The benefits of wellness and physical activity are generally well known, and home health agencies should be more involved due to the benefits they directly and indirectly accrue from investing in employee wellness, and considering employees spend considerable time at the workplace.
Most home health agencies consider employees their most important asset, but few realize that their organization’s health is tied to that of their employees. The respected Milken Institute in 2003 examined productivity loss due to chronic diseases especially the issue of presenteeism, which can be defined as employees reporting to work when sick or ill and not functioning at their usual level of productivity, and which totaled $1.1 trillion in losses. There is also lowered productivity due to sickness, disability, and death from premature deaths to chronic diseases as a whole. Health promotion programs can be cost-effective. A review in 2005 in the American Journal of Health Promotion found an average return of $5.81 per $1 invested in health promotion programs, and achieved through improved employee health, reduced medical benefit expenses and reducing absenteeism.
Physical activity is an important component of Employee Health and will be the focus of this discussion. Although it can be a challenge to work it into one’s life, home health agencies can benefit from an increased level of physical activity by their employees.
Benefits of physical activity in regards to Health and the Workplace
Employees who engage in higher levels of exercise tend to have some of the following benefits:
Alertness – Physical Activity is known to increase the level of alertness and cognitive function, hence improving the ability to focus on tasks and successfully complete them. A number of individuals utilize stimulants to stay awake such as caffeinated drinks and other stimulants to stay focused, however their effect are not as enduring, nor have the other benefits of physical activity.
Wellbeing – The release of endorphins by the body after engaging in physical activity helps improve mood. Physical activity also decreases feelings of stress, improves sleep, and increases a sense of accomplishment.
Improved health – The ability of physical activity to delay or reverse the onset of chronic disease complications from coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension are all well documented. By improving the overall health of employees, there is an improvement in absenteeism, presenteeism, and an overall decrease in workplace injury as well.
Strategies for improving physical activities in employees
Home health agencies can gain all these advantages and more for their employees, by encouraging increased levels of physical activity by using the following strategies:
- Creating employee wellness program by identifying an individual (smaller organizations) or committee (in larger organizations) who are responsible for getting feedback from employees on what will be successful, implementing programs, and evaluating the programs to ensure they meet employee needs
- Promoting physical activity at work by increasing awareness and education about physical activity and its benefits. Incorporating a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) yearly assists with a tool for employees to identify and monitor their level of health and wellness and provides an opportunity to determine areas an organization or the employer can focus for improving the overall health of the organization. The organization can also create an area for working out e.g., converting a meeting room into an after work exercise class, adding changing and shower facilities, etc. Encouraging walking clubs, or other joint workouts by employees are possibilities in larger organizations where coverage may not be an issue, however, these can also be modified for smaller organizations to utilize encouragement for their employees to be more physically active.
- Building incentives for employees to stay physically active by sponsoring and rewarding those participating in events promoting physical activity with cash or other incentives, negotiating with health plans for fitness club discounts or other physical activity incentives.
Physical activity can be a challenge in our current work settings and with our current schedules, however the rewards for those seeking to be more competitive with hiring and retaining talented, healthy staff are great.
Citations:
Chapman LS. “Meta-Evaluation of Worksite Health Promotion Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.” American Journal of Health Promotion, 19(6): 1-11, 2005.
Healthy Workforce 2010 and Beyond – http://www.prevent.org/downloadStart.aspx?id=18
Commission to Build A Healthier America Issue Brief 4: Work and Health – http://www.commissiononhealth.org/
