Healthy eating, exercise, adequate sleep….do you feel like you are being bombarded by topics about health and wellness? Guess that’s because you are! The case has been made pretty clear that our workforce is aging and becoming less healthy. This impacts everything from productivity to healthcare and worker compensation costs. What you should also know, if you have anything to do with a wellness program at your workplace or want to move ahead with one, is that there is a bundle of helpful tools and websites.
We have blogged quite a bit about the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center and its focus on integrating health protection with health prevention. If nothing else, this really encourages those who do traditional safety and health to share ideas and interventions with those in wellness, benefits and risk management. If this is your interest, make sure you visit the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) Total Worker Health website. You can also visit the Oregon Healthy Workforce Center website to learn about the Center’s mission and projects here in Oregon.
If you are in Oregon, you certainly want to become familiar with Wellness@Work. Employers of all sizes and types will find resources on this site to create lasting policies and learn from other Oregon employers who have successfully made wellness a priority. As a good start, use the Healthy Worksite Assessment Tool to assess wellness at your workplace and identify ways to move ahead.
Finally, make sure you learn about the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthy Worksite Program. This program is designed to assist employers in implementing proven strategies to reduce chronic disease rates. If you missed the April 22 webinar which describes this program and the National Healthy Worksite Cohorts, you can see the presentation now.
It’s overwhelming, perhaps, but very exciting. We know we can’t afford not to jump on board! And we also know how much better we feel and do when we take care of ourselves. What positive things are happening in wellness at your workplace?
Resources:
CROETweb topic: Total Worker Health & Wellness
Wellness@Work
National Healthy Worksite Program
SAIF Corporation Wellness & Health Promotion
