VANCOUVER -- A booming economy, labour shortages, and aging baby boomers, all spell trouble for employers, who are trying to stay competitive. Now many are realizing healthy workplaces can make a difference to their bottom line. So what are some companies doing for their employees?
Artie Chumpol is working out and literally earning points with her employer, the airport authority at the Vancouver International Airport.
Artie Chumpol, YVR Communcations Exployee, says, "how it works is, if you work out for a half hour, you get 2 points and if you work out for an hour or 45 minutes, you get four points. So, when you reach certain milestones, you get prizes.
The wellness program at YVR isn't only targeted at increasing the physical fitness of its 360 employees, it also looks at their psychological well-being.
John Beckett with the Vancouver Airport Authority says, "A lot of employers just focus on the physical well-being. If ignoring mental or non-work related issues, you're missing major pieces of the pie."
Beckett has spearheaded the authority's health and wellness program. He teaches his managers to identify problems early on.
Depression is one of the leading causes of workplace disability costing the Canadian economy upwards of 15 billion dollars a year.
Psychologist and Consultant, Merv Gilbert, says, "I think there's a greater realization that work today is a psychological enterprise and thus we're seeing psychological strain and depression is a manifestation of that."
To help workers, experts say employers need to have a supportive environment and programs that would allow those facing challenges to stay on the job during treatment.
Merv Gilbert says, "being at home and on extended disability or absence is huge disconnect and being at home and not doing anything is not good for anyone's mental health."
The program has paid dividends for YVR.Absenteeism is down and so is the turnover rate. And there are fewer accidents.
Artie says, "It's nice to know your employer cares and they're encouraging you to adopt a healthy lifestyle."
Right now, there isn't a lot of research on healthy workplace practices... but with increased funding, we should see more studies soon. As for implementing a health and wellness policy, experts caution it won't work, if relations between employers and employees are dysfunctional to begin with.
Friday July 7, 2006
