What Is a Workplace Wellness Program?

A workplace wellness program is a set of benefits, initiatives, and activities designed to help employees improve and maintain better health and well-being. These programs can include educational material, events, policies, and fun engagement activities that help educate employee participants about health and well-being and encourage them to make mindful and balanced choices. Programs vary greatly between companies, but there are common core pillars of focus, including:

• Mental health

• Nutrition

• Exercise

• Medical care

There are plenty of ways that companies can foster a culture of good health, and the more tailored the programs are to the company, the more likely employees are to engage in the program. Companies that invest in their employees well-being truly understand the benefits associated with workplace wellness. Happy, well-balanced, and healthy employees tend to perform better, actively take up work initiatives, improve productivity, and manage time more efficiently. Overall, a thriving and positive workplace environment can help be achieved and maintained through workplace wellness programs.

Why Incorporate a Workplace Wellness Program into Your Company?

There are SO many reasons as to why your company needs to have a workplace wellness program in place. First off, there is a current trend in both stress and burnout in the workplace, as well as a massive increase in mental health issues within the workplace. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly 1 in 5 US adults live with a mental illness (1). Not only is stress harmful to health but it increases mental health challenges. These challenges can include clinical mental illness and substance use disorders as well as other emotions like stress, grief, feeling sad, depression, and anxiety. The increase in stress in the body also increases the risk for various lifelong chronic illnesses, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, and more. Workplace stress and poor mental health can negatively affect workers through (2):

• Job performance

• Productivity

• Employee engagement and communication

• Physical capability and daily functioning

In fact, workplace stress has been reported to cause 120,000 deaths in the US each year (3), and approximately 65% of US workers surveyed have characterized work as being a very significant or somewhat significant source of stress in each year from 2019-2021 (4). 83% of US workers suffer from work-related stress and 54% of workers report that work stress affects their home life (5). 71% of adults also reported at least one symptoms of stress, such as headache or feeling overwhelmed or anxious (6). The costs for treating people with both mental health disorders and other physical conditions are 2-3 times higher than for those without co-occurring illnesses (7). As you can see, these statistics are quite shocking and impactful.

While work can be a major contributor to stress, the workplace can also be a key place for resources, solutions, and activities designed to improve mental health and overall well-being.

By utilizing workplace wellness programs in your company, you can identify those employees at risk and connect them to treatment and have supports put in place to help people reduce and manage stress. By addressing mental health issues in the workplace and improving nutrition and lifestyle behaviors, while also decreasing stress, you can REDUCE your healthcare costs for BOTH your business and employees.

The benefits that you may receive from a workplace wellness package for your employees, include:

• Improvement in employee health behaviors – like managing stress more effectively, smoking less, choosing healthier foods, and exercising more

• Improvement in the health of your employees! This includes reducing the risk of chronic disease, general illness, and therefore less sick days for your employees. This can lead to more energy for your employees (more productivity and engagement, and a happier mood which improves the workplace environment). This also leads to an improvement in mental well-being!

• You can see a better employee engagement and relationships among employees, which improves employee retention

• A desirable workplace environment thanks to improvement in company morale

• Possible reduction in healthcare costs - thanks to improving the health of the employee (less likely to be sick/injured on the job; less likely to receive medical care which means less healthcare expenses)

• You’ll attract new talent since many candidates include wellness programs in a company as extremely important to them, especially now after covid

• LOWER EMPLOYEE TURNOVER!

  • According to Gallup, turnover costs US employers over $1 trillion a year. Replacing a lost employee costs between 33% to 150% of an annual salary depending on the skillset and seniority

  • Employee turnover also hurts morale, impacts operations, and makes companies less competitive as they lose experienced employees

Where Do I Come In?

I’m a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Integrative Functional Certified Practitioner (IFNCP), as well as a Certified LEAP Therapist (trained in the MRT food sensitivity test). I take a holistic approach to health and well-being, and enjoy healing and improving the root cause(s) of stress, burnout, illness and disease, anxiety, depression, and other mental health imbalances, poor sleep quality, and more. I’ve provided in-house wellness programs as a dietitian in previous work environments, currently provide wellness trainings and presentations in several non-profit and for-profit organizations of various sizes, as well community education. In all of my work, both current and past, health coaching has been a major component.

Having a licensed and professional health practitioner step in can be life-changing not only for your employees but also your company. Since I am a health professional (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist licensed in the state of MN) and provide holistic health and wellness coaching services, I am able to help employees build healthier lifestyle habits, improve their nutrition (which improves their physical health AND mental health), and reduce stress. Here are just some of the ways in which my services can help your employees:

• Optimal nutrition can help improve mood and decrease both depression and anxiety

• Optimal nutrition helps provide employees with sustained energy throughout the day (which means better productivity and concentration)

• Help prevent risk of disease and aid in managing any current illnesses

• My services can help promote better sleep for your employees

• I help with stress reduction solutions/techniques

• Optimal nutrition improves cognitive function, memory, and the ability to maintain focus

• Optimal nutrition and holistic habits help support the immune system (which can mean less sick days)

• Optimal nutrition and holistic habits can help reduce chronic pain (from either lack of movement at work, being at a desk all day, or constantly being on the feet and lifting heavy objects)

• Overall, my services have a major and positive impact on quality of life!

It’s important to have someone who has the training and background in order to truly improve the health of the employees. I know which questions to ask, I know the systems of the body and I understand the mechanisms of nutrition & health. I am trained in integrative functional nutrition which looks at the WHOLE person and not just one part. I understand the relationship between stress, toxins, trauma, mental health, exercise, etc. and the impacts they all have on health.

Having a healthcare practitioner run your workplace wellness will take a load off your employees/HR as well as help pinpoint true health and well-being topics, avenues, and the process of healing.

One MAJOR key factor in my workplace wellness programs is that I tailor my services to the needs of YOUR company and YOUR employees while also saving you time and money in comparison to other wellness programs or internal resources.

To learn more about my tailored packages and offerings for you and your employees, click here.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (July 2018). Mental Health in the Workplace.

2. National Institute of Mental Health. (January 2022). Mental Illness.

3. Goh, J., Pfeffer, J., & Zenios, S. A. (2015). The relationship between workplace stressors and mortality and health costs in the United States. Management Science, 62(2), 608-628.

4. American Psychological Organization. (October 2021). Stress in America: Stress and decision-making during the pandemic.

5. The World Health Organization (2022). Mental health in the workplace.

6. American Psychological Association. Stress in America: Coping with Change, Part 1. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2017.

7. Melek SP, Norris DT, Paulus J, Matthews K, Weaver A, Davenport S. Potential Economic Impact of Integrated Medical-Behavioral Healthcare: Updated Projections for 2017. Milliman Research Report. Seattle, WA: Milliman, Inc.; 2018.