Comprehensive Employee Wellness Programs?

As the science behind Employee Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to clearly define the dimensions of a broad-based model of Employee Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following Employee Wellness Program components; health education programs, employee health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition programs, Employer 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 broad-based approach to Employee Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, employees, and employee families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of employee wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities for Employee Wellness Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside 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 Programs that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Employee Wellness Programs

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81% of employers in the United States with 50 or more employees have some form of Employee Wellness Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are employers getting into the organization of Employee Wellness Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Employee Wellness Programs are the desire to control spiraling health care 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 behind Employee Wellness Programs differ, so do the extent of a Employee Wellness Programs 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 Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its employees. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Employee Wellness Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Employee Wellness Programs consist of?

Imagine yourself working for the healthiest organization possible. What characteristics or Employer Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that organization do to enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and intellectual aspects of employee health? How does that organization develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all employees? Finally, how does that organization demonstrate its belief that workers are the organization’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one single of a Employer Wellness Program will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all employees. Employer Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness facility for the exclusive use of organization executives, or the sporadic employee safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and programs. Employer Wellness Program professionals frequently speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Employee Wellness Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.