In “Start with Why” author Steve Sinek focuses the reader’s mind on the central reason behind a particular course of action or value statement. Individuals such as Dr. Martin Luther King and Steve Jobs were successful largely due to a compelling reason to:
- Embrace a cause for freedom.
- Invest in a revolutionary product.
- Accomplish case fulfillment, as in Sinek’s instance.
In our initial client Health Intake—after we identify individual goals– we ask the employee to explain why the goal is important. We convey the “Why” must be stronger than the barrier for success to endure.
As such for Human Resource departments, C Suite executives and wellness advocates we pledge to offer plausible reasons for investing in a corporate wellness program.
10. Improve Morale. University of Pennsylvania Professor Harvey Seligman who by attempting to reframe research around the causes of depression by shifting the focus from treatment to cure asked the question: What are the enabling conditions that help people achieve greater happiness and thrive in their lives? His answer lied in the thought of positive psychology or optimal human functioning and its benefits in human functioning. That is, in a work setting happiness occurs when people are engaged, creative and productive. Wellness programs can help to facilitate engagement, creativity and thus happiness.
9. Increase Employee Productivity When employees feel engaged and their work has meaning they produce. Wellness programs have been proven to reduce absenteeism thus improving on the work product, as the Harvard Business Review discusses.
8. Reduce Risk Factors Associated with Unhealthy Lifestyles Hypertension, Diabetes, and high cholesterol are among the leading risk factors in corporate settings. Through a Health Risk Assessment and Biometric Screening, organizations can identify those risk targets then frame wellness programing around reducing them. Wellness programming has proven to significantly reduce these risk factors.
7. Decrease Health Utilization Costs. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Reducing utilization costs requires a shift from Supply Management (emergency room visits,) to Demand Management (prevention and self-care initiatives). In the Healthier at Home reference book published by the American Institute of Preventive Medicine, Associate Steve Buyers expresses the publication has known ROI in the form of improvements in utilization costs.
6. Prevent Injury. The leading causes of disability claims include back injury, cancer, diabetes, depression, arthritis and heart disease. Studies have proven that wellness programs which focus on diet and exercise can mitigate these causes of disability claims. With an emphasis on core stability, optimal Body Mass Index readings, lateral and agility conditioning the scenarios which contribute to injury are neutralized.
5. Builds Team Camaraderie. Based upon the military buddy system model, wellness offerings that have a group training component foster team building and offers a support mechanism. The rigors of fitness training isn’t always easy and having a community of likeminded health enthusiasts with proper instruction can provide the motivation, ensure sustainability, while offering fun and a varying degree of comfort for its participants.
4. Opportunity to Create Shared Value. Wellness programing allows companies to leverage their value statement for the purposes of some wider social benefit. Companies that have a strong sense of corporate social responsibility tend to retain and engage their employees. To the extent that employers can tie community service campaigns to wellness initiatives, the organization can build goodwill, position itself as a community leader while fostering healthy outcomes and projecting a positive public image.
3. Improve the Overall Health of the Organization. The American Institute of Preventive Medicine has a Wellness Wizard that identifies employer health risk factors per 100 employees. By understanding the health concerns, wellness initiatives can be designed to not only target those risk areas but to help employees select goals that result in positive individual outcomes. Collectively the improvement of individual outcomes can have an aggregate effect on the overall health and performance of the organization.
2. States are requiring wellness participation. Maryland last October instituted a requirement which suggests all state employees must enroll in some form of a wellness program. Failure to comply will result in a minor penalty for the first year with potential cost escalations in subsequent years.
1. Return on Investment. Wellness programs have demonstrated an ability to more than pay for themselves. For every $1 spent on wellness programs companies have realized a Return on Investment of $3 dollars. As such the ends often justify the means. It is important to note these returns usually don’t reveal themselves until after the second and third year so patience and a focus on the additional benefits are a must.
Moving forward with Wellness Initiatives include reasons that are both qualitative and quantitative. There certainly may be reasons that extend beyond our list. Understanding your “Why” and ensuring those reasons for proceeding outweigh the alternative is your first step. Your next move? Providing wellness choices for your employees.
Julian Tait is the Principal and Founder of Uptick Wellness, LLC. Uptick Wellness is a corporate wellness consultancy which seeks to maximize individual fitness while fostering organization development. He can be reached at jtait@uptickwellness.com and you can follow him on Twitter @UptickWellness.