Social Intelligence for Workplace Wellness

Employee wellness is evolving as organizations seek to provide more holistic support to employees in a world of change and stress.  Today most organizations – and almost all large employers – offer a “wellness program” of some sort.  But research shows that most employees don’t even sign up, with participation estimates range from only 20 to 40 percent.

One of the primary reasons for such low usage, and lack of success, is that most programs focus solely on physiological wellbeing aspects such as smoking cessation, weight management, etc. And while physical wellbeing is certainly important, a more holistic approach to employee wellbeing is starting to be researched and understood, incorporating elements such as employee purpose (like what you do each day), social wellbeing (have supportive relationships), and physiological resiliency. These newer models account for the stressors within the workplace that are affecting people’s overall wellbeing, as well as the psychological and behavioral factors that impact people’s ability to maintain their own health. TRACOM programs have a proven impact on supporting mental health in the workplace.

According to research from Gallup, enhancing wellness programs to include elements other than just physical wellness yields important benefits. A comparison between adults involved in physical wellness programs versus those involved in wellbeing (physical and emotional) programs, studies found those in holistic workplace wellbeing programs do better:

• Report 41% fewer unhealthy days
• Are more than twice as likely to say they always adapt well to change
• Are 36% more likely to say they always fully bounce back after an illness