4 tips for creating a preventative physical wellbeing strategy
1. Encourage education, increase awareness
Helping employees understand why it is important to prioritise physical wellbeing before there is an issue or an injury occurs is essential to getting people to engage in preventative care.
Taking the time to talk with employees and provide education can be an easy way to do this. Having a conversation about physical wellbeing provides an opportunity to dispel misinformation around physical health or various conditions, create a realistic wellbeing plan for people, and raise awareness of the services available through their benefits to help them.
I frequently work with employees who have highly active job roles. Many are surprised to learn that having an active job isn’t enough – we miss out on some major health benefits if the only physical activity we get is during our working day.
Enjoyable exercise and activity can provide pain relief hormones or feelings of happiness and accomplishment we don’t necessarily get from work.
By taking the time to help people understand their physical wellbeing, what affects it and why it’s important, they’re more likely to find it relevant to their lives, which in turn leads to them prioritising it in their day-to-day life.
2. Foster a supportive work environment
Having a variety of wellbeing benefits is wonderful, but if employees don’t feel they can take the time to access them, they’ll likely go unused.
Ensure employees feel like they can book a quick 15 to 20-minute phone call during the day to get guidance on their nutrition if they’ve just found out they’re pre-diabetic, or allow them to have a video call with a musculoskeletal clinician to create an activity plan after receiving a diagnosis of osteoarthritis in their knee.
If employees feel like the company supports them in prioritising their wellbeing, there will be one less barrier to people using benefits, which helps them stay healthy and feel like their individual needs are valued – both of which help keep people in work.
3. Consider the whole person
More and more research shows we can’t separate the biological/physical from social and psychological. When we consider an employee’s physical wellbeing, we also need to acknowledge the influence these psychosocial factors have.
For example, if someone has a high level of stress with no way to manage it, hasn’t been sleeping well and is struggling to make time for themselves, they’re more susceptible to illness or musculoskeletal injuries. The stress and poor sleep might not cause someone to develop back pain or get a cold, but they make the system less resilient to physical stresses on the body.
4. Individualise wellness plans and advice
Tied in with tip number 3, when we begin to consider the whole person, advice needs to be tailored to the individual, rather than generalised. It might take a bit of extra time and effort, but if we work with employees to create an activity plan, diet, or sleep routine that is unique to them, they’re more likely to engage with the plan, which will translate into better physical wellbeing.
One example of where generalised advice can act as a barrier to people being proactive with their physical wellbeing is swimming for people diagnosed with osteoarthritis: not everyone likes swimming, has access to a pool, or knows how to swim.
People may become frustrated feeling like the only suggestion for activity for someone with their diagnosis is something they don’t like, and they may end up abandoning activity altogether.
By taking the time to discuss what an employee realistically sees themselves doing as part of their plan, we can avoid cornering someone into committing to what they ‘should’ do, rather than what they’re motivated and engaged with doing. Chances are if it isn’t important to them, they’ll give up on the plan within a few months.
In partnership with HCML
HCML is a health and wellbeing provider, offering integrated and personalised healthcare solutions.
