Wellness in the Workplace: Who has the expertise?

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of health promotion, and who can counsel staff members and provide primary care - all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of staff members (61 percent) want to receive health and wellness information from a health care professional, such as a consultant or an worksite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to pamphlets or brochures (18 percent) or human resources staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, begin and evaluate components of work site Corporate Wellness Programs such as testing initiatives, exercise/fitness courses, Stress Management Programs, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control initiatives, as well as chronic illness management initiatives. Plus, OHNs can help staff members navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between staff members and their own health care providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays. In situations where staff members are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, worksite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s frequently easier for an staff member to ask an worksite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to a own health care provider. Advantages realized by organizations include enhanced staff member morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and decreased time away from work.

In organizations with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching initiatives and involving staff members in leading stretches.