WORKPLACE“ WELLNESS”: HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PREVENTION OVER CONVENTION
LIFESTYLE
WORKPLACE“ WELLNESS”: HEALTH, PRODUCTIVITY, AND PREVENTION OVER CONVENTION
By Sam Crochet Hall, Booth, Smith, P. C. scrochet @ hallboothsmith. com
Many of us work long hours, after which we often scramble to spend valuable time with our families and friends. Unfortunately, we are often quick to shed the primary element to a healthy lifestyle: physical activity. Of course, inactivity can increase mental / physical fatigue, which undermines both of our aforementioned goals. Then there is the obvious longterm risk to ignoring health and fitness: weight gain, aging, cardiac issues, stress, etc. Luckily, today, organizations and employees have a greater incentive than ever to encourage a balanced lifestyle, and can do so without killing the clock or breaking the bank. Through cost-effective and convenient“ wellness” programs, we can easily increase health while saving( making) money.
Office Yoga
The reasons employers benefit from office“ wellness” are bountiful. First, such programs can reduce health insurance premiums. Second, healthier / happier workers are more productive and miss less days. The ability to attract prospective millennial employees seeking“ smart companies” is an added benefit. A 2010 study in the peer-reviewed Health Affairs Journal concluded medical costs and employee-absentee costs fall by $ 3.27 and $ 2.73 respectively per dollar spent on“ wellness” programs. 1 The programs studied included the use of health education materials, individual health / fitness counseling, and on-site group activities, classes, or health seminars. However, this study and most other literature I have found on the topic concern companies with greater than 1,000 employees ‒ organizations with the spending power to adopt wide ranging initiatives to address longterm costs and productivity. Therefore, small to mid-sized law firms may have to play a different game to achieve the same results.
A proven recourse for the latter firms is office-yoga. Evidence shows after-work or lunchtime yoga classes are a low-cost“ wellness” plan that fights stress, curbs fatigue, and boosts productivity. Throw in the fact it is as simple as closing the door to a conference room or pushing chairs to the side of an office-lobby; employers incur little overhead aside from the cost of an instructor while employers / employees benefit from convenience in the work schedule.
Preventative Medicine is the Key
I reached out to an Atlanta-area professional yoga instructor, Carissa Wetzstein, who specializes in addressing“ wellness” at a local physical therapy health and wellness facility. Regarding the immediate effects she has observed in her career with individuals in her practice, Wetzstein stated“ just an hour or two of yoga a week encourages‘ destressing’ and healthy decision-making. Also, it leads to a natural sense of community between participants- a benefit which should not be understated in the workplace.” Concerning the role Wetzstein believes“ wellness” programs could play in long term health care plans, she said“ organizations and people are starting to realize preventative medicine is the key.‘ Wellness’ programs are becoming essential to saving money, improving the quality of care, and making people’ s lives better.” The cost to employers? Depending on the office, Wetzstein says her corporate( office yoga) classes run $ 75.00- $ 100.00 per day. 2
Aetna CEO Credits Yoga
A great example of yoga’ s calling in the workplace is found through Aetna Insurance CEO, Mark Bertolini, who has
1“ Workplace Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings,” http:// content. healthaffairs. org / content / 29 / 2 / 304. full( The study compared participant employees to non-participant employees in 22 companies. 90 % of the companies studied employed more than 1,000 employees).
2 Carissa Wetzstein provides corporate yoga classes in the greater-Atlanta area. For more information on the benefits of workplace wellness, Wetzstein frequently answers questions via carissayoga @ outlook. com.
12 May 2016