Comprehensive Corporate Wellness Programs?

As the science behind Corporate Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to define and articulate the dimensions of a broad-based model of Corporate Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following components; health education initiatives, staff member health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition initiatives, Worksite 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 Corporate Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, staff members, and staff member families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of staff member wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives 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 Corporate Wellness Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the workplace continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Wellness Programs that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Wellness Programs

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81 percent of organizations in the U.S. with 50 or more staff members have some form of Corporate Wellness Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85 percent by the year 2000. Why are organizations getting into the company of Corporate Wellness Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Corporate Wellness Programs are the desire to control spiraling health care costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a method of boosting the morale of staff members and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).

As the motivations for Corporate Wellness Programs differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Wellness Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to staff members, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Worksite Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its staff members. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Wellness Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Corporate Wellness Programs consist of?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest company possible. What characteristics or Worksite 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 staff member health? How does that company develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all staff members? Finally, how does that company demonstrate its belief that workers are the company’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one component of a Worksite Wellness Program will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all staff members. Worksite Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness center for the exclusive use of company executives, or the sporadic staff member safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and initiatives. Worksite Wellness Program consultants frequently speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Wellness Programs in today’s workplace. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.