by Kory Wells, WorkCompEdge Blog Editor
Wellness is one of the 15 modules we chose to include in WorkCompEdge. To be honest, at this point in the young life of the site, we sometimes wonder if it may ultimately receive the award of “Module Most Likely to Be Ignored by Our Members.” After all, it seems that everyone is talking about wellness in the workplace, so isn’t everyone already doing it?
This is a great way to get a little friendly competition started at the office. Who can raise the most money working out for CARE? Be sure to tell a friend or co-worker!
Well…maybe not. Although a quick Internet search will yield statistics supporting widespread corporate wellness programs faster than you can tie your walking shoes, the feedback we have so far from our recent survey (which is still open, please participate it you haven’t) doesn’t agree:
- Brokers and agents indicated that only “very few” or “some” of their clients had an effective wellness program 75% of the time. “Very few” was equated to 0-19% of their clients, and “some” was equated to 20-39% of clients.
- Of employers who responded to the survey, 66% reported that their company did not have an effective wellness program.
We think that part of the discrepancy between our results and others must be related to a company’s number of employees. It seems that a lot of the statistics we see mention “leading corporations.” It makes sense that smaller employers may find it more challenging to implement a wellness program. (Unfortunately, our survey didn’t capture number of employees. We’ll be smarter about that next time.)
But we also wonder if the key word in our question was “effective.” Are there a lot of wellness programs out there that are being offered, but just aren’t being used?
We recently came across an article that indicated some small businesses are motivated to offer a wellness program not so much because of the possible financial benefits (realized from fewer sick days, quicker recoveries, reduced health insurance premiums, better productivity, etc.) but simply because it’s a positive thing to do for their employees. And that resonates with us. Your own personal wellness is a gift – not only to yourself, but to your family, friends and colleagues. And now it can be a gift to the world’s poor.
Fitness expert, author and professional triathlete Eric Harr has implemented a program at CARE, the humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing global poverty, which will take your workout to a new level. For every hour you exercise and log on the website, Eric’s going to donate $5 to CARE. You simply fill out a brief form on the website, and you’ll receive an encouraging email and a monthly summary of your progress. AND, if you’re not already in a fitness program – or want to infuse your existing one with some new routines – Eric has what you need in free downloads, including a fitness assessment, 18 goal-specific training programs, and stretches.
How’s that for motivation? Head on over to the CARE site now, at www.care.org/workout
This ia a great way to get a little friendly competition started at the office. Who can raise the most money working out for CARE? Be sure to tell a friend or co-worker!
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Filed under: Wellness
