Health and Wellbeing Programs - Assignment Example

Rероrt Sсеnаriо Name Institution Lecturer Date 1.0 Background information to the report Every individual has various health risks of varying degrees, spanning from something genetic unhealthy eating, lack of sleep or exercise, drinking or smoking. By use of a program organization can make significant positive change as most adults spend many hours at work compared to other places and thus making the lace a prime venue of promoting healthful habits. Active coordination and involvement of organizational stakeholders is an essential for achieving its goals. However, productivity, staff turnover and performance are hindered by absenteeism. An effective implemented health and wellbeing program will facilitate changes and positively affect the organization. There is a pressing need for a program that involves capacity building and promotes information exchange among the relevant departments. In view of monitoring workers involvement and prevention of ineffectiveness in some departments, development of an appropriate mechanism is necessary for compliance and monitoring. Effective implementation of such a program would involve strategic plan adopted by the organization with the essential meetings to guarantee approval. The key drivers for such a program would involve both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The models will motivate behaviors and actions that will be required to attain organization results. A holistic approach will necessitate involvement of supervisors, employees, health providers and partners and other enterprises in order to drive the program success (Dellve, Skagert and Vilhelmsson 473). Through the support of expertise, high performing technology, intelligent program design and expansive reward options, the program will offer services to its members and make them more accountable. The intention will be to acknowledge and encourage employees’ long-term involvement, strengthen close and attractive employer-employee relations and populace the organization nationally and globally. The return through the program in form of funds will be evenly distributed among employees over time, and the organization regardless of their salary level or position. This then means, as employees benefit from the program, organization expected growth in value and output will grow in the same manner. 2.0 Benefits of a health and wellbeing program As argued by Blake and Lloyd (452) the benefits manifests themselves in three dimensions; health, economic, social and organizational. Health promotion in workplace is essential in cutting costs and yielding productivity increases. However it is not the only mechanism for this if dealt alone. If embodied with job design, human resource management practices, workplace culture and organizational systems, the outcomes are more practical. The program is meant to promote both the employees and the company. To some extent, the benefits will be transferred to employees’ family members. The health promotion program particularly helps to create conditions that in turn support and teach best possible measures of health for employees. This will possible as the program will give them a sense of ownership as they will learn and work together and form coordinated actions that improve their well being. The program, having delineated the areas to be covered at particular time, will result to in depth research and brainstorming of ideas to approach a specific health problem in the workplace. Among the most core areas would include fitness, recreation, nutrition, awareness of tobacco and alcohol, workplace safety and health heart. When such programs are implemented, employees will have a feeling of being as the humanity of company is brought afore. This in turn backs the corporate undertaking of the organization. The benefit of health and wellbeing program is many, but the greatest is human aspect involved in it. This is because the organization bottom lines remain intact. Such a program shows the employees that an organization recognizes the extent of responsibility shared between employer and employees. When employees’ health is shown some importance, healthier employees will lead to lower turnover rate and fewer absences. Emphasis on wellness programs which are generally focused on prevention will facilitate proactive approach toward healthcare. The contributory force integrates disease management, health maintenance and health education which are crucial and create solid wellness within the organization. These interventions create significant difference in organizational structure and encourage healthy lifestyles for both employees and their families. For instance, mental health program reduces depression, behavioral problems and reduced suicide rates among the employees. Stress management classes reduce domestic aggression, child and spouse abuse and account for positive environment for employees. There are also fewer learning problems. This will in turn lead to overall reduction in health care costs. Viable programs are effective methods that strengthen employees’ personal relations and reduce employee related expenses within the organization (Blake and Lloyd 449). By addressing health and safety issues regarding the work environment, there is a decrease in job injuries and few workers compensation claims. Time loss injuries substantially decrease if workers are adequately trained and when there is a sufficient implementation of workplace health, wellness and safety programs. A significant occupational health and safety learning considerably reduce the number of disabilities and deaths in the workplace. Most benefits that accrue to employees may result to weight loss, increased stamina, increased self-image, self-esteem and improved physical fitness. The organization also benefit from enhanced recruitment and retaining of healthy employees, improved relations and morale, productivity, and reduced rates of absenteeism, illness, injuries and healthcare costs. 3.0 Organization Involvement (personnel, time and resources) Provision of workers with health and wellbeing services, improves the wellbeing, job satisfaction, and raise retention rates. Employees’ welfare has direct impact on company success. However, these programs entail a range of activities including; offering workers with information, fitness education, an organization gym and subsidized healthy lunches. This will demand the need of facilities and allocation of time for learning. Adopting a culture which supports values and improves employee’s health and wellbeing requires resources. The important pillars would involve personnel, financial resources, external stakeholders, schedules and timeframes. To integrate the program in the organizations operations, program governance, staffing and administration is needed. A clear governance structure and action plan should be identified as a part of ongoing operations in the organization. There should be a critical consideration to identify the health and wellbeing coordinators and clearly outline their roles and responsibility. There will also be committee or a group responsible for program implementation. Administration should build a reporting system to Senior Management. All these come with the necessary technical, informational and operation costs which demand both infrastructure and continuous financial support (Dellve, Skagert and Vilhelmsson 474). Time is a necessity to make the program sustainable and ensure long-term commitment. The program has to be integrated in the organization ongoing operations, to respond to the changing priorities and the needs within the workplace, then work within the available resources. Since the program targets long-term changes in workplace policies, the subsequent practices should lead to workplace culture which then supports healthy choices. The organization will have to re-organize the working schedule to include the program and assign it an average time to make it effective. Activities in support of the program involve what, who, when and how the actions needed to be undertaken and strategies for each. This may include low physical activity, involve exercise professional(s), assign different times for different departments throughout the day and monitor them and program assessment and monitoring. Incentives are useful in rating participation in activities. As Chau views, when possible, incentives ought to be relevant to an activity being conducted. If for instance there is a healthy catering in a training session concerning preparing healthy lunches, participants may be rewarded in turns. Another incentive which increases participation is to allow employees participate in some events during work time. 4.0 Costs/financial requirements Cost/ finances are required in developing the health policy, supportive environment, communal (workplace) action, personal skills and health services. A key principle can be followed in its implementation to make it cost-effective and less expensive. This will be through the use of those resources within workplace or available community resources to manage costs of the program. Where feasible low-cost strategies will be used and promote shared payment by both employer and employee (Lee, Blake and Lloyd 59). 4.1 Infrastructure and Installation Costs Health facilities are important setting for workplace health promotion; they include digital health information facilities and infrastructure,  gym, devices, sensors and robotics swimming pools, active lifestyles; bike racks, shower, change rooms facilities, playing fields, bicycles and costumes. A plan program for employee’s education to use organizational health facility and use it appropriately. A need to improve quantity and quality of the facilities to meet the demands. 4.2 Programs costs Well-planned programs tailored for education and necessary for promoting adherence to adoption and lifestyle changes, utilization of services, medication and informed decision-making for self care. Wellness message i.e. workplace massages, meditation sessions, and fruit deliveries Integration of research programs and education lifestyle practices Staff opportunities of exercise at work, e.g. time and exercise, lunch time walks and exercise classes Broadened health promotion activities, outreach services into the families and communities and patient education. Assessment needs, staff health, activity requests, physical, environmental, local neighborhood, determine enablers and barriers to healthy lifestyle, assessments of health status of workforce 4.3 Administrative cost > Upper management financial support > Full-time coordinator for program facilitation. > Regular comprehensive evaluation 4.4 Operation costs health events advertising and promotion subsidies for staff participation in community health events Raise healthy awareness and options by use of poster campaigns motivational emails healthy lifestyle articles and departmental newsletters up-to-date wellness and knowledge through forums attendance, networking and conducting research regular evaluation (South, et al 667), Data management plan Researcher mentoring plan 5.0Potential risks of the program The program may turn out to be cost-ineffective and be expensive. This is particularly if there are no resources within to use at the workplace or availability in community resources. This will increase the cost of the program. Swift technology may make it hard to adopt low-cost strategies while the there may be un-working shared payment between employer and employee. Failure to acknowledge and supports OH&S as a legislated requirement treated with higher priority in workplace. This ends u with a failure of both programs to reinforce and support the other. According to Sparling, there may be poor management within the workplace and failure of individuals to identify issues to be addressed in the program, how and who will address them. This fails the contributions of external health professionals including corporate wellness providers, government providers and non-government organizations. Lack preparation to assess the needs and identify the health issues of the workplace. This fails to undertake and identify the priority and issues within the organization. There can be lack of voluntary employee involvement and participation to attain high participation. As all program aspects are implemented on voluntary basis activities like mandatory health testing for selection process are not considered for wellbeing program. This may limit a coordinated activity and expand the gaps and ineffectiveness of infrastructure. Since the employees will not be criticized or marginalized in failing to participate in the program, most needy group may end up lacking the necessary attention. This is accelerated if the employee participation in the plan and program strategy based on an identified need, fail to promote successes and incentives toward participation and update the program by evaluation to help increase participation. There might lack training, workplace health promotion, poor principles and access of appropriate information, resources and staff responsible in coordinating the program. The workplace coordinator who is responsible for facilitating the program may not have the necessary skills or training along workplace health promotion in order to undertake the role. The program may become unsustainable and involve short-term commitment due to failure to integrate within organizations ongoing operations, and ultimately fail to respond to changing priorities or the needs of the workplace and also fail to work within the available resources. Without targeting for long-term changes, workplace policies or practices will not create workplace culture to supports healthy choices (South, et al. 663). 6.0 The most feasible option Flourishing health and wellbeing programs depends on the planning, design, implementation and evaluation based on the best practice. To assist employers, best practice suggests such programs to be: Well planned Have early intervention or prevention focus, Designed and developed through a strong ownership and the input of workers, so as to target the stated needs of workers (Faragher, Cass and Cooper 109), Suitable for specific workplace environment, Implemented and managed through a strong OHS policy and framework, Regularly monitored and evaluated (South, et al. 662). Part II: Oral Presentation 1.0 Health and Wellbeing Programs Definition: Health and wellbeing programs (HWP) involve interventions that are put in place by the employers for improving lifestyle choices and the health of workers to prevent chronic illness. HWPs also may target environmental and organizational practices and improve the overall safety and health of the workplace. Increasingly programs potentially influence the worker performance and productivity at work. Therefore, Workplace health promotion (WHP) is interventions that improve individual worker, organizational health and wellbeing. 2.0 Examples of programs HWPs breadth in workplace is extensive with some examples as provided below. a. Lifestyle programs for individual workers: General fitness and exercise; yoga, relaxation classes, tai chi, massage therapy (Pronk 317). stress, nutrition, obesity and weight loss, reduce/quit smoking, alcohol or drug use Impacts of ageing, healthy cooking, work-life balance Alternative medication and holistic practices, parenting, offer health information such as online guidance and counseling. Assistance to manage personal health issues like cancer and depression Health screening, risk assessment; weight, blood pressure, blood glucose levels and cholesterol Provision of tea, coffee or fruit, b. Organizational culture programs for organizing work and work relationship for psychological health interventions: Work content, context: what, where, the quality or meaningfulness of work, hours and flexibility, repetitiveness, access of training and career development opportunities Workplace culture improvements by wide factors, such as morale, motivation, workplace engagement, satisfaction, management, attitudes, styles and behaviors, Control of bullying and harassment that lead to psychological injuries, leadership or management training for managers and supervisors, performance management, rewards and recognition Incident management policies, OHS Act and implementation on the ground. Interactions with workplace and peers conflict c. OH&S /environmental health programs Target overall safety of workplace including physical environment; Interventions: Safety; chemicals, air quality, hazards Infrastructure supporting health and wellbeing improved safety, support health and fitness programs: through on-site gym facilities, showers, bike racks, eating/relaxation areas and facilities for preparing food/drinks (Pronk 316). 3.0 Benefits of HWP (a) Health benefits increased physical activity improved nutrition decreased alcohol consumption, substance abuse, smoking rates and increase smoking cessation reduced body fat levels, improved cholesterol Decreased blood pressure, stress levels and improved mental health Reduced the risk of lifestyle disease like cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes (Grzywacz, Casey and Jones 1307). increased healthy behaviors, reduced health risks (b) Economic benefits to organizations An improved job performance, reduced absenteeism, sick leave decreased worksite accidents, workplace injuries, short-term disability rates with the associated costs decreased workers’ compensation, workplace costs improve cost to benefit ratio and potential increase of productivity (c) Environmental benefits to an organization > enhance working conditions, safety, decrease accidents and injuries > improved working atmosphere, social support, leadership style and reduced job stress. (d) Social benefits to an organization increased job satisfaction, motivation, loyalty, greater commitment (Faragher, Cass and Cooper 111) improve employees’ morale, communication, teamwork and corporate image Improved recruitment, lower staff turnover and promote retention of quality staff. References Blake, Holly, and Scott Lloyd. "Influencing organisational change in the NHS: lessons learned from workplace wellness initiatives in practice." Quality in Primary Care 16.6 (2008): 449-455. Chau, J. "Evidence module: Workplace physical activity and nutrition interventions." (2011). Dellve, Lotta, Katrin Skagert, and Rebecka Vilhelmsson. "Leadership in workplace health promotion projects: 1-and 2-year effects on long-term work attendance." The European Journal of Public Health 17.5 (2007): 471-476. Dellve, Lotta, Katrin Skagert, and Rebecka Vilhelmsson. "Leadership in workplace health promotion projects: 1-and 2-year effects on long-term work attendance." The European Journal of Public Health 17.5 (2007): 471-476. Faragher, E. Brian, Monica Cass, and Cary L. Cooper. "The relationship between job satisfaction and health: a meta-analysis." Occupational and environmental medicine 62.2 (2005): 105-112. Grzywacz, Joseph G., Patrick R. Casey, and Fiona A. Jones. "The effects of workplace flexibility on health behaviors: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis." Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 49.12 (2007): 1302-1309. Lee, S., H. Blake, and S. Lloyd. "The price is right: making workplace wellness financially sustainable." International Journal of Workplace Health Management3.1 (2010): 58-69. Pronk, Nicolaas P., and Thomas E. Kottke. "Physical activity promotion as a strategic corporate priority to improve worker health and business performance."Preventive medicine 49.4 (2009): 316-321. South, Jane, et al. "Implementing a community‐based self care training initiative: a process evaluation." Health & Social Care in the Community 18.6 (2010): 662-670. Sparling, Phillip B. "Worksite health promotion: principles, resources, and challenges." Preventing chronic disease 7.1 (2010). Read More