What is Worksite Wellness?
When you hear the phrase “Worksite Wellness,” what comes to mind? Are you thinking gym memberships, flu shots, and lunch & learns? Or something else? While the term “Worksite Wellness” has certainly grown in popularity over the past few years, it’s definitely not a new concept. So let’s talk about what exactly IS Worksite Wellness.
Worksite Wellness Defined
The most common definition of “Worksite Wellness” is a combination of health-promoting activities, policies, and services that support positive employee health and their behavior. You may also hear Worksite Wellness referred to as:
- Employee Wellness
- Corporate Wellness
- Workplace Wellness
- Workplace or Employee Well-being
All of these essentially mean the same thing in that the goal is to improve employee health with the ultimate goal of helping a company’s bottom line.
Why Offer a Worksite Wellness Program?
Coming out of the pandemic, companies are more aware than ever on the importance of investing in their employee’s health. And not just physical health. Mental health in the workplace has become a significant point of focus for companies to help support their employees. So why are so many companies now choosing to invest in their employee’s health? There’s a ton of benefits that come with supporting the health of your employees:
- Reductions in healthcare costs to a company.
- Lower incidences of stress and burnout, which leads to less employee turnover.
- Cut costs and time spent related to employee turnover (which costs a company on average 3-4 TIMES the position’s salary, according to SHRM).
- Increased productivity between employees not taking as many sick days and people showing up to work with better morale.
- Improvements in company culture leading to better employee retention and acquisition of new, high-quality talent.
What Areas of Wellness Are Addressed in Employee Wellness Programs?
You may think that employee wellness is solely focused on weight management or chronic disease. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Employee wellness take a much more holistic approach to various aspects of wellness and well-being. This includes:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Emotional health
- Financial health
- Social health
- Occupational health
- Purpose
- Intellectual health
- Environmental health
- Spiritual health
10 Key Areas of Employee Wellness
Let’s take a deeper look at what these various of areas of wellness mean and can address when it comes to creating an employee wellness program.
Physical Health: This is the area of wellness that most comes to mind in the worksite wellness world. This includes nutrition, physical fitness, sleep, and managing or preventing disease.
Mental Health: A big buzzword these days, mental health looks at both psychological and emotional health. It includes functionality of the brain, hormones, and how the body/brain responds to various stressors or stimuli.
Emotional Health: I know “mental” and “emotional” health like to get used interchangeably, but they address different things. Unlike mental health, which is more about physiology, emotional health focuses on thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Areas like stress management and resiliency help to support emotional health which in turn leads to better overall mental health.
Financial Health: The #1 reason people come to work is to make money (admit it, if your job didn’t pay you, would you still go?). Not only do people want to make sure they’re making an adequate salary based on skills, experience, and levels, but they also want to make sure their money is being managed appropriately including spending, saving, and building up retirement funds.
Social Health: The pandemic has brought to light an Isolation Epidemic. Between social distancing, working from home, and an overall feeling of being disconnected, many people have felt “out of the loop” or disconnected from their jobs, coworkers and teams. Virtual and in-person events can help promote better social health.
Occupational Health: How happy are you at your job? Do you feel supported and fulfilled? Or are you just showing up and doing your job because you have to? People who don’t feel valued in their jobs often don’t stick around for the long-haul. This is where turnover and decreased employee morale come into play.
Purpose: Why do you wake up every day? What lights you up? Feeling that the work we do provides a sense of purpose not only supports occupational health, but also plays a significant role in emotional well-being. Not to mention makes someone want to show up, be present, and do their best at their job.
Intellectual Health: How many jobs have you worked where you just felt your brain was on autopilot? You weren’t growing a skillset or learning anything new. You were simply just showing up and becoming robotic. Having opportunities to grow and learn not only supports positive mental health, but also shows employees that you are vested in their long-term success.
Environmental Health: Sustainability is another one of those big buzzwords. But there are lots of ways sustainability can impact our overall wellness. Addressing areas like food waste, energy waste, and quality of environment can all contribute to company culture.
Spiritual Health: While many people often don’t think of spirituality in the workplace, the truth is that people who are connected to faith and spirituality often feel a greater sense of belonging and purpose. Learning about and understanding people’s views and experiences with spirituality can help support a better working environment.
WHICH OF THESE AREAS ARE YOU CURRENTLY ADDRESSING?
WHICH CAN USE MORE FOCUS?
What Types of Employee Wellness Programs Can You Offer?
When it comes to employee wellness, there are lots of avenues you can take. In fact, the options may even feel a bit overwhelming. No worries – that’s where worksite wellness experts like yours truly comes into play to help find the best solutions for you, your company, and your employees. But we’ll address that in How to Start an Employee Wellness Program.
There are the traditional wellness programs, which includes things like:
- Lunch & Learns
- Biometric Screenings
- Health Fairs
- Fitness Classes
- Gym Reimbursement
- Tobacco Cessation
- Health Coaching
- Wellness Challenges
BUT there are so many more avenues and opportunities to bring wellness into the workplace that not only may get a better response from your employees but may also be more cost effective AND support a better overall workplace culture. Things like:
- Golden Hours
- 25 or 55-minute meetings vs 30 and 60-minute meetings
- Daily meeting caps
- Bonus vacation time
- Green space
- Leadership training
- Setting boundaries & expectations on digital communication and availability
Want to learn about the best way to get started with or grow your employee wellness offerings? Contact Me to discuss your worksite wellness goals and how we can work together to create a successful employee wellness program that supports both individual and company wellness.