Encouraging well-being

By Scott Kreiling, President, Regence BlueShield of Idaho
June 19, 2015
health-wellness-wellbeing-wordcloud

Fitness is front and center in Idaho as summer kicks off. June IRONMAN competitions in Boise and Coeur d’Alene and an IRONKIDS fun run collectively showcased event participants’ drive to be the best they can be in supreme tests of athleticism.

On a less intense and more personal level, is there any one of us who isn’t inspired by the drive of these competitors to try to become more fit and to raise our overall sense of well-being? More broadly, do those of us in business place enough emphasis on taking care, not only of ourselves, but of our most important resources – our employees?

June presents us with an opportunity for introspection in this key area. The month has been designated National Employee Well-being Month and it’s a great time to step back and assess whether our businesses are doing enough to create a culture of health in our workplaces. The observance is intended to highlight how healthy company cultures drive employee productivity and engagement – building better businesses in the process.

It’s interesting to me to note how this annual celebration has evolved over the years. It began as National Employee Wellness Month. But this year, it moved beyond dated concepts of workplace wellness to take on the more whole-person concept of well-being. Enabling our employees to be the best they can be requires us to move beyond tired wellness program models with check-the-box weight-loss or smoking cessation programs. Instead, we need to focus on offering holistic solutions that emphasize communication, accessibility and recognition – all of which contribute to the kind of active engagement needed to elevate the well-being of the VIPs in our businesses … our employees!

Share: