Request to Conduct Research on Workplace Wellness Programs

Summary

A great deal of productivity is lost to employees calling in sick or showing up to work sick. Of the over 100 employees we have in the department, there are at least 5 out at medical or dental appointments every week. Even more productivity is lost to out-of-shape employees who either struggle or are unable to do their jobs anymore due to joint or back pain but can’t be let go because of their contracts. Many employees quit when their contracts expire because of inability to deal with stress at work. Loss of qualified, competent employees costs the company to hire and train to refill their spots. With your permission, I would like to implement a workplace wellness program for six months and study the effects on employee performance to determine the effectiveness of it.

What the Problem Is and Why It Needs to Be Investigated

The problem is that not enough people prioritize health and wellness, and this leads to the detriment of their work. During the work day, employees are busy with their duties and either do not have time or do not make time around the work day to exercise or plan healthy meals. Far too often I see people walk in with a McDonalds breakfast, see them leave to grab a Burger King lunch, and hear them talk about picking up a Little Caesars dinner. Eating habits like this are bad for our employees’ health and cost the company money in lost time for doctor’s appointments and lost productivity from weight related health problems. These employees are not going to the gym before or after work to try to counterbalance the detrimental effects of such a diet. Many of them get winded going up the stairs or work up a sweat walking to the office from their cars.

The problem of employees not prioritizing health and wellness needs to be investigated because it is costing the company money. Productivity loss from absenteeism, presenteeism, and a high turnover rate are all things that can be mitigated. I believe the implementation of a multifaceted workplace wellness program can fix the productivity loss problem.

What Secondary Research Has Been Conducted About the Problem

I will use secondary research to show that loss of productivity and increased health care expenses due to poor choices can be reversed through education and incentivization. Many Fortune 500 companies, such as Twitter and Google, have implemented workplace wellness programs. They tend to see happier and healthier employees because of it. Academic studies of the effects of proper diet and exercise back-up this anecdotal evidence. Surveys and lab studies consistently show the benefits of workplace wellness programs.

Short term and sporadic absenteeism, such as that caused by multiple single day medical appointments or short-term illness, has been shown to negatively impact productivity far more than long term periods of absence. Regular exercise and a good diet decrease absenteeism through improved physical health and ability to deal with stress. If employees are healthier and less stressed about coming to work on a day-to-day basis, they will call in sick less often and be more productive when they are at work.

What Primary Research You Will Conduct About the Problem

I will conduct primary research by interviewing a 25 randomly-selected employees from my department to determine how many of them regularly exercise and eat well. I will then compare that to quarterly performance reviews to see if there is a direct relationship in my office between them. I will also poll all our employees to determine motivations for participation in a workplace wellness program. This will help determine if there is enough interest to implement a smoking cessation program or other such more specialized programs.

I will interview ten percent of employees every month to track ongoing perceptions of and suggestions for our workplace wellness. After six months of implementing a program, I will re-interview employees to see how effective the program was. If leadership determines the program to be sufficiently effective to warrant continuing, then I would re-interview again after another six months. By gathering more data points about the effects of our program, we will be able to show executive-level leadership the result trends and convince them to implement a company-wide wellness program.

Preliminary Ideas for Solving This Problem

I intend to increase productivity by decreasing absenteeism and presenteeism through the most cost effective means possible, which appears to be implementing a workplace wellness program. I think most people want to be healthier, they just don’t know how or lack the support system to change habits. My ideas for this program involve daily, weekly, monthly, and bi-annual workplace initiatives. Daily, we can start the day with stretching or other low intensity exercise. Throughout the day, work center supervisors can encourage employees to take stretch and walk breaks as opposed to smoke breaks. A weekly lunchtime walking group can be organized to end Fridays on a high note with a walk around the campus, allowing for networking and exercise at the same time. Before lunch hour on the first Wednesday of every month the department will have training about eating healthier, led by a licensed dietician. Finally, this summer at the company picnic we will hold a 5k fun run and walk. This capstone event can be a celebration of all the hard work our employees have put in and the accomplishments they have made.

Conclusion

Productivity at work suffers because our employees don’t take care of themselves. They either do not know how to or do not allow for time to do so. By showing them that leadership does care about their wellbeing and helping them take better care of themselves, the company will see considerable returns in terms of decreased absenteeism, presenteeism, and turnover rate.