Creating a Corporate Culture of Wellness - Why We Need Corporate Wellness Programs

It is critical that our nation as a whole move from a focus on illness to a focus on wellness. This is not just the responsibility of employers. A change needs to take place on many levels. Individuals must be held accountable for behaviors that contribute to medical conditions. Families need to work together to address lifestyle issues. Communities should explore ways to reinforce healthy choices. Our entire country will benefit from making a culture shift.

Why a change is necessary:
• More than half of all Americans live with at least one chronic medical condition, accounting for 75% of all health care spending each year.
• Five chronic diseases--heart disease, cancer, stroke, COPD and diabetes--are responsible for 2/3 of all deaths in the U.S.
• We spend more than $2 trillion on health care each year but only 4 cents of every dollar is invested in prevention and public health.

Unfortunately, given our system of health insurance, most of us receive our medical benefits from our employers. It makes sense, then, that employers must take the lead in a change effort. The majority of employers, large and small, have implemented some level of wellness initiative in the past few years. Depending upon how these programs are developed and introduced in the workplace, they may be welcomed as a helpful tool for improvement or resisted as a type of “big brother” invasion of privacy.

The purpose for creating a culture of wellness is to improve the chances of wellness initiatives being successful with careful planning and expectations. One of the biggest complaints I’m currently hearing from employers is that they are not getting employee participation. Many organizations view this as a motivation issue. Other businesses operate from the belief that they don’t have the budget for a “state of the art” wellness program and therefore can only expect limited results. Creating a culture of wellness addresses these issues.

Here are some key areas that must be addressed by a successful wellness program:
• Smoking/tobacco cessation & prevention
• Regular physical activity
• Stress management/reduction
• Early detection/screening
• Nutrition education & promotion
• Weight management
• Work environment changes that encourage healthy behaviors

Most of us are familiar with these areas. My contention is that not enough attention has been paid to the last key area and this area needs to be addressed prior to outlining the features of a workplace wellness program.

It is more important that wellness programs be well-planned than well-funded. A study by the Trust for America’s Health found that by investing $10 a person per year in programs that increase physical activity, improve nutrition and prevent smoking and other tobacco use, we could save more than $16 billion annually within five years. Anyone who deals with employer sponsored benefits knows that this is a very small investment.

Successful wellness initiatives address three critical areas. The initiatives must follow a long-term plan, reinforce healthy behaviors and be phased in gradually. The long-term plan starts with a vision. How do you envision your healthy workforce? What is your long-range goal? Do you want a percentage of employees within a healthy weight range? Would you like to have a tobacco-free workforce? Define your key long-term goals and break them down into steps. Each step is an objective.

Since it takes 3-5 years to realize a return on your investment with wellness measures, it is helpful to develop a five year plan. Develop objectives for the first year that you can build upon in consecutive years. All behavior change occurs via small steps forward. It is important to focus on education and communication at each step. Avoid trying to accomplish too much, too quickly. People need time to adapt to changing expectations.

Next week: Creating a Corporate Culture of Wellness- How to Develop a Wellness Program

Our guest blogger this week is Patsy Deerhake, M.ED, Wellness Educator/Coach. She owns Wellness Within Reach. You can reach her at patsy@wwrcoach.com or 614-880-2639.