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The key to enabling holistic employee well-being While the physiological and psychological interventions are necessary, they do not foster holistic well-being when applied in isolation, says Sanlam Corporate HR executive Matete Lerutla.
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BY MATETE LERUTLA
mployee assistance programmes or wellness programmes have become prominent among South African employers. Diseases such as diabetes, pulmonary conditions, heart disease and psychological stresses are on the rise in younger people, with much of this being attributed to modifiable behaviour such as inactivity, smoking, poor nutrition, alcohol consumption and stressful life demands. The impacts of these lifestyle diseases on individuals are material and include a decreased quality of life, disablement and premature death. As employers, we experience the financial overheads of increased
“Our research indicates that there are compelling returns on investment in total wellness ranging up to R6 for every rand spent.�
absenteeism and presenteeism. Furthermore, costs of healthcare and group insurance are correlated with the increased prevalence of such illnesses. This places strain on the long-term affordability of insurance cover for employees. There are two general approaches to implementing wellness initiatives, namely primary prevention and secondary prevention. Primary prevention is aimed at preventing the onset of the disease by impacting health-related behaviours and risk factors. Secondary prevention attempts to diagnose and treat diseases at early stages before the onset of complications. The logic of wellness interventions is therefore based on influencing the behaviour of individuals to positively impact on their health, which has a range of mutually beneficial outcomes. A winwin-win for our employees, employers, and the wider economy. Programmes typically consist of screening protocols, evaluations and proposals of preventative steps. Such steps may include the introduction of on-site clinics, diet and exercise plans, access to smoking cessation programmes, alcohol rehabilitation programmes, and so on. The key challenge is that the use of such programmes are limited, with fewer than 50 percent of employees participating on average.
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