Employee Health and Wellness

As the field of Employee Health Promotion Programs continues to evolve, the need to define succinctly the components of this broad-based approach increases. In 1987 Allensworth and Kolbe (1987) expanded the prevailing definition of broad-based school health to include the domains of Health Instruction, Environmental Health, Health Services, Physical Fitness Education, Counseling and Psychological Services, School Food Service, Employee Health Promotion Programs for Faculty and Staff, and the Integration of School and Community Resources.

To promote the health of school age children, prevention specialists have found that an integrated broad-based approach is the most effective strategy. Relying solely on health education or Physical Fitness Education initiatives to foster children’s health has demonstrated limited effectiveness. Consistent health messages delivered by numerous agents increases the possibility of attaining health goals and objectives. A similar model is essential if Employee Health Promotion Programs are to impact positively on the health and performance of all employees.

A broad-based model of Employee Health Promotion Programs includes the following components; Health Education Strategies, worker Health Services and Benefits, nutrition and physical fitness Strategies, Employee Health Promotion Program Policies and Procedures, Counseling and Employee Assistance Programs, a Safe and Healthy Work Environment, and the Integration of Company and Community Resources. This model can be used to evaluate and plan for Employee Health Promotion Programs that are truly broad-based in nature, focusing on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies for employees.

One value of a truly broad-based model is that it is possible to promote a holistic philosophy of worker health. A healthy, productive worker is one who is given the opportunity to develop emotionally, physically, socially, intellectually and spiritually. In addition, this model supports the ideals of wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives designed to only reduce healthcare costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities. Implementation and design are dependent upon the motivation and cooperation of qualified – and ideally – credentialed experts throughout the administrative structure of a employer. Such a model requires consistent communication between health educators, medical staff, human resource managers, physical therapists, industrial hygienists, exercise physiologists, ergonomic engineers, dietitians, occupational therapists, psychologists and independent consultants. Planning must also incorporate active involvement of workers, administrators, family members, and employer retirees at all stages of the development, implementation and evaluation stages. All must be committed to the development of a healthy organization where employees are happy and proud to work.

Various professional organizations are working to advance the science of Employee Health Promotion Programs. Health educators have the training and expertise to be leaders in this field. On the basis of theoretical foundations of health behavior and the results of empirical research, we must begin to articulate a clear vision of what optimal initiatives should consist of. The Components of this model are included below for reference and will be discussed individually in coming posts.

• Health Education
• nutrition and physical fitness Strategies
• worker Health Services and worker Benefits
• Counseling & Employee Assistance Programs
• Safe and Healthy Work Environment
• Health Related employer Policies and Procedures
• Integration of employer and Community Resources

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

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

A Comprehensive Model For Employee Health Promotion Programs

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

As the motivations for Employee Health Promotion Programs differ, so do the extent of a Employee Health Promotion 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 Employee Health Promotion Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its employees. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Employee Health Promotion Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Employee Health Promotion Programs consist of?

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

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