Comprehensive Employee Wellness Programs?
As the field of Employee Wellness Plans continues to evolve, so will the need to define the dimensions of a comprehensive model of Employee Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following Employee Health and Wellness Program components; health education programs, employee health services and benefits, nutrition and physical fitness programs, Employer Health and Wellness Program policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources.
A comprehensive approach to Employee Wellness Plans will maximize the impact of all interventions by increasing communication between administrators, employees, and employee families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite culture and climate. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of employee wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce healthcare costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.
A primary factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities for Employee Wellness Plans by various departments and individuals inside and outside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Employee Wellness Plans that are truly comprehensive in nature.
A Comprehensive Model For Employee Wellness Plans
According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81% of organizations in the United States with 50 or more employees have some form of Employee Wellness Plans activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are organizations getting into the company of Employee Wellness Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Employee Wellness Plans are the desire to control spiraling healthcare costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a way of boosting the morale of employees and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).
As the motivations for Employee Wellness Plans differ, so do the extent of a Employee Wellness Plans efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to employees, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Employer Health and Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its employees. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Employee Wellness Plans have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly comprehensive model of Employee Wellness Plans consist of?
Imagine yourself working for the healthiest company possible. What characteristics or Employer Health and Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that company do to enhance the social, physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual aspects of employee health? How does that company develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all employees? Finally, how does that company demonstrate its belief that workers are the company’s most valued asset?
It is unlikely that any one single of a Employer Health and Wellness Program will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all employees. Employer Health and Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness facility for the exclusive use of company executives, or the sporadic employee safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and programs. Employer Health and Wellness Program experts often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Employee Wellness Plans in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a comprehensive and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.