As BNI members we’re always searching for ways to improve our productivity at work and a priority seems to be the health of our businesses and the people that may work in them. The reality is they’re one and the same. More and more, businesses are turning to wellness programmes to bring awareness to and support their employee health needs. The best wellness programmes bring everything — the worksite environment, company policies, and leadership’s messaging — into a single mission of improved health.
So, what trends can you expect to see in worksite wellness in 2017 and how can you incorporate these into your own practice? Here are 3 things you can do to promote health and wellness in the coming year:
This year focus both on your mental well-being as well as your physical health. When you talk about saving money on health costs, the core of it lies in improving and preventing employee health issues. By understanding the mind-body connection and treating both physical and emotional health, employers can increase productivity and lower health care costs through improved health outcomes. Wellness programmes that address both the physical and emotional well-being of employees — the mind-body connection — can provide a means of addressing overall health that is truly holistic.
Give back to the community – Wellness programmes offer the ability to positively impact employees, their spouses and their families, as well as the community around them. Offering programmes with activities that serve the community can create an added incentive for employees to adopt healthy behaviours because the activities benefit more than just the individual. These activities can vary from supporting charities to building the community in some way. At BNI we understand the value of giving back to the community through our key philosophy of Givers Gain and our partnership with Hospice NZ. Create a healthy work environment – Getting creative is essential. Try to improve your actual worksite and the design of the workplace. You may be surprised to discover you have higher rates of employee engagement and healthier behaviours in the office, resulting in improved health outcomes overall. Some of these efforts can be as simple as eliminating high fat or sugar choices to redesigning your office space. Healthy activity can be easily incorporated into your workplace by initiating walking meetings or maintaining good air quality throughout the office.
One BNI member who understands the importance of health and who has been awarded for his work in this area is Christchurch pharmacist and member of BNI Phoenix Mark Webster. Mark was honoured last year for his charitable work with a Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Local Hero Award. Mark has created the Stay Well model of fitness. The model is built like a house with 4 components – foundation, carpet, walls and roof – each representing an important nutrient.
1. The foundation is your multi-vitamin
2. The carpet is a pro-biotic
3. The walls are omega 3 (mainly fish oil and some nuts)
4. And the roof is an anti-oxidant.
Using this model has greatly improved the health and wellness of Mark’s clients and he recommends as members we give it a go.
