Wellness in the worksite

Good for waistlines & your bottom line

By Sandra Simpson, APRN, BC, COHN-S, manager in Occupational Health Services at a Fortune 500 corporation in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). For a copy of the AAOHN wellness survey, visit www.aaohn.org, or call (800) 241-8014, x0.

In today’s hectic world, the majority of of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. For a long time, organizations have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well - increased productivity from reduced rates of absence and lowered disability claims. For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many organizations realized double-digit health care costs last year, organizations should consider Workplace Wellness Initiatives as a way to keep workers healthy.

But just how important are these initiatives to workers? How frequently are they willing to participate in initiatives designed to positively impact their health and wellness? Who do workers trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were recently garnered from a study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 workers nationwide about their perceptions of Workplace Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all members indicated these initiatives are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60 percent consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer. staff member retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building Workplace Wellness Initiatives into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented workers in addition to enhancing personal health and worksite productivity.

Health wish list

Employees appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new economic pressures, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85 percent of survey respondents cited Stress Management Programs as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include screening initiatives (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness initiatives (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management seminars (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and worksite violence.

What you should do

With such a broad range of health concerns, a primary goal for organizations is finding a way to proactively address the health/wellness needs of the largest number of workers, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and illness.

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, fliers or pamphlets present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different workers require different formats for learning. A good rule of thumb: provide information in a variety of learning formats such as videos, pamphlets, health-related quizzes, display boards, Lunch & Learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle - getting workers to sign on to a Workplace Wellness Program. While survey respondents indicated health and Workplace Wellness Initiatives are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the Workplace Wellness Initiatives at their organizations. The other 40 percent cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a comprehensive, structured Workplace Health and Wellness Plan using a innovative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing.

By investing in an organized Workplace Health and Wellness Plan headed by a qualified health care professional such as an on-site nurse, organizations can give workers the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result: workers become savvier health care consumers who feel more in charge of their own health. And healthier workers make for a healthier bottom line.