Summer 2001
Volume III, Issue II

A SMORGASBORD OF ITEMS THAT CAN
CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS A WELL WORKPLACE

by Dr. Martin Collis

"It is a sick kingdom where you have to be a fool or a martyr to do the right thing."

Plato

At Speakwell we often receive inquiries about the effectiveness of workplace wellness and what forms it can take. In response to this I’m expanding a brief article which first appeared in Vol. II, Issue I of "Well."

Workplace wellness works and this fact is strongly supported by the ongoing work of the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center (HMRC). Since 1976 the HMRC has collected health care utilization data on over 2 million individuals and consulted with over 1000 work sites. We will discuss highlights of their large 2001 cost benefit analysis report in a future issue of "Well." But briefly it is worth noting that they found consistent value in on-going programs of workplace wellness. An approximation would be that for every one dollar invested a company could expect 3 dollars of cost savings or benefits. Obviously there was a range but there were consistent bottom line benefits. (www.umich.edu/~hmrc)

Milligan (2000) found the major reasons for offering health promotion programs were as follows:

  • Keeping workers healthy and feeling good
  • Reducing health care costs
  • Retention
  • Improving morale
  • Recruitment
  • Improving productivity

Check out the following list to see what your organization is doing, or could be doing to improve their wellness profile.

  • Communication and involvement — disseminate wellness information in as many ways as possible. Communication is the immune system of an organization.
    • Newsletters
    • Internet
    • Intranet
    • Bulletin boards
    • Pay cheque inserts
  • Management and administrative support and leadership.
  • A proactive Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.) program.
  • Union support of wellness initiatives.
  • Health and fitness screening:
    • cardiovascular fitness
    • body composition
    • strength
    • flexibility
    • blood lipids
    • blood pressure
    • stress profile
  • Creating a healthy supportive work environment — could include:
    • showers
    • lockers
    • hair dryers
    • cycle storage
    • access to good nutrition
  • Incentive schemes for lifestyle enhancement.
  • Wellness days, or wellness fairs.
  • Negotiated discounts with local sport-fitness facilities.
  • Informal walking groups.
  • Flexibility in allowing time for a lunch hour workout.
  • Proactive classes in stress resiliency, healthy cooking, fiscal planning etc.
  • Safety.
  • Surveys to discover employee interests and needs.
  • A wellness library with books, tapes, CD-ROMs and other wellness information.
  • Social activities so that people can bond together and see each other in a different setting.
  • Select a cause or group which your company or department can help with time, money and support.
  • Wellness is considered in making any major decision or policy.
  • Fun!

I recently read of a fine example of workplace wellness with a service function. TELUS Mobility employees in Scarborough, Ontario provide dog walkers for the local dog pound every lunch time. The organization looks good, and the humans and dogs get some exercise. Everybody wins.