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I recently had the honor to speak at the Midwest Business Group on Health’s annual conference in Chicago. The theme was “Buckle Up! Employers Driving Real Change Through Transparency and Innovation.” The U.S. continues to outspend every other developed nation in healthcare expenditures. These costs are now north of 17% of our GDP, which is…

Building a sense of belonging in the workplace is crucial for employee well-being and performance. Discover five strategic steps, applicable even for remote workers, that not only reduce turnover and sick days but also foster a strong culture of support. From addressing cultural differences to prioritizing mental well-being, these steps provide a roadmap for employers to create a workplace where every employee feels valued and connected.

I’d like to think I’m working toward breaking down the stigma of mental health. I have family members, friends and colleagues who struggle with various challenges, and I have had bouts of anxiety and depression throughout my life. Yet, when someone is right in front of me, clearly struggling, I still find myself paralyzed by what to say or do.

Amidst the chaos of our daily routines, sleep frequently becomes a secondary priority to the demands of work, social engagements, and the constant allure of screens. How often this year have you found yourself staying up late, trying to make up for lost time?

The American Heart Association, marking its centenary in 2024, highlights heart disease as the top cause of death in the U.S. During American Heart Month, they emphasize lifestyle changes and organizational strategies to promote longer, healthier lives for all.

The National Wellness Institute (NWI) is joining WELCOA as an affiliate of the International Foundation. Together, the International Foundation, WELCOA, and NWI will enhance their ability to serve a diverse community of professionals who play a key role in shaping the health and well-being of individuals and workplaces.

Join the wave of belonging, collaboration, and personal growth—because 2024 is not just a new year; it’s a chance to make ripples that change the world.

Did you know that, in America, someone urgently needs blood every two seconds? This need extends beyond unexpected emergencies, such as car crashes. It encompasses a wide range of medical treatments including cancer therapies, cardiovascular and orthopedic surgeries, and organ and bone marrow transplants.

It’s crucial to authentically communicate the significance of work to employees, utilizing organizational supports like professional pathways and demonstrating social impacts. Failure to do so may lead to demotivation and increased turnover. Understanding how to effectively showcase meaningful work through values and actions is essential.

BY: Derek Bell // VP, Solutions & Clinical Operations • VITAL WorkLife Let’s start with the obvious—2024 stands to be a pivotal year for worksite well-being. Many wellness, HR, and Benefits professionals are in strategic planning mode for the next calendar year. While it’s critical that each organization examine its own data to understand employee…

Many wellness, HR, and benefits professionals are in strategic planning mode for the next calendar year. While it’s critical for each organization to examine its own data to understand employee needs, it’s also helpful to consider emerging trends in workforce well-being.

A look back at the takeaways, highlights, and power of the 2023 WELCOA Summit.

Workplace leaders who apply intentional strategies in a few key areas of social well-being can create stronger, more connected, and more successful organizations where employees thrive together through the power of workplace friendships.

While it’s crucial to address one’s self-doubt, slapping the label “imposter syndrome” on it might not be the best approach. Learn why this in this blog.

Massachusetts happens to have one of the most comprehensive workplace wellness program laws, and it may just set the bar for other states to follow.

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) have formalized a strategic alliance to amplify the collective mission of improving the health and well-being of workplaces across the United States and Canada.

Appreciating the purpose behind workplace wellness laws and then adopting those concepts into a workplace wellness program can lead to more inclusive and hence more successful programs. Learn five reasons why wellness law is crucial to any successful workplace wellness program.

The whole world is run by people who simply believe they are good enough to do the work. People in leadership are there either due to privilege, perseverance, or a combination of both.

As the work of corporate well-being continues to expand in ways we have been fighting for, don’t take yourself out of the fight. Chances are, you are the only person who has been looking at company dynamics through the lens of employee well-being.

As the work of corporate wellness continues to expand in scope, seasoned professionals may find themselves wondering, “Is this a job for me? Am I equipped to deliver on this?” The world needs leaders who intimately understand the needs of employees and who are willing to roll up their sleeves to get it done.

As wellness professionals, we do have a multitude of factors to expertly consider to successfully support an organization in this work, but we don’t have to be an expert in every area. We need to be experts in the 7 Benchmarks of a Well Workplace.

If you’ve been involved in human resources, employment, or wellness professions for long, you’ve been along for the ride of evolving focuses and terminology. At times you may have even been left asking yourself, “what really is workplace wellness?”

It doesn’t matter how much financial education you provide if you aren’t paying your employees a living wage. Companies that offer dignified working conditions and livable wages will continue to recruit and maintain talent. Without that talent, employers will fail.

When a salary increase alone isn’t enough to provide a job that supports overall well-being, data can validate growth potential.

It’s uncomfortable to talk about money when you’re placing a value on yourself. The conversation is about more than your worth. It’s about how a company values your expertise.

If we are going to promote workplaces that support the well-being of all working people, we cannot ignore the staggering statistics and impact gun violence has created.

Four professionals, across very different industries have stepped up, answered the call, and are leaders in the glow up that the wellness industry is experiencing. These are their stories.

Influence is the ability to invite others into the leadership of the potential. It is not a sales pitch for the existence of said potential, it’s about inviting people into the action.

Many companies have their health and wellness strategy delivered as a subset of their health benefits. There is certainly some logic in this model, but is this the best model?

Welcome to 2023. This is the year historians will mark as the starting point of a movement that changed work for the next 50 years. Welcome to the movement.

This year we called workplace wellness leaders to pivot away from the status quo, answer the call to meet the greatest need, and step into a place of powerful change. Our year of safety was one for the record books, all because of you.

While having a “reduction in workforce” is never easy for anyone, having emotionally intelligent, compassionate conversations can go a long way in providing understanding for both parties.

If brokers and consultants want to maintain their vital seats at the industry table, it’s essential that they know how to anticipate change and how to effectively scale their services. The time for scaling up is now, WELCOA has the pathway to make that happen.

The traditional four pillars approach to employee well-being has the right elements, but they’re not all equal. Investing in financial health should be the top priority, or efforts to deliver physical, mental, and social well-being will fall short.

While remote work offers flexibility, freedom, safety, and comfort, it can also increase social isolation, feelings of loneliness, poor communication, work guilt, and poor work-life balance if a system for mental health promotion is missing. Here are some important considerations for supporting mental health in a remote work environment.

The remote/hybrid/onsite discussion is heating up. After the newness of no commute and improved work-life balance has worn off, a set of strong contrarian views seems to be emerging.

Psychological safety at work is now recognized to be so vital that it is among the current priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General. This article explores the intersection of psychological safety and wage equality, including through the lenses of critical business metrics and human experiences.

Many businesses are beginning to supplement rising salaries they simply cannot afford with soft perks like pet insurance and house plant budgets. But, many are overlooking a benefit that employees are already asking for–Financial Wellness.

When is the last time you looked at your skin? Really looked at it – to examine a spot that had changed or a new one that you noticed for the first time? If your answer is “it’s been a while,” you’re not alone. Though 1 in 5 of us will get skin cancer, far too few of us are looking. And the majority of employees in the U.S. have never been to see a dermatologist. SkinIO exists to fill that vital blind spot, by allowing anyone anywhere to perform a full-body skin exam with their smartphone in just 10 minutes. And we’ll connect them to in-person care if they need it.

Yesterday the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released the Surgeon General’s Framework for Mental Health & Well-Being in the Workplace. The Surgeon General’s message released with this framework is powerful. It is a signal to employers that it is time to stop asking questions about whether employee well-being is their responsibility.

When planning your evolving benefits for a new year, take into consideration the purpose behind your offerings and the unique demographics that you serve.

Organizations have renewed their focus on employee well-being, seeking to improve the health and productivity of their workforce, as well as more effectively manage costs.

The concept that work doesn’t always have to take place in one physical workplace, from the hours of 9 AM – 5 PM has unlocked the potential for organizations and individuals alike to improve and transform the way work is done and experienced. Here are some key ways flexible and remote work is reinventing the employee experience and the future of the ‘workplace’.

Employee engagement: essential for company success but (at times) difficult to achieve. Even the most interested and well-intentioned employees need convenience and a supportive culture to drive participation.

The workplace landscape is evolving, a new generation of the workforce is emerging with unique needs, and employees continue to demand better work experience. Businesses must consider the one factor that addresses it all: designing work for well-being.

Mental health is more than simply the absence of mental illness. Despite the fact that 83% of people will experience mental health issues by middle age, it’s a topic that has long been misunderstood and stigmatized. These issues range from temporary periods of overwhelming stress to more serious, chronic conditions.

While there is growing research demonstrating that employers are beginning to step up to the plate, that is just one piece of the equation. The real question is how can employers be sure their mental health initiatives are going to hit a home run when it comes to cultivating healthy, happy, safe workplaces?

Global events have altered how we deal with racial injustice, social interactions, the cost of living, war and more. One day soon, the climate emergency will force an urgent review of how we live. Just like Covid-19 redrew our relationship with work.

What an amazing event Onward: Breakthrough Solutions was a few weeks ago, expertly designed and hosted by WELCOA! The resilience and ingenuity attendees demonstrated over the past couple years was apparent. Their respective employee population approaches or innovative business solutions in response to the VUCA circumstances were on full display!

The buzz phrase ‘quiet quitting’ has been trending on social media and it’s starting some important conversations from all different perspectives. The workplace landscape is changing and employers must choose how to respond in the moment and for the long haul. Here’s what workplaces need to consider.

The world of work has changed over the past few years. Many roles have shifted to hybrid or remote opportunities, allowing employees to have better flexibility with their schedules. And many are happier for it—they get more time back in their day to focus on their families, hobbies and other responsibilities outside of the workplace.

A look back at the takeaways, highlights, people, and power of the 2022 WELCOA Summit.

While hybrid work models and bumps in pay have proven to be positive outcomes of the pandemic, employees are still increasingly unhappy in their current roles.

Research has shown a correlation between social media use and its negative effect on body image and disordered eating, and anxiety and depression. For that reason, technology like social media could be considered a social determinant of health.

If employers want to grow and stay competitive, they must broaden their understanding of what makes individuals well and actively seek to make a positive impact within the workplace.

We recognize the role that technology plays in our ability to scale well-being programs, but shopping for vendors, consultants, apps, and training can be cumbersome as the market expands. Learn what we’re doing to simplify the way you filter out the noise to find the best fit for your needs.

We are socially conditioned to work toward kindness, respect, and comfort. However, most conflict feels uncomfortable, and many people don’t learn how to operate through conflict with kindness and respect. For that reason, unfortunately, a lot of our disagreements in the workplace are avoided.

We know the heart of this community. It is pure gold. We also know that sometimes industries cause unintentional harm. We believe in the power of this community to have hard conversations.

Caring for the well-being of employees is so much more than a program. We believe well-being propels organizational success by enabling human performance.

Employers have a choice—either own their responsibility to create a workplace that retains top talent and change the things within their control, or maintain the status quo and become accustomed to volatile turnover rates.

As the way we work changes, so do the positions that support these changes. According to LinkedIn data, there’s been a 13% growth in existing job titles that reference culture or well-being since 2019.

The addiction epidemic is a public health issue that can and should be addressed in the workplace. Employers have a lot more power in how these public health issues get addressed than they might think. Learn tangible steps for how workplaces can be a part of the solution in this week’s blog.

Life on the Farm: At This Insurance Company, Associates Get a Workstation, a Garden Plot, and Full Permission from Leadership to Embrace Wellness

Five years ago, no one was talking about what was missing in workplace wellness. There was no choir to preach to about change. While employers have added more robust offerings to include financial well-being, mental health support, and resilience training, many programs still struggle to effectively meet the needs of the employees or the business.

Breaking the mold and redefining workplace wellness.

We all live in more than one world. Many employees spend the day in an office environment, whether virtual or physical. But they spend more time in their worlds outside of work. Health and wellness-focused goals that sound straightforward and achievable on paper quickly and easily bump up against some pretty tough challenges in off-work hours and spaces.

Choosing Well-Being as a Priority Was Instrumental to WithersRavenel Becoming an Employer of Choice

In 2021, WELCOA partnered with the Returns on Wellbeing Institute to conduct a study. Why? There was a big problem that we knew needed to be solved.

The Solutions Group is a subsidiary of Presbyterian Healthcare Services (PHS), a not-for-profit health system based in the State of New Mexico. As a healthcare provider, PHS has always understood the importance of maintaining the health and well-being of its staff. In recent years, the organization decided to make it a strategic imperative. They turned to a team of internal well-being specialists to make it happen.

America is facing a dire mental health crisis for our young people, as the pandemic upended their education, social lives, and support networks. Are you equipped to support the parents, caretakers, and guardians of those young people?

How to Convince and Coach Your Executive Team to Gain Focus, Commitment, and Investment in Wellness

Have you considered who are you beyond a parent, a partner, or a professional and why that matters? When was the last time you gave yourself permission to reclaim time for you and your creative self?

Organically Grown: How One School System Has Naturally Increased Engagement in Wellness by Nurturing the Growth of a Healthy Team of Champions

Content Contributed By:  It’s not news that COVID-19 has radically changed how work gets done and how employees interact with their organizations. What is striking is how these changes have coincided with the evolving demographics of the global workforce and, as a result, created the need for a fresh look at the employee experience. More…

The city of Albuquerque has made a long-term commitment to wellness and has invested in a five-year strategic plan that includes programs for improving physical activity, nutrition and brain health. It also offers support for lowering health risks associated with chronic disease.

Benefits Utilization Might Be the Missing Piece to the Employee Retention Puzzle This past summer, four million Americans quit their jobs (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). The Great Resignation, set off and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, means many employers are looking at every aspect of their workplace under the microscope, including their benefits plans.…

Relationships are hard. And not all of them make it. This is true for people, and it’s true for the partnerships you form with wellness vendors.

Safety is one of seven areas of well-being. WELCOA respects the research that underscores a workplace’s responsibility to address this core tenet of wellness. When selecting our 2022 theme, we had an epiphany. For decades our industry has been giving people life rafts in the form of a wellness program when they are drowning and attempting to help them recover their well-being.

Caring for the Caregivers–how one hospital is helping frontline healthcare workers stay connected with their own well-being practices.

Can you give yourself permission to expand your knowledge within your area of expertise, follow a new curiosity or develop a new skill? I call this form of creativity your ‘Unicorn Space,’ but like the mythical equine that inspired the name, it doesn’t exist until you give yourself—and others—the permission to reclaim, rediscover, and nurture it.

The WELCOA team is gearing up for the new year by reflecting on what we each have learned this year that we will carry on into 2022. We look forward to continuing to partner with you toward our mission to be a transformative force that improves the health and well-being of all working people. Happy Holidays!

Listen, Listen, Listen – Sun Prairie Area School System Shares Its Success Secrets, Including How the District Uses Wellness as a Talent Magnet

Human capital drives and determines American competitiveness. Now, and in the coming years, human capital management will be imperative for all companies, and it requires that HR sit at the leadership table.

Higginbotham offers employers a single-source solution for insurance, financial, and HR services. The firm was established in 1948 and ranks by revenue as the nation’s 20th largest independent insurance firm, serving thousands of businesses and individuals through locations across 10 states. The company’s wellness journey began with a very focused program for tobacco cessation.

In this line of work, you rarely have the opportunity to see the full impact of the work.

I remember sitting at my desk at my first job. I started it knowing that my dad had cancer, but not grasping the fact that he could die. Deep down, I knew it was probable, but I could not come to terms that a world could exist without him.

Culture Teams, Group Learning, and Office Olympics – How Core Creative Keeps Wellness Fresh and Flexible, While Staying True to Its Purpose

Stories from the trenches.

Self-Care, Collaboration, and Creativity

With approximately 24,000 students, Drexel University is one of America’s 15 largest private universities. Drexel serves three distinct populations: students, faculty, and professional staff. In some cases, a lack of integration among these groups can make wellness a little harder to deliver. “Although our program is mostly geared toward employees, we try to bring all our populations together whenever possible,” said Monica Fauble, wellness consultant for Drexel. “A few examples are our walking club and meditation groups, which are open to students, faculty, and staff.”

Let’s keep things simple. It’s been another whirlwind of a year. We have heard from several of you that you’re not sure which direction to take your corporate wellness strategy right now. Here are three things you can do right now.

This engineering firm places high value on data to ensure they deliver meaningful solutions in a high-stakes environment.

For decades, employees have waited for companies to improve or deliver on promises of a better future. The pandemic illuminated for many employees that their company simply wasn’t going to get the job done. Right now, companies are either experiencing a migration, an acquisition, or worse yet, nothing.

Psychological safety increases job satisfaction and commitment to organizations. It also enhances engagement, increases helping behavior, and improves work performance. Overall, psychological safety is a key mechanism that predicts plenty of positive outcomes for employees and organizations. So, what does psychological safety entail?

Innovation requires that you recognize that things could be better. This is a vulnerable move when it comes to being in relationship with other human beings. Maybe this is why we’ve been avoiding it. It’s time to think bigger, to be vulnerable, to build better trust by serving employees’ needs rather than measuring their productivity, to apologize for what you’ve gotten wrong, and communicate openly about your efforts to create a better workplace for your people. They are, after all, giving their livelihood to your success.

What if your inability to let your employees take a step back when they are experiencing the messiness of life is damaging the whole team? Given that everyone goes through life events and challenges that impact their performance, it’s likely that the issue isn’t their inability to be a superhero in that moment, but rather, the organization’s inability to respond effectively.

Enriching every life. This is the core mission for Gundersen Health System. It applies to the patients and communities they serve, and it also holds true for their employees. The population health team at Gundersen is responsible for delivering health and wellness programming to support the health system’s workforce. And the number one focus for this team is to deliver personalized support to each and every employee.

Based in Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of kitchen and bath products, engines, generators, and clean energy solutions. The company also offers premium lifestyle experiences through a network of golf courses, resorts, and spas. Overall, the company employs more than 35,000 associates across six continents.
At Kohler, well-being starts with good deeds.

What do you do when you know that “this is the way we’ve always done it” is not going to work anymore?

There are two popular narratives we love to tell in our society. 1. We care deeply about mental health and seek to support those struggling. 2. People are responsible for their own health and well-being as demonstrated by their resilience and determination. What happens when people take responsibility for their health and well-being by setting a boundary with their employer when that employer has stated that they care deeply about mental health and seek to support those struggling?

There are few things everyone in healthcare can agree upon, but one exception is the fact that fee-for-service payment models are no longer sustainable. It is almost universally accepted that we must reward providers based on outcomes, not activity, if we want to dramatically improve healthcare in the U.S.

This year more than any other we have learned that we are stressed beyond our limits. Stress was already becoming an issue with 66% of Americans approaching burnout, according to Gallup.

You can see it in their eyes. Hear it in their voices. Feel it in the air. This pandemic has scorched the emotional, physical, social, and financial well-being of our workforces. You don’t need stats to understand this truth. Our collective health is on fire.

With all of the news surrounding Amazon’s new wellness program and lots of people weighing in (Mashable, The Verge, Gizmodo) with little to no workplace well-being expertise, we put together our thoughts to shed some light from an expert lens.

A brand new well-being imperative is foundational to the future of work, and WELCOA in partnership with the Returns on Wellbeing Institute is applying a “what works” philosophy to what should happen next to bring more health and humanity into the workplace.

In case you missed it, Playboy is a wellness company now. So is Amway. At L’Oreal it’s not about the makeup. They are filling the fundamental need for beauty, which taps deep into our “sense of belonging, self-realization, and self-confidence.” Sleep Number doesn’t sell beds. Its mission to improve lives by individuating sleep experiences. Even building a new home is a wellness experience now, with companies like Evolutionary Home Builders offering health-focused dwellings to maximize your well-being.

Whether you’re the person who can’t fall asleep or can’t fall back to sleep, we’ve got some breathwork tools and strategies to have you sleeping like a baby. To begin, let’s understand what’s happening in the body so we can make some changes during the day well before it’s time to go to bed.

While there are many benefits to working from home, a lot of people will find it quite lonely and struggle to stay connected with their colleagues. With no commute each morning, and less engagement throughout the day, it’s all too easy to lose motivation and start feeling isolated. We take a look at four practical strategies for maintaining mental wellbeing as you’re working from home.

Leaders are beginning to rally around resilience and look for ways to build their workplaces, cultures, and resource base to help employees adapt effectively to life events.

With almost 9 billion people on the planet, it’s going to take all of us, applying ourselves in unique ways to create positive change. In short, your unique leadership matters.

COVID-19 is affecting employees across all sectors across the entire world in many ways—from a subclinical illness to death—and we’re practicing social distancing to flatten the curve. But is the “cure” creating additional risks, and how can it be avoided?

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage in hotspots throughout the country and around the globe, it’s beginning to dawn on the working world that the “new normal” may mean continuing to work from home full-time, part-time, or on a flexible schedule.

WELCOA regularly promotes the importance of aligning an organization around a shared vision for employee well-being.

Since the onset of the pandemic, employee health and well-being have quickly shifted to the foreground in the minds of business leaders. Now more than ever, our leaders are listening to guidance on how to create safe and healthy workplace environments, and cultures for employees.

Let’s talk about grind culture – the belief that we have to do more to be good enough. It is basing the merits of self-care on productivity and approval rather than our inherent worth as human beings. It’s a constant hustle.

Many of us made quick adjustments to our living spaces when the pandemic hit and we had to adapt quickly to everyone working from home. Many workspaces are now chaotic with clutter everywhere.

Two years ago, WELCOA launched a list of basic human needs that we, along with a panel of experts, believed should be met to achieve true wellness at work. This blog kicks off an 8-part series that takes a deep dive into this definition and gives you tangible ways to help employees and organizations flourish.

This is the final post in our eight-part series exploring the necessity of fostering all areas of human wellness to make the workplace whole again. To be honest, it has been the hardest to write. As I started putting my thoughts together about why physical and mental health are so critical for making the workplace whole again, I couldn’t help thinking about the history of wellness programs over the years.

Over the past five weeks, WELCOA brought together 15 incredible subject matter experts to create conversations around the future of work and social connection. During a time of division in the world, whether from the global pandemic, racial injustice, or opposing political views, the need for connection is vital, more now than ever. The result of this Idea Collective has been awe-inspiring.

The core of a successful wellness strategy occurs when the groundwork is set for to know they are physically and psychologically safe. Making safety part of the everyday culture is something every company should be working towards.

For WELCOA, no approach to well-being is complete without a conversation about burnout and resilience. Before the pandemic, many organizations addressed this in the form of a stress management initiative, but making the workplace whole again requires taking it one step further. It was true before COVID-19, and it is even more true today: none of us can really escape stress.

Last week my friend Sarah called and exclaimed, “I’m at my edge. I can’t do this anymore! Give me your therapist’s number, please!” Quite frankly I was surprised. I thought of Sarah as living a fantasy COVID lifestyle. She got to visit the beach safely several times a week. Sarah’s parents would sweep in to help with the kids.

In today’s pandemic-ridden, rapidly changing world, employee health and well-being is a top priority for leaders. Well-being is viewed as an essential aspect of creating a high performing, thriving workplace. Well-being programs have been modified, expanded, and refocused to adapt to these changing needs.

“I am a very growth-motivated person, and if you tell me that I don’t have any trajectory at my job, or I don’t feel like my company really cares if I grow personally, then I’m like… what’s the point of going?” This was a quote from a dear friend of mine this week as he and I caught up about how things are going in a post-COVID world.

Wellness thought leader and culture expert Judd Allen has collected data about goal achievement from thousands of employees across thousands of organizations. No matter what the job type, region or industry, he will tell you that one thing is consistent across all populations of people.

For WELCOA, the construct of meaning and purpose has been central to our evolution of wellness.

This is not the first time in our history that we have had to help workers be effective and maintain their well-being through periods of volatility, uncertainty and complexity and ambiguity (VUCA).

The Well Workplace Process (including our all-new Well Workplace Award and Well Workplace Checklist takes WELCOA members on a journey from evaluation and education to validation and designation.

Employers today face an epidemic of workplace stress and depression that takes an enormous toll on employees and company performance.

Aging in America is a scary proposition. Not only is getting “old” and looking old unpopular, but no one really wants to talk about it either. Turning fifty-five this past year has me in a very reflective place as a wellness professional and an aging citizen.

Download a Sample Health Bulletin Download A question we often hear is “How do I start using resources like Health Bulletins and Expert Interviews? There are so many resources and trainings available and am not sure how to use each in my efforts!” Well, thank your lucky stars because we have an answer for you!…

We are living and working in a world where disruption is the new normal – often referred to with the acronym VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous). Thriving in a VUCA world requires us to leverage new thinking and to adapt in ways like we’ve never experienced.

For years, human resources has been the department that everyone loves to criticize. More than 20 years ago, Tom Stewart, a Fortune editor at the time, suggested that instead of improving HR, the department should be abolished, eliminated, nuked.

In the United States, someone needs blood every two seconds. I had heard similar statistics many times, but they never really sank in. At least until I found myself as part of that statistic.

We need each other. We are all human. At least I think we are. No matter our race, ethnicity, size, first language, religion, sexual orientation, or anything else that makes us unique, we as humans require the same basic needs.

The landscape of workplace wellness has changed significantly in Ireland in recent years. The idea that wellness in the workplace consisted of bean bags, table tennis and a yoga class here and there is still the opinion of some. However, this view is dying out as we gain a greater understanding of what a healthy workplace really is.

Loneliness is on the rise, particularly in the workplace. It might seem ironic that with myriad ways to stay connected with our colleagues—including chat and messaging services like Slack or virtual meeting platforms like GoToMeeting—more of us are feeling more socially disconnected than ever.

It is no secret that many workplace wellness programs struggle with engagement. A step in the right direction to increase engagement is to create an organizational culture that supports well-being. Creating that culture is much more feasible when you have committed and aligned leadership.

King Sisyphus, of Greek mythology, was punished by Zeus for tricking him. His punishment was to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill repeatedly. To make it worse, Zeus would make the boulder roll away from Sisyphus when he neared the top of the hill.

Gratitude stems from the Latin word gratus meaning ‘pleasing, thankful’. It is a feeling or expression of appreciation for what we have. As with many human emotions, some of us experience and practice gratitude more than others.

At Stanford University, during the 2018-2019 academic year, virtually every meeting of the faculty senate included a report—or two—on the university’s diversity efforts. Yet ageism was never addressed—and continues to go unnoticed.

Written by: Heath Shackleford, Chief Marketing Officer, CHC Wellbeing Ramki Ramanarayanan, Chief Executive Officer, CHC Wellbeing The statistics speak for themselves. The majority of Americans (60%) are living with a chronic condition – 42 percent of adults are suffering from multiple chronic conditions. Meanwhile, an estimated 8.3 million American adults suffer from serious psychological distress. We…

by Jeff Brizzolara, PhD, MPH; Rajiv Kumar, MD; and Gary Smithson, MD Employee wellbeing programs work. Not all of them, of course, but those that are high quality and evidence-based do produce measurable and meaningful results. Over the years, there have been numerous articles and studies regarding the effectiveness of workplace wellbeing programs. For every…

Many WELCOA members have used or heard about WELCOA’s On The Move solution. It was a holistic online wellness platform launched in 2014 to address a specific need in employee wellness programming. After years of operating fun, engaging, and impactful programs at worksites across the country, On The Move has found a new home. Last…

By: Abbie Leibowitz, M.D., F.A.A.P., is Chief Medical Officer, Founder and President Emeritus at Health Advocate A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association has raised questions about the value of workplace wellness programs. While the findings confirmed that employees who participate in wellness programs make positive behavior changes, the results…

By: Anna Greenwald, CEO of On the Goga We live in a lifestyle economy. We shop, buy, subscribe and engage with businesses that fit our unique values and sub-cultures. The brands that thrive in our lifestyle economy, “Lifestyle Brands,” make us feel special. They know what we care about, what we think is cool, and…

Personal note from the author: Obesity is not only a controversial topic, but also a highly sensitive one. While the purpose of this article is to provide education, insights and suggestions, you may react emotionally to some of it—especially if you personally struggle with your eating habits or weight. If that’s the case, you’re not…

OMAHA, Nebraska and BOSTON, Massachusetts / August 1, 2019 / EINPresswire Wellable, a leading employee wellness technology and services provider, acquires the On The Move wellness technology platform from the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA).  Created in 2014, On The Move was designed to address a specific need in employee wellness programming, and since its…

WELCOA’s founder, William Kizer, Sr. had a vision for the health of our nation. His vision was to establish a national resource that could easily be accessed by organizations of all types including large corporations, healthcare agencies, government organizations, small businesses, and institutes of higher learning. When William Kizer, Sr., Dr. Louis Sullivan, and Warren…

At this time, there is an urgent need for workplaces to effectively address mental health and suicidal crises. They are complex issues and involve a variety of factors. Try these strategies to become more informed and spread awareness during Mental Health Month in May. Develop proactive strategic plans that address mental health and suicide prevention…

Traditional wellness programs have focused primarily on improving biometric markers among participants. While it is undeniable that our industry has done great work to improve health, this approach has yielded low program participation, questionable long-term gains and can be costly to implement. Fortunately, health promotion programs have begun to evolve toward a more holistic approach.…

If there’s one thing that almost all of us have in common, it’s a sweet tooth. And because life is for living, it would be unrealistic to expect any of us to completely forgo sweets…especially during the Halloween season! Thankfully, recent research supports that you don’t have to. There is a sweet that you can…

Contributed by: Heather Gavras on behalf of the American Heart Association. Ninety-nine percent of the U.S. adult population has at least one of seven cardiovascular health risks. The combination of these risk factors increases employer medical spending by more than 200 percent per person annually. Improved heart health benefits both employees and employers. Healthy, engaged…

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which highlights a very serious and traumatic illness that affects thousands of women each year. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women in the United States (aside from skin cancer). As with most cancers, there is no singular cause for breast cancer, but rather a variety…

“To carry each other is not a burden at all, but a kind of privilege.” –Bono Most of us are overwhelmed, exhausted, and running on caffeine and refined carbs. Those of us with mental illness often feel like we are drowning and no one can see us. We say “yes” when really want to say…

Contributed by: Heath Shackleford on behalf of CHC Wellbeing If you work in the wellness industry, I’d like you to consider yourself part of a “helping profession.” Just like nurses, teachers, counselors, first responders or nonprofit leaders, you come to the office every day with the overall mission of helping those in need. Having a…

Employee engagement: essential for company success but (at times) difficult to achieve. Even the most interested and well-intentioned employees need convenience and a supportive culture to drive participation.

America’s cholesterol levels are too high making us at risk for heart attacks and strokes. It’s expensive. And it’s almost entirely preventable. We likely all know someone who has suffered from a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States.1 Annually, it costs approximately 200 billion dollars.2 The single most potent…

Summer is in full swing and our thoughts are turning to warmer weather, short sleeves and outside activities. But there’s something important everyone should learn about so that they can truly enjoy the sunny weather in a healthy way: Apply Cover Enjoy™. Did you know that skin cancer is the most common form of cancer…

The Evolution of WELCOA’s Well Workplace Process sets the bar for exciting new Trends in the Wellness Industry. Omaha, Nebraska (June 27, 2018) — For the last three years the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) has been exploring the real challenges their members were facing. Through quantitative research, focus groups and an advisory council of…

WELCOA WORDPLAY: Spelling Out Our Tools for Successful Wellness Programs We spend most of our time communicating with our thousands of dedicated members through email, phone and even LinkedIn to find out what pains you most at work. Each day we leave more and more inspired by the work that YOU are doing in your organizations.…

Take a seat and think back to the last time you sat down for a big game or TV show in your favorite chair. As you begin to snuggle in you notice something a little different with this particular chair. You lift your left arm and underneath it you find a mini refrigerator stocked with…

Eliminating stress at work as an organization isn’t feasible, but that doesn’t mean that your company shouldn’t be invested in stress management. Below, we cover why stress management is so important in the workplace and how it will benefit your organization. Understanding the Effects of Stress on Employees Before considering the impact that stressed employees…