Healthy
at Work
More and more companies are aware of the importance
of maintaining a healthy workplace and they’re taking
initiative to offer services that can improve the physical
and mental wellbeing of their employees.
A focus on workplace wellness helps attract and retain talent,
reduces health costs and increases productivity, but the direct impact
of those wellness initiatives can be difficult to measure when you’re
trying to quantify the return on investment of a wellness program.
And that’s what many companies struggle with – proving the
time and resources they invest will pay off, particularly for companies
with smaller budgets and those with high employee turnover.
The good news is that a wellness program doesn’t have to be a
big investment. One or two small steps toward a healthier workplace
can have a bigger impact than you may expect. But how do you
know where to start?
TAKING THE PULSE OF WORKPLACES
A health and wellness program starts with getting a good idea
of the health risks that exist within a company. Is there an aging
workforce struggling with age-related illnesses or conditions?
A younger workforce struggling with work-life balance or the
demands of a young family? Are there three or four generations
with different needs?
To get answers, look at the data you have available: drug and
disability trend reports, employee assistance program usage
reports, employee surveys and health risk assessment campaign
results all provide good insight into health risks. Take advantage
of tools that many group benefits providers offer such as wellness
sites and organizational risk assessments that include employees’
most claimed prescription drug types, most common conditions
and other areas of health risk.
Companies that don’t have this information, or the time to
review it, can’t go too far wrong if they target typical Canadian
health risk factors like high cholesterol and blood pressure, diabetes
and mental health issues, and focus on physical activity,
nutrition and mental wellbeing.
HOW TO START A COST-EFFECTIVE
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND
WELLNESS PROGRAM
By Laura Pratt
22 ❚ APRIL 2018 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL