Company Health and Wellness Programs: Comprehensive Employee Wellness Programs?

As the field of Employee Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to define the  dimensions of a comprehensive model of Employee Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the  following components; health education initiatives, worker health services and benefits, physical  fitness and nutrition initiatives, Company Health and Wellness Program policies and procedures,  counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration  of company and community resources.

A comprehensive approach to Employee Wellness 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 health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities for Employee Wellness  Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the  worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for  Employee Wellness Programs that are truly comprehensive in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Employee Wellness Programs

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

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

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest employer possible. What characteristics  or Company Health and Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it  from a holistic perspective. What does that employer do to enhance the physical, social, emotional,  spiritual, 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 Company Health and Wellness Program will be accountable for  the positive health outcomes of all employees. Company Health and Wellness 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. Company Health and  Wellness Program professionals often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to  institutionalize Employee Wellness Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a  comprehensive and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.