By Thomas Ward – Wellness Program Manager, UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc. You’ve worked with your stakeholders and have set up your strategy, created programs and services that you just know will work – it’s now “go day” and the only employees who show up are the woman who runs every day after work and
Working on Wellness Blog
Additional Stories
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What is Total Worker Health?
Does your organization have all the components of a comprehensive worksite wellness program? Often when we think of worksite wellness, what comes to mind are nutrition workshops, local farmer’s markets, and meditation classes. While these are helpful for employees, there is more you can do for your employees to address work-related health and safety hazards.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
So often we think that everyone is just like us and that we can create something that will meet everyone’s needs. In the case of a worksite wellness initiative, this can be a big mistake. When developing a plan for your worksite wellness initiative, consider the diverse types of jobs in your workplace. Let’s explore
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Identify Talent From Within
As an organization you know you have talented employees. They come to work each day and perform their jobs to the best of their ability. When hiring new staff, leadership considers the many professional traits and skills that candidates can bring to the organization, but employees offer much more to an organization beyond their job
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Protect Employees from Unhealthy and Unsafe Work Conditions
Losing workers to injury or illness, even for a short time, can cause disruptions at work and are costly to employers, employees and their families. It can also damage workplace morale and productivity. One of the “root causes” of workplace injuries, illnesses, and incidents is the failure to identify or recognize hazards that are present,
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Working on Wellness Newsletter – April 2017
This month’s newsletter focuses on assessing your employees’ health risks, safety needs, and wellness preferences. We provide you with tips for success as well as key tools you can use from the Healthy Workplaces Toolbox. Check out our April newsletter here.
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Do You Work Around Chemicals? Learn How to Protect Yourself
Imagine going to work one day and coming home with an illness that will be with you for the rest of your life. Sound far-fetched? We’ve seen this happen to workers across Massachusetts. It can happen when you are exposed to chemicals at work that are part of your job, or chemicals that other people
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It’s Gloves Off When Operating Certain Machinery
For most people, wearing gloves is second nature as a way to protect your hands. But there’s an exception to every rule – and if you work with machinery that has rotating or moving parts that you could touch, wearing gloves while using this machinery might be putting your fingers in danger.
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Put Employees First: Engaging Employees in Wellness
Solely having a worksite wellness initiative in place offers no guarantee that employees will take advantag of the initiative and improve their health, safety and well-being. Gallup’s research shows a clear link between employee engagement and well-being with managers serving as the conduit between the two. Without sincere, honest engagement from employees it’s nearly impossible to have a
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Engage Middle Managers in Your Wellness Initiative!
The support of leaders at all levels of your organization is essential to the success and longevity of your worksite wellness initiative. Senior managers create a work environment where employee health and safety is valued, supported and promoted. They do this through instituting programs, policies, benefits and environmental supports that integrate wellbeing with business operations.
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Working on Wellness Newsletter – February 2017
This month’s newsletter focuses on securing buy-in from leadership for employee health and safety. We provide you with tips for success as well as key tools you can use from the Healthy Workplaces Toolbox. Check out our February newsletter here.
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Transform Your Break Room into a Place of Rest and Renewal
Think about the break room at your company. Do employees use it? Do they look forward to spending time there? Do they feel rejuvenated after being there? If you didn’t answer a resounding “yes” to these questions, most likely your organization has a utilitarian-type space for employees to take a break or perhaps your work
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How Marketing Communications Can Help Your Wellness Initiative Succeed
Marketing communications plays a key role in the success of your worksite wellness initiative. It positions the initiative as a key business priority and demonstrates the value of wellness to your organization. It educates employees about the initiative, the brand and how works. It gets people involved and it motivates them to continue on.
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Working on Wellness Newsletter – January 2017
Working on Wellness is pleased to announce the new focus of its newsletters in 2017! The newsletters will showcase worksite wellness best practices following the Working on Wellness Program Development Cycle. The newsletters will offer links to resources, tools and supporting blogs to help organizations implement worksite wellness initiatives that create environments where health and safety
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Integrative Health in the Workplace
In designing a wellness program, we often focus on the common health risks that drive health care costs. In doing so we often focus on common behavior such as tobacco use, physical inactivity and obesity. Perhaps it’s time to consider a different approach. Increasingly businesses are turning to integrative health approaches that consider the whole
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Treadmill Workstations: Are They a Winner or a Waste?
Treadmill Workstations, also known as treadmill desks, allow users to walk and work simultaneously. They can range from a simple moving platform that you place at your desk, to a full set up complete with the platform, desk, and handrails. If you are thinking about purchasing a treadmill workstation, or are unsure about the idea,