and always on the move. Which is why it’s so refreshing to walk into a company where you feel the environment is different, one where people seem motivated, excited, inspired and really love what they do. My experience with corporate wellness leads me back to Google in Mountain View, CA (and how Google maintains its status as one of the top 100 best companies to work for year after year). Google doesn’t just create jobs, they create a culture, one in which people are valued and appreciated every day. Google’s locations have full fitness facilities, daily classes and healthy food available throughout the day; as a result, employees feel cared for and valued.’

 

Do you have to be as lucrative or as large as Google to create a culture of wellness? Of course not; every company has the ability to implement some kind of wellness programme. But how do you do it? Love has a four-step process to help you install a wellness programme that‘s efficient, smart, scalable and goal-oriented:

 

1. Determine the Needs of Employer AND Employee: ‘First, we ask a simple question,’ says Love. ‘What do employees need, and how do those needs fit with the goals of the employer? It’s impossible to answer these questions without assessing both sides. It is essential to understand the mindsets, challenges, and your audience first before laying out a framework for its path. This includes surveying not only the employees, but also the employer. A simple health risk assessment (which your insurance carrier may offer) followed by biometric screens is a good way to assess problem areas.’

 

2. Analyze the Data and Create a Plan: Love details, ‘Based on our survey data, we try to determine what elements will work for the existing culture. Is it fitness classes that will motivate the employees, wellness workshops, individual health assessments, or some combination of the above? We always recommend combining wellness education with physical activity — otherwise, many employees will not take advantage of classes and programmes they need to see real benefits.’

 

3. Create a Communication Plan: ‘A culture of wellness doesn’t happen without reinforcement,’ Love asserts. ‘Employers must create a communication plan that lays out the programme’s framework and different methods (and times) to communicate the information to employees. This keeps wellness at the forefront.’

 

4. Put an Incentive Plan in Place: Love comments, ‘We have found, time and again, that rewarding employees for getting healthy and achieving results encourages the type of change needed to get a programme off the ground and encourage a real shift in employee culture. However, because the required behaviour changes are new, challenging, and difficult to sustain, programmes must include incentives and rewards throughout the year in order to drive long-term engagement.’

Categories: Communication, company, corporate wellness, culture, employees, incentives, nbsp, Wellness, Wellness Programme

Employers – Do You Know Enough About Corporate Wellness?

Corporate wellness and wellbeing is a hot topic with employers at the moment, with around 67 percent of all employers offering some sort of wellness programme. These programmes are based around the idea that employees can receive breaks on their health insurance if they undertake certain tasks to increase their health, such as giving up smoking, changing their diet, losing weight or increasing their exercise. They also have to have health tests to find out about their current state of health and receive personalised wellness programmes to help them improve.

 

A recent survey showed that around 18 percent of employers are now offering a financial incentive to those who achieve a certain health standard, and around 15 percent offer a lower health premium to those who do not smoke.

 

Savings vary hugely from employer to employer, but the programmes themselves are on the increase, as there is a growing body of evidence showing that when employers use these wellness programmes, the costs of medical expenses and employee absenteeism for illness are greatly reduced. One study even showed that the average employer has seen a reduction in medical costs of $3.27 for every dollar spent on a wellness programme and a reduction of $2.73 in absenteeism for every dollar spent on the wellness programmes.

 

If you are an employer and you are thinking of putting into place a wellness programme, or improving an established one, it is important to carefully evaluate the design of the programme and consider carefully what the goals should be. This reduces the risk of discrimination claims and also makes it more likely that the whole workforce will want to and be able to participate in the wellness programme. Employers should also read up on the law in their area, relating to sickness, health in the workplace and absenteeism.

 

Categories: Corporate, corporate wellness, dollar spent, employers, health, Programme, Programmes, Wellness, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes

What Everyone Ought to Know About Corporate Wellness

Throughout the country, corporate wellness and wellbeing programmes are becoming more widespread. The buzz is catching on and the news is spreading that these programmes lead to healthier employees, cuts in healthcare costs and an overall happier and healthier working environment. The programmes themselves vary widely from simply offering healthcare information to employees, to fitness education, to subsidised healthy lunches to a company gym. Some employees are even offered financial rewards for reaching certain health standards.

 

If you are an employer who is thinking of implementing or improving a wellness programme in your workplace, then the results really speak for themselves. It is a simple matter of fact that healthy employees work more productively, but it has also been shown that employees who are involved in wellness programmes are more likely to be hard workers because they feel valued by their employers.

 

The financial incentives for running a wellness programme have also been well proved. Healthier workers have lower levels of absenteeism, which tends to cost the company money. They also need less time off for medical appointments, and have lower costs of health care. On top of that, retention rates tend to be higher and employee job satisfaction is increased, reducing the costs associated with a high staff turnover.

 

The health problems that employees are helped with through a wellness programme can vary hugely. For some it is a case of increasing their levels of exercise and physical activity. For many it is a case of losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. Smoking cessation is always a big one, and some employers offer a lower level of health insurance premium to those who do not smoke. Some employees have problems with sleep, and this can be helped through some of the channels that wellness programmes open up.

Categories: Corporate, corporate wellness, employees, health, Healthier, Programme, Programmes, Wellness, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes

Could Workplace Wellness Programmes Be Harming Your Health?

For some companies, it’s perfectly legal for your employer to require you to answer intrusive health questions in order to ascertain just how healthy you are, in relation to the workplace wellness schemes they’re running. Wellness programmes are a multi-billion pound industry that seems to have sprung up overnight, with over 90 per cent of all large employers reportedly offering one for their employees. It’s nice for an employer to take an interest in your health, exercise and smoking, but if the programme is badly designed it could actually be detrimental to your health. Workplace wellness, it seems, is not only a privacy hazard but also a hazard to your health and career to boot. It’s fair to say that many people may be willing to tolerate a certain level of privacy loss in favour of boosting our health, but that’s not always the case. So what are they doing to your health and lifestyle? Here are three reasons why your workplace wellness scheme could be bad for you.

Dismaying and Alienating Employees

Bad wellness programmes give the notion that your boss thinks you’re an idiot. It doesn’t boost morale and it sends your motivation plummeting. For example, some employers tell employees who smoke that tobacco isn’t healthy, sending the message that anyone who smokes hasn’t been educated enough to read the many health warnings about smoking and its risks. The reality is that public health is a complex venture and while it’s easy to condescend, good wellness programmes focus on encouraging you to make better choices. If your programme isn’t doing that, you need to question why you have it in place.

Bad Programs Don’t Save Money

Wellness marketers make claims that quite literally don’t add up, such as claiming savings exceeding 100 per cent which is a mathematical impossibility, or suggesting that an employer can save more money than they spent in the first place. There’s a compelling case that claims that bad wellness programmes don’t save money because the programmes themselves cost so much money in the first place. Add in the added cost of screenings and educations, and the other services which aren’t free either, and you have a costly venture. The benefits of a wellness programme is that it help your employees to improve their health, morale and motivation, but if it winds up costing you so much money for nothing, it really doesn’t serve the purpose you’d hope for.

Potential Harm To Employee Health

Even if wellness programmes cost a bit more money in the short run, it’s considered a given that they will improve your health in the long run. But this isn’t always the case and it could be misleading. Many of us are reluctant to question the design of a company wellness programme because it sounds like we’re challenging something we know nothing about and which sounds like something so wholesome. But in reality, these programmes don’t always focus on the things they should, such as employee performance and exercise. Poorly-designed wellness programmes can violate the very essence of good management – focusing on people’s private lives doesn’t do anyone any favours and can do more harm than good. These programmes apply equal measure of coercion and disparagement towards the people who the programme is meant to help. This simply discredits the employer benefits programmes and undermines employee loyalty and trust. If employers are going to invest in a scheme, it needs to be in promotion of the wellbeing of their employees.

Categories: Corporate, health, money, Programmes, programmes don, save money, Wellness, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes, Workplace Wellness

In-House and Outsourcing: Why Corporate Wellness Needs Both

While some corporate wellness practises have changed over the years, most things have remarkably stayed the same. For years, employers have been told to outsource their wellness promotion, administration and delivery, but does that approach to looking after employee wellbeing still hold true today? For the answer, we turned to Rob J. Thurston, President of HR Consulting Group and Bart Sheeler, co-founder of ActivHealth International, in order to take a real time look at the current approach to Wellness Programmes.

 

According to Thurston and Sheeler, ‘Most companies have heard of, would like to implement, or may have even attempted to offer a wellness programme. However, most have found they are too busy fighting tough economic times and watching expenses trying to make a profit to divert attention or expenses into the intangible world of wellness. While the concept of wellness may seem to be much more philosophical than the task of producing a product or service for a profit, they really have more in common than not. As companies strive to improve their processes and focus on the bottom line “health” of their business, the same happens to be true for their most valued assets, their employees. The happier and healthier the employee population, the better the productivity and lower the health care costs against trend – all of which add up to help improve the company’s bottom line.’

 

So how do you implement your own wellness programme without taking your eye off the day-to-day responsibilities of your business? ‘Respecting your culture and designing a programme that meets the unique needs of your population are essential in building a wellness programme,’ say Thurston and Sheeler. ‘We recommend surveying your employees to see what interests them and noting what the circumstances are specific to your company. Do you have one location, branch offices, multiple shifts and/or remote sales staff? All these factors will ultimately need consideration when you sit down to design your programme.’ So that’s that, then, no need to outsource your company’s wellness needs? Not according to Thurston and Sheeler.

 

The wellness experts write, ‘We believe that certain items must remain under your control, while other features will be better delivered via outsourced solutions. With this in mind, the question is not whether it makes sense for a company to offer a wellness programme, but more importantly, how to incorporate a programme that will capture the attention of the employees, drive engagement on a personal level and ultimately create a culture of health improvement. Every company is different, so the solutions will not all look the same. The key is to match a company’s available “internal” resources with a complimentary set of outsourced “external” resources.’

 

In terms of what you can do internally, it again comes down to culture. ‘Outside influences can be enlisted,’ note Thurston and Sheeler. ‘But in the end, your employees are internal and will shape your culture from the ground up. There are internal components that must be maintained within the company to be effective. Leadership must be involved, “walking the talk” and communications that are reinforced through internal “programme champions” are a necessity to be successful in the integration of healthy living into a company’s culture.’

 

So what do you outsource for? Thurston and Sheeler explain, ‘Employers use outsourcing to maintain or improve service to employees; reduce workload to existing staff; reduce programme costs; and to free up resources to focus on other key objectives, like building their widgets for a profit…Such firms will offer Health Risk Appraisals, Biometric testing, onsite Fitness and Challenges, onsite coaching, online coaching and a variety of platforms that offer real-time programming via internet access.’

Categories: company, corporate wellness, corporate wellness programme, culture, outsourcing, Programme, real time, sheeler, thurston, Wellness, Wellness Programme

Wellness Programmes: Should You Offer Employees Incentives?

It used to be that implementing an employee wellness programme meant simply putting a few posters up in the office encouraging people to take care of their wellbeing. Some companies may have stretched as far as having a gym in the office, but that was really about it. Nowadays, however, businesses are starting to plough real money into programmes, using cash incentives – or even penalties – to get workers in better shape.

 

In fact, according to a recent survey from Fidelity Investments and the National Business Group on Health, nearly 90% of employers offer wellness incentives, or financial rewards or prizes to employees who work toward getting healthier. In 2009, this number was at a mere 57% in comparison, and the perks were lower too. Four years ago, the average US employee might expect an incentive of $260, but now they can rake in an average of $521. Fidelity benefits consultant Adam Stavisky comments, ‘They feel that if they pay more they’ll get a better result.’ But is this really the case? Stephanie Pronk, health and wellness consultant with Aon AON, argues, ‘Incentives themselves are not the silver bullet. It’s really important to change up the incentive design and keep people on their toes.’ With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the popular incentive programmes in use today.

 

1. Educational/Awareness Incentives: Jen Wieczner, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, explains, ‘Companies offer rewards for completing activities that include an assessment of their personal health and risk factors. These can range from filling out a questionnaire about family medical history, diet and fitness routine, to taking a biometric screening for cholesterol, blood pressure and other factors.’ The Lockton Benefit Group state that your incentives need to be worth at least £60 to get about 75% of employees to participate, otherwise you’re looking at a participation rate of 30-50%. The pros here are that you introduce your workers to healthy behaviour and personal risk factors, as well as being able to tailor future endeavours to employee needs. However, your workers about their health risks won’t necessarily lead them to take action.

 

2. Incentives Based on Actions: In this wellness programme, your employees take action to improve their health to earn awards or to avoid penalties. Houston city employees, for example, have to complete three tasks in order to avoid a $25 monthly payroll surcharge. These include filling out a health-risk assessment, taking a biometric screening, talking to a health coach, signing up for a programme like Weight Watchers or getting a screening such as a mammogram. As a result, 90% of employees have completed three of the tasks or more, so you can see how motivational this model is. However, the con of this model is that the incentives don’t encourage long term healthy behaviour, only enough to complete the required programmes.

 

3. Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Incentives: You offer your employees incentives for an array of tasks, with bigger and complex tasks corresponding to bigger rewards. The plus point of this approach is that you give your workers to freedom to choose their own health activities, which they enjoy. JetBlue Airways Corp is one such company who goes in for DIY incentives, offering anything from $25 for a teeth cleaning, to $400 for completing an Ironman triathlon. Pronk notes that a wellness programme that lays out a tempting trail to follow will have more success keeping people involved. Still, the variety of options can be overwhelming for your employees, and you might be wasting your money on activities that aren’t effectively addressing your workers’ biggest health problems.

Categories: biometric screening, corporate wellness programmes, employees, employees incentives, health, healthy behaviour, incentives, Pros and Cons, risk factors, Wellness, Wellness Programme

How to Make Your Employees Take Part in Wellness Programmes

Corporate wellness programmes have been proven to provide positive results, both for you as an employer, and for your workers’ wellbeing. Why, then, do you struggle to get your employees to participate in the company’s health schemes? There are certain theories and employee surveys that point to several reasons why your workers might not want to participant in a wellness programme, and if you address these head-on, you might be able to encourage greater participation. Reasons why your employees don’t participate in corporate wellness programmes include:

 

• They think you’re trying to learn about their health issues to somehow use that information against them.


• They believe that Health Risk Assessments are not reported about collective workers but individually, and won’t have their name associated with their individual results.


• They don’t want to improve their health, despite knowing it’s good for them.


• They don’t need help and are already living a healthy lifestyle.


• You send mixed messages by offering wellness programmes but also having junk food available in workplace vending machines.


• You don’t participate, so your employees don’t believe it’s important.


• They know it will save you money, but don’t think there’s anything in it for them.

 

In order to tackle these issues, you and your employees need to comprehend exactly what a wellness programme entails. Barb Hendrickson, President of Visible Communication, explains, ‘Today, it can mean everything from a company gym membership to a simple smoking cessation programme offered to employees, to a full-blown, structured programme where employees can choose their areas to track, set their own goals, and have access to professional health coaches along the way. Structured programmes offer the best way to track results, especially if you start with a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) for each participant. HRAs are conducted by third-party companies and report results only in the aggregate. The more you stress this to employees, the better.’

 

As well as addressing the concerns listed above, how can you get your employees to engage in your wellness programme? Hendrickson puts her faith in two strategies: offering incentives and inserting game mechanics.

 

1. Incentives: According to Hendrickson, ‘Incentives can dramatically increase participation, as well as results. One study conducted by MED-STAT of Ann Arbor, Michigan, documents an almost 250% increase in participation with the introduction of non-cash incentives.’ So which incentives work best? Hendrickson details, ‘AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals invited employees in their Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters to participate in healthy cooking classes hosted by local celebrity chefs and to attend a health-tips seminar given by an Olympic runner.’ Other incentive ideas include:

 

• name-brand merchandise


• gift cards


• corporate-identified merchandise such as tote bags and apparel (especially when used in exchange for registration)


• gym memberships


• perks unique to the company (prime parking spots, preferred vacation times, etc.)


• formal employee recognition by management and peers


• one-on-one time with the CEO or other executives

 

2. Wellness as a Game: Making wellness more fun and engaging encourages participation, especially if you have a lot of younger workers who grew up on video games. Hendrickson notes, ‘Medical information is notoriously dry, boring, and can be confusing; the use of game components allows for the information to be broken into small bites the employee can comprehend and remember.’ To make your wellness programme more game-centred, remember the following tips:

 

• Make it simple. ‘Clear rules and a simple, point-based format that is consistent throughout the program will be easy to understand,’ says Hendrickson.


• Make it interesting. Hendrickson advises, ‘Mixing in periodic challenges or competitions will keep the participants engaged.’


• Make it social. Hendrickson recommends, ‘Provide ways that employees can socialise to compare scores, exchange tips, and encourage one another. Just the knowledge that others will see their progress provides some motivation, but support and encouragement from peers also contributes to success.’

Categories: corporate wellness, corporate wellness programme, employees, employees don, Health Risk, hendrickson, include nbsp, participation, Wellness, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes

How to Keep Your Heart Healthy in the Workplace

Studies have shown that there is a great deal of potential in improving our wellbeing in the workplace by improving our heart health. We spend a large proportion of our time at work, so it stands to reason that this should be one of the key areas we improve when trying to boost our health. A heart healthy workplace helps you to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke, which could be life threatening. Work can be stressful and place a significant effect on our mental and physical health, and it can also be a breeding ground for poor eating and lifestyle habits. Think of the vast amount of unhealthy snacks and takeaway foods you eat in a week, not to mention the increasing amount of time you spend sitting at your desk or dodging that walk around the block on your lunch break in favour of sitting in the canteen. Wellness programmes are becoming more and more popular as a way of getting employees to get up and move more, as well as encouraging them to eat better while they’re at work. All in all, a healthier workplace equals a happier one.

 

If you work an office job especially, you are at risk of developing poor posture from sitting at your desk all day, depression, poor eyesight from staring at a computer screen all day and unhealthy eating habits. Where businesses are concerned, unhealthy employees cost employers money – more sick days, people being signed off with work related injuries, and less productivity. This is why wellness programmes are so popular now – they may cost money to implement, but the rewards are well worth it. Studies have shown that wellness programmes improve people’s body weight, blood pressure, waist circumference, and glucose and lipid concentrations in more than 5000 people. More people gave up smoking and even adding salt to their meals. The improvement to people’s health as a result of the study was astonishing, and showed just what a difference healthier choices at work made.

Research suggests that employees who are more physically active enjoy their work more and are more alert, as well as having higher concentration levels. Exercise is a natural mood booster and can encourage your mind to be more enthusiastic and engaging with your colleagues. There’s also a social element to exercising which can help build team working skills and improve the rapport between colleagues. The best way to achieve this is to have healthy food around the office instead of chocolate and crisps in the vending machines – opt for fruit bowls, for example. Keeping active for just 30 minutes a day could help to lower your risk of heart attacks and strokes, so opt for the stairs or go for a walk on your lunch break – you could even get off the bus a few stops earlier and walk the remainder of your journey each morning. Giving up tobacco is another top tip for improving both your heart health and general wellbeing. There are a number of ways to improve your health through your workplace habits – it’s simply a way of noticing where you’re going wrong and making better decisions about how you spend your time at work. There are often various options for fitting in more exercise or some of your five a day, from the snacks you take at elevenses to how you spend your lunch break. Once you and your employers are aware of this, your workplace can become a far healthier place that carries less health risks for your heart and general health.

Categories: exercise, Food, health, healthy heart, heart, heart health, Heart-Healthy, people, Wellness Programme, Wellness programmes, work, workplace

Why are Company Wellness Programmes So Complex?

Nutrition is a complex topic, with new diets and dietary products popping up daily. Human resource directors at work are also now being charged with the task of overseeing corporate wellness programmes. There are pre-existing nutrition programmes which can help with these initiatives – it’s simply a case of deciphering the vast amount of information that’s provided with them. Employee health is impacted by a number of factors, including stress in the workplace, stress and tobacco usage. Our health is determined by our diet and how active we are – this is why nutritional programmes are so important. Corporate wellness programmes simply must focus on nutrition, as it plays such a crucial role in employee health.

 

Obesity is a problem which has become more prevalent in recent years due to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and poor diets. Obese employees take between six to nine sick days each year on average, which costs companies money. Nutritional counselling doesn’t just help overweight employees though – seeking advice on how to eat a healthier diet can be beneficial for all. It could result in saving millions of pounds in absences and employee heath, so far as employers are concerned. For example, those with type 2 diabetes who received nutritional counselling reduced their risk of lost work days by as much as 64 percent, and their risk of disability as lowered by an astounding 87 percent.

 

Your diet doesn’t just fuel your body throughout the day – what you eat impacts your blood pressure, cholesterol, and risks of diseases such as cancer. The challenge for most companies is finding cost-effective solutions which also offer results. By targeting the nutritional health of your employees it can help to reduce healthcare costs and also offer improved health outcomes, without the need to fit expensive gyms in company buildings. The topic of nutrition is a complex one, but collaborating with the right health services can help.

Categories: diet, health, Wellness Programme

Could Hong Kong Learn a Thing or Two From British Companies?

For EDF Energy, one of Britain’s largest energy companies, ill health among employees costs £13 million (HK$164.4 million) a year. Since 2006, the company has therefore introduced many corporate wellness initiatives, encouraging staff, their families and the wider community to boost their general wellbeing. As a result, Professor Carol Black, expert adviser on work and health at Britain’s Department of Health, cited EDF Energy as a positive example during a recent presentation on workplace health to representatives from about 25 local organisations at Hong Kong’s British Council.

 

EDF has offered psychological support to employees, trained more than 1,000 managers to recognise psychological ill health among staff, enhanced good work principles – such as strong relationships, fairness, flexible working arrangements and meaningful work – and organised a team of “health advocates”. Made up of staff volunteers, the health advocates carry out an engaging health and wellness programme, which includes physiotherapy services, ergonomic assessments, and stress and resilience training.

 

According to Black, who is also the principal of Newnham College at Cambridge, ‘There are basic principles about how you can keep people healthy and well and in work, and I think they apply to Hong Kong as much as they apply to Britain.’ Black noted that with sickness absence and worklessness associated with ill health costing Britain more than £100 billion a year, the key issue facing the British workforce is how to keep people who are fit for employment at work, and how to enable them to work for a longer period of time.

 

Black explained, ‘For most people of working age, work – the right work – is good for their health and wellbeing. For most people, worklessness is harmful. Much sickness absence and inactivity follows common health problems which, given the right support, are compatible with work – although sometimes it means a different kind of work.’ Based on a 2008 review by Black, the “fit note” was introduced to replace the old sick note in April 2010. These means that instead of advising their patients that they were completely fit or completely unfit for work, doctors now could advise that their patient has some functional limitations but, with appropriate support, could return to the workplace.

 

‘At the moment in Britain, we have a great interest in improving people’s resilience and mental health – proactively, rather than waiting until people become sick,’ Black added. ‘It’s all about people being in good work; work in which you feel you have a sense of control and autonomy, where the leadership is empowering and you feel appreciated. The biggest thing is knowing how to look after people. These things don’t cost money – they cost attitude and a bit of time.’

Categories: EDF Energy, hong kong, Wellness Programme

Is Corporate Wellness Crucial For Your Employees and Staff?

Bayt.com and YouGov recently carried out a survey which revealed that 38% of participants in the UAE receive little or no company support towards improving their overall wellbeing. However, some progressive companies out there have realised the importance of corporate wellness, including Abu Dhabi Health Services Co (SEHA), which ensures that over 17,000 employees stay fit and healthy.

Teaming up with sport and social providers Duplays, SEHA has implemented wellness programmes for its staff. This means that SEHA employees can enjoy yoga and dance classes without having to worry about any costs, or take part in various sporting leagues, such as football and basketball ones. But why are SEHA bothering with a corporate wellness plan at all?

This is all thanks to the work of Dr Mohamed Ali Karkoukli, a senior quality specialist at SEHA who is a big driving force behind the programme. Now, the chairman of the active committee at SEHA’s enthusiasm for sport, health and fitness seems infectious, but it wasn’t always that way. He said that he used to weigh over 130 kilos and smoke up to two packets of cigarettes a day, so what changed?

He explained, ‘My son got sick one day when he was five and I wanted to pick him up to take him to hospital but I just couldn’t. That was why I made a choice. I thought to myself, if I cannot support my child now, what will happen a few years down the line? So I quit smoking in 2007 and I did my first 5k race in 2008. The next year I tried the Dubai Marathon with a 68-year-old colleague. Although we did not finish it, and we were limping for weeks afterwards, I was proud to put our photo on the desk.’ That photo changed company wellness habits forever.

‘People kept asking about it and getting interested and in 2010 I decided to participate again. I ran about 50k a week, and I made it round in just over four and a half hours,’ he said. ‘That was a breakthrough, and after speaking to the chairman I was encouraged to organise a work team to run in the Zayed International half marathon. We had over 60 people enter.’

Since this tipping point, SEHA have thrown their weight behind the wellness programme in conjunction with Duplays. Dr Ali said, ‘It’s about making a big difference to the people around you. It’s amazing to see your friends and colleagues as they change…it becomes contagious at corporate level, a preventative approach is so important when it comes to fitness. The healthy body will make the healthy mind open up, it is incredible.’

Google+
Is Corporate Wellness Crucial For Your Employees and Staff?

Categories: Casae Study, UAE, Wellness Programme