6 Worksite Wellness Trends to Watch in 2017

Worksite wellness programs continued to gain in popularity and to evolve in organizations throughout the country last year. So what trends can you expect to see in 2017?

Greater emphasis placed on sleep
The CDC recommends adults get seven to eight hours of sleep per day, however, over 40 million American adults sleep six or fewer hours a day. To prevent diseases and improve health, employers are becoming aware of the value sleep has on their business. Sleep loss in the short-term is damaging to productivity and can impact mood, memory retention and decision-making, and can increase the risk of occupational injuries. Long-term sleep deprivation can exacerbate health problems such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. Workplace health programs can encourage employees to adopt better sleep habits and healthy sleep routines.

Keep up with wellness regulations
Employers that offer wellness programs that collect employee health information will now be required to inform employees of what information will be collected, how it will be used, who will receive it and what will be done to keep it confidential. EEOC regulations go into effect for employers on the first day of the first plan year beginning on or after January 1, 2017. Additionally, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) is crucial.

Embrace new technologies
There is a unique opportunity for wellness programs to serve as a sort of “hub” in terms of coordinating health care and access to resources for all employees. Additionally, staying on top of trends such as wearables and video conferencing can help keep engagement levels high as more employees start to work remotely.

Mind-body well-being is as important as physical health
By treating both physical and emotional health, employers can increase productivity and lower health care costs through improved health outcomes. Emotional health accounts for $135 billion spent on health care every year – nearly as much as is spent on heart disease and cancer treatment combined. Well-designed programs, can help employees achieve total well-being.

Give back to the community
Offering company-supported wellness programs with activities that serve the community can create an added incentive for your employees, and their families, to adopt healthy behaviors because the activities benefit more than just the individual. Some activities include local cancer and heart charity walks or building community gardens in impoverished areas.

Create a healthy work environment
Improving the worksite and design of the workplace can lead to higher rates of employee engagement and healthier behaviors in the office. Some of these efforts can be as simple as eliminating high fat or sugar choices for meetings, or as complex as redesigning your office space. Healthy activity can be incorporated into your workplace by initiating walking meetings and providing motivational signs directing employees to staircases.

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Visit Wellness Workdays for more information about our worksite wellness programs.