Wellness in the Workplace -  Who’s 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 staff members and provide primary care - all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey announced that more than half of staff members (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a healthcare expert, like a consultant or an onsite occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to  handouts or  handouts (18 percent) or human resources (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, use of tobacco cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.

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

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care 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 conditions like heart illness, onsite nurses can routinely monitor risk factors like blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s often easier for an employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual healthcare provider.

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

In companies 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 staff members in leading stretches.