Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
Issue link: http://cancerfightersthrive.epubxp.com/i/259111
16 cancer fighters thrive | spring 2014 cf thrive. com SPECIAL FEATURE H ere is a scenario I think most working people may be at least vaguely familiar with: Work enters an especially busy stretch; you do not have time to get exercise, which usually boosts your mood, so you grab an extra cup of coffee; healthy eating goes out the window when lunch becomes a quick bite of fast food, washed down with more caffeine, and you stop for pizza on the way home in the evening; once home, you remember that you have forgotten to address a nagging fnancial concern, but before you can manage that issue a spouse or child comes down with the latest round of viral gunk. The next day, focus on work takes a backseat to stress, and you are physically sluggish from poor food choices and a lack of exercise. While we all have these days now and then, the fact is that this cycle is all too common in many work environments, and it can take a toll on individuals and on companies' abilities to deliver on their mission. The good news: Employers are increasingly recognizing the role they can play in helping employees avoid this perfect storm and maintain ongoing wellness—physical and emotional—so they can feel good and do good work. Why Workplace Wellness Matters According to a recent study, about half of U.S. employers with 50 or more employees sponsor workplace wellness programs as an employee beneft. The growing trend in this programming is the result of the increased recognition that many of the chronic WORKING WELL Employees and patients beneft from workplace wellness initiatives in a health care setting. By Diana Price Photos by Nathan Harmon health conditions like diabetes and heart disease that can be accelerated by unhealthy lifestyle choices, though once perceived to largely affect older populations, are now afficting many Americans at younger ages during their working lives. 1 Employ- ers see the impact of these conditions on their employees, both in loss of productivity and in the overall health of their companies and the services they provide. Workplace wellness programs are implemented both to help pre- vent some of the physical health issues that employees may con- front, through health screenings and ongoing education initiatives, and to promote wellness in a more broad sense by addressing other categories of wellness, including emotional, spiritual, social, profes- sional and fnancial health. Workplace Wellness in Health Care Health care providers are among those participating in the trend to offer wellness programming to employees, recognizing the beneft to their employees and to the patients they serve. According to Employee Health Management experts from the Photos by Nathan Harmon Matt Weaver, BS, CCRC, Research, and Lindsay Rehm, RN, OCN, Education, from CTCA in Tulsa enjoy walking on their lunch break. cftSp#23vky.indd 16 2/4/14 9:37 AM