Can’t people just go get a massage somewhere else, like a spa, where they can fully relax and not have to go back to work?

The duration of chair massage is so short – would it even make a dent in my stress level?
In this blog, I will address not only why is it important for the workplace to invest in wellness services, but why is it precisely in the workplace that they must be offered.

Read the rest of this entry »

Holistic workplace wellness programs should address each of the key aspects of the dimensions of wellness (University of California, 2016; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2016):

• physical health is an employee’s ability to maintain a healthy quality of life with minimal physical stress or fatigue
• emotional health relates to an employee’s ability to cope with life’s challenges in a healthy way
• spiritual health helps to ensure that employees maintain a state of peace and harmony
• occupational health involves an employee’s personal satisfaction with the job; this helps to ensure that all individuals remain engaged
• environmental health requires employees to recognize how they impact their physical environment and take responsibility for protecting it
• intellectual health is an employees’ ability to be open minded about new ideas and experiences

Read the rest of this entry »

In 2015, healthcare spending in the U.S. topped $3 trillion dollars annually; more recent statistics indicate that the costs of care continues to rise with a per capita expense of approximately $10,345 per (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [CMS],2015; Alonso-Zaldivar, 2016).  Per the Centers for the Disease Control (CDC), approximately 75% of healthcare costs is directly attributed to the onset of chronic diseases (2015).  Chronic illnesses can be mitigated by eating nutritiously and being physically active; for most individuals affected, preventative health education initiatives can aid in reducing health disparities (CDC, 2015).

Read the rest of this entry »