Workplace Wellness
By Bev Hillman
Vancouver Personal Training
What does Corporate Canada want? Many would answer this question
with benchmarks
of increased employee productivity, reduced absenteeism, high energy
workers and longterm
committed individuals that are team players. How can these goals
be achieved in a
world where work travel is frequent and often distant and where
technology has chained
many to keyboards and mousepads? There is a growing gap between
corporate ideals
and the reality of our work styles and this has created a need for
workplace wellness.
Workplace wellness is a term that is used to encompass the health
needs of employees
including preventive medical assessments, education and seminars,
health surveillance
programs and behavioural change strategies such as smoking cessation.
According to the
U.S. Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, the
economic benefits of
fit employees include corporations with better profit margins and
reduced employee
turnover. Corporate health programs need to be diverse to meet the
needs of employees
and management who are experiencing different stresses and work
environments and are
at risk for different types of health problems.
Studies have shown that compliance with exercise is increased with
one-to-one
counselling and exercise motivation programs. This emphasizes the
importance of
individualized assessments and goal planning for the greater success
of an all-round
health and fitness program. It has been estimated that workers involved
in physical
conditioning programs have 35% less rehabilitation costs for common
workplace injuries
such as mechanical back pain, overuse strains and carpal tunnel
syndrome.
As the baby boomer population ages in the workforce, we will see
a growing number of
older workers who have spent decades in automated environments;
we will witness an
increased incidence of adult disease and decreased physical fitness
levels. Many studies
have been done on the concept of workplace wellness and the results
have revealed that
fitness levels were markedly improved and smoking significantly
reduced. This indicates
that corporate wellness programs have immediate benefits in fitness
and lifestyle but long
term health changes have yet to be accomplished. Much depends on
the method of
intervention as opposed to what can really be achieved. It has been
proven that those
who embark on improving one aspect of health also reap benefits
in other areas of
lifestyle. It is common to have improved nutritional choices in
people who have recently
started an exercise program.
Most employers are already convinced of the economic benefits for
their firms. They
believe in workplace wellness and agree that the employer has a
significant role to play in
influencing the health of their employees. However, they want to
know what to monitor,
how to motivate and maintain behavioural change and how to manage
growing
psychosocial needs of their employees. This can be done through
the help of a health and
fitness consultant who can assess the goals of the corporate client,
recommend individual
and group assessment and monitoring strategies, develop programs
that improve the
employees' health and welfare and assist the client in incorporating
a strategy that will
enhance long-term compliance to the program.
The diversity of our workplace and our work population will all
need to be considered in
assisting employers with workplace wellness and certainly challenge
wellness consultants
to be creative in their assessments and strategies. The result may
be a merging of
partnerships between the corporate sector and health consultants
who manage and
influence workplace wellness on a long-term and ongoing basis, not
just as a lunch n'
learn seminar or a once a year fitness test.
Trends for Workplace Fitness:
• Computer stretch breaks that are programmed into the employees'
software and
guide individuals through a one-minute break every hour
• Walk breaks instead of coffee breaks
• Walk meetings to a client's office, around the plant or
as a small brainstorming
session to the park
• Boxercise, yoga, tai chi and dance on site
• Circuit training
• Running routes around the office
• Locker rooms with showers, hair dryers and conveniences
• Family days and extended hours at corporate fitness facilities
• Partnerships with community and club fitness facilities
close to home
• Active lunch n' learn in back care, stretching, upper extremity
strengthening and
posture
• Healthy heart selections in the cafeteria
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