Wellness Programmes
What is it?
Workplace wellness is an engaging programme designed to empower your employees to manage their own health and wellbeing.
What is included?
The programme focuses on areas that are specific to your organisation and employees and include:
- Heart health
- Cholesterol
- Blood pressure & Pulse
- Blood sugar/diabetes
- Activity and lifestyle assessments
Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a prime place for promoting healthful habits to ensure they remain well and flourishing. Worksites are an easy and efficient venue to conduct such checks and often employees enjoy this and are grateful to have their employer take their health seriously. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behaviour and this needs to be put to use as a means of assisting employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Who is it for?
It is applicable to but not limited to the following industries:
- Manufacturing
- Building & Construction Industry
- Horticulture Industry
- Motoring
- Offices
Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programmes
Benefits for employees include:
- Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
- Associated improvements in chronic health conditions
- Weight reduction
- Improved physical fitness
- Improved wellbeing and lower stress levels
Employers can also benefit from worksite wellness programmes. According to recent research employer’s benefits are:
- Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
- Decreased rates of illness and injuries
- Reduced employee absenteeism
- Improved employee relations and morale
- Increased productivity
Frequently Asked Questions
Wellness checks are not a legislative requirement; however, many employers take a holistic approach to health and safety. Health checks are an easy way to help staff be aware of
health changes leading to more serious health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease.
This can be especially beneficial for staff who may not usually visit their doctor unless they
are extremely unwell. Poor health can also have negative effects on work. For example someone with unknown or poorly controlled diabetes is at risk of developing heart disease which could lead to a worker suddenly losing consciousness while involved in a safety-critical task.
Staff often feel valued by their employer as the health checks are for their personal benefit and the test results/outcomes are kept confidential.
Wellness checks are voluntary and should not identify the individual but provide the employer with a snapshot of the entire workforce to assist in the areas benefiting from any health promotion. A good example is hypertension, which can lead to a stroke. Undiagnosed hypertension (often called the silent killer) is very common and incredibly dangerous as people do not necessarily experience any symptoms.