So often, when we’re at work, we’re focused on the bottom line. Generating revenue. Being productive. Achieving targets. Similarly, when we talk about workplace wellness, the focus is on the return on investment, and how best to measure and monitor it. But wellness is much more than a financial concern.
At our 2012 Healthy Outcomes Conference in Kelowna, B.C., delegates tackled topics such as the importance of collaboration, how to overcome internal obstacles to build and promote a mental health agenda, and how to create and foster a culture of wellness in an organization. Representatives from a wide range of stakeholder groups shared their initiatives—from smoking cessation and health screening to mental health—and discussed the need for prevention, as well as the cost of doing nothing. But what resonated the most was the need to get personal.
As the conference went on, the discussion shifted from focusing on the business case for wellness to sharing experiences of getting buy in from senior leaders and employees. In most cases, it was a personal story that ultimately made the difference.
The employee whose cancer was caught in an employer-organized health screening—most likely saving his life. The CEO whose own health troubles led him to actively promote the company’s wellness initiatives and strategy. The HR manager who went to work on the production lines in order to better understand the stress and physical discomfort that those employees routinely face. The senior executive whose wife struggled with mental illness, leading him to champion the cause.
When we talk about pension and benefits communications, we often tell employers that to truly engage employees, they need to reach them on an individual level—to talk, write and show videos of “people like them” to help guide their choices and decision-making. Maybe we need to do the same thing when it comes to wellness: to openly share the stories—and the personal triumphs—that these initiatives make possible every day.
Because when it comes right down to it, workplace wellness isn’t just a business issue. It’s personal. And only by creating an emotional connection and nurturing a spirit of collaboration will we be able to achieve what we all want: healthy, happy and productive employees.
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