Employee Wellness - doing the right thing does double-duty!
Posted by Flavia Abbate, Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I was recently involved in a LinkedIn discussion about strategies employers have put in place to offset the rising costs of healthcare in the workplace.

The discussion mainly focussed on incentives, budget allocations, streamlining vendors, population health management, cost shifting, health data analytics and healthcare consumerism…you get the picture?!

The dialogue progressed to reveal that notwithstanding all these initiatives and accumulated data, companies are still looking for the ‘next frontier’ to manage employee health, noting a lack of engagement from employees.

Now this may be a simplistic view, but I believe that employers will get the most out of employees if they view them as ‘people’ rather than a cost burden to manage.

Surely, data, measurements and processes must serve, among other important outcomes, to help understand individuals’ needs and in the process, assist them in becoming more autonomous. Who doesn’t want to feel great?! Do we really need an incentive to aspire to this end?

‘It’s not unusual for companies to think about employee health narrowly. Exercise is exercise- but employees’ wellness needs vary tremendously. One of the aspects of wellbeing that is often overlooked is musculo- skeletal health (most employers only paying attention to injuries once the condition is chronic- hence it becomes a statistic to manage).

We are not designed to be in sitting positions for prolonged periods!

A study in Norway found that there is strong evidence that working groups with high levels of static contraction, prolonged static loads (sitting positions) are at increased risk for neck/shoulder musculo skeletal disorders (MSDs).
(Source DHHS NIOSH Publication number 97-141)

People already know they need to increase activity levels but often they are in physical discomfort and pain, with reduced range of movement, and the thought of adding to the physical load is unbearable.

All too often employers want to take leaps to ‘move the mountain’, yet often, the best solution lies within a small, purposeful step. This has a multiplier effect which eventually ‘moves that mountain’.

Engage every individual in risk-reducing behaviour!

Ergonomics is about furniture, the BodyBolster® is about people.

People need to vary their posture as well as get support. An ergonomic setup is only as effective as the behaviour/habits of the individual. It is true that we all need a good-fit ergonomic chair, but by their very design most chairs keep bodies in a static position. This is counter effective and causes stiffness, pain and strain which over a period of time can lead to chronic conditions.

The BodyBolster® is a self-inflating ‘active’ postural support (approved by The Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia-TGA) which allows you to simply combine the concepts of ‘good posture’ with ergonomics to help you learn how to sit well. Over a period of time, a healthy new habit is born.

Doing the right thing does double duty by helping employees feel as good as they can (consequently increasing productivity) and delivering a healthier return on investment.



For more information and to contact us go to http://www.bodybolster.com/workplace-health.html