Comprehensive Corporate Wellness Programs?

As the science behind Corporate Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to define the dimensions of a comprehensive model of Corporate Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following components; health education initiatives, employee health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition initiatives, Corporate Health Promotion Plan 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 Corporate Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, staff members, and employee families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of employee wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives designed to only reduce healthcare costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

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

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Wellness Programs

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

As the motivations for Corporate Wellness Programs differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Wellness Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to staff members, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Corporate Health Promotion Plan targeted to the specific needs of a company and its staff members. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Wellness Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly comprehensive model of Corporate Wellness Programs consist of?

Imagine yourself working for the healthiest organization possible. What characteristics or Corporate Health Promotion Plan strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that organization do to enhance the physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual aspects of employee health? How does that organization develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all staff members? Finally, how does that organization demonstrate its belief that workers are the organization’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one component of a Corporate Health Promotion Plan will be responsible for the positive health outcomes of all staff members. Corporate Health Promotion Plan have evolved from the occasional fitness center for the exclusive use of organization executives, or the sporadic employee safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and initiatives. Corporate Health Promotion Plan professionals often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Wellness Programs in today’s workplace. This goal can only occur through a comprehensive and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.