Wellness

Many of our employers are committed to helping their employees lead healthier, more productive and happier lives through the introduction of the concept of “Wellness”.

What is Wellness?

When you say “I’m fine” or “doing well” or “great”, what do you mean? What makes you feel well? Who is responsible for the quality of your life? What is wellness?

Origin of the term “Wellness”

In the 1960s, Halbert L. Dunn first used the term wellness. He referred to it as “a lifestyle approach that pursued elevated states of physical and psychological well-being.” He described it as a “disciplined commitment to self-mastery.”

Wellness means a healthy balance of the mind, body, and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. Wellness is an ongoing process. It is a way of living so that sickness is infrequent, while also improving and strengthening your immune system. It involves your physical, mental, psychological, emotional and spiritual health. Being well suggests good health, aliveness and energy, as well as a great sense of well-being.

What “Wellness” means to us

Wellness may have different meanings for different people, but for us it’s a strategy to help our clients control increasing health care costs by helping their employees make better, more informed decisions regarding their personal health. It stands to reason that an employee that quits smoking will claim fewer drug expenses over a long period of time. Moreover, an employee that loses 20 pounds may take fewer drugs over the long term for cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Employees taking more responsibility for “Wellness”

According to a 2005 Sanofi-Aventis Health care Survey, “73% of employees agree that they have an obligation to help their employer control the costs of their employee health benefits plan”. Fully 54% of employees either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that “the cost of employee health benefit plans should be higher for employees who smoke, don’t exercise or are seriously overweight”. Clearly, employee attitudes are shifting toward taking responsibility for their own health and the consequences of not doing so.

The Best Benefits can provide advice regarding the setup of an in-house Wellness Committee, help you generate wellness ideas and trouble-shoot any problem areas you may have. All of which ultimately helps you save money and have healthier, more productive employees.