JTS Senior HR Consultant for Corporate Wellness Sarah Palmiero recently took part in a panel discussion on corporate wellness at the Little Rock Regional Chamber's "Power Up Little Rock" luncheon presented by Arvest Bank. The discussion focused on what employers are and can be doing to protect the health and wellbeing of their employees, challenges and opportunites with wellness programs and industry trends.
JTS Senior HR Consultant for Corporate Wellness Sarah Palmiero recently took part in a panel discussion on corporate wellness at the Little Rock Regional Chamber's "Power Up Little Rock" luncheon presented by Arvest Bank. The discussion focused on what employers are and can be doing to protect the health and wellbeing of their employees, challenges and opportunites with wellness programs and industry trends.
Others participating in the panel were Stephanie Jones of Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Whitney Gorsegner of Garver and Eric Siebenmorgan of Arkansas Heart Hospital.
Palmiero explained the role she plays at JTS and what JTS does, before going on to highlight some important points about wellness and corporate wellness programs. Specifically, she said:
Physical wellness is still very important, but if all aspects of a person's life – mental, behavioral, financial, family, work – are not in line, it's very difficult to maintain physical wellness. This is why it's important that "wellness" encompasses the full person and uses a holistic approach.
In the post-COVID world, people are seeking things with more depth and meaning that show’s them that their employer’s care about them as a person. Many in the workforce have gone through a reevaluation of what they consider professional goals and values. Thus, if a company is only looking to implement a wellness program to reduce the bottom line by asking employees to "step it up" with nutrition and exercise and visit the doctor, it’s going to be hard to convince them that the employer is coming from a place of care.
Mental wellness is the forefront of wellness these days. It’s perhaps "trendy," but it’s a legitimate and important need for everyone. Stress management, burnout and dealing with life and family concerns are things we all struggle with from time to time. There’s no easier way for a company to show employees that it cares than to offer an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
There are many different types of wellness programming and the majority of companies (around 67%) don't have a comprehensive strategy.
Research shows passive, low-impact, one-off programs are not successful.
Wellness costs translate to savings of other relevant business costs. For example, healthcare costs, recruiting/retainment costs, productivity change, worker's comp, absence records and stock price can be positively impacted if companies have well-planned and executed wellness programs.
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