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As the field of Corporate Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to clearly define the dimensions of a comprehensive model of Corporate Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following components; health education initiatives, worker health services and benefits, nutrition and physical fitness initiatives, Corporate Wellness Program policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources.

A comprehensive approach to Corporate Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all interventions by increasing communication between administrators, employees, and worker families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite culture and climate. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of worker wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives designed to only reduce medical costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A primary factor in the utility of this model is the integration and overlap of responsibilities for Corporate Wellness Programs by various departments and individuals inside and outside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Wellness Programs that are truly comprehensive in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Wellness Programs

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81 percent of businesses in the United States with 50 or more employees have some form of Corporate Wellness Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85 percent by the year 2000. Why are employers getting into the corporation of Corporate Wellness Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Corporate Wellness Programs are the desire to control spiraling medical costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a means of boosting the morale of employees and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).

As the motivations behind Corporate Wellness Programs differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Wellness Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to employees, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Corporate Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its employees. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Wellness Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly comprehensive model of Corporate Wellness Programs consist of?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest corporation possible. What characteristics or Corporate Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that corporation do to enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and intellectual aspects of worker health? How does that corporation develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all employees? Finally, how does that corporation demonstrate its belief that workers are the corporation’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one single of a Corporate Wellness Program will be responsible for the positive health outcomes of all employees. Corporate Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness center for the exclusive use of corporation executives, or the sporadic worker safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and initiatives. Corporate Wellness Program consultants often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Wellness Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a comprehensive and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.