Brisbane and Gold Coast Corporate Health and Employee Wellness

What do you think of when you hear the word “wellbeing” in relation to employees at work? What images does the word bring to mind? How do you think the concept of “wellbeing” impacts those around you?

For me, wellbeing encompasses my entire life – my physical energy, mental focus, attitude to the people I see everyday, thoughts about myself, feelings in my relationships, clarity, creativity… everything. Felce and Perry (1995) define wellbeing as “… comprises objective descriptors and subjective evaluations of physical, material, social and emotional wellbeing, together with the extent of personal development and purposeful activity, all weighted by a personal set of values.”

This idea of wellbeing makes our traditional understanding of health seem incomplete and inadequate to describe the intricacies of our lives. We can be “healthy” – meet all the required norms of heart health, lung function, digestion, liver and kidney function and so on but still not have adequate”wellbeing” in our lives. Being physically healthy but having problems at home or other wellbeing issues can affect the quality of our lives and impact on our work performance everyday. If we only ever address physical indicators of health we have an incomplete picture of employees lives, we have an incomplete picture of how their health and wellbeing play into the workplace environment. This idea of wellbeing can also make it difficult to measure – blood serum levels of cholesterol or PSA are numbers on a chart and are the same for everyone, wellbeing however is inseparable from the individual’s values and how do we measure those?

One answer is to provide individual, personalised support for every staff member you have. This ensures that their unique view of the world and their experiences are taken into account when any treatment program is recommended. Only having access to gyms or other group solutions however doesn’t recognise the individual’s needs and those staff members that don’t fit in or don’t comply or aren’t really interested in pumping weights get left out of any corporate health initiative. Bringing in to your workplace some kind of confidential, personalised support is the best way to look after your employee’s wellbeing and health and will give massive returns to you, the employer again and again.

Here Lee Tse Ling summarises the essence of Work With Heart day beautifully.

Your heart might be in your work, but is work putting your heart first?
ARE you working your heart into an early grave? According to the World Heart Federation (WHF), at least four out of five premature deaths from heart disease and stroke – together, the leading cause of death in Malaysia and worldwide – could be prevented by being physical active, eating healthily, and not smoking.

So the answer is most likely “yes” if your job keeps you in the office for so long that you haven’t the time or energy to exercise; or it stresses you out so much that you take frequent smoking breaks to cope; or you tend to skip breakfast and starve through lunch in order to finish one last piece of work after another, only to binge on the nearest available comfort food after that.

If that’s the case, you need to consider making some heart-friendly changes at work. There’s no better day to start than today (apart from yesterday), because today is international World Heart Day 2009.

Heart at work and Employee Health
This focus of this year’s World Heart Day is on changing attitudes towards cardiovascular health at work.

Most of us spend over half our active hours at work, so where we work and what we do there has a great impact on our physical, mental, and social health.

The workplace can be a prime breeding ground for stress (deadlines, deadlines); depression (“Why didn’t I get promoted!?”); back problems and repetitive stress injuries; and unhealthy eating habits (sugary, fatty snacks at multiple tea breaks, unbalanced hawker meals). In other words, it can be an environment that gets you down while increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke, among other diseases. Or, it can be a healthy and enabling environment that integrates health promotion, education, and screenings into employee schedules. In other words, an environment that promotes all-round wellness while reducing your risk of chronic diseases. The benefits of the healthy option are many and obvious:

• It saves lives. Almost half of those who die from chronic diseases die during the productive periods of their lives (ages 15 to 69). Since many of the causes of these diseases are controllable, a few gentle prods and timely screenings can make a big difference.
• It increases personal well-being. Physically active employees are full of endorphins – mood-boosting hormones that create a sense of wellness. As a result, they enjoy their work more, experience increased concentration and mental alertness, often have better rapport with colleagues, and cope better with tension. In short, they are much more pleasant to work with.
• It has social benefits. Group activities with colleagues or outside work are great ways to meet people outside your usual team and expand your network of friends. Feeling healthy and developing new skills builds confidence and can help you feel more in control of your life.
• It pays back. It takes a healthy workforce to power a healthy business. Tangible benefits include increased productivity; reduced absenteeism, organisational conflict, and medical costs (for both employers and employees); fewer workplace injuries; a positive corporate image with increased brand value; and improved morale, loyalty, and staff retention.

Which situation you find yourself in depends largely on the prevailing attitude of your employer, and somewhat on yours. If you think the outcomes above sound good, read on to see how you can make them a reality.

Tips for employers on improving employee health and wellness:

• Take a stand. Establish in-house health policies, e.g. no tobacco use in the building, free annual flu vaccinations, health screenings or even an apple a day, and explain why they are being implemented.
• Educate. Offer information to workers, such as leaflets and posters telling people about the risk factors for heart disease and stroke, e.g. those currently available at world-heart-federation.org/what-we-do/world-heart-day/.
• Encourage exercise at/near work. A moderate amount of exercise – at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week – can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Set up a company gym or work out a subsidised corporate package at a nearby private gym for your workers. Alternatively, get creative like advertising agency Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Not only did the company subsidise weekly yoga lessons for staff members, it literally brought the lessons to them. The classes were conducted in their office itself to accommodate busy executives who were chained to their desks while waiting for completed work and client decisions.
• Encourage exercise away from work. Do a little corridor research and see if there is a large group of line dancers, soccer players, or rock climbers who would be happy to exercise more frequently if the activity was subsidised. If futsal isn’t popular, maybe paintball will be.
• Encourage physical activity during work. For example, from May to August this year, Tawakal Hospital, KL, ran a use-the-stairs campaign, during which staff members were assigned to groups and made to use the hospital staircases (instead of the lifts) on rotation. This worked out to each person hiking up and down for two out of five working days a week.
• Encourage good eating habits. If you have a canteen, offer information about the calorie and fat content of the food provided, and encourage and/or subsidise the provision of healthy options (less fat, less salt, use more whole grains, natural products, fruits, and vegetables.)

In his long career, Heart Foundation of Malaysia director and consultant cardiologist Datuk Dr. Khoo Kah Lin hasn’t come across a local company that does so, but hopes many will take the initiative. (The only example he can recall is the cafeteria of the Heart House, the headquarters of the American College of Cardiology in Washington D.C.) “Certainly it will help a lot. Eating well, either at home, at the office, or outside has a big role to play,” he says.

But can you issue instructions and start straightaway? Not without a sound education process, cautions Dr. Khoo. Canteen operators need to be educated on what healthy food is and isn’t. And since canteen operators are businessmen, consumers need to support the operators. It will take time and money, but, in his opinion, it will be time and money well spent.

Tips for employees on improving their own health and wellness at work and beyond:

• Know your numbers. Keep track of your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, abdominal girth and Body Mass Index.Ask your doctor two “normal” questions at your check ups: what the normal range of a given reading is and what the normal range for you is (only possible if you go regularly.) Assess your overall cardiovascular disease risk with him and develop an action plan to improve your cardiovascular health.
• Give up smoking. Your risk of coronary heart disease will be halved within a year and will return to a normal level over time.
• Get active. Take the stairs; fill up a cup – not a bottle – at the water cooler, so you have to walk back and forth more often; pace while waiting for photocopies; walk around your building during your break; park further away from your office entrance and speed-walk to it; or do a few desk press-ups (like a push-up, but off the edge of your desk.)
• Eat better. Choose healthier options (see above), or bring food from home if none are available. Be wary of processed foods; they’re more convenient on the go, but they often contain high levels of salt and sugar. Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Fruits are especially cheap and available in handy, ready-to-eat portions, so you’ve no excuse. Examples of one serving include an apple, or two pisang mas, or a small fistful of cauliflower. For a fantastic guide on 5-a-day, visit www.5aday.nhs.uk. If you want to forget all the palaver about saturated versus unsaturated fat, poly- and monounsaturated fat, and trans-fat versus non-trans-fat (cis-fat, if you’re curious), then abide by Dr. Khoo’s simple rule: minimise fat intake, period. As he says on the Asian Food Channel programme Palm Oil: Good Fat, Bad Fat - “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as a good fat.”
• Speak up. If there are policy changes you’d like to see, don’t just dream/gripe about them. Do your homework (What can be done? What’s being done successfully elsewhere?); then enlist supporters (How many workers want this change?); then structure your case (What are the benefits for all concerned, especially the company as a whole?); then present your case to your human resource department. Be a catalyst for change in your organisation.

This excellent article clearly outline how employers can encourage better choices with their staff and includes personal responsibility of the employee too. It’s definitely a bigger picture that can only be complete when we participate together.

We work with small to medium businesses in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them find affordable ways to promote the health and wellbeing of their employees.

Workplace health promotion generally focuses on promoting employee health through the reduction of health risks and lifestyle behaviours like smoking, eating poorly and not exercising. These programs traditionally have only ever benefitted from employed adults in large corporations. However, employee health and wellness is just as applicable to small businesses with staff too and the statistics below may help the small business employer see clearly how their business will benefit.

In 2003, a comprehensive study focusing on the economic return of workplace health promotion concluded that workplace programmes can achieve a 25-30% reduction in medical and absenteeism costs in an average period of about 3.6 years. It also showed:

• An average 27% reduction in sick leave absenteeism
• An average 26% reduction in healthcare costs
• An average 32% reduction in workers’ compensation and disability claim costs
• An average US$ 5.81-US$ 1.00 savings-to-cost ratio

I guess one of the most important points of these proven benefits to staff and business is that it doesn’t happen overnight. Employee health and wellness programs may cost a bit to begin with but the returns in time are huge and well worth the investment.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Let’s celebrate our working hearts and raise awareness in the workplace now so we can all continue to be healthy and live the life we love! World Heart Day was created to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.2 million lives each year. Below are some World Heart Federation suggestions for promoting heart health at work.

A workplace wellness programme does not need not be complex or expensive.

Many businesses have recognized the importance of employee health to achieve core business objectives  and have committed to include health promotion on their corporate agenda. However, it is still mostly large corporations that offer workplace health programmes.

Tips for employers:

• Offering information to workers, such as leaflets telling people about the risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
• Establishment of health policies, e.g. no tobacco use in the building.
• Encouraging good eating habits, e.g. offering information about the calorie and fat content of canteen food, adding more whole grain meals, natural products, fruits and vegetables on the menu.
• Encouraging workers to exercise during their breaks. A moderate amount of exercise – at least 30 minutes a day – can reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Offering easy access to drinking water for employees, partners and suppliers in office buildings, outdoor worksites and  in meeting rooms.

Tips for employees:

• Healthy food intake – Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Make smart choices, like choosing the ‘healthy menu’ in your canteen or bringing your own food from home.
• Get active and take heart – Even 30 minutes of activity can help to prevent heart attacks and strokes  and your work will benefit too. Take the stairs, go for a walk during your break, or get off the bus a couple of stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.
• Use less salt and avoid processed foods – Try to limit your salt intake to about a teaspoon per day. Be wary of processed foods, which often contain high levels of salt.
• Say no to tobacco – Your risk of coronary heart disease will be halved within a year and will return to a normal level over time.
• Maintain a healthy weight – Weight loss, especially together with lowered salt intake, leads to lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major factor for approximately half of all heart disease and stroke.
• Know your numbers – Visit a health-care professional who can measure your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels, together with waist-to-hip ratio and Body Mass Index. Once you know your overall risk, you can develop a specific plan of action to improve your heart health.

These ideas can implemented to improve employee health regardless of how big your company is. These low-cost and simple strategies to promote health and wellness at work so are readily available and require just a little time and attention but give massive benefits. What are you waiting for?

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

This article by Cindy Krischer Goodman looks at the responibility of employers in employee obesity and health in the workplace.

It’s 6 p.m. and you still have tons of e-mail to answer. You find yourself grabbing a bag of chips from the office vending machine and settling in for another hour or two — again.

Is there any wonder half of America’s employees haven’t exercised in the past 30 days and obesity levels are climbing?

In the midst of the most vigorous national healthcare debate in 15 years, the link between our work life and our weight is intensifying. Two-thirds of the U.S. workforce is overweight.

The economic crisis has exacerbated the obesity epidemic: Workers are putting in longer hours, afraid of losing their jobs. With less time to exercise, more than a third of employees report that work drains them of energy, leaving nothing for their personal lives.

At the same time, pay cuts and rising food prices, particularly for more nutritious foods, are making fast food and vending machines a quick and cheaper option during a lunch break.

“There’s a big relationship between our health and the kind of environment we work in,” says Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute, which released a report Tuesday on the State of Health of the American Workforce.

The question is how do we get employers to care, particularly when many businesses are fighting for survival.

For the most part, employers now realize that workers’ health and well being affects their bottom line in lost productivity and higher insurance premiums. Obesity is associated with a 36 percent increase in spending on healthcare services. Recognizing this, about 40 percent of U.S. companies have implemented obesity-reduction programs. Yet, more often employers and insurers are balking at picking up the tab for gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity, which typically costs between $25,000 and $40,000.

Even with more companies offering wellness programs, something is going wrong. The Families and Work Institute report shows a significant decline in the number of employees who say their overall health is excellent. In a teleconference this week, Cali Yost, author of the Work/Life Fit blog asked: “How do we move wellness or rebrand it away from having an on-site gym?”

One boss thinks it takes bold thinking. When Alison Austin was closing in on 50, she decided to wage war on her personal weight issue by pushing her employees into healthy lifestyles.

Austin, CEO of Belafonte TACOLCY Center, a 40 year-old social service agency in Liberty City, says she started by holding a mandatory staff meeting and bringing in a nutritionist. She then banned doughnuts, soda and sugary items from the office, even replacing the coffee machine with herbal teas. “We became each other’s conscience,” she says of her 21 staff members.

Austin also was able to tap grant money for a personal trainer who encouraged staff to walk on their lunch breaks in the nearby park. “Consistency happened,” Austin explains. Three years later, she says the entire workplace culture has changed. “I really do believe employers have huge opportunity, if not a responsibility to have an impact.”

Ask a worker why they haven’t exercised and the answer almost is automatic: I don’t have time. It’s the reason why more Americans desperately are turning to diet pills. It also is the answer Fort Lauderdale attorney Gregory Ward gave for being overweight until his sister died three years ago. Ward, now a fitness instructor in the evening, says it is challenging to get employers to care and understand employees need to make exercise a habit. “As a formerly obese person, I think some employers don’t understand how difficult it is.”

Fortunately, there are some bosses who do back flips to create a culture where obesity is discouraged. “You can’t look at it as responsibility, it needs to be done because outcome is greater than not doing it,” says Dianna Sheppard, CEO Of Advantec, a national provider of human resources outsourcing.

Sheppard became inspired to make changes after seeing an abundance of fast food in her lunchroom. She cleared out the vending machines and stocked the lunchroom shelves with fruit and nuts. She brought in Weight Watchers and offered Zumba exercise classes in the office two nights a week, two low-cost programs. She says the candy jars are disappearing and smoothies are the new afternoon snack break.

Sheppard is convinced she’s doing her part to help the nation’s obesity epidemic: “It perpetuates itself, not only to workers but to their children and spouses.”

One of the points in this article that struck was that yes, healthy foods do seem to cost more than junk foods – how crazy’s that! One would think that food in it’s natural form would be significantly cheaper than anything that man has processed but not so. This does make good nutrition a bit more of a challenge for those on a tight budget but not impossible – especially if our employer can help out a little by giving employees easy access to a fruit basket or other healthy options each week. Although these statistics are US based they have much relevance for the Australian worker and employer as obesity is also one of our greatest concerns.

Of course there are many elements that go into the obesity question and not all can be impacted by our work environment. Employees knowing they have the support of their employer in their efforts to more health and wellbeing at work is a wonderful addition to any wellness initiative the individual begins.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

The article below, written by Cali Yost expands and deepens yesterday’s article about corporate health and the necessity of employee wellness programs for both employers and employees. It begins with the idea that Employee Health, Wellness – No Longer An Optional Benefit but Strategic Imperative.

When you develop and implement work+life flexibility strategies that help businesses operate and individuals manage their work+life fit, you run into many often baffling false beliefs.  Since the start of the recession, two of these off-base convictions have stood out as managers and employees struggle to do more with less:

1. Individuals think their health and wellness are “optional” parts of their work+life fit, and
2. Line business leaders don’t connect how employee health and well being directly impact the optimal, effective functioning of their workplace, and they don’t understand (or don’t want to deal with) the role that they play to ensure employees are as healthy as possible.

Families and Work Institute (FWI) just released The State of Health in the American Workforce study.  The numbers are not only disturbing, but they are a real call to action for both individuals and employers.   The research shines a light on the paradox that working harder, faster, longer does more harm than good not only to our personal health and well being, but to business.   In the new work+life flex normal, employee health and wellness are not an “option,” they’re a strategic imperative.

Here are some highlights (to read the full report which is “the only study of its kind to provide 30+ year comparisons of life on and off the job,” go to the Families and Work Institute website):

Employee Health and Wellness Are Suffering:

• Less than one third of employees (28%) today say their overall health is “excellent”—a significant decline of 6% from 2002.
• 41% of employees report experiencing three or more indicators of stress sometimes, often or very often, which is a significant increase from 2002.
• Work-life conflict increasing, especially for men.
• One in three employees experiences one or more symptoms of clinical depression.
• 49% of employees have not engaged in regular physical exercise in the last 30 days.
• One in four smokes.
• While little changed since 2002, 27% of employees still experience some kind of sleep problem that affected their job performance within the last month at least sometimes.
• Nearly two out of three employed individuals (62%) are overweight or obese.
• 8% of employees have no health insurance from any source, with low-wage/low-income employees less likely to have access and least likely to use even if they do have access.

Why Does it Matter?  Direct Impact on Business
There are two employees, A and B.  Employee A reports low levels of personal overall health and wellness, and B reports high levels.  Common sense would say that a manager gets more from employee B in terms of extra effort, satisfaction and commitment.  But the FWI research shows how significant this correlation between health and business impact really is:  “Employees’ physical and mental health, stress levels, sleep quality and energy levels all significantly impact important work outcomes of interest to employers, such as engagement, turnover intent and job satisfaction.”

In other words, employee health and wellness isn’t just a nice perk, or program to offer when times are good.  Employee health and wellness are mission critical to an organization’s operating success, especially in this difficult time when everyone needs to bring the best of themselves to the table everyday.

A couple of specific findings to note:

1. Hopefully, this research will be another nail in the coffin that work+life fit is a “women’s issue” only. It is an “everyone” issue.  Work-life conflict increased more significantly for men than women from 2002 to 2008.  You might be surprised, but men said they are more positively affected by having economic security in their jobs and a good fit between their work and personal lives.  Whereas, women are more positively affected by being challenged in their jobs and by having autonomy.
2. FWI joins WLF in using the term work-life “fit” in their research. Hopefully, this affirmation of the concept of work-life “fit” will move us away from the limiting and inaccurate concept of “balance” to describe optimizing the unique way an individual’s work and life fit together.   Also noteworthy is the fact that work+life fit is the workplace effectiveness factor that directly affects the most aspects of employee health and wellness in the FWI study.

What Can Managers/Employers Do?
How should a manager or employer respond to the findings especially in turbulent times when resources are tight, and there’s constant pressure to perform financially?  Too often when business leaders think of “health and wellness,” they go immediately to perks like an on-site gym and EAP.  But, as outlined in the visual model of the findings above, the interventions that lead to “excellent employee health and wellness,” and, in turn engagement, retention and satisfaction, are broader.   Some are benefits like health insurance, paid vacation and sick days that cost money, and others are behaviors and ways of operating the business that cost nothing.   Regardless, any money or effort expended is an investment that will have a return.

The FWI report offers insightful implications for businesses,especially around the difficult task of addressing economic security in these tough times, but I would add:

• Make  work+life flexibility, or flexibility in how, when and where work is done and life is managed, part of the way your organization operates and not just a program, perk or benefit.  It will go a long way to achieve many of the behaviors and workplace effectiveness factors outlined in the report that affect health and wellness.
• It’s not enough to offer stress management or weight loss classes, reimburse gym memberships and provide information about healthy eating.  You need to give and encourage time for people to use the gym, shop for healthy food and go to weight loss class without feeling badly.
• Be a role model and clarify expectations.   People are very, very scared right now.   They are terrified to do anything that jeopardizes their job.   Managers must role model the desired behavior if employees are to feel comfortable– take vacation, and sick days, talk about going to the gym, eating healthfully and getting rest.  Things you should be doing anyway, and might have let fall to the wayside over the past few months.

What Can You as an Employee Do?
Much more than you think.  Yes, many of us are scared but really that is no excuse.  Doing as much as you can to be healthy and able to contribute extra effort and commitment on the job is no longer optional.  In fact, it’s imperative for your job security.  Again, paradoxically, you may think working harder, faster and longer will reduce the risk of losing your job.  But the research shows that if that overwork make you unhealthy it’s having the opposite impact.  You aren’t as engaged, committed or satisfied, which could make you more vulnerable when employment decisions are made.

Where to begin?  When I run my corporate work+life fit seminars we always end with an exercise called “One Small Thing.”  Small changes in your work+life are very powerful especially as they relate to health and wellness.  Here are common examples of small health and wellness changes employees have committed to making over the years:

• Go to bed an hour earlier and get up earlier to work out two days a week.
• Put my gym clothes in my car and go right to the gym before going home.
• Make a list of meals for the week and shop over the weekend so there is food in the house.
• Turn off the TV an hour before a go to bed and wind down.
• Start meditating for 30 minutes every morning.
• Keep a journal every night before I go to bed.
• Make a date with my best friend to go to the movies once a month.

Your employer can do its part to create a culture and workplace that supports employee health and wellness, but in the end, it’s you doing it. This is particularly true when it comes to financial security, one of the workplace effectiveness factors influencing health and well being.  While not part of the study, I wonder how much of this increased stress relates to the fact that “three out of five workers” live paycheck to paycheck according to a recent CareerBuilder survey.   Better personal financial choices could mitigate some of the stress related uncertainty in employment and earnings.

Finally, during the call to announce the research results, FWI President, Ellen Galinsky, summed it up by saying, “In the U.S. we see work as a sprinting marathon.  Instead we need to think about it more in terms of weightlifting.  In between periods of exertion, there’s rest and recovery.  This gives you the strength to exert your best effort the next time.”  I agree.   Hopefully this research will challenge the false beliefs that employee health and wellness are “optional” and break us out of our sprinting marathon that is no longer working—if it ever really did.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

I came across the article below and wanted to share Leanne Chase’s thoughts on a recent report by the Families and Work Institute about “The State of Health In the American Workforce.”

Here tis…

Two of the best nuggets I took away were:
Weightlifting is to work as…Think about those who lift weights that you know. They are dedicated not only to the days they lift, but to the days they rest and recover so their muscles can work at their best. Workers can’t be expected to be at their best, either, if they don’t have rest/recovery time.

The health care debate is not only about health insurance. It is about how to lower costs and get a healthier nation. Health insurance companies don’t control this. Humans do. Yes, health insurance clearly needs reforming…but so do attitudes and wellness programs. Being able to drop your dry cleaning off at the office is NOT a wellness program. Having a discounted gym membership that you never have time to use is NOT a wellness program.

Here are some of the study’s findings that stood out to me:

* The downward trend in employee health over the last six years cannot be explained by age
* Less than one third of employees (28%) today say their overall health is “excellent”—a significant decline of 6%.
* The majority of employees do not exercise on a regular basis.
* Nearly two out of three employed individuals (62%) are overweight or obese.
* One third of the workforce shows signs of clinical depression.
* Four out of five couples are dual-earner couples today.

Gender shifts:

* In 2002, men were significantly more likely than women to report excellent overall health—37% of men compared with 31% of women… In 2008, 28% of men and 29% of women reported their perceived overall health as excellent.
* Work-life conflict has increased especially among men—by eleven percentage points from 34% in 1977 to 45% in 2008. In comparison, the percentage of women experiencing work-life conflict has increased by five points from 34% in 1977 to 39% in 2008.

And finally:

* Employees’ physical and mental health, stress levels, sleep quality and energy levels all significantly impact important work outcomes of interest to employers, such as engagement, turnover intent and job satisfaction.

I wish I could say I was surprised by the findings but I wasn’t. I mean after all, don’t most of us work or know people who do? Are these above facts really surprising based on people you know, personally? They’re not for me. So I began to think about what the webinar didn’t cover. Which is why this is and how to turn the tide.

Pointing fingers is not the purpose here. But I think we need to understand how we got here and what to fix in order to move forward so here goes:

Human Resources is broken. Just look at the name…viewing humans as resources over being individuals is part of the problem. I wish I could say I’m the first to come up with this notion but I’m not. A couple of great minds in the HR industry are ahead of me on this one, both good reads from inside the industry. From Punk Rock HR “HR is Dying. Yes? No?” and from HR Guy “Is Human Resources Fatally Flawed”

Your work/life is in your control – yes we are in a recession and people need their jobs to keep a roof over the heads. I get that. But there are people who are more financially comfortable who can just say “no” when workplaces are unreasonable. And why wouldn’t the workplace ask for more and more and more from workers. They don’t say “no.” Think of toddlers. My little one would read “just one more book” all night if I allowed it. But she has a set bedtime and she knows the rule is 3 books/night. So how about making your own rules. Like: I will be home for dinner with my family, I will take vacations and the office will not crumble without my presence, my parents health and well-being is important to me, so I will take time to care for them as they age, and if your corporate partner does not allow this…walk. Find another. If we collectively decided to only work for and buy goods from organizations that treated us humanely…the others would go away. They simply would.

Corporations need to listen. Seriously! Is this report really a surprise to you? In the go-go good times you made profits on your workers’ backs without really increasing their wages and benefits. So now that times are lean and you need them to understand your woes they’re not as understanding as you’d prefer. Perhaps if you ever listened to their woes…they would be more understanding. Besides, working them to the ground is not good for business. Isn’t that what you’re all about? What’s good for business. It turns out working less, works more.

We all need to talk to each other. Not at each other, not to our HR cliques, not to equally disgruntled co-workers. But truly come together, discuss what ails us, and work toward a solution…together.

And there is some good news from this study:

* Employees’ personal or family life is more likely to have a positive impact on the level of energy they bring to their work than the other way around.

So let’s take the time to re-energize. It’s important!

Health in the workplace is SO much more than just a few perks and access to a gym – there’s so much more that can done for employee health and wellbeing and 2 way communication and the encouragement of personal responsibility are a good place to start.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Stress affects us all at home and effects our performance and health at work. It’s an extremely common issue and mental health is huge in the media at the moment. Campaigns abound to raise our awareness and famous people speak often about stress, depression and anxiety and the devastating effects they’ve had on their personal, work and family life. In fact, one recent article reported that almost 50% of Australians are have or have had some form of mental illness http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24543392-5006301,00.html

Why, as the experts agree, are 75% of us stressed out? Why are our lives so busy and what are we getting out of it? How can we live with this build up of pressure inside us without exploding? How do we find the balance between achieving our goals and relaxing into the present moment? Very big questions.

Obviously, mental health doesn’t just happen. We need to work on it. Daily. This may sound like a big ask but the alternative is rather unpleasant. As more of us become aware of our high stress level and how it can negatively impact our health and relationships, more of us look for answers. One option is to turn to the experts, say we’re unhappy and be prescribed powerful mind-altering medication that may or may not address the symptoms and ignores the cause. We may be given a diagnosis and be told we have “social anxiety disorder” or “post-natal depression”. We may see a therapist long-term who listens, we may speak about our childhood and analyse our feelings and thoughts. The medical model is designed to focus minutely on what is wrong – a specific neurotransmitter, a particular behaviour, a diagnosis or a series of events that occurred when we were young. A journey down this easily accessible path has certainly saved many lives but has also enabled many to remain stuck with no immediate relief from their negative feelings.

Another option we may be attracted to is the path of healing, of spirituality, of preventative medicine, crystals, channeled entities, re-birthing and reincarnation. Veganism, magic, mantras and seventh dimensions require us to be open with a child-like curiosity about the world and the way energy works. This path focuses on what’s right – on the perfection of what is happening inside the individual. The only problem is, rainbows and dolphins aren’t taken too seriously by mainstream thought in mental health and medicine.

So, what’s another option? Perhaps ultimately the only one that counts. The one that each individual chooses for himself or herself regardless of gender, background, culture, religion, education and life experience. A path that isn’t exclusive, that demands no bias or preconceived ideas or knowledge of anything in particular. A path that welcomes 55 year old CEOs who drive BMWs, the dread locked, vegetarian hippie from Byron and the person just living their life, doing what they do; sleeping, eating, drinking, working, laughing, crying, playing and dying.

All that this path requires is the development of a personal philosophy that can be practiced amidst the chaos of our daily lives. A philosophy that fits our unique view of the world and gives us something to hold on to when we need it most; at times when we are really stressed, have an intensely worried mind or are feeling blue and unable to connect with anyone or anything around us.

A philosophy I’ve carefully cultivated is “Anything that ever happens to me is for the best.” This belief has seen me through chronic anxiety, eating disorders, relationship breakdowns, addiction, debt, financial failure and more. With consistent practice and time, I’ve developed a positive view of life, a way to feel better about where I am right now, to embrace change and to accept conflict and loss.

Your own personal philosophy exists outside the medical model, religion and self-development practice. It exists solely in you and you take it with you wherever you go and whatever you are doing. There’s so much more, but this is where we begin with stress reduction for the real world. What is your personal philosophy? How has is it served you? Is it time to create a new one? All of us, employees and employers will benefit by asking ourselves these questions. Stress in the workplace is a major societal issue and having an awareness of it can transform the health of your business and your employees.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

As a small business owner myself, I meet a lot of other small business owners and it seems to me that business gets a whole lot more complicated as soon as staff enter the picture. You want to be able to provide a safe and positive environment for them, you want to spend as little money as possible, you want to attract excellent staff who value your vision and are proud to work for you and once you’ve got them, you want to be able to hold on to them. Of course, you want to do ALL this while protecting and growing your bottom line.

We know that absenteeism, people taking a lot of sick days, stress leave and frequent cigarette breaks are bad for business but what about the more subtle things that impact the quality of their work for you? Here, I’m talking about chronic physical pain, the family or relationship issues staff may have, stress, anxiety and depression. They may be having trouble sleeping, be drinking too much, be dealing with the side effects of medication they’re taking, have digestive complaints, be experiencing hormonal ups and downs or have just been diagnosed with some auto immune condition or other disease that you know nothing about.

The question is, is every member of your team getting the help they need when they need it? Do they know what’s available in their community to help them? Do they know where to begin?

Chances are, one or more of the issues above are affecting at least one of the people who work for you right now. You may even know who. Personal and health issues negatively impact not only the quality of each staff member’s life outside of work but their ability to think clearly and focus on the task at hand, to feel good about their job, to put a smile on their face when dealing with customers and to be effective and work their best for you.

At the end of the day, you can’t force people to get help, you can’t make them want to change but you can remove the barriers in their way and you can support them practically in achieving better health and happiness. The culture of your workplace, the wellbeing of your staff and the health of your business will benefit enormously when you do.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

My good friend Stephanie from Stellar Strategies was telling me a story today about an experience of conflict in the workplace that happened several years ago and still had the power to affect her negatively today.

She was working in a sales office with a team of people she was friendly with and she discovered at one point that 2 of the people in her office were speaking about her behind her back, exchanging nasty notes and basically having a good laugh at her expense. She recalls being shocked to find this out. She had no idea they harboured any bad feelings and was under the impression that they were colleagues with a healthy relationship and that there was no problem. Eventually, she went to her boss only to be told to “get over it”. Nothing was done about the situation, her needs were not recognised, there was no open communication and she left.

Have you ever had an experience with a employer like that? Ever felt disregarded, brushed off, pacified, ignored, completely let down? Ever been utterly dismayed by someone’s response in a position of authority? Ever had people talk about you behind your back at work?

As an employee you expect certain standards to be maintained in your workplace, you expect a certain safety level and an environment conducive to productivity. But what about when personal conflict gets in the way of that? People we interact with on a day to day basis have the ability to lift us up or bring us down and if we’re experiencing more of the latter at work our ability to feel good on the job can be seriously hampered. Undercurrents, bad vibes and gossip can just as much affect our health and productivity as obesity and smoking; we’re just not used to seeing it that way.

So whose responsibility is it? In an ideal world of course, honesty is the best policy and surely we can all be adult, speak plainly and work things out between us. This direct approach may indeed work for some but what if it doesn’t? What next? I’d like to think all employees have a right to seek assistance from the boss in these circumstances. The employer has many options and can choose to be supportive and listen, to mediate a meeting, to have a quiet word on the side with those involved, to get an outsider in to facilitate communication or all of these things.

Having an awareness that conflict at work can affect everyone’s mental and emotional wellbeing is a really good place to start. By encouraging open communication in the workplace you open the doors to a culture of health, understanding and employee wellness in every aspect.

We work with small to medium business in Brisbane and the Gold Coast to help them promote the health and wellbeing of their staff at work with inspirational education, health events, workshops, personal consultations and more. Healthy people = happy business and we understand the importance of keeping expenses down so we provide low-cost corporate health and wellness strategies for your people in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.