So, what has changed today for us in comparison to our ancestors? Well, it’s the lifestyle. More food choices, unhealthier food, sedentary lifestyle, less sleep, more stress and so on and so forth. This is especially true in the corporate world. So, what then do the employees do for better health outcomes? Well, for starters, all sorts of health and vitamin pills are taken with the hope of a good health. But, the other habits still continue. Employers, today need to focus on corporate wellness programs that help their employees make lifestyle changes.
Corporate health management should be for the entire organization due to the benefit it offers to the organization. In fact, ignoring employee wellness can cost the company more than what is thought to be. Hence, the need for employee wellness programs which focuses on prevention rather than providing a cure. Now, employee wellbeing does not only mean insurance covers, subsidized healthcare services, etc. It actually means bringing the concept of health to the workplace by offering various health related activities to the employees within their daily work schedule for their well being.
So, what are the corporate wellness programs centered around? These programs focus on lifestyle changes. The lifestyle changes that they focus on are:
Good nutrition: We all know the adage “you are what you eat”. Employees are constantly making unhealthy food choices in comparison to the healthier choices since they simply have no time to do so. The endless cups of tea or coffee add to the extra calorie intake. And as far as exercise is concerned, it just does not exist.
Activities like lunch and learns, easy healthy recipe demonstrations, one on one consultations, health related webinars or seminars can all help in inculcating healthy food habits in the employees. People with comorbidities like diabetes, hypertension or obesity can immensely benefit from these programs by streamlining their eating habits. Office cafeteria menus can be made into healthy ones and even healthy snacking ideas can be implemented with the help of a qualified nutritionist.
Regular physical activity: Regular activities such as yoga, meditation, aerobic or zumba sessions, will ensure the employee does not miss out on the crucial exercise part in the day. Running fitness challenges with nutrition can motivate the employees to work towards team or individual goals with zeal. Exercise is known to be a great stress reliever and can help the employees have greater productivity.
Along with these, employees are also given guidance on their daily fluid intake, their sleep habits, important tips on their alcohol intake and also given counseling for their smoking habits if present.
Taking care of the employees through corporate wellness programs can be the biggest investment a company makes for the health of its employees. Today, many Indian nutritionists working in corporate wellness companies are trained to undertake such programs for the corporate giants that they work for.
Arati Shah is an expert nutritionist and she runs her own weight loss centre in Mumbai, Café Nutrition. Having earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition along with a Post-Graduation in Sports Sciences and Nutrition from S.N.D.T Juhu, Mumbai. She heads the Nutrition team in Mumbai and takes personal interest in each and every client of Café Nutrition. In addition, her sports nutritionist programs are easy to follow as she works on bringing about a change with our regular food habits.