Workplace Health Promotion
Workplace Health Promotion: The Evolution of Wellness Programs
Workplace health promotion plans have evolved since the 1970s. Instead of a sparsely applied corporate perk offered primarily to
the executives of larger companies in metropolitan areas, wellness programs have become a national second chance at capping health care costs.
Initially, workplace wellness programs were put in place to boost productivity and increase company morale.
Although these objectives are still part of workplace wellness programs, the more serious issue is preventing the illnesses and chronic health conditions that are costing business more and more of their profits.
Workplace Health Promotion: Wellness Programs Change with the Times
Workplace health promotion efforts have evolved from offering a health risk screening tool followed by a wellness tutorial and complimented with on-site fitness equipment.
In recent years wellness programming has progressed to sophisticated behavioral programming based on in-depth and personalized health risk appraisals. Profit margins rely heavily on workplace health promotion to dig them out of the money pit in which their current health insurance plans have them buried.
Not only is employer-employee morale advantageous to employee retention, but it is integral to an effective design for workplace health promotion. Without the cooperation and communication from employees who are willing to share their input or put forth realistic incentives they would work toward, many wellness program initiatives would fall short of the mark.
Workplace Health Promotion: Wellness Starts at Work
Flexible work hours make participation in workplace health promotion efforts possible for some employees who spend most of their day in the workplace followed by a rush of family-related responsibilities at home with no time to allocate to the pursuit of personal wellness program during off time.
Since America’s corporations foot the bill for most of the health care, it stands to reason that these institutions are the places where workplace health promotion should be enforced and controlled.
Although helping American employees to become a healthier workforce is a worthy endeavor, the fact of the matter is that unless the health of the labor force improves, productivity will become more and more expensive. Investing in employee health is the bottom line for corporate survival.
Workplace Health Promotion: Wellness Programs Plan for Productivity
While many larger companies have been quick to act, smaller operations fear to fund a long-term workplace health promotion plan because such a long-term commitment is a strain on already tenuous profit margins. Ultimately, the decision to invest in workplace health promotion belongs to upper management. Conversely, workplace health promotion efforts rarely come from the employees as an investment in their own productivity.
Workplace Health Promotion: Wellness Programs Commit to Good Health
Workplace health promotion is a long-term investment. Good health cannot be achieved in the short-term. By nature, some occupations have a high turnover rate. This value makes workplace health promotion less personal and more of a cultural change achieved gradually over a longer period of time than industries with less employee turnover.
Corporate wellness business plans will have to grandfather in some spending reorganization to allocate money for workplace health promotion as well as continuing to fund the more traditional style of health care.
Planning for workplace health promotion is an evolving task recognized in by Wellness Proposals, an independent wellness company working toward wellness solutions for one of the unhealthiest workforces in the world.
Writer Bio: John Bates is a leading wellness industry consultant and prolific writer about all aspects of health and wellness programs. His work can be found on numerous wellness websites including his own: Wellness Proposals, Infinite Wellness Solution's and Infinite Health Coach.
