Wellness in the Workplace –  Who has the expertise?

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of wellness, and who can counsel employees and provide primary care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of staff members (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a healthcare expert, such as a consultant or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to  handouts or  handouts (18 percent) or HR staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site wellness programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, tobacco use cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic condition management programs.

Plus, OHNs can help workers navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between workers and their personal healthcare providers.

Workers might refrain from seeing their healthcare provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.

In situations where employees are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, onsite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors like blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an worker to ask an on-site nurse for information about signs or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to a personal healthcare provider.

Benefits realized by corporations include enhanced staff member morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and decreased time away from work.

In businesses with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation examinations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving employees in leading stretches.