As people head into the new year, many have made resolutions or set goals relating to health and wellness.
It is timely for employers to also consider health and wellness, as it relates to the workplace.
A health and wellness programme can be customised to suit the size and needs of your
organisation and does not have to be costly to implement. Most successful programmes are employee-led, ensuring that essential buy-in from staff.
The overall goal with health and wellness is that you are meeting the needs of the organisation and the people within it to create an overall healthier environment, with increased productivity and reduced costs.
Factors that enhance a healthy workplace include health and safety, relating to the work environment, culture, relating to wellness, and lifestyle relating to physical health.
Increased productivity and reduced costs are the simplistic benefits that investment in awareness and/or a programme within the workplace could achieve. But there are many levels at which you can address health and wellness within your area of work.
Firstly, there is the "health" factor - actual physical fitness and the goal of fit, capable, healthy bodies free from illness - and then the "wellness" factor - emotional wellbeing, addressing triggers such as stress management, work life balance, organisation culture, job satisfaction and rewards.
Research indicates fit, healthy employees have more drive, focus and enthusiasm and are more productive, with higher levels of self-esteem.
Increasingly public campaigns are focusing on supporting people with healthy lifestyle, stopping smoking, healthy eating, benefits of exercise etc. There are simple, cost-effective ways to introduce some of those aspects into an organisation. It can be as straightforward as setting team goals, with rewards based on results, providing opportunities for employees to take required breaks, providing healthy snack alternatives to snack boxes or fast-food lunches,
discounted gym or sports memberships, team building and the likes.
Such programmes are usually employee led and motivated.
The wellness aspect addresses the emotional needs of people, recognising employees have more than just the day-to-day stresses of work, which add pressure to their daily lives. By recognising and assisting in the management of everyday stresses, wellness programmes and support can include provisions such as an employee assistance programme, offering access to counselling, work/life balance in the form of flexible work options, team building,
open communication, employee satisfaction and career development.
Research shows development programmes focused on improving leadership quality, people management practices and culture are more likely to be effective than addressing operational work demands when addressing workplace stress factors. The validation behind health and wellness programmes is that it is much more cost-effective and productive to keep employees healthy than to rehabilitate a sick or injured employee back into the business.
A proactive approach can also work hand in hand with your health and safety policies, in some cases resulting in lower ACC premiums.
Initiatives and programmes should have a well-defined purpose and be measureable. They should encourage participation across the whole employee demographic within your organisation and be led by employees - ownership is critical.
Create and promote a healthy culture for your business and enjoy the rewards.
- Kellie Hamlett-Coombs is the director of Talent ID recruitment agency