5 Ideas for an Effective Corporate Wellness Program

Human beings can be very complex particularly when it comes to trying to get them to embrace a new idea. Introducing healthy habits to staff in the workplace is no exception as most people tend to just prefer to "let themselves go" than discipline themselves to do what is right. When it comes to health talk and wellness, many consider it "overhyped and boring" so you need to come up with creative and exciting ways to launch your corporate wellness program.

One important fact to note when coming up with a wellness program for your workplace is that formality and too much structure is boring...so let your messages be subliminal but direct and to the point.

Here are some suggestions to help you kick off the revolution of healthy lifestyle habits among your staff.

1. Share knowledge on health, wellness and safety on a regular basis using modern technology. You can share an article, website or app that you believe will be informative and helpful. Set up a health group among office staff and send out notifications on health tips that would be beneficial to everyone.

2. Organise a wellness fair that would involve your staff and their family members participating. Choose a good location and timing that keeps up with how your organisation operates and where it is located. Carefully plan your theme taking advantage of suggestions from members of staff and carry out an awareness campaign. Give workers the liberty to sign up to attend themselves; if you conduct an effective campaign for your wellness fair they should be excited to attend.

3. Set up a workout room. To me this is like one of the coolest ideas a leading organisation can embrace. We have coffee breaks, lunch breaks...how about a work out break? Exercise helps in keeping the brain alert and particularly reviving a fatigued mind. Staff can be given the opportunity to either start their work day in the work out room for about 30 minutes or take a "work out break" after some hours of work. Your office needs to have showers to help this work.

4. Carry out strategic onsite health/biometric screenings. Many people are terribly lazy when it comes to going for regular check ups so why why not bring the "check up" to the office? This would be a great opportunity to do tests on blood pressure, weight, body mass index, blood sugar...and even to give any available vaccinations like tetanus or flu.

5. Have a Lunch Break Health Show. Lunch is on you! Use this medium to not just educate staff but answer any questions or concerns on health issues and get feedback on your wellness culture in the workplace. Let your health show be more interactive and make sure you give out reminder cards to employees.

Considering the fact that workers spend about 8 hours of their "awake" time in the office, it would really be necessary to ensure they develop healthy habits that can even be transferred to family at home.

Be creative with your corporate wellness programs and never underestimate the power of the "pre-program" questionnaire. Your program should not be mechanical and centered around what you think staff need but what staff have revealed that they are lacking or need. And never forget incentives! Yes, every staff would love to get a free massage session, but ensure you stsy within your budget.

The answer is always in the question.

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Research: Is it Safer Now to be Obese?

I think there is now a conflict as to what obesity is using the body mass index (BMI). In a recent study Danish researchers report that the risks associated with being obese have dropped drastically within the past 40 years.

According to their report people with a BMI of 27 are at the lowest risk of death from all causes. Interestingly, when you have a BMI of 27 you are considered "overweight" but this classification was adopted by the W.H.O long before the 1990s...

So what's going on?

"The startling finding stems from work led by Dr. Borge Nordestgaard, a clinical professor with the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Copenhagen.

The analysis stacked BMI data against all-cause death statistics among three groups of Danes: 14,000 enrolled in a heart study during the mid-1970s; 9,500 enrolled in the same study in the early 1990s; and more than 97,000 who were enrolled in a lifestyle study between 2003 and 2013.

Today's weight classifications peg normal weight as having a BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9. Those with a BMI of between 25 and 29.9 are considered overweight, while anyone with a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese. BMI is a measurement based on height and weight.

The result in the Danish analysis: In addition to obesity-related early death risk dropping to normal-weight levels, the team found that the BMI level linked to the lowest rate of all-cause early death had gone up by more than three units, rising from 23.7 in the 1970s to 27 in 2013."

It is quite obvious that people are bigger now than they were back in the 1970s and I don't think it would bea bad idea to come up with new definitions of "underweight", "normal", "overweight" and "obese".

However, some don't seem to agree with the theory of "things have changed" in relation to bigger people living longer. They attribute the longevity to improvements and advancements in medical science and technology.

According to Lona Sandon an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at UT Southwestern medical centre, Dallas:

"I do not believe it has necessarily become safer to have what is classified by U.S. National Institutes of Health as an overweight BMI," she said.
"A big difference between the decades is advances in drug treatment and other medical treatment that has helped people live longer, with or without overweight and obesity, and associated conditions," Sandon added.
But that does not mean being overweight has become healthier than in the past. It simply means that "doctors can just treat symptoms better," she cautioned.

Well what do you think?

Source

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6 Major Causes of Workplace Stress

Stress simply has to do with how much pressure you can take. In yourwork situation, it would imply your response to pressures at work. Are you able to give the required responses to the pressures at work? Your ability to handle such pressures adequately will boost your productivity.
Sometimes you start off well by responding with enthusiasm and energy, but with time the pressure takes over and tries to subdue you. Simple issues you had dealt with before now seem to overwhelm you. What happened? What affected your natural ability to deal with such issues?
The secret lies in fortifying yourself, so you’ll always maintain your zeal and outlook to life, considering that not all stressors can be eliminated.


5 Common Stressors in the Workplace
1. Conflict
2. Meeting demanding deadlines/targets
3. Working long hours
4. Uncomfortable Workplace
5. Your personal Lifestyle

1. Conflict
In a mid-sector study in Australia (COMCARE 1996) conflict was identified as one of the key workplace stressors.
Is there any conflict management procedure in your organization?
Is there anyone to express your grievances to?
Is there any department or unit designated to receive complaints about your boss, colleagues or customers?
If yes, then use it.
If there is no means of expression or communication, then you are bound to be stressed and have uncoordinated or inappropriate outbursts. Maybe you should make this suggestion (if there is an avenue for this).
You’ll just have to rely on family and friends for succor. Not good enough since the situation doesn’t change, but at least you can change your outlook of the situation. Strive for excellence; concentrate on being the best you can rather than on what people say. Let your achievements speak for you!

2. Meeting Demanding Deadlines/Targets
This is another stressor you may not be able to totally eliminate. So what do you do?
· See the end from the beginning. See yourself meeting the target. Believe it or not, it works! Your picture of success will motivate you to take action steps in the right direction.
· Do it all on paper first. Set time out to write down thoughts and questions that may come to you on how to achieve your goal.
· Draw up a daily action plan that ensures your daily activities take you closer to your goal.
· Stick to your plan. Though you may have to change some of your methods still stick to the main plan.

• Meetings can be stressful!

3. Working Long Hours
It’s important to note that once physical or mental fatigue sets in your productivity drops.
Who says you have to work long hours to get the job done? You need “productive hours” not just lots of hours!
If your organization does not have a Work-life balance policy yet, the time has come for it to be considered.
Having flexible working arrangements will help. Frequent work breaks help in punctuating those long hours.
The truth is peak activity period for the brain is between two to four hours depending on your kind of work or capabilities. So productivity gradually drops as you work, but after a break it picks up again.
Breaks are also very necessary for those long board meetings. That’s why the people that come up with the “brightest idea” are those who seem to have drifted off sometime during the meeting!

4. An Uncomfortable Workspace
Check these to find out if your work space is the issue;
· Is it cramped? If it is then you have the culprit for accidents and injuries in your space. Start by clearing your table, please use the drawers! Consider re-arranging your furniture or even taking some out. Knocking down stuff should not be a regular occurrence.
· Is it noisy? Some people have a very high threshold for noise. Consider sharing office with those who have similar noise thresholds as you.
· Is it too hot? The accepted temperature for sedentary work is 20°C-22°C. So if it’s too hot you will get exhausted and tired easily. If it’s too cold you may become obsessed with keeping warm, so you don’t need another cup of tea, get your temperature right.
· Is there sufficient lighting? Daylight is still the best light there is. So get most of your work done in the day. It helps eliminate some of the stresses that come with working with artificial light. However, your office color scheme can aid or hinder the distribution of light.
· Is your posture right? Your seating arrangement should give adequate support to your spine (from neck to waist), arms and legs. Make it a habit of doing stretches regularly. Keeping a fixed posture can be stressful to your body. Stretch in the opposite posture you work in; don’t wait to feel the pain. Make sure your PC or visual display unit is at eye level if you have to work for long periods on it. If the aches and pains are persistent see your therapist.

5. Home Trouble
Your life outside the workplace will affect your effectiveness at work. Many times when there's turbulence at home you are bound to carry that "junk in your trunk" all the way to work. Outbursts at work sometimes are an offshoot of bottled up emotions from the home front; an impending separation or divorce, a sickly or wayward child or even obnoxious inlaws!
When domestic pressures are heavy on you, you need to wise up and quickly talk to someone, most suitably your health and wellness or occupational health manager. Don't underestimate the effects of having an unsettled home on your performance at work.

6. Your Personal Lifestyle
· Develop healthy eating habits. Eating fruits and vegetables help boost your immune system. Also drink lots of water, it helps in the body cleansing process.
· Spend 10-15minutes everyday doing some exercise. If walking or jogging put you off, start from riding a stationary bike in the privacy of your home. You can consider using the stairs, just ensure you consult your physician.
· Sleep well. Joyce Walsen PhD has said that sleep and mood are regulated by the same brain chemicals. A study by the University of Chicago found that “inadequate shut-eye caused levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) to spike in the afternoon and evening”. I’m sure this is not news to you; we have all had unpleasant experiences from lack of sleep.

If you feel you have already lost a grip on yourself, talk to your Health and Wellbeing Manager, in house Psychologist or your Physician.
Live a stress free life!

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Laughter Helps Relieve Workplace Stress

I remember years ago when I was called by a company to pick up my employment letter after over two months of a very boring and twisted interview process. As I walked into the office complex and passed by the staff at their desks, no one even looked up from whatever they were doing...Then I heard "oh she's just coming to pick up her letter, no wonder she's still smiling" and I thought "what?!"
That was the last they heard of me...

You see some employers pride themselves in being "slave drivers" who believe in "no pain no gain" methods applied in the corporate setting. If you're caught laughing then it means you're either not taking your job seriously or you don't have enough to do.

Is this really true that laughter is more of a distraction and should be given no place in the workplace?

Laughter has been proven by experts to be a number one reliever of workplace stress. Interestingly, leading organisations are now looking out for ways to keep their staff happy, healthy and productive. It is now very clear to these top companies that "a merry heart does well like medicine but a broken spirit dries up the bones".

Let's look at some benefits of laughter in the workplace and how it improves our health and general wellbeing:

1. Laughter relaxes your muscles even 45minutes after you had that good laugh. Talk about releasing tension in the office!

2. Laughter aids the release of endorphins which give you that "feel good feeling" and even help relieve pain to a certain degree. Well you feel good, that's a positive feeling that helps change your perception of whatever task you might be facing....definitely very helpful for your creative juices!

3. Laughter reduces the stress hormone levels and boosts the body's immunity. Stressors in the workplace cannot necessarily always be identified or avoided but if there's always an opportunity to "laugh it off" rather than "bottle it up", a lot of unpleasant incidences can be avoided. Everyone remains healthy and always on top of their game.

4. Laughter in the workplace will also help to strengthen bonds and boost team work...a team that laughs together stays together. The energy level of those staff that laugh will always be higher than those that suffer from "chronic seriousness".

Laughter protects the heart:
"We don't know yet why laughing protects the heart, but we know that mental stress is associated with impairment of the endothelium, the protective barrier lining our blood vessels. This can cause a series of inflammatory reactions that lead to fat and cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries and ultimately to a heart attack."
"We could perhaps read something humorous or watch a funny video and try to find ways to take ourselves less seriously," Miller says. "The recommendation for a healthy heart may one day be exercise, eat right and laugh a few times a day."
- Michael Miller M.D (Director for Center of Preventive Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical Centre).

Many times work just becomes plain boring, routine or monotonous, but by spicing up our work processes or work environment with a bit of humor, we help to oil the wheels of our creative machine. The mind works better with enough doses of laughter.

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