Corporate wellness programs are nowadays part of most organisations’ employee benefits. In Australia, many organisations invest in corporate health programs, in an effort to uncover how much their employees are at risk of lifestyle-related health issues.
Some companies will ‘stab in the dark’ in an attempt to improve the wellness of their staff. Very often these attempts produce information but no solution and create short-term change that lasts only as long as the program runs.
Recent studies show that despite growing awareness amongst the working population of what is needed to create optimal health and wellness, employees are still struggling to achieve their goals and perform at the highest level.
Coaching, and more specifically wellness coaching, provides the missing ingredient that can move your staff forward to a better and more balanced health and lifestyle, with more energy, greater confidence, and ultimately a higher level of productivity and efficiency.
The practice of coaching, whether personal, life, career, sport, or executive coaching had grown rapidly across the globe since the early 90s. Wellness coaching, however, in which people learn the principles of behaviour change, and are assisted to make life-lasting improvements in their health and wellbeing, is still an emerging field in Australia.
Wellness coaching can help your staff move forward in their life and consequently, can help your business becomes more successful. The overall benefits of wellness coaching for an organisation and its staff are remarkable.
Benefits of Corporate Wellness Coaching
1. Reduce absenteeism
Employees with high-risk behaviours, such as tobacco use, a sedentary life, and obesity, cost the economy and organisations millions of dollars every year. These high-risk behaviours often cause preventable illnesses and prevent employees from coming to work.
2. Enhance performance and productivity
By implementing wellness programs and using wellness coaching as a support to their staff, employers improve the overall health of their workforce, reduce absenteeism and ultimately improve performance and productivity.
3. Improve staff morale
Wellness coaching guides, supports, and holds employees accountable. It also ensures that employees are highly motivated to achieve their health and wellness goals and decrease their unhealthy behaviours.
When employees experience the advantages of a higher level of health and wellness in their lives, they automatically improve their attitude towards their job, increase their energy, and raise their morale.
4. It’s money wisely invested
Because each program is unique and tailored to suit the needs of each employee, the chances of success are increased. As a bonus, no money is wasted on expensive and purely informative seminars or workshops.
Moreover, most wellness coaching sessions can be provided either face to face, via email, or over the phone, and depending on the support chosen, the program costs can be kept to a minimum.
5. Decrease employees’ major health risks
health and wellness coaching can help individuals decrease major health risks by motivating them to reduce high risk behaviours, and implement new healthy long-term behaviours.
6. Improve employees’ overall health and sense of wellbeing
Most employees want to either get in shape, lose weight, improve their exercise routine, reduce their stress level, quit smoking, or create balance in their lives.
Wellness coaching, and more specifically goal setting, can assist them with their current health problems, help them prevent future health issues, and put them back in the driver’s seat, in control of their own life and wellbeing.
Wellness coaching is commonly linked with face to face or online Health Risk Appraisal (HRA). HRAs give extremely valuable personal wellness profiles, and an overall portrait of each of your employee’s current health status and potential future health risks, and are an excellent support and starting point for any wellness coaching program.
For more information on Corporate Wellness Coaching, please contact Healthworks on 1300 90 10 90 (International: IDD 61-2-9954-1888) or contact us.
