Abstract
Many businesses are moving towards healthier work places. The stress level of today's jobs, coupled with the expense of workers compensation and the increase in health insurance, has made it necessary for companies to create an environment that is more healthy and productive for their employees.
Whole body fitness programs have been the focus of many companies trying to keep employees happy, healthy and productive. The fitness programs help each individual track his or her progress and attain personal goals while also reaching the companies goals of decreased health care expenses and increased productivity. The other benefits to the employee and the company are decreased loss time and increased employee longevity.
Work Place HealthStress
Suppose you're at an amusement park, just getting on a very big roller coaster. You strap in and while one attendant welcomes you to the ride the other attendants check to make sure you are belted in properly. Slight jerk and the cars take off. Click, click, click the chain catches the cars and up the first hill you go. Your heart pounding, pulse racing, you look around and realize how high you are. Hands clamped tight to the bar, you reach the top, the cars start rolling down the big hill, and you see one by one the cars disappear in front of you. You try to raise your hands but you just keep holding on to the bar, whoosh, you can barely breath and when your lungs catch up with you the rides over.
You have just experience acute stress. As acute stress happens, the body and mind brace for a fight, it's the fight or flight response. Humans are mentally and physically built for the acute stress situations like the situation that was described above.
Take into consideration how you feel as you are pulling up to the docking station to get off the roller coaster when the ride is done. You get up, a little weak and little exhausted but you are ready to do it again. At the end of the day you are just ready to drop and can't wait to get home and sleep. What if you went through that everyday, imagine how you would feel after a year?
Fact of the matter is, today's work environment tends to be a lot like riding a roller coaster. Businesses are all about being number one and the employees have to cope with that burden and it can really take a toll on them.
In a report published by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) a survey was taken by Northwestern National life, "40% of the workers polled viewed their jobs as extremely stressful." In the same report by NOISH a survey was taken by the Families and Work Institute, "26% of workers polled where "often or very often burned out or stressed by their work." (DHHS(NIOSH)Publication no. 99-101,1999, Stress at Work)
Businesses, since the mid 1970's, have started to realize the importance of employee mental and physical health. Whether it's due to rising insurance cost or because businesses truly want happy employees, the employees are reaping the benefits.Fitness
The benefits of exercise and fitness are plentiful, although exercise will not remove the elements that are causing the stress. Exercise will help you cope with the situations and dealing with the emotional highs and lows of life.
As stated by Amy Scholten, MPH (2003) (Reduce Stress: fit fitness into your life)
Regular Exercise, especially aerobic exercise, is one of the best ways to reduce stress.
This type of exercise can:
• strengthen your heart and lungs
• help you control your weight
• improve physical appearances
• enhance your mood and help ward off depression
• improve the quality of your sleep
• reduce stress reactivity
• improve your ability to concentrate (Scholten, 2003)
Fitness can improve your overall quality of life. The long term benefits of fitness is reducing the risks of developing complications from obesity, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease as well as others not listed. At Work Workout Options
If your current work place doesn't have a fitness program or fitness center, try walking. Start checking around and building a core group of people who are also interested you can walk with. Walking with a group keeps everyone motivated, especially on the days when you just feel like you have no energy. One obstacle, of course, can be the weather. During the winter the weather can get really cold and/or snowy and during the warmer seasons, you may have to deal with heat and/or rain.
You can also build a core group and go to the local fitness center with the same premise of keeping each other motivated. One of the problems that you may face is the fitness center membership fees. If money is not an issue, than another issue may be time. As noted in an article written by Elizabeth B. Krieger (2000) "By far, the number one reason people give for not exercising is that they don't have enough time,' says Richard Cotton, Ph.D., exercise physiologist and spokesman for the American Council on Exercise"
Wanting to live a healthier lifestyle, its time to get the company you work for on board.
In an article by Elizabeth B. Krieger (2000) (Here's how to pump up your arguments for a company fitness program.) She states that together; with a core group of people bring forward your ideas on a company fitness program along with the core group it would be wise to find a "higher-up" to help with this project. If you feel your voices are unheard, start throwing statistical data at your employer. She goes on to list that 40 to 60 percent of the employees are probable going to use the fitness program. There are many other benefits to be had form a company fitness program. (Krieger, 2000)
Fitness Programs at the Work Place, Employees
Having fitness programs are a step in the right direction for today's business. However, having a fitness program is only going to help employees to a certain extent. If people have difficulty finding the time to attend a fitness center, which is not within walking distance of work, the full potential of the program will never be met.
On-site fitness centers are the most beneficial for employees. Time becomes much less of an issue and scheduling fitness activities become a much easier task.
In an article written by Gay Frankenfield, RN (2000) (Workplace Fitness Programs Boost Physical and Fiscal Fitness)
Physical fitness also improves psychological health in many workers. "Employees who work out regularly often have a greater sense of personal power," says Atlanta psychologist Karen Foster, PhD, who specializes in human performance in the workplace. "By feeling good about themselves, they manage stress better and are more productive in general."
Foster, an accomplished runner and cyclist, tells WebMD that group exercise creates emotional bonds. "Employees who work out together develop a cohesiveness that fosters team spirit and camaraderie," she says. "In time, they become a much more stable work team."
One senior manager couldn't agree more. "I try to lead by example, and now most of my staff works out," says Bill Maiola, a 52-year-old global vice president at Coca-Cola. "By working out together in hotel gyms [when we travel], we've developed a personal connection and become more aligned as a group. Not only that, but I've got more energy and haven't missed a day of work in years." (Frankenfield, 2000)Fitness Programs in the Work Place, Employers
Some employers feel that stress is just a part of the job that everyone has to deal with, but the case for having a fitness program is very strong and can be just as beneficial for the company. Health care costs on the national level have exceeded 1 trillion dollars annually and fitness programs have been shown to help each company control their expenditures, as well as many other benefits. In an article written by Mary Concannon (2000) (Work-site Fitness Programs Work" found in June 200 Business monthly)
Companies with on-site fitness programs:
• Are able to recruit employees with a favorable attitude towards both work and health
• Have a low rate of employee turnover among program participants
• Increase Productivity by 4-5%
• Have a small reduction in absenteeism (about 1/2day/employee each year)
• Show an annual reduction of $100-400 per worker in medical expenditures
• Demonstrate improvements in various fitness markers including body mass, % body fat, aerobic power, muscle strength, flexibility and cardiac risk factors." (Concannon, 2000)
As noted in an article found at the Saint Vincent Outpatient Center, (2001) (Union City
Memorial Hospital Associates Accept "Take Charge Challenge")
Large companies who have instituted longer-term wellness programs have actually seen the results. Prudential Insurance conducted a five-year study of a worksite fitness program for 184 employees and found that major medical expenses dropped by 46-percent, or $260 per participant. Fit employees experienced 43 fewer disability days and took three and one-half fewer sick days per month than others. A large health promotion at General Mills saved $3.10 for every dollar spent in the program the first year, while the payback increased to $3.90 in the second year. (Unknown, 2001)
As you can see many business have done cost analysis in fitness programs. Supporting the documentation can be found and presented that support how on-site fitness program can be extremely beneficial to the company. If there is one thing any company understands it saving money.
Reference:
Stress at Work. (Jan., 1999). DHH (NIOSHA), Publication No.-99-101. Retrieved July 27 2004,
from: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html
Work-Site Fitness Programs Work. (June, 2001). Concannon, Mary. Business Monthly.
Retrieved July 27, 2004, from: http://www.nvo.com/upandmoving
Here's how to pump up your arguments for a company fitness program. (Apr. 2000). Krieger,
Elizabeth B. CNN.com. Retrieved Aug. 1, 2004 from:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/24/fitness.sb.wmd/index.html
More employers supporting fitness programs for workers. (Apr., 2000). Krieger,
Elizabeth B. CNN.com. Retrieved Aug. 1, 2004 from:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/24/corporate.fitness.wmd/
Benefits of Fitness. (Nov. 2002). Medical Encyclopedia, MSN Health. Retrieved Aug. 01,
2004, from http://health.msn.com
Reducing stress: fit fitness into your life. (2003). Scholten, Amy, MPH.St. John's Health.
Retrieved July 27, 2004 from:
http://www.stjohn.org/healthinfolib/HGArticle.aspx?ArticleID=21277
Union City Memorial Hospital Associates Accept"Take Charge Challenge". (Jan. 2001).
Unknown. Saint Vincent Outpatient Center. Retrieved Aug. 01, 2004 from:
http://www.ucmhsv.org/news/takechargechalleng.htm
Workplace Fitness Programs Boost Physical and Fiscal Fitness. (2000). Frankenfield, Gay. RN.
Web MD. Retrieved Aug. 01, 2004 from:
http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/17/1676_51206.htm
Source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1613075/work_place_health_how_f...