June 18, 2013–Scottsdale, Ariz.–In honor of National Employee Wellness Month, WorldatWork collected evidence showing the impact of management styles on employee health and wellness. Supportive supervision, employee schedule control and communications are empirically shown to maximize better health and wellness outcomes.
FACT: Employees who sit for six or more hours a day increase their risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes significantly. Sitting is the same as smoking as far as health risks are concerned. Source: Dr. Emma Wilmot, the Diabetes Research Group at the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, 2012.
FACT: Employees who work for employers committed to employee well-being have managers who allow them to conduct Web research and self-educate on health and wellness issues during work time. Source: Buck Consultants and WorldatWork, “Emerging Technology in Health Engagement,” 2013.
FACT: Employees who receive wellness information directly from supervisors (instead of human resources) have a better awareness of how to participate in health and wellness programs offered by their employers. Source: Virgin HealthMiles, “The Business of Healthy Employees: A Survey of Workplace Health Priorities,” 2013.
FACT: Employees whose managers recognize and reinforce their health achievements have a better chance of maintaining healthy behaviors and not relapsing. Source: Rose Stanley in “Employee Wellness Programs: Understanding the Stages of Change,” workspan TV (based on James O. Prochaska’s Transtheoretical Model of Change), 2013.
FACT: Employees with supportive managers are less likely to feel obligated to come to work when sick and more likely to go to the doctor when they know they should. Source: Phyllis Moen, Erin L. Kelly, Eric Tranby and Qinlei Huang, “Changing Work, Changing Health: Can Real Work-Time Flexibility Promote Health Behaviors and Well-Being?” Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 2011.
“Employers have control over work conditions and how people are treated, which means they have significant influence over the health and wellness of their employees,” said Kathie Lingle, WLCP, executive director of WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress. “National Employee Wellness Month provides organizations with an excellent opportunity to examine their workplace and culture to ensure it is a place where employees can thrive and be healthy.”
“Organizations’ health and wellness offerings have expanded beyond traditional programs to well-being programs that now include mental and emotional health, financial health, work-life effectiveness, and workplace environment and stress,” said Rose Stanley, CBP, work-life practice leader at WorldatWork. “National Employee Wellness Month provides organizations with an excellent opportunity to make employee well-being a top priority.”
To attend a free webinar on June 24, “Ask the Experts: Strategies and Tactics to Create a Healthy, Engaged Workforce,” register here.
To schedule an interview with a wellness expert, please contact Marcia Rhodes at 480-304-6885 or [email protected]
About WorldatWork(R)
The Total Rewards Association
WorldatWork (www.worldatwork.org) is a nonprofit human resources association for professionals and organizations focused on compensation, benefits, work-life effectiveness and total rewards — strategies to attract, motivate and retain an engaged and productive workforce. WorldatWork and its affiliates provide comprehensive education, certification, research, advocacy and community, enhancing careers of professionals and, ultimately, achieving better results for the organizations they serve. WorldatWork has more than 65,000 members and subscribers worldwide; 95 percent of Fortune 500 companies employ a WorldatWork member. Founded in 1955, WorldatWork is affiliated with more than 70 local human resources associations and has offices in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Washington, D.C.
WorldatWork Society of Certified Professionals(R) is the certifying body for six prestigious designations: the Certified Compensation Professional(R) (CCP(R)), Certified Benefits Professional(R) (CBP), Global Remuneration Professional (GRP(R)), Work-Life Certified Professional(R) (WLCP(R)), Certified Sales Compensation Professional (CSCP)(TM) and Certified Executive Compensation Professional (CECP)(TM).
The WorldatWork group of registered marks also includes: Alliance for Work-Life Progress or AWLP, workspan and WorldatWork Journal.
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