Employee Wellness Initiatives Discussed at World Health Assembly

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Employee Wellness Initiatives to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Wellness Initiatives

The report states that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Employee Wellness Initiatives are Effective Tools

The report states that Employee Wellness Initiatives are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Wellness Initiatives will enhance the health of employees, enhance the company image, enhance employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce company healthcare expenses.

Employee Wellness Initiatives Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals and health outcomes are critical and should be included in the Employee Wellness Initiative implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Employee Wellness Initiative developed meets the proper needs of the employees. Staff Members should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Employee Wellness Initiative is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.