Why is having a corporate health program so important for offices worldwide?

A perspective of wellness

Most people define wellness through physical attributes, in other words, how you appear in front of the mirror. It is true that having a healthy body mass index and being functionally strong is a major factor to overall health and wellness , but those who appear physically healthy may not be mentally healthy. This can cause internal problems such as stress and hormonal imbalances, which may lead to more long term chronic illnesses down the road. If an individual is physically attractive with a good career and high income, you think why aren't they fully happy or healthy in some cases. Why would they say at times '' I feel unhealthy''.

A balanced life

There are several factors that key into your balanced life. As a personal trainer myself, I will always advise physical activity 3-4 times per week for a full time worker. Your nutrition is going to be key in recovering and handling exercise but also benefit your mental health and particularity your self esteem . Bad nutrition will make you feel the episodes in life that bother you are actually worse than they are and play mind games.

So apart from what you hear generically all the time such as working out and eating right, what else is essential to feeling well?

When I went to school in Toronto, I was captivated about what i had learned about the ''seven dimensions of wellness''. This got me thinking to the point of even thinking if i just felt daily. Simply, this model states there are seven health factors in your life that important, and if one is absent the rest will start to decline.

They are as follows:

Emotional Health
Intellectual Health
Spiritual Health
Social Health
Physical Health
Occupational Health
Environmental Health

It makes perfect sense when you observe it. You may get physical activity one hour a day, but environmentally you could have bad and unreliable transport to and from work, and have no colleagues daily to have an intellectual conversation that concerns your interests. Just an example.

Occupational Health

The dimension of health that I singled out is occupational health, generally because of its high level of importance. Why is workplace health this significant? Your life (for most especially) is based around your job. You spend 8-12 hours of your mental energy daily channeled towards your workplace, maybe some more out of office. There has to be certain standards and expectations met withing in your role to maintain a healthy mind and therefore balance in your life. The other essential factors of your health such as being social, intellectual and physically well will all decline without job satisfaction.

Why is having a corporate health plan so important for offices worldwide?

Firstly, we should just take into consideration the mental health of an individual ever being affected, as recovery can be a long process and may always leave its mark. This is why we see professional careers like ''occupational therapy'' being in high demand. Due to a lapse in mental health at the office, absenteeism levels are kept high and so are healthcare costs, which also affects the economy.

Health benefits that are reimbursable can be kept minimal and reduce national spending as long as the problem is kept at bay with a corporate wellness program.

What should Human Resources officials consider for their employees in a health plan at the office?

Firstly, HR officials need to survey the employees on how they all feel about aspects of their jobs, and allow them to be completed honest without penalty or judgement. Employees should be able to feel that their daily tasks can be realistically completed. They must also feel they can talk to a representative if they feel bothered or unhappy. They must also feel they can get a good night sleep without worrying.

Interactive games, activities, and outings are important for team bonding. Issues at the workplace can be taken personally, and employees should be given a chance from a social aspect to get to know each other for how they really are in personal life.

Keeping On Top

Most firms should do quarter or half annually reviews to keep statistics and measure changes in company morale. The investment of a good company wellness program can save corporate expenditure and the health of employees long term.