Benjamin Franklin had it right over 250 years ago when he made the statement “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, meaning it’s easier to take care of the smaller things before they get out of hand. The same is true with staff wellness. Focusing on employee physical, mental, emotional, and social health now can lead to healthy and happier employees as well as avoid negative outcomes like stress, burnout, cardiovascular problems and more.
What is Staff Wellness?
Many companies and corporations have created or adapted some type of employee wellness program. The goals of such programs include helping employees stop smoking, become more physically active and maintain a healthier diet. The point is to keep employees as healthy as possible because healthy employees have shown to be more productive and less prone to serious health issues.
Wellness, on the other hand, is the act of maintaining daily healthy habits that will lead to good physical and mental health outcomes. It can be thought of as “thriving instead of surviving”. While participation in employee wellness programs is highly encouraged, it’s up to the individual to make healthy choices every day in several dimensions of wellness.
8 Dimensions & Indicators of Wellness
Physical Health
The overall state of the body, including how well organs function, muscle strength and flexibility, nutrition, exercise, sleep, hygiene and disease prevention all add up to one’s physical health. Indicators of physical health include how people feel about their health, if they exercise at least 3 times a week, if they get enough sleep, maintain healthy eating habits and if they listen to their body.
Emotional Well-Being
One important aspect of mental health is one’s emotional wellness or state of mind. It involves the ability to successfully handle stress, and deal with negative emotions and feelings. Some indicators include feelings of resilience and strength, being able to express oneself, being flexible and able to adapt to changing situations and accepting oneself.
Intellectual Well-Being
The sum of one’s unique talents, creativity, knowledge and skills is intelligence. Indicators of intelligent well-being are being intellectually stimulated by work and hobbies, critically thinking about other’s opinions, feeling capable of making important decisions, staying informed about social, political or current issues and being able to balance work and play.
Occupational Health
Simply put, people who are happy at work and find it stimulating and fulfilling are said to have good occupational health. They show indicators like work satisfaction, being enriched by their work, finding contentment with their job or career, and have developed necessary skills to be relevant at work.
Environmental Well-Being
One’s social and occupational environment and surroundings have a significant impact on wellness and health. Environments can be pleasant or dangerous and unhealthy. Indicators include one’s comfort at work and home, recognition of one’s impacts in these spaces, living in a safe environment, and spending time outdoors and in nature.
Financial Well-Being
Feeling good about one’s financial situation is the essence of financial well-being. Indicators include little to no stress about finances, understanding a budget, having savings, and avoiding debt. People who have financial well-being know where their money is going.
Social Well-Being
Being connected to people, feeling a sense of belonging and being a part of a larger social network are all aspects of social well-being. Indicators include the ability to reach out to friends, family and colleagues, exercising good communication skills, being genuine with others and treating people with respect and fairness.
Spiritual Well-Being
One’s values, principles, ethics and morals are characteristics of spiritual well-being. Indicators include attending services or Mass, volunteering in the community, being able to self-reflect with honesty, meditating, praying, and spending time with nature.
Benefits of Staff Wellness
It’s well-known in research that healthy employees are happier in general, more satisfied with their work and tend to be more productive. They call off less, are more reliable, complain less and are more engaged in the workplace. Other benefits include:
- Healthier behaviors (nutrition, exercise, stress management)
- Higher moral in the work place
- Reduces stress and burnout
- Improves attendance
- Improves retention
- Improves teamwork
- Enhances work-life balance
- Promotes health awareness
- Fosters personal development and growth
- Reduces physical health problems (heart disease, stroke, diabetes)
- Reduces mental health issues (anxiety, depression, substance use)
Final Thoughts on Staff Wellness
Although employee wellness programs can be very successful in reducing health risks and increasing work-related performance, staff wellness as a stand-alone concept can help employees focus on their own health and wellness needs. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” can start with making improvements in each dimension of wellness at the individual level. In this way, wellness becomes more personalized and important.