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Corporate Health beyond the Numbers: Employees’ Wellness a Top Priority
New Survey Reveals Stress Levels Still High, but Health is Increasingly Important to Workers
Contact:
Christine Hall
chall@capstrat.com
919-882-1998
RALEIGH, N.C., July 13, 2010 – Today’s workers carry a tremendous amount of weight on their shoulders – and although most still consider themselves fortunate to be employed, the stress that comes along with navigating volatile economic conditions and health care changes, while maintaining a productive work-life balance, can take its toll. The upside? A newly released poll by Workplace Options, a leading global provider of employee work-life benefits and support services, indicates that in the past year, employees have become increasingly aware of the value of a healthy lifestyle and their employers appear to be taking strides in promoting health and wellness in the workplace.
“The workforce has taken quite a beating in the last few years, but we are now seeing some positive change in how we collectively view workplace wellness,” said Dean Debnam, chief executive officer at Workplace Options. “The opportunity exists to continue improving the health of our workers, not only through treatment, but preventative care and encouraging healthy choices.”
Thanks in part to economic improvements over last year, workers are finding it less of a challenge to spend money on proactive health care, such as eating well-balanced meals and partaking in fitness activities. In May 2009, a poll commissioned by Workplace Options found that due to budgetary restrictions, 39 percent of workers found it difficult to spend money on healthy foods and 37 percent indicated a cut back in spending on health clubs, exercise classes and other healthful activities. Now, those numbers have dropped to 33 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
While stress levels among employees have subsided slightly from a year ago, 59 percent of workers still identify their jobs as stressful. And that stress may be cutting into time set aside for personal wellbeing. Nearly one-third of employees (32 percent) claim to have spent less time exercising and have had more difficulty sleeping in the last six months.
The implications for employers are clear – nearly half (49 percent) of survey respondents indicate that corporate-sponsored wellness programs are key to their success in maintaining good physical and mental health.
“We have found that employees are increasingly aware of the positive benefits proactive wellness solutions can have on everyday life,” said Alan King, president and chief operating officer at Workplace Options. “Employers now have the opportunity to increase worker loyalty by capitalizing on the value of wellness support and offering additional benefits to workers.”
As an enhancement to current solutions, Workplace Options is now offering Live Well wellness coaching at no additional charge as part of the Advantage Enhanced services. Live Well coaching provides access to an experienced wellness coach to help employees set and achieve wellness goals to improve wellbeing. These supportive, motivational sessions are available to employees via phone or instant messaging to obtain the skills to make lasting health changes.
The national survey was conducted by the North Carolina firm of Public Policy Polling, June 4-7, 2010. The survey polled 998 working Americans and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent. Full survey results can be viewed at www.workplaceoptions.com/polls.asp.
About Workplace Options
Workplace Options helps employees balance their work, family and personal life in order to make their lives healthier, easier and more productive. The company's world-class employee support and work-life services provide information, resources, referrals and consultation on a variety of issues ranging from dependent care, legal and financial issues to stress management and wellness.
Drawing from an international network of credentialed providers and professionals, Workplace Options is the world's largest integrated employee support services and work-life provider. Service centers in Raleigh. N.C., London, Toronto and Dublin support more than 32 million employees in 20,000 organizations, across 170 countries. To learn more, visit www.workplaceoptions.com.
© 2012 Workplace Options, Inc. All rights reserved.
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