Wellness at Work

Amber Long, M.Ed.


Fitness Coordinator, KU Student
Recreation Fitness Center
Hollie Swindler, B.S.

Graduate Assistant, Fitness, KU
Student Recreation Fitness Center
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure………….
Health vs. Wellness

Health:

Condition of being
of sound body with
emphasis on
freedom from pain
and disease.

Wellness:

A multidimensional state
of well-being, a
holistic approach to
life that
encompasses
bodily, mental,
emotional,
environmental,
spiritual and
community health.

ACE Fitness Matters
Jan/Feb 2009
7 Dimensions of Wellness
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Emotional
Environmental
Intellectual
Occupational
Physical
Spiritual
Social
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Emotional Wellness

Having the ability to feel and express
emotions, like happiness, sadness, and
anger.

Manage stress, possess self-esteem and
self-acceptance, and appropriately
sharing your feelings with others.

skills include: seeking and providing support,
learning time management skills, practicing
stress management skills, and accepting and
forgiving yourself.
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Environmental Wellness


Includes protecting the earth and its
resources and modifying your surroundings
to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Ideas:





conserve water and other natural resources
reduce, reuse, recycle
minimize your exposure to chemicals
renew your relationship with the earth
Modifying your environment to remove or
minimize barriers.

Example: rearranging your work area to allow
you to be more productive.
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Intellectual Wellness

Striving to improve your intellect and
your creative spark.


Examples include:
 taking a course or workshop
 learning a foreign language
 reading for personal enjoyment
 seeking out persons who challenge you
intellectually
 taking up a hobby.
Making health decisions based on solid
scientific evidence obtained from
reliable sources.
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Occupational Wellness

Preparing and making use of your
skills and talents.

Finding a career that is meaningful,
enjoyable and rewarding is vital to job
satisfaction.

Ideas include:



exploring career options
creating a vision of your future
being open to learning new skills
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Physical Wellness

Encompasses a variety of healthy
behaviors including:



adequate exercise
proper nutrition
abstaining from harmful behaviors like
drug use and alcohol abuse
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Spiritual Wellness

Set of beliefs, principles, or values
that guide your life. (Not strictly
religion)

Increase your spiritual well-being by:
exploring your spiritual core
 being inquisitive and curious
 listen to your heart and following your
principles
 allow yourself and others around you the
freedom to be who they are

http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Social Wellness

Receiving and giving support to family
and friends, enhancing diversity and
becoming active in issues that you
care about.

Ideas include:
 interacting with people of other cultures,
backgrounds & beliefs.
 cultivating healthy relationships
 sharing your talents and skills
 contributing to your community
 communicating your thoughts, ideas and
feelings.
http://www.undstudenthealth.com
/PDFs/recommendations.pdf
Employee Wellness


Relatively new concept
Unhealthy lifestyle leads to chronic
disease:




Smoking, poor nutrition, physical inactivity,
and alcohol account for 800,000 deaths
annually.
108 million people in U.S. have a chronic
condition
50% of premature deaths in U.S. are related
to modifiable lifestyle factors.
Chronic disease accounts for 70% of nations
medical costs.
Increasing Costs and Concern
12
A bunch of beans……..

“Starbucks spends
more on health
insurance for
employees per
year than on raw
coffee.”

American Heart
Association
Determinants of Health

Health
Behaviors
50%
Environment
20%
Healthy or
unhealthy behaviors
impact an
individuals health
more than anything
else.

Genetics 20%


Access to
Care 10%

Physical Activity
Nutrition
Tobacco/Alcohol/
Drugs
Stress
Management
Physical (In)activity

ACSM recommends 30
min of activity
everyday.

Most (75%) of
Americans do not
meet this goal.



Exercise 30-40
minutes/day most days
per week can delay
onset of disability by
10-12 years.
Sedentary living costs
the nation an estimated
$150 billion per year in
health care costs.
It is estimated that an
employer can attribute
15% of all healthcare
costs to sedentary
related disease.

WELCOA.org
Reality Bites (nutrition)



About 67% of American
population is obese.
12% of an employers
health care costs
attributed to disease
related to obesity.
McDonalds corporate
mission: 4.5 minutes
from nearest outlet at all
times!

Americans spend
more on fast food
than on higher
education, computers
or new cars!

WELCOA.org
Blowing Smoke(tobacco)


23% of population uses tobacco
Tobacco associated disease
Female age 23- $106,000
 Male age 23 - $220,000


WELCOA.org
Ahhh! (stress management)

Depression is predicted to be the leading
occupational disease of the 21st century


$300 billion, or $7,500 per employee, is
spent annually in the U.S. on stress


responsible for more days lost than any other
single factor
Compensation claims, lost productivity, health
insurance claims, medical expenses.
Americans work 164 hrs/yr. more than
they did 20 yrs ago!

Stress Directions, Inc.
Corporate Response:
Workplace Wellness
Trends in corporate response to the rising cost of healthcare:
Cost - Shifting
• Employees pay higher
deductibles, premiums
and co-payment fees
• 62% of large employers
said they would keep
costs down by shifting
increases to employees
• Doesn’t contain costs
and alienates employees
and unions
Public Policy
• Lobby lawmakers to
impact legislation to
control healthcare
costs
Consumer Driven
Health Plans
• High-deductible medical
plan coupled with an
employer-funded
reimbursement account
for each employee
• Intended to encourage
more cost-conscious
personal healthcare
decisions
• Account for about 2% of
all healthcare coverage
in the U.S.
Wellness Programs
• 33% of companies said that
they are placing a greater
emphasis on improving
employee health through
wellness programs and
33% are considering it.
• Incentives
• Onsite Screenings
• Employee Assistance
Programs
• Online, interactive tools
• Communications i.e.
newsletter
• Healthy vending machine
choices
•American Heart Association
Benefits of Employees Wellness
Programming

Employer & Employee Benefits





Employers can save $2.30 to $10.10 in
medical expenses per dollar spent.
Helps prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease,
hypertension other chronic issues.
Less absenteeism, more productivity.
Improves worker leadership and morale.
Better working environment.

www.employeewellnessusa.com
Your Wellness at Work
University of Kansas – Employee Wellness Services

HealthQuest


Lifeline Employee Assistance




Open Recreation and swimming
Weight Watchers
Wellness Resource Center


Open recreation, fitness programs, outreach programs
Robinson Center


Psychological services, life coaching
KU Recreation Center


Screenings, incentives, assessments, chronic condition care, tobacco,
weight stress mgmt programs.
Hawk Health
Environmental Services
Others?
The next step in employee wellness
programming: What now?






Step 1: Collect data
Step 2: Form Wellness Committee
Step 3: Establish goals, objectives &
strategic plan
Step 4: Design programs based on
feedback
Step 5: Implement programs
Step 6: Evaluation
Your Ideas?

What are you interested in?




Seven dimensions of wellness – specific
types of programs or specific areas of
concern?
What would you participate in?
Incentives?
Ideas from other organizations?
Thank-you!

Amber Long



Fitness Coordinator, KU Student Recreation
Fitness Center
Ajlong@ku.edu
Hollie Swindler


Graduate Assistant, Fitness, KU Student
Recreation Fitness Center
Hcs@ku.edu
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure………….