Even though workplace wellness has been around for nearly 40 years there is still a great deal of confusion about what wellness really is and what the best ways are to achieve it.
Types of wellness programs in the workplace pdf.
Nearly 1 in 5 us adults aged 18 or older 18 3 or 44 7 million people reported any mental illness in 2016 2 in addition 71 of adults reported at least one symptom of stress such as a headache or feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
Still most corporate and workplace wellness programs tend to focus mostly on addressing physical and mental health.
Mental health disorders are among the most burdensome health concerns in the united states.
Companies with wellness programs report return on investments rois of up to 5 1 7 for most employers the most expensive healthcare claims come from so called catastrophic events such as a heart attack or stroke that.
The results might have been different if the study had been performed at a different type of workplace with different types of wellness programs and different types of workers.
Workplace wellness programs are an important cost effective way to encourage and support these efforts.
Even though the team is likely to have hr lead it it should also include people who have a good understanding of the employees and who have an interest in promoting a healthy workplace.
The worksites without a wellness program had relatively high rates of self reported health behaviors.
It is wise to form a good team capable of handling the project.
Workplace wellness programs are employer provided efforts to enhance awareness change behavior and create environments that support good health practices aldana2001 p.
Workplace wellness is any workplace health promotion activity or organizational policy designed to support healthy behavior in the workplace and to improve health outcomes.
This issue brief is available for download pdf icon pdf 2 mb.
Known as corporate wellbeing outside the us workplace wellness often comprises activities such as health education medical screenings weight management programs on site fitness programs or facilities.
A comprehensive wellness program takes a lot of time and work to create.
The problem very simply is that many employers do not have a good idea about what constitutes a quality workplace wellness program.
Developing a fitness habit or a health habit can take considerable effort with estimates ranging from 21 to 66 days of daily repetition.
Considering the improvements made to the health and well being of a workplace and the amount of time we spend at our workplaces it makes sense to foster workplace wellness programs.
The software is cloud based which means the software data is easily accessible to anyone given privileged access to the account.
For the purposes of this study wellness programs encompass three major types.