Eating better, working out, getting more sleep … taking care of our physical self is relatively straightforward (even if it’s often easier said than done).
Achieving good emotional health may be a bit more complicated—but it’s just as important as achieving good physical health. And yet, emotional wellness often lands squarely on the back burner, particularly in the workplace. Why do so few people make their emotional health a priority?
According to Michael O’Donnell, the CEO of the Art & Science of Health Promotion Institute, healthcare costs are spiraling out of control. So badly, in fact, that within the next 50 to 60 years, the United States Congressional Budget Office anticipates that spending on major healthcare programs will rise from 5.5 percent of GDP to almost 19 percent, leading to unprecedented levels of federal debt. And even with all this spending, we’re not getting any healthier.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Enlisting the services of a wellness coach can be a fantastic way to take your company’s wellness program to the next level.
But...not all coaching services are created equal. Maybe there are gaps in their offering, or their expertise, that are holding your wellness program back from its goals.
To help you find out if your coaching service is truly moving your results forward (and to learn what features may make all the difference), take our quick quiz. (To see your results, click the "View Accuracy" button that appears at the end of the quiz. Your answers, along with our feedback, will open in a new window.)
A job with no commute? It’s a reality for an increasing number of people: 70 percent of professionals work remotely at least one day a week, while 53 percent work remotely at least half of the week.
Working remotely offers a lot of perks to employees and their employers. However, remote workers pose a unique challenge for wellness program administrators. How do you engage employees who aren’t physically present?
Just like company procedures and processes have had to adapt to the new reality of remote work, so does your wellness program.
For a wellness director, it can be frustrating to spend time and resources designing a wellness program, only to be met with a marked lack of enthusiasm. However, improving the wellness and productivity of employees is an important undertaking—one that companies almost universally embrace.
According to Willis Towers Watson’s Staying@Work report, “Nearly 90% of respondents say that improving workforce health and productivity is a core component of their organization’s overall health strategy, and nearly all (98%) said they’re committed to health and productivity improvement in the years ahead.”
So, why are some employees reluctant to participate in corporate wellness programs? And what can employers do to encourage all employees to engage?
At some point in their lives, approximately 75% of working women in the United States will become pregnant. But what should be a very exciting time in their lives can sometimes become a challenging one, with physical and emotional changes making daily work tasks difficult. Adding to the challenge is concern over discrimination, which can prevent pregnant employees from asking for accommodations to make things easier.
But by ensuring you have a robust employee wellness program, you can help your employees be more comfortable and productive throughout their pregnancy and beyond.
Just as you wouldn’t set out on a road trip without analyzing the best route to take, corporate wellness program directors should never design a program without considering the overall well-being of their entire employee population. Skipping this important step risks ending up with a cookie-cutter wellness program that excludes segments of their staff.
While some might think a customized approach is too expensive or time-consuming, many employers find tailored programs actually help reduce costs and mitigate risks by better serving all employees. It also makes it much easier for plan administrators to stay compliant with critical regulatory requirements.
So, how can you make your wellness program more inclusive?
As a wholesale food distributor with clients ranging from local restaurants to nationwide chains like Subway, Utah-based Nicholas and Company knows a little something about what fuels the human body.
So, it’s no surprise they established a wellness program several years ago, focusing on physical health. It started simply, with a yearly biometrics program and grew slowly, eventually adding a health coach who would analyze test results and help employees set basic goals.
Would the program keep up with their growth, though?
As the heat of summer approaches, every good gardener knows the seeds they planted in the spring require constant nurturing and attention—not just to survive, but to flourish. Corporate wellness programs are no exception: They require attention, work, and the proper resources to really succeed.
To reap the benefits of a robust wellness program—from decreasing absences to increasing productivity and improving overall health—it’s critical to keep employees actively involved.
The generational makeup of the workforce is changing rapidly: In 2015, Baby Boomers made up 29% of the workforce, while Generation X and Millennials each made up 34%. But by 2020, Millennials are poised to make up 50% of the global workforce.
Even as Millennials dominate the workforce, employees are living and working longer. This means some businesses can soon expect to have up to five generations of employees in their ranks. How will this impact employers?
