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Workplace Wellness that Works
Book

Workplace Wellness that Works

10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into Any Organization

Laura Putnam
Wiley, 2015
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Wellness expert Laura Putnam shares spot-on, research-based facts about what motivates people to change. Putnam explains that people need to focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses, and need to identify a personal purpose for transforming unhealthy behaviors. She offers myriad tips for designing effective, innovative and engaging wellness programs. And, she tells insider anecdotes about health practices in different firms worldwide. getAbstract recommends her science-based ideas to anyone trying to lead others to change for the sake of their health.

Summary

What Is “Workplace Wellness”?

Today’s workplace is a “petri dish of biological-cultural mismatches.” The human body should be active, yet most people have sedentary jobs. The body thrives on fresh, simple food, but most people consume food-like substances that barely resemble their original forms. Humans should engage one another, but people often experience disconnection. Workplace wellness counteracts all that.

Corporate health programs can help staff members be more “human,” consume healthier foods, gain life balance, enjoy satisfying interaction and focus on finding meaning in their work.

In the classical program model, the company seeks to foster health change and so assigns someone to run an evaluation, gather responses and develop an initiative to meet the identified needs. These programs may include weight loss meetings, physical activities, workplace seminars, stop-smoking groups, and so on. You determine what specifically would work in your organization. The only problem with this classic model is that it does not work.

So, What Does Work?

To launch a “wellness movement” at your workplace, follow these four steps:

1. “Shift...

About the Author

Laura Putnam is the founder and CEO of Motion Infusion, which helps organizations promote healthy behavioral change in their employees.

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