Group Dynamics in Healthcare Settings

Wellness

Wellness is a balanced state of health in both mind and body. This concept is especially important for both individual employees but as well with the group members at large. Companies have wellness initiatives that promote physical exercise and proper nutrition to improve employees' physical, emotional, and psychological health. Such programs are proactive approaches using preventative measures to help employees with lifestyle changes as according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 66% of Americans are overweight or obese and nearly half reported to have at least one chronic medical condition. These impairments have indirect costs to the economy, both in terms of financial loss and personal burnout and/or turnover. In order to slow the rising healthcare costs and maintain a productive workforce, wellness plans have been developed to prevent these national health problems.

Research has found three essential components to developing and implementing an effective wellness program. An efficient program must have support from the top level of management, employees at all levels must "buy into" the program to some degree, and the program must be accessible and applicable to all employees. It is also important to be aware of the possible implications of stigma, as some employees may not share the same desire to participate.

Involvement in such programs has the ability to benefit at the individual and group level. Research suggests that employees with an unhealthy diet are 66% more likely to report having experienced a loss in productivity than those that consume a healthy diet. Envick also found that individuals involved in wellness programs were less likely to report work-related incidents and the incidents that were reported were less severe and took less time-off. According to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being index, 74% of workers surveyed agreed that wellness benefits encouraged them to work harder and perform better, while 48% said wellness offerings encouraged them to stay in their current position. There is also support that a positive relationship exists between psychological well-being and productivity. Included within the context of psychological wellbeing is emotional fitness, which can be explained as the capability of the mind to stay away from negative thoughts and focus on constructive tasks. Wright also found that ridding the mind of negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, and distress can contribute to increased productivity in everyday tasks. At the group level, wellness programs can increase productivity in the workforce, decrease absenteeism, and save money by lowering insurance premium costs. These programs also encourage a culture of health that allows more people to become aware of the importance of personal health choices and establish initiative in the employees. An additional benefit of wellness programs among organizations is increased employee morale, pride, trust, and commitment. Promoting competition within a wellness program can also increase participation, accountability, and effectiveness. For example, several companies engaged in a "wireless step competition" to see which organization could walk the most steps in a given time period. Many individuals within these groups were inspired to exceed their current fitness goals. Collaborative initiatives as such encourage employees to participate, which ultimately leads to productivity and greater team and group cohesion.

Workplace wellness programs are categorized into two subgroups, individual-level interventions and public health strategies. Individual-level strategies identify specific health risks of individual workers through a screening process and treat independently based on need. Public health strategies target the entire workforce collectively and attempt to promote healthy behaviors and develop a culture of wellness. These programs are designed to work with employees on non-work related issues that have the potential to interfere with productivity on the job. Many strategies and techniques have been developed to promote an ease of access to employees. One initiative uses wireless technology to track employees' activities, which then get transmitted to the password-protected activity log specific to the company's wellness program. The ease and convenience of this technology increases employee participation and health plan monitoring.

Another support is the use of telephone-based health coaching. These plans are individually tailored for each participant, developed to focus on "triggers" that prevent the individuals from reaching fitness goals, and increase accountability by having contact with a personal trainer, health educator, or registered dietitian on a scheduled, regular basis. In order to maximize member participation and success in health improvement, wellness programs create an environment that consistently highlights and reinforces healthy behaviors. Other suggested channels to encourage participation include: poster and brochure promotion, email reminders, meetings, and intranet notices.

Wellness incentives and programs are generally funded considering the return on investment and reduction of health insurance premiums as research on the effects of increased employee fitness has shown a possible 300 percent return on investment per employee. Moreover, according to research from the Texas Coalition of Worksite Wellness, for every dollar invested in corporate health promotion a savings of between $3.50 and $6.00 is achieved through reduced absenteeism, higher productivity, and fewer health care related costs. Regardless of the potential return on investment, wellness programs are well worth the time and financial investment for both the employer and employees.

Promoting wellness in the workplace is vital to the livelihood of the employees. In fact, the value of achieving optimal wellness is to subdue stress, reduce the risk of illness, and live a more productive life. Furthermore, exercising increases the production and release of the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, the sleep/wake cycle, and appetite; and in low levels, it is linked to depression. Another benefit to wellness is the promotion of self-care. Self-care may involve the practice of mindfulness exercises that are especially relevant to sustaining focus and increasing the gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. Increasing the gray matter in this area of the brain promotes greater executive functioning. Therefore, wellness is important for the employer beyond simply the return on investment.