Wellness Programs A to Z

Exactly how does it feel to walk into your workplace? Do people  look happy? is the place well lit and cheerful? Do you feel welcome, wanted and energized? Or do you feel a gloom come over you, and count the hours until you can leave?

The influence of the worksite environment on the wellness of staff is profound. First there’s the physical look, feel, smell, and sounds of the place. Then you’re affected by the policies, like whether others are allowed to smoke around you.

After awhile, more subtle factors begin to affect you. Do your attempts to adopt a healthier lifestyle get recognized at work, or are they sabotaged? Are your managers inspiring you by being healthy role models? Do you get regular opportunities to learn healthier behavior?

In a supportive environment, staff feel that the corporation they work for provides them with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards for healthful lifestyles.

And the spirit that results is highly contagious. Employees who feel cared are naturally more loyal and productive.

The following ideas will help you transform your worksite environment into one that truly supports the wellness of your workforce and organization.

Health Promotion Program Ideas for Creating Supportive Environments

Health Promotion Friendly Facilities

When you enter a workplace, do you feel comfortable? Could you be happy working there? is there enough light and clean air? Are there pleasant work areas, places to eat decent food, take a walk before lunch? Close your eyes. Exactly how does it smell? Sound? Do the personnel have enough space?

There’s no doubt that our physical environment affects us, from basic safety matters to subtle factors that could cause  or reduce stress. Healthful environments often have these features –

• Vending machines with healthy food choices like low-fat milk, fruits, sugar-free and caffeine-free beverages and low-calorie snacks

• Workout area, walking paths, playing fields, basketball hoop, or other exercise opportunities onsite or nearby

• Cafeteria offers healthful foods including a salad bar with low-fat dressing

• Natural light is used whenever possible; all lighting is appropriate and adequate

• Heating and ventilation is adjustable, comfortable and healthy

• No cigarette machines, ashtrays, or smoking areas onsite

• Noise levels are safe and conducive to concentration

• Make sure to work station furniture conforms to ergometric standards

• Safety hazards have been eliminated

• Lockers and showers are available for staff members who workout before work or during breaks

• Stairs are clean and well lit, convenient and pleasant to use

Familiarity can make it hard to evaluate a workplace. People  get used to stressful conditions and forget that conditions ever bothered them.

It might be useful to ask people  who are unfamiliar with your worksite to walk through with you. Professional advisors can also help.

Proactive Health Promotion Policies

One clear way to influence behavior is through policies and procedures. If nurses aren’t permitted to work more than twelve hours in a row, there are going to be fewer medication errors.

If parents are permitted flextime to attend to their children’s needs, they will be less stressed. If employees can apply unused sick days to planned vacation time, they will save them up instead of calling in sick to use them all.

Supportive corporate policies could include –

• Seatbelt use required in company cars

• Alcohol and drug policies are appropriate to the industry

• Emergency procedures are developed, known, and practiced

• Flexible work schedules allow personnel to exercise, attend children’s school conferences, etc.

• Nontobacco use policy is enforced

• Excessive overtime is discouraged

• Membership at exercise facility is partially reimbursed

• Shift staff members are scheduled to allow adequate rest

• Medical care coverage rewards good health

• Absenteeism policy rewards workers who don’t use sick days

• Staff Member assistance program available to help employees with chemical dependencies, depression, family problems

• Meaningful consequences are given for unsafe, unhealthful, prohibited behavior.  Your company may have a policy against alcohol use during work hours, but when everybody looks the other way when someone comes back from lunch smelling like beer, the culture is one that allows drinking at lunch-and one in which written policies may be safely ignored.

Prohibited behaviors should be confronted promptly. Otherwise your policies become mere lip service instead of springboards to health.

Consistent Recognition and Rewards for Success

Attention, praise, and rewards are given for wellness achievements.

You can show you value wellness by celebrating your health promotion programs and those who’ve made lifestyle improvements in company newsletters, on bulletin boards, and at annual banquets, meetings, and celebrations. Incentives are a direct way to show appreciation, too.

Health Promotion mentors are sought and applauded, too. Employees who support others’ efforts to improve their health are noticed and appreciated. Coworker modeling and mentoring courses can encourage those who enjoy helping others to step forward into a new role.

Managers Model and Support Healthy Behavior

Nothing could say “We encourage you to exercise often” better than a manager going on a bike ride during the lunch hour–or your supervisor sitting next to you in a weight management class.

Wellness activities promote relaxed interaction between individuals  from different departments and at different levels in the chain of command. That promotes relaxed communication and a feeling of solidarity that is pure gold.

Managers can also provide support for personnel who are working on improving their health. It does not take anything fancy-just a “good job” or “nice to see you at the gym” can put a glow on the cheeks of most of us.

Managers can also help by authorizing staff members the flexibility to attend wellness events.

Ongoing Wellness Programs

It’s important to give employees the sense that the wellness program is a permanent and important part of the corporation, not a corporation fad. That can begin as soon as a new worker is hired.

New staff are oriented to the wellness program as among the staff member benefits. Information about the wellness program should be presented by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable individuals who invites the new staff member to participate.

The employees are familiar with the ongoing health promotion programs.

The health promotion programs and wellness staff are well known in the company. Opportunities to participate are abundant and it’s easy to sign up.

A broad variety of awareness courses are offered. There are topics of interest for everybody.