It only took a decade or so of new stories, scientific studies and common sense – and premiums inflated enough to make college tuition look modest – but it looks like wellness is catching on.
Well, at least overseas, anyway.
A new Towers Watson survey points to three out of four multinational companies insisting work force health and wellness promotion emerging as a higher priority over the next couple of years, with nearly 90 percent of them pushing it a little further out.
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While only about 32 percent of multinationals boast a "global work force health strategy," nearly half of the companies surveyed plan to kick one off within the next couple of years.
(When it comes to wellness initiative objectives, an interesting cultural side note emerges between the lines here, too. Over in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, employee well-being and stress management emerged high on the list. While back here in the North America, it's all about cost containment.)
All that being said, and despite the growing prevalence of wellness programs specifically worldwide – at 75 percent penetration – there's clearly a breakdown in communication. And I think this is where you come in. Only 13 percent of the survey's respondents professed to laying out their health strategy to the entire company's work force.
Health and wellness strategies and plans are great – regardless of the ultimate motivation or objective. But these plans are next to worthless without adequate communication and practical implementation. It's a lot like throwing a party and not mailing out any invites: a bit lonely, wasted money and you end up eating all the cake yourself.
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