Workplace Wellness

 

Why Is Workplace Wellness Important?

Companies must be willing to commit to uncovering disparities and other concerns at the office and invest the time, resources, and policies to support meaningful employee health endeavors. Workplace wellness is even more important today, given the social, economic, and political climate of the world in which we live.

Here’s why companies must invest in their employees’ health:

• Healthy employees tend to absorb less-exorbitant healthcare costs.
• Well-cared-for employees meet with fewer road accidents as they don’t suffer from being stressed, sleep-deprived, or burnt out.
• When employees are healthier, they are less likely to take sick leaves.
• Talent acquisition and retention remain strong when employees are happy to work at a company.

How To Achieve Workplace Wellness

To achieve workplace wellness, companies must be willing to explore the different avenues of healthcare that can benefit employees. According to this study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 56% of workers are covered by company-provided healthcare plans as of 2021. This could be because of certain factors such as employee ineligibility under certain health benefits or small companies’ inability to shoulder healthcare costs.

The good news is that many companies accept why workplace wellness is a paramount subject to address. Here’s how companies can achieve this.

Promote Health and Wellness Programs

Identifying unhealthy behaviors and potential health risks is a great starting point for companies to foster a healthy workforce. Wellness programs that highlight the ill effects of smoking, weight management, depression, stress, and emotional distress caused by work-related factors can target pressing paint points of employees. To successfully incorporate these programs, companies must:

• Invest in the right healthcare policies that encompass wider aspects of physical and mental health.
• Get professionals on board to oversee and create nuanced wellness programs that require one-on-one sessions with employees.
• Highlight the importance of regular biometric screenings or assessments that give employees a chance to address underlying concerns or risks related to physical and mental health.

Explore Telemedicine

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers have identified the importance of telemedicine for remote workers. Having access to healthcare services through a telecommunications platform is a major gamechanger to support workplace wellness.

Through telemedicine, employees have access to valuable resources and assistance to cope with physical, emotional, and mental challenges. Through the support of a company, the right help can be provided in a discreet, safe environment.

Furthermore, virtual healthcare programs are growing in popularity as organizations around the world recognize the need for easily accessible resources and help.

Wellness Tips for Employees

There’s nothing like feeling good, energetic, and at the top of your game in and out of the office. While not every day will be as perfect, you can strive to create a healthy lifestyle that benefits your body and your work and personal life.

Check out the following tips that can help you accomplish small yet significant wellness goals:

• Declutter your desk by placing things back where they belong and rearranging office essentials in storage trays, holders, or bins.
• Set an alarm on your watch or phone to go off every 60 minutes. When it does, get up and stretch, walk around, and drink water.
• Indulge in meditation by signing up on apps such as Calm or Elevate to create a routine that works for you. You can set a time to do this at the office with a few coworkers by booking a conference room when it’s convenient for everyone.

• Invite co-workers for a group fitness program as a fun way to blow off steam after working hours.
• Prepare nutritious home-cooked meals in advance for the week instead of relying on canteen food and takeout.
• Sit on a yoga ball while working instead of a chair to improve your posture, stability, and core strength.
• Get plants for your cubicle to create a space of zen and comfort while you work.
• Take a power nap in the second half of the day, preferably a little after lunch when energy levels tend to dip.

Workplace Wellness: Best Practices

It’s great to see that corporate wellness industries have grown by as much as grown by as much as 30% in the last 10 years. To be part of this movement, choosing strong and well-developed wellness initiatives that can kickstart and sustain workplace wellness should be a priority.

Here are the best practices of how to initiate solutions and practices that aim to keep a company’s employees’ interests in mind:

Craft An Annual Operating Plan

Crafting annual operating plans helps companies evaluate existing scenarios to gauge which wellness programs will benefit both the business and its employees. While crafting a successful wellness program, companies should primarily focus on these key factors as the end goal:

• How to increase productivity and performance
• How to lower healthcare costs
• How to curb injuries and accidents from happening (on-site or as a result of factors related to work)
• How to improve morale and retain employees
• How to reduce absenteeism and control presenteeism (coming to work despite feeling unwell, which can hamper productivity and performance)
• How to reduce disability-related and workers’ compensation costs
• How to encourage employees to switch to a healthier lifestyle and tackle challenges at the office
• How to get employees to open up on the kind of benefits they expect a company to cover

Once the managerial staff and HR come together to work on the above parameters, the next steps are to

1. Survey employees to understand what they expect to accomplish from a wellness program by considering their social, economic, and personal well-being.
2. Assess employment working conditions and how wellness programs should be aligned to cater to employees based on the nature and type of work.
3. Conduct regular health assessments, whether every quarter or annually, for valuable information on employees’ health

 

Benefits of a healthy diet — with or without weight loss

With the obesity epidemic at an all-time high in the US — close to 70% of Americans are overweight or obese — many people could benefit from losing weight. However, for numerous reasons, weight loss is challenging. In addition, some people are tempted to choose the “diet of the month” or a plan that they have read about online or heard about from friends and family. Unfortunately, these diets are oftentimes not the most nutritious, and even with some weight loss, may not ultimately improve health.

So, is there any benefit from improving the quality of one’s diet without weight loss? The answer is YES. Three randomized clinical trials (the gold standard in nutrition research) have shown that by improving what you eat, you can improve cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure, LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides, and improve your health.

Examining the evidence

 Examined the effect of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet on blood pressure. The researchers recruited 460 overweight and obese adults with borderline high blood pressure. They provided the participants with food according to DASH diet guidelines. The DASH diet is defined as: low in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol; rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and fiber; emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products; including fish, poultry, nuts, and seeds; and limiting red meat, sweets, and sugary beverages. To prevent any effect from weight changes on the results, researchers regulated calories to prevent weight gain or weight loss. At the end of the 11-week study, the participants’ blood pressure was significantly reduced compared to their baseline blood pressure.

The looked at the already very healthy DASH diet and then added sodium limits. Study participants on the DASH diet who were assigned to the lowest sodium limit (1,500 milligrams per day) experienced drops in blood pressure similar to what a blood pressure medication would achieve.

The third trial examined whether changing a few components of the original DASH diet could result in even greater improvement in risk factors. This study, called OMNI Heart (Optimal Macronutrient Intake to Prevent Heart Disease) examined 164 overweight and obese adults with prehypertension or Stage 1 hypertension, and replaced some of the carbohydrates in the DASH diet with either healthy protein (from fish, nuts, beans, and legumes) or unsaturated fats (from olive oil, nuts, avocado, and nut butters). Again, calories were kept neutral to avoid weight gain or loss. Results showed that substituting healthy protein or healthy fats for some of the carbohydrate lowered LDL (bad) cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides even further than the DASH diet alone.

Putting it into practice

In summary, for overweight or obese people with borderline high blood pressure, following a DASH diet with a focus on daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, and lean sources of protein could result in a reduction in blood pressure. Limiting high sources of sodium, including any canned, convenience, and processed foods, and high-sodium condiments such as salad dressing, pickles, and soy sauce, can produce even greater reductions in blood pressure. Substituting some healthy fat or healthy protein for some of the carbohydrates in your diet may improve your cardiac risk factors even more by lowering triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

The bottom line is that for those who are overweight or obese, losing weight is not the only way to improve your health. Choosing healthy foods every day can make a positive difference.

 

Physical activity

Key facts

• Physical activity has significant health benefits for hearts, bodies and minds
• Physical activity contributes to preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes
• Physical activity reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
• Physical activity enhances thinking, learning, and judgment skills
• Physical activity ensures healthy growth and development in young people
• Physical activity improves overall well-being
• Globally, 1 in 4 adults do not meet the global recommended levels of physical activity
• People who are insufficiently active have a 20% to 30% increased risk of death compared to people who are sufficiently active
• More than 80% of the world's adolescent population is insufficiently physically active

What is physical activity?

WHO defines physical activity as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person’s work. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health.

Popular ways to be active include walking, cycling, wheeling, sports, active recreation and play, and can be done at any level of skill and for enjoyment by everybody. 

Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being. 

How much of physical activity is recommended?

WHO guidelines and recommendations provide details for different age groups and specific population groups on how much physical activity is needed for good health.

WHO recommends:

For children under 5 years of age

In a 24-hour day, infants (less than 1 year) should:

• be physically active several times a day in a variety of ways, particularly through interactive floor-based play; more is better. For those not yet mobile, this includes at least 30 minutes in prone position (tummy time) spread throughout the day while awake;
• not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time (e.g., prams/strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back);
  • Screen time is not recommended. 
• When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged; and
• have 14-17h (0-3 months of age) or 12-16h (4-11 months of age) of good quality sleep, including naps.

In a 24-hour day, children 1-2 years of age should:

• spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, including moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better;
• not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time (e.g., prams/strollers, high chairs, or strapped on a caregiver’s back) or sit for extended periods of time.
  • For 1 year olds, sedentary screen time (such as watching TV or videos, playing computer games) is not recommended. 
  • For those aged 2 years, sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better. 
• When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is encouraged; and
• have 11-14h of good quality sleep, including naps, with regular sleep and wake-up times.

In a 24-hour day, children 3-4 years of age should:

• spend at least 180 minutes in a variety of types of physical activities at any intensity, of which at least 60 minutes is moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, spread throughout the day; more is better;
• not be restrained for more than 1 hour at a time (e.g., prams/strollers) or sit for extended periods of time.
  • Sedentary screen time should be no more than 1 hour; less is better.

• When sedentary, engaging in reading and storytelling with a caregiver is); encourage; and 
• have 10-13h of good quality sleep, which may include a nap, with regular sleep and wake-up times.

Children and adolescents aged 5-17 years.

• should do at least an average of 60 minutes per day of moderate-to-vigorous intensity, mostly aerobic, physical activity, across the week.
• should incorporate vigorous-intensity aerobic activities, as well as those that strengthen muscle and bone, at least 3 days a week.
• should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary, particularly the amount of recreational screen time.

Adults aged 18–64 years

• should do at least 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity; 
• or at least 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week
• should also do muscle-strengthening activities at moderate or greater intensity that involve all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these provide additional health benefits.
• may increase moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to more than 300 minutes; or do more than 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity throughout the week for additional health benefits.
• should limit the amount of time spent being sedentary. Replacing sedentary time with physical activity of any intensity (including light intensity) provides health benefits, and
• to help reduce the detrimental effects of high levels of sedentary behaviour on health, all adults and older adults should aim to do more than the recommended levels of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity

What is frontotemporal dementia?

Common symptoms include language problems and abnormal behavior in middle age.

Many people know the form of dementia called Alzheimer’s disease. But what is frontotemporal dementia (FTD)? Damage to nerves in certain parts of the brain causes a group of frontotemporal disorders, affecting behavior and language as I’ll describe below.

Early signs of frontotemporal dementia

Have you noticed someone behaving differently? Is your coworker doing odd things, such as slapping each door as they walk down the hall? Or has your previously kind and caring spouse lost their capacity for empathy, such that when you told them about your cancer diagnosis, they complained that your treatment schedule would interfere with their golf game? If so, they might be showing early signs of the behavioral variant of FTD.

Maybe there’s a problem with language, rather than behavior. Perhaps it started with difficulty finding words (like any older adult), but is your sibling now having trouble with grammar and getting out an intelligible sentence? Or does your friend not know the meaning of some ordinary words, like pizza, lemonade, wood, or metal? If so, they might be showing signs of primary progressive aphasia, which may also be due to FTD.

A common pathology inside the brain

What’s the connection between these behavior and language problems? Why are they both part of FTD?

Both have the same underlying causes: a family of abnormal proteins that can be seen under the microscope. In fact, more than a dozen different pathologies can cause FTD. Each of them can lead to either behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia or the language difficulties of primary progressive aphasia.

Location, location, location

How can the same pathology — the same abnormal protein — lead to either behavior problems or language problems, or sometimes both? The answer is, it depends on where the pathology is.

The frontal lobes of your brain, behind your forehead, regulate and guide your personality, judgement, and behavior. So, if the frontotemporal pathology is in this region, it will cause changes in personality, judgement, and behavior.

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