Workplace Wellness

Over the past two decades changes have occurred in how companies value their investments. Managers and employers are recognising that in order to compete effectively in the marketplace they must optimise the productivity of their employees. Studies prove that workplace health and wellness initiatives result in greater efficiency, higher performance and enhanced innovation.

• Benefits of an active workplace include:
  Reduced absenteeism
  Reduced rates of accidents and injuries
  Improved physical and mental health
  Improvements in job performance
  Increased morale and motivation
  Reduced occupational health care costs
  Increased productivity
  Enhanced creativity and innovation
  Improved customer care and company loyalty
  Primary prevention includes:
  Promoting exercise and physical activity
  Diet and nutritional education
  Injury prevention
  Smoking cessation
  Alcohol awareness
  Stress management
  Secondary prevention includes:
  Screening for high blood pressure, cholesterol & blood glucose
  Checks for prostate/breast/cervical & skin cancers
  Providing flu vaccinations
  Measuring BMI, maximal oxygen uptake and body composition
  Projects and programmes may be as broad as:
  Ensuring healthy food is available in the staff cafeteria
  Provision of cycle racks and shower facilities
  One-on-one counselling for ‘at risk’ individuals
  Installing a gym or exercise equipment at the worksite
  Informative articles in the company or staff newsletter
  Encouraging involvement in social sport, fun runs or inter-house activities.
  Creating activity-friendly work environments
  Promoting, encouraging and rewarding behavioural changes

Getting Started
Employers and managers wishing to set up initiatives in their workplace can get assistance from a variety of sources including the following suggestions:
Visit the websites or contact local organisations such as SPARC, National Heart Foundation, Alcohol Advisory Council of NZ (ALAC), workers’ unions, NZ Drug Foundation, Pacific Heartbeat, The Quit Group or Regional Sports Trusts.
Visit the websites of overseas organisations such as the Centers for Disease Control or the British Heart Foundation.
Private providers can be found in the yellow pages under ‘health and fitness consultants’.
Search the internet under topics like ‘workplace wellness’ or ‘worksite health promotion’. Many websites describe how to get started and how to obtain toolkits for implementing programmes.
Look in journals and periodicals such as Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine or American Journal of Health Promotion (see Contacts & References section of this site).
Books on the topic are available from the public library. A good starting point is:Beyond Band-aid: A Guide to Effective Health & Wellness Programmes in New Zealand Workplaces by J & M Davidson-Rada printed by GP Books, 1992.

The above info is sourced directly from www.sparc.org.nz