Wellness Plans :  What’s a Wellness Program?

A Health Promotion Program is an organized wellness program to assist and support staff in establishing healthier life choices.  This can include increasing staff member awareness on health topics, scheduling behavior change programs, and/or establishing organization policies that support health-related goals.  

Programs and policies that promote increased exercise, use of tobacco prevention and cessation, and healthful food selections are several examples.  

Wellness Dimensions

Wellness is more than fitness.  In addition to fitness, the dimensions of optimal health include

• Spiritual Wellness Dimension

• Emotional Dimension of Wellness

• Social Wellness Dimension

• Intellectual Wellness Dimension

These Wellness Dimensions are often depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include –

• fitness,
• nutrition,
• purpose in life,
• financial planning,
• social connections and support systems,
• stress management,
• mind-body health,
• career planning and
• continued learning.  

The key for individual health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance.  A extensive health promotion program addresses most, when not all, of these dimensions.

Why Employee Wellness?

Workers spend a great deal of time on the job, and the fact is that our traditional work-week is increasing. In fact, the typical American now works about 47 hours per week.  

Plus, technologies such as modems, laptops, cellular phones, voice and email have blurred the work-life boundary.  These realities cut down on the amount of time that the average individual can devote to wellness pursuits, and yet personnel are expected to be at top performance when at work.

A recent study  by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that employee health promotion or health promotion programs are successful in assisting workforce make positive health changes due to several factors such as convenience, environmental support, and coworker or social acceptance.  

What’s the Link between Wellness and the Workplace?

Programs and policies that promote healthful behaviors may make a large difference on staff member wellness AND have an impact on the organization’s bottom line.   Studies have shown that for every dollar invested by businesss in company wellness/wellness programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*.  

In organization terms, that is more than a 3 – 1 minimum return on investment – a number that is hard to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from corporations.  

In truth, a corporate wellness literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found –  

• 19 studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick time

• 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6 – 1 return on investment

• 23 showed a 26.1 percent reduction in healthcare costs

• 4 found a 30 percent reduction in direct medical and workers’ compensation claims

There’s little doubt that a extensive health promotion program targeted to meet a organization’s specific needs can reduce costs by reducing absenteeism, lowering healthcare expenditures, reducing staff member turnover, and increasing productivity.

• USA Department of Health and Human Services, 2003