|
Enlightened organizations create a culture of wellness because they know that the cost of doing nothing is unsustainable and threatens an organizations viability. The time to act is now. |
|
If we can promote wellness within the workplace, reduce our premiums, that’s a win-win for everybody, completely.
Kerry Lynn Mercer, MacQuarries Pharmasave
|
|
CWS programs have a strong evaluation component based on both health and economic indicators that serves as both a planning and evaluation tool. |
|
I don’t need a chart to prove to me that productivity improves with the health of employees. Sandra Greer, President, Amirix Systems Inc. |
|
“Comprehensive workplace health promotion is not a particular program. It is a philosophy, theory and practice of health promotion that is intended and designed to be incorporated into the strategic businessplans of organizations whose governors, owners and managers care about the well-being of their employees.” Canadian Diabetes Association |
|
You affect change one employee at a time. Sandra Greer, President, Amirix Systems Inc. |
|
Investing in employee health through a comprehensive workplace wellness strategy not only controls expenses, but also protects, supports and enhances human capital. |
|
Workplace wellness is about fostering a culture that supports all aspects of wellness. Jim Inglis, Canada Revenue Agency |
|
The cost of waiting for people to get sick far exceeds the cost of helping healthy people stay healthy. Dee Edington, from his book Zero Trends. |
|
Essential to comprehensive workplace wellness is the incorporation of wellness into the organization's strategic plan, thus signifying a shift away from relying solely on traditional 'soft' skills of support and encouragement. |
|
In tough economic times, employee health is becoming a priority for many organizations. |
|
Rising from your desk to go for a walk at lunch--and encouraging your employees to do the same--might be one of your most fiscally responsible business decisions? That's why well-implemented employee health and wellness programs not only save organizations money, but also improve employee morale and productivity |
|
Lifestyle counseling from a clinical practitioner targeting prevention of weight gain may help overweight and obese individuals lose or maintain their weight, according to the results of a Dutch randomized control trial published in the October (2009) issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. |
|
Employees are more productive. They’re happier. Everybody benefits. Jim Inglis, Canada Revenue Agency |
|
"When thoughtfully integrated into overall strategy, wellness is a powerful positive driver of employee engagement, productivity and performance" Owen Sullivan, Executive VP of Manpower and CEO of Right Management. |
|
Our programs are incorporated into all aspects of the workplace, and development of effective communication plans and strategies to enhance participation are critical.
|
|
Workplace wellness programs which start with an upfront evaluation, and in turn respond to the identified needs as provided in an aggregate profile, can and do have great success for employees and employers. Janet Briggs, NS Department of Finance |
|
No matter what your position is on the health care debate, almost everyone seems to agree that the path we are on is an untenable route to increasing costs and diminishing returns. New data show American workers are getting less healthy each year, and this obviously will increase health care costs. The good news is that employers and employees can help contain these costs, in cost-effective and straightforward ways.
Ellen Galinsky |
|
The savings of direct and indirect costs substantiated by workplace wellness research means that organizations can no longer afford not to invest in their human capital…
Comprehensive workplace Welleness, What Is It? |
|
Workplace Wellness programs are recognized as an effective way to provide healthy and safe working environments that lead to a healthier workforce. This in turn results in economic benefits for employers through reduction of preventable claims, absenteeism, and increased productivity and employee morale. Janet Briggs, NS Department of Finance |
|
In addition to lowering the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and high blood pressure, keeping weight in check can also lower the risk of many different cancers, including breast, colon, kidney, pancreas, and esophagus. Harvard School of Public Health |
|
Healthy employees are happy and productive employees Our Physical Activity and Fitness System and our Nutrition and Healthy Weight System provide everything you need to launch and evaluate your own workplace health programs. They are easy to implement and include all the tools, activities and templates you need to motivate and educate your employees, as well as track and measure their progress. Take a look at our video to learn more.
|
|
"Wellness is about adding years to life and life to years" |
|
When you talk about people being healthy, working in healthy workplaces, you know in your heart of hearts it’s the right thing to do. Peter James, Department of Justice |
|
"An effective worksite wellness program can attract exceptional employees, improve on-the-job decision-making and time utilization, enhance employee morale and organizational commitment, reduce turnover, and reduce organizational conflict." American Heart Association |
|
…I would develop programs designed to keep low-risk people at low-risk, and programs designed to help high-risk people move to low-risk. Traditionally, companies offer their employees a health risk appraisal, and then they offer interventions for those at risk, while ignoring, or at least doing less for, those with little or no risk. Dee Edington, PhD, director of the University of Michigan Health Management Research Center. |
|
CWS programs are directed by needs identified by employers and employees based on valid assessment tools and are comprehensive and sustainable. |
|
I firmly believe that providing opportunities for staff to meet each other and connect over common interests has a powerful impact on increasing employee morale and engagement. This type of workplace social networking builds cooperation and fosters concern for colleagues. This form of building a healthy workplace culture on multiple planes nurtures a healthy workplace environment and culture which starts to become self-sustaining. Janet Briggs, NS Department of Finance |
|
Clearly an opportunity exists for employers to invest in the health of their workforce – and their companies – by making workplace wellness a core business strategy. |
|
Workplace wellness is not a one-time thing. You need to maintain the program over the long term. Jim Inglis, Canada Revenue Agency |
| Nova Scotia proves healthy living works |
|
By Andrea Davis February 1, 2009
Phil Bailey is a 43-year-old youth worker at the Nova Scotia Youth Facility in Waterville, Nova Scotia. He maintains a fairly physically active lifestyle, but readily admits he's struggled over the years with his food choices and weight. After participating in a three-year pilot project offered through his employer, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, Bailey shed 55 pounds and has managed to keep most of it off. Among a growing number of participants with success stories, he says he is more aware of his health, his diet has changed dramatically, and he's found better ways of dealing with stress. Bailey is one of 400 employees in Nova Scotia's Department of Justice who participated in the Healthy LifeWorks project. He credits the program with helping him make a lifelong change in his attitude toward food. "The mental change toward eating is a big thing for me," he says. The Healthy LifeWorks project The Healthy LifeWorks project was conducted by the Atlantic Health and Wellness Institute, the research affiliate of Creative Wellness Solutions, in partnership with the Department of Justice and Nova Scotia's Public Service Commission. Study sponsors included Pfizer Canada, AstraZeneca Inc., and Sun Life Financial. Preliminary results from the study reveal health improvements for employees, a reduction in the average number of lifestyle risk factors and an overall improvement in staff morale. The initial results are encouraging for Lydia Makrides, president and CEO of Creative Wellness Solutions. In 2004, Makrides was looking for a diverse employee group willing to test the Healthy LifeWorks program as a pilot project. "There are no data on the business case for workplace health in Canada, "she says. "This was an attempt to come up with Canadian data." She approached Nova Scotia's Public Service Commission, which oversees the 10,000 public-sector workers in the provincial government. The Department of Justice was suggested because of its manageable size and diverse workforce, which ranges from blue-collar workers to lawyers and justices. The project was launched in 2004 at 12 sites across the province. Seven hundred employees participated in a thorough health risk assessment, which included a personal health questionnaire, organizational health questionnaire, body-mass index measurement, blood glucose screening, blood pressure reading, cholesterol screening and soft-tissue screening. These data were then used to create a baseline measurement of the overall health of employees. Baseline measurements are critical to the success of any workplace wellness program, says Makrides, but it's a step many organizations skip. Charting results Overall, wellness scores improved by 12% during the course of the study. The project also showed significant enhancements in employee health, including a 19% improvement in nutrition scores (determined by combining low-saturated-fat meals, high-fiber foods, fast food and snacks, daily breakfast, and fruit and vegetable intake scores). Fitness scores increased by 7%, and the study revealed a 9% reduction in the number of lifestyle risk factors, such as smoking and high cholesterol, among participants. The project also showed an improvement in staff morale, with more employees reporting that they felt good about the opportunities to learn and grow within their work environments. Based on the results of the baseline data, a variety of interventions was launched at each of the 12 sites across Nova Scotia in 2005. A wellness committee was created at each site, and these committees decided which interventions best suited the needs of its employees. Grassroots initiative At the Nova Scotia Youth Facility where Phil Bailey works, and where he sits on the wellness committee, a variety of workshops were held on such topics as nutrition, sleep, stress and exercise. The committee started a floor hockey league and introduced a free fruit bowl, which is replenished three times a day, for staff. And Bailey has noticed subtle changes in the menu at the facility's cafeteria, which now offers more fresh fruit and vegetable options. When the Healthy LifeWorks project was first launched, Peter James was working for the Department of Justice in Bridgewater. As chair of the wellness committee there, he was surprised by the shift in organizational culture as more and more employees started taking advantage of activities such as yoga, reiki, lunch 'n' learns, noon-hour skates and walking groups. He maintains this grassroots involvement was vital to the project's success. "Significant change emanated from the front lines," he says. Sherry Aikenhead, director of communications for the Department of Justice, agrees. "One of the most exciting things about the project was how it really evolved over the years into a grassroots participation," she says. "People took ownership of it." Enabling ownership of wellness initiatives, in addition to taking baseline measurements, is another necessary element for successful workplace wellness programs, says Makrides. "The whole idea with this project, and with workplace wellness in general, is to help people help themselves. They have to do it on their own," she says. "We can create the systems, we are there to support, but then the employer and employees have to do it themselves." Building on the data At the project's conclusion in 2008, 400 employees returned to have their measurements taken again. "We had high participation rates, with 80% to 90% of people participating in at least two or three of the health promotion activities," says Makrides. "If wellness is to make a difference in an organization, it can't be an isolated event that gets run out of human resources. It has to be part of the culture of the organization." Aikenhead notes that the pilot project has had a spillover effect into other government teams. Some of the communication materials developed as part of the pilot have been circulated to other departments, and some have also initiated health risk assessments for employees. Makrides hopes the program will act as a template for other employers. Further research results, including return on investment and cost-savings, will be released some time in 2009. "Workplace wellness is part of the business strategy now for that department, so they are continuing to make changes," she says. Wellness in tough times Workplace wellness programs might be viewed as an unnecessary - and therefore easily cut - expense during this economic downturn, but this is actually an ideal time to invest in wellness, says Gerry McCarron, manager of health policy and patient access, Atlantic region, with Pfizer Canada. "The economy will challenge all corporate spending, so if you're going to spend on a [wellness] strategy for your organization, you need to have measurements and results," he says. Organizations that slash spending on wellness could be sacrificing long-term gains to alleviate short-term pain. "When the economy is bad, companies sometimes focus on cutting back [on wellness] when the reality is that they should be focused on producing the best possible product or service, and healthy, happy, productive employees are going to give them that," he says. |
