What is Wellness?

While health can be defined as the absence of disease, wellness is more about a person's lifestyle and taking charge of the choices they make to stay healthy. Wellness is the recognition that individuals have a responsibility to take care of themselves physically, emotionally and psychologically. Getting exercise, maintaining healthy relationships and eliminating risky behaviors such as smoking are all components to wellness. Research has shown that when individuals take care of themselves and make positive lifestyle changes, they are happier, miss less work and are more productive.

Wellness in the Workplace

Because of the connection between wellness and productivity, companies have taken a strong interest in promoting wellness in the workplace. From health care screening days to smoking cessation programs, employers realize that, when they show an interest in their employees' wellness, those employees are more likely to take advantage of the programs provided to them. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that companies with wellness programs in place reduce their health care costs by as much as 55 percent and short-term sick leave by 32 percent.

Employee Wellness Program

Employee Wellness Programs are essential to the long-term viability of all businesses. Employee Wellness Programs have been proven to reduce health care costs, absenteeism and presenteism thus resulting in improved productivity. Research has also shown that Employee Wellness Programs offer a positive Return-on-Investment making them a benefit that costs more to avoid than to provide. The Employee Wellness Program is designed to positively impact the health of our workforce and the financial health of County. Employees learn ways to develop and incorporate healthy choices into their lifestyle through education and activity resulting in healthier employees, improved morale, reduced absenteeism, and cost savings for Allegheny County. The Wellness Program is administered by the Wellness Committee, made up of employees from all areas of the County workforce. We have adopted the motto that embodies the focus of wellness and government: "Be Well, Live Well, Serve Well."

Benefits of Worksite Wellness

Worksites are crucial to improving the health of their workers. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a prime venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of assisting employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits of worksite wellness programs for employees include: Weight reduction Improved physical fitness Increased stamina Lower levels of stress Increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees Reduced healthcare costs Decreased rates of illness and injuries Reduced employee absenteeism Improved employee relations and morale Increased productivity

Why employee wellness programs?

Worksite health promotion are an investment in your corporation's most important asset, your workers. Research has shown that workers are more likely to come to work and performing well when they are in optimal physical and psychological health. Employees are also more likely to be attracted to, remain with, and value a business that appreciates them.Employee wellness programs improves company productivity by: Attracting better staff: Lowering the rate of absenteeism and time lost; Improving on-the-job time utilization and decision making; and Improving employee morale, resulting in lower turnover.

Types of programmes and incentives

Financial Salary/Wage Pension Bonuses Insurance (e.g. health) Allowances (e.g. housing, clothing, child care, transportation) Fellowships Loans

 Tuition reimbursement NON FINANCIAL Safe and clear workplaces Vacation days Professional autonomy Sustainable employment Flexibility in working time and job sharing Recognition of work Support for career development Supervision Coaching and mentoring structures Access to/support for training and education Sabbatical and study leave Planned career breaks Occupational health and counselling services Recreational facilities Equal opportunity policy Enforced protection of pregnant women against discrimination Parental leave

General Wellness Program Examples Wellness programs can include any or a combination of the following: weight management, diet, smoking cessation, pregnancy counseling, stress management, alcohol and drug counseling, depression counseling, fitness, mammography, cholesterol and blood pressure screenings, gym memberships and exercise equipment purchase rebates, weight-loss contests and flu shots. Some of these programs provide health professionals to work directly with employees, while others help educate workers so they can improve and maintain their own health.

Recommended Practices When Designing employee wellness programs

An organization committed to employee wellness programs, has identified seven best practices (The Seven Cs) for businesses to follow when creating a expansive, effective worksite health promotion program within their corporation. 1) Capture upper-level support. A commitment from upper management is critical to the success of all employee wellness programs. Senior staff must understand the benefits of the program for both the workers and the corporation and be willing to fund its design, implementation and evaluation. Descriptions of what other businesses are doing in the way of employee wellness programs and linking health promotion to goals of the business, values and important priorities will enable you to gain senior management support. Supervisors who "practice what they

preach" and actively participate in the initiative will go a long way to driving others to take part in as well. 2) Establish a health promotion team. Health promotion teams should include a variety of possible initiative participants including workers. Your team should include people who will be part of establishing the health program, setting up the health initiative and evaluating the health program. This establishes ownership of the health initiative and more creative ideas. A health promotion team will help to get buy in from both senior staff and the participants, develop a health program that is responsive to all potential participant needs, and will be responsible for managing all of the companys health promotion efforts. 3) Collect data that will drive your employee wellness programs. Once your health promotion team is in place and senior staff is on board, it is time to collect baseline data to help evaluate employee wellness interests and health risks. The results of your data collection will assist you in what kind of health programs to provide. This process may involve a questionnaire of employee interest in different wellness initiatives, health risk assessments, and claims review to determine current worker risk of disease. 4) Create a yearly operating plan For your wellness program to work, you must have a goal. An annual operating plan should include a mission statement for the health promotion program in addition to specific, measurable short-and long-term objectives. Your health promotion program is most likely to be successful when it is linked to one or more of the businesses strategic plans, as it will have a better chance of maintaining the support of the powers that be throughout the implementation process. A written plan also provides continuity when members of the health promotion team change and is instrumental in holding the team accountable to the goals, objectives, and timeline agreed upon. 5) Choose appropriate employee wellness programs. The employee wellness programs that you choose must flow naturally from your data (survey, Health Risk Appraisal aggregate report, claims) to goals. They should address current risk factors in your workforce and be in line with what both executive management and workers want from the wellness initiative. 6) Create a supportive environment. A supportive environment provides workers with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards. A culture of wellness that encourages employee wellness programs might have such features as healthy food choices in their vending machines, a no-smoking policy and flex-time that allow employees to be physically active. A workplace that appreciates wellness will applaud and reward wellness achievements and have a management team that demonstrates healthy behavior. Most importantly, a culture of wellness involves workers in every part of the employee wellness initiative from their design and marketing to their implementation and review.

7) Consistently evaluate the outcomes of your employee wellness programs. Evaluation involves taking a close look at your objectives and determining whether you achieved your desired result. The review process allows you applaud goals that have been achieved and to stop or alter ineffective initiatives.

8 Ways to Promote Wellness in the Workplace

What if You Don't Have the Resources to Implement a Wellness Program? The good news is that even if you aren't in a position to implement a comprehensive program, there are many small steps you can take to promote wellness. In fact, a gesture as small as providing fresh fruit once a week can be a very simple way to show your employees that their health is important to the company. Trying out just one small component of a wellness program can act like a trial runit gives you a chance to see how your employees respond and whether a more comprehensive program might work in the future. Here are eight ideas to bring your company closer to wellness: 1.Promote preventive care. Bring vaccination to the workplace for flu season. Encouraging and even funding vaccinations for employees has one of the clearest returns on investment. When your employees avoid the flu, they avoid missing out on days, if not weeks, of work. Consider offering on-site flu vaccines to employees. Or if your health insurance doesn't cover it already, consider reimbursing employees for vaccination fees. 2. Encourage exercise. Turn your office into an active campus. If you can make changes at your facility, consider offering covered, secure bike parking for commuters. Or provide showering facilities and locker rooms for employees who wish to workout at lunch. Can't make structural changes? Implement and promote a lunch hour walking club and offer incentives for employees who participate. Encourage the entire office to use the stairs. And offer discounts or partially subsidize memberships to a local gym or exercise club. 3. Emphasize education. Brown bag luncheons or break-time seminars are prime opportunities for helping employees learn more about healthy habits. Recruit speakers to lead sessions on cooking healthy meals, staying healthy while travelling, or quick stress management skills. If you have the space, consider bringing in yoga, tai chi, or aerobics instructors for lunchtime classes. Keep sessions entertaining but informative, and offer incentives for employees who attend. 4. Bring the doctor in. One of the most innovative trends in workplace wellness has been that of the office doctor's office. On-site health clinics give employees the opportunity to schedule office visits for routine care without taking time off work. And they seem to be successful. A recent survey from the Center for Studying Health System Change found that on-site clinics increase

productivity, reduce medical costs, and enhance a company's reputation as being a desirable place to work. 5. Invest in incentives. Employee incentive programs offer rewardsfinancial or otherwisefor employees who engage in healthy behavior. A growing trend is to cover an additional percentage of the cost of health insurance premiums for employees who pass certain biometric markers such as having a healthy body mass index, blood pressure, or blood sugar reading. 6. Hone hunger options. Everyone knows when you're hard at work it can be easyor necessaryto quickly grab a bite from what's at hand. Offer your employees healthy meal and snack options that help fuel their performance while also meeting their nutritional needs. Consider replacing sodas with milk, juice, or sparkling water, and stocking snack machines with nuts, dried fruit, and other healthy options. If you can take it a step further, stock lunchrooms with fresh fruit baskets once a week, and be sure the office cafeteria has plenty of healthy meal options. 7. Be mindful of mental health. Unmanaged stress has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep trouble. At the workplace, it can lead to inefficiency, job dissatisfaction, and absence from work for related health conditions. Consider offering an employee assistance program for employees who have financial troubles, excess stress, or depression symptoms. And encourage employees to take simple steps to reduce stress, like taking several breaks a day to go for a walk, chat with a co-worker, or just get outside for a breath of fresh air. 8. Recommend behavioral resources. For some employees, a few work-based activities may not be enough to make lasting change. In these cases, coaching and disease management programs may be the way to go. These programs pair employees with online, phone-based, or face-to-face health professionals who can guide them through the steps of behavior change. Consider offering tobacco cessation, weight loss, or stress management programs to help empower your employees make lasting, noticeable change.

EXAMPLE OF WORKSITE WELLNESS IN IBM

IBM has one of the largest professional workforces in the world today. And what we bring to market is the expertise of our people, a workforce which is responsive to market requirements, with the skills and expertise to deliver value to clients, is resilient to market forces and delivers strong leadership. IBM has retained its position as one of the Worlds Top Employers of Choice over these years because of its three-fold initiatives for the employees:

Capability: Rigorous and ongoing career/skills development programs Climate: A challenging, empowering work environment, with world-class infrastructure Culture: Sensitive to a global workforce The attributes that qualify these 3Cs are the Top Reasons that people come to work at IBM. 1) CAPABILITY Molding Global Leaders and Fostering Employee Talent: To be a leading international company, it is important to develop an organization of global leaders and dynamic international employees. IBM is committed to the employee wellbeing and career growth. IBM offers a wide basket of career opportunities allowing employees to move to different jobs and career paths within the company. IBM offers employees international careers, offering immense scope for professional development and career growth, across technological and functional areas. IBM recognizes talent and offers global career growth opportunities beyond India with fast track options, offering a complete career advantage of working for an IT leader and visionary in the On Demand world. One of IBMs key strategies and policies is to attract, motivate and retain the best talent in our industry, and develop them into global leaders. The company makes sure talented employees are recognized for their achievements and encourages them to seek fresh challenges and learn new skills through training and mentoring programs. Besides offering a myriad of technology avenues for employees to work on and innovate on newer ones, IBM offers employees several programs for employee development, to help IBMers become more effective in their jobs. Some of these initiatives include Mentoring, Study assistance plan, Leadership development, Individual Development Plan, and Certification & IBM Certified Professionals, and well-defined and comprehensive Training Programs. IBMs investments in training prepare employees with the skills they need now and in the future. Learning is part of IBMs DNA. No wonder then, IBM earned the No 1 ranking in Training Magazine's "Training Top 100" list, an annual ranking of companies that "understand, embrace and use training to achieve real business results, support corporate values and enhance the work lives of employees. IBM has ranked among the top five of the Training Top 100 since the magazine began issuing the awards in 2001. 2) CLIMATE: Flexibility@Work and Employee Wellness Programs: IBM believes in empowering employees as partners to success, offering a global work culture and best workplace amenities. At IBM, cubicles are out and mobile offices are in! Workforce flexibility is a competitive advantage for IBM. It helps make us the Employer of Choice for new hires, and enables us to retain our top talent. IBM has a wide array of HR policies and programs to creating a more flexible work environment so that individuals produce results with as much autonomy as possible. Some

of IBMs workplace flexibility programs include individualized daily work schedule, Flexible (or Compressed) Work Week, Regular Part-Time, Leave of Absence, and Remote/Mobile Work Options. IBM strives to make life more convenient for the employees so they can save their energy and be more productive at work. The idea is to ensure IBMers work better even when they are home, or on the move. Most mobile employees are provided with IBM laptops, which function like their office cabinet, containing all their files, presentation materials, and a whole gamut of support services that they need to meet their clients and other requirements. Be it downloading files, checking and replying to mail, or linking to the electronic library, IBMers can dial into the IBM network, and get connected, through the nearest landline telephone. 3) CULTURE: Workforce Diversity: Diversity in IBM means welcoming all people to the workplace regardless of factors unrelated to job performance. The mission of IBMs Global Workforce Diversity is to lead in creating a business environment which recognizes and leverages our individual differences as a competitive strength and a critical requirement for our success in the global market. This environment fosters the success of our employees, enhances our ability to satisfy our clients and advance IBMs continued growth. IBM's definition of diversity includes all human characteristics that make us unique as individuals. It includes everyone and excludes no one. Race, gender, geographic origin, culture, lifestyle, age, disability, economic status, marital status, and religion are just some of the characteristics that define us as people. At IBM, we work hard to build a culture of inclusion, one that is committed to providing an equal workplace to individuals who are differently-able and need special care. IBM has received innumerable awards for workforce diversity. Recently, an IBMer in India, Jyotindra Mehta was awarded the Helen Keller Award 2004, by the National Center for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People.

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