By Estelle Morrison, Director, LifeWorks Strategic Solutions

There was a time when employers only mentioned the term ‘wellness’ when there was a need to boost employee morale and foster team spirit. In the 1990s, lunch-hour fitness breaks broke up the day, and employees were encouraged to take the stairs rather than ride the elevator. Employer-sponsored health promotion programs were designed with little or no associated costs, and almost certainly without an expectation related to return on investment. In addition, direct linkage between wellness programs and disease prevention was rare.

Lace up your runners and fast-forward to today, where government, corporations and small business owners alike are recognizing that wellness and work-life balance play a critical role in maintaining a productive workforce. Greater emphasis is being put on human capital as the most important determinant of business success. Just like healthy financials, contingency planning, and coming out on top in the fierce competition for qualified talent, workplace wellness has become a business-critical issue.

What is Wellness? Wellness is the personal experience of physical and mental health. According to Health Canada, there are three major contributors to wellness: • Health practices — the voluntary activities of individuals that affect their health; • Personal resources — the psychological and social means by which people cope with environmental stress; and • The environment in which they are trying to cope, which includes their surroundings, the conditions in which they work, their circumstances, and the opportunities available to them to maintain or improve their health.

But why should employers focus on employee wellness – something that traditionally has been viewed as a personal responsibility? It’s proven —home stress and job stress negatively affect wellness, which in turn, decreases productivity and costs Canadian businesses. For example, the Vanier Institute of the Family estimates that employees' stress-related disorders currently cost Canadian businesses an estimated $12 billion per year. However, emerging trends will significantly increase the economic burden that employers will bear on behalf of their workforce. Government sponsored health care continues to diminish, benefit costs are rising, mental health concerns have become the single most significant factor leading to disability-related claims, the ageing baby-boomers are facing increased health concerns, and critical labour shortages are predicted.

By supporting workplace wellness through formal programs, employers can help ensure more productive employees, while benefiting from an additional recruitment and retention tool. There is a wealth of research demonstrating that healthier employees positively impact companies in every respect, including lower healthcare costs, lower turnover rates and reduced absenteeism, fewer medical claims, and improved productivity and employee morale.

The 2001 National Work-Life Conflict Study, a massive survey of more than 35,000 employees sponsored by Health Canada, demonstrated why employers should support employee well-being through formal programs. Employees who are unwell due to lack of activity, poor eating habits or chemical dependence such as tobacco; those experiencing high-levels of stress; and staff members suffering from role overload – these employee groups typically have higher rates of physical illness and absenteeism, are often less productive and cost employers more than their healthy counterparts.

Workplace wellness initiatives can combat these effects by focusing on proactive prevention, encouraging healthy behaviours, serving as a forum for team motivation, and by providing employees with access to valuable information and resources they might otherwise be unable to access on their own. Health promotion programs are also an excellent way for a small business owner to demonstrate commitment to employee wellbeing, resulting in a positive impact on the bottom line and increased marketplace value as a potential employer.

What are employers doing to foster a healthy workplace? According to Small Business Administration, in the U.S., more than 80% of businesses with 50 or more employees have adopted some form of health/wellness initiatives, with the more popular programs including weight-reduction and exercise, stress management, smoking cessation and back care.

Among larger-sized organizations, many HR departments have also already made a business case for active living at work. The Second Tri-Annual Buffet Taylor National Wellness Survey, undertaken in 2000, showed that workplace wellness is becoming increasingly important to the Canadian business community. Four hundred and twentytwo businesses representing 716,885 employees responded to this massive 1999 survey. Researchers found that of the organizations surveyed, more than 17% were already offering comprehensive worksite wellness programs, and 64% were offering some wellness initiatives, including Employee Assistance programs – the most common solution, CPR and First Aid, Smoking cessation, Ergonomics, Stress management, Wellness posters, Flu Shot clinics, Fitness subsidy, Safety, and Back care programs. Of some concern, more than 83% of the responding businesses cited stress as the major health risk in their organizations.

What can you do to get a wellness program started?

Here are just some of the simple but meaningful ways you can support a healthy workplace:

1. Connect with a local fitness facility to negotiate a membership discount for employees. Form an office or business softball team, and enter a local mixed league.

2. Bring in a certified massage therapist once a month to handle employee appointments. Or coordinate a CPR/First Aid course on-site for employees.

3. Launch a walking challenge complete with pedometers, and award prizes for most steps taken.

4. Consider altering your cafeteria’s menu or vending machine’s contents to feature healthy choices. Coordinate a weight-reduction program with a local organization dedicated to healthy lifestyles. Or, organize a healthy eating recipe swap among staff.

5. Kick-off your own Smoker’s Challenge, and encourage employees to kick the habit. Provide a reward to those who succeed such as a day off with pay, or gift certificate.

6. Have an intranet, email system or staff computers? Send a monthly wellness update with reliable information your staff can safely put to use.

7. If you're not already doing so, consider providing health and dental benefits. Liaise with your local chamber of commerce, neighbourhood business association or professional group to find out if group benefit plans are available to members at a reduced rate.

8. Maybe your employees are showing signs of overwork or stress – like absenteeism, illness and poor performance. Conduct a confidential employee survey and find out how they’re feeling.

9. Provide access to an employee assistance program. EAPs can deliver invaluable information, resources and support to help employees achieve work-life balance. Many EAPs also include services such as smoking cessation programs, healthy eating counselling, and more.

10. Consider your organization’s ability to accommodate the needs of your employees to balance career and family. For example, revisit your hours/conditions of work policy. Telework, flextime, annualized hours and compressed workweeks are just some of the ways that you can provide employees with options. Many workers would prefer to work fewer hours and have access to flexible work arrangements.

A healthy workplace is about so much more than compliance with Health & Safety legislation. It is about wellness support programs, illness prevention and employees and employers benefiting in the long-term. Formal wellness initiatives demonstrate your commitment to staff, while reducing the costs associated with unwell employees, and giving your business a competitive edge over other employers. The investment will prove to be invaluable to your workforce and your organization.

This article first appeared in Ceridian Canada’s e-newsletter, The Specialist, February 2006 issue.

Estelle Morrison is Director – LifeWorks Strategic Solutions, for Ceridian Canada's fullservice EAP and work-life/wellness solution. This article is an adaptation of Ms. Morrison's article originally published in Canadian HR Reporter.

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