Where would you rather have the majority of your resources spent – in wellness and prevention or in sick care? Which do you think would serve you better? These questions are designed to be eye-openers in the discussion that is thankfully moving more and more to the forefront. In reality and from the perspective of solopreneurs, employees and as employers, we need both. Historically however, the majority of the funding has gone to sick care. Demonstrating the value of preventative services and wellness programs has become somewhat easier as how expensive dealing with illness really is from a multitude of costs has been coming to light. These include medical claims, lost productivity, negative impacts on co-workers and the compromised quality of life of the employee who is ill. But as in most things, the status quo has a history and investment, so it takes time to make shifts.
In response, a couple of note-worthy groups came together to discuss the topic of workplace wellness in New Hampshire. A common goal for each was to communicate what organizations are doing to promote wellness along with what resources exist to help a workplace move forward in creating a healthier culture. Panelists in both groups were either people that knew first hand because of the specific initiatives and programming that have been launched at their organizations or health promotion experts who have the unique perspective of being in the know about what is happening (and working) all over the state.
One key in regard to what is working that was echoed across both meetings is to have true and full commitment from the top. It is senior leadership that can help mobilize wellness initiatives not only by allocating fiscal and human resources but also in endorsing wellness policies publicly and in modeling healthy living themselves. The influence of seeing a senior manager join an onsite yoga class is quite powerful. Similarly, having employees at all levels of leadership actively modeling simple healthy behaviors such as eating fruit and using break time to go for a walk is also an elemental piece to changing the health-related behavior of all employees for the better.
Another theme that arose across both meetings is that there is greater likelihood of success when the resources to choose healthy behaviors are easily accessible to employees. For instance, shifting to food options (via vending machines, cafeterias and meeting snacks) that are high in taste and nutrition while lower in fat, sugar, salt and additives, helps people to actually make the connection in how their daily choices impacts their health. It stops being just a “something that sounds good in theory”. Instead a person can directly experience the increased focus and energy they feel after a lunch that actually provides nourishment.
As many of the largest employers across the state provide models and lessons of how to implement wellness programs, an issue that has become very clear is how do small and micro-businesses create healthier worksites and thus bring down their costs associated with sick care as well? Within a smaller organization, a few people can exert greater influence. The opportunities exist in smaller worksites for more people to take ownership in shaping wellness activities. For instance, in a company that has 8 employees, each person could be asked to introduce one healthy behavior they could see themselves and fellow co-workers giving a try. From a general standpoint however, organizations of all sizes need to begin with assessing their needs and capabilities. Specifically, a recommended starting point is to determine the following:
What is the Current Status of:
• Stress management
• Tobacco, alcohol and drug use
• Safety
• Nutrition
• Work/Life balance
• Physical activity
• Managerial/Senior executive buy-in
• Accessibility to benefits and general work environment
Matching assessed needs with what employees want and are willing to participate in helps steer the process. Since we are talking about behavior change, the use of incentives is also a component that can help jumpstart and sustain a wellness program.
The discussion on the implementation of workplace wellness (and beyond) will continue, both formally and informally. With that there is the clear intention for New Hampshire to gain in its awareness, knowledge and ability to become a healthier place to live and work.