Health and Wellness in the Workplace

Health and Wellness in the Workplace

We have all experienced sick days away from the workplace. These days have various effects on the employer and the employee. Both parties are at a loss when an employee is sick and the employer is short staffed. Employers and employees collectively lose millions of dollars a year because of unhealthy work environments.

Employers have realized that promoting a healthy working environment can benefit business in many ways. As noted by the following, "In Canada, $8.6 billion is lost annually due to employee absenteeism. Research by Carleton University business professor Linda Duxbury indicates that, in any given week during 2001, seven per cent of Canada's labor force called in sick or took time off for personal reasons." (Northern Ontario Business, 2004, p.35). In this statistic alone one can see the overwhelming amount of revenue companies have to absorb for the sake of sick employees. One can only imagine what could be done with those savings. This figure does not even account for the actual revenues lost due to work stoppage or the assistance to potential customers.

Another talking point to consider is the amount of workers that become sick from other workers. It multiplies as it spreads costing even more loss to companies. This year alone with the shortage of flu vaccination companies that would have normally offered its employees free flu vaccinations could not and thousands of employees became sick, causing companies to consume major losses. Is this something companies could control? Maybe not, but a global health and wellness initiative would have forced the government to pay closer attention to the matter.

In an effort to avoid this trend companies must take on the task to practice general health and wellness tips throughout the workplace. "One way to detect such risks is by holding regular on-site health fairs. Optimally, such fairs should screen for the eight controllable lifestyle risk factors identified by the Michigan Department of Community Health that contribute to the development of cardiovascular disuse, including smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, lack of physical activity, alcohol and drug abuse, poor nutrition and diabetes. After checking key health indicators like weight, blood pressure, body mass index and cholesterol levels, health fair organizers then can provide sage advice about lifestyle changes that can help employees reduce or eliminate their risk." (Detroiter, 2001, p.50). Health fairs promote employees to take care of themselves by offering tools that are readily available and cost free. In cases were companies are too small or displaced over the globe smaller types of preventative health awareness plans are put into place. Communication is one of the biggest factors in a successful health and wellness plan.

Another factor to take in consideration is the type of work employees do, such as construction, road crews or police officers to name a few. These types of workers have different needs and different types of environments than common office workers, therefore their health and wellness needs will vary from the norm. Although this may be the case they are part of an overall plan and their participation is crucial to the success of a healthy environment.

One may measure the overall success of a health and wellness plan by dollars but other factors should be taken into consideration. The moral and mental states of employees are just a few that come to mind. Consider this, "Studies show companies not only