Wellness in the Workplace: Who has the expertise?

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of health promotion, and who can counsel workers and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of workers (61%) want to receive health and wellness information from a medical professional, such as a consultant or an on-site occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to pamphlets or brochures (18%) or human resources staff (15%).

OHNs can develop, start and evaluate components of work site Employee Wellness Programs such as screening initiatives, exercise/fitness courses, Stress management, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control initiatives, and chronic illness management initiatives. Plus, OHNs can help workers navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between workers and their personal medical providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their medical provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays. In situations where workers are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, on-site nurses can routinely monitor risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an worker to ask an on-site nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to a personal medical provider. Benefits realized by employers include enhanced worker morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and decreased time away from work.

In employers with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching initiatives and involving workers in leading stretches.