How to Improve Workplace Wellness with Health Coaching

The workplace is likely the last setting that most people think of in terms of wellness. In fact, it’s not uncommon to associate one’s work with stress versus health. Wellness programs aim to change this. Here we talk about the benefits of a wellness program, as well as how health coaching can play a critical role in improving workplace wellness.

Research-Based Benefits of an Employee Wellness Program

One of the most notable benefits of work-based wellness programs is improved physical health. A 2021 review of 121 studies reported that after participating in a workplace wellness program, employees (1):

• consumed more fruits and vegetables per day

• lowered their total fat and saturated intake

• improved their body mass index (BMI)

• reduced their weight circumference and body weight

This review reinforces the positive impact that these changes have on cardiometabolic health. This was evidenced by employees achieving healthier blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

Wellness programs are also good for employees’ mental health. Research connects these programs with reduced stress, anxiety, and burnout while improving mental wellbeing (2). This contributes to greater overall health and wellness.

Corporate wellness programs benefit employers too. Companies can receive a return on investment (ROI) of 6 to 1 for this type of wellness program according to an article published by Harvard Business Review (3). This article added that other business-based benefits of workplace wellness programs include:

• converting employees from a high health risk to a low health risk within a few months

• reducing healthcare costs by $1,421 per participant per year

• lowering employee days off work by 80% 

• cutting days where employee duties had to be modified by 64%

• declining workers’ comp insurance premiums by 50%

• improving employee retention rates

A wellness program can be structured in a variety of ways. It can also provide access to a variety of health programs. When it includes health coaching services, employees can receive personalized help reaching their wellness goals.

What a Health Coach Does

Also sometimes referred to as a wellness coach or corporate wellness specialist, a health coach helps individuals create positive lifestyle change. They do this by looking at all areas of the person’s life to identify where improvements can be made. A health coach asks about their home and work life. They talk about the person’s stress level, their relationships, and where they struggle most. More importantly, they get to the heart of the person’s health goals.

Based on all this information, a wellness coach devises a plan to help the person make changes to improve their health and wellbeing. This plan includes reinforcing positive behaviors and healthy habit development. This might involve exercising more or eating healthier foods. It could also include getting more sleep, lowering their stress levels, quitting smoking, abstaining from alcohol or drugs, and more. If the person has a health condition, a health coach can address this too. 

The ultimate goal of health coaching is to help individuals create healthy behavior patterns. When this occurs, physical and mental health improves.

A Health Coach’s Role in Employee Wellness

The goal of health coaching in a corporate environment is to help employees make healthy lifestyle changes. Even though it’s offered as a benefit of employment, many of the desired changes exist outside the workplace.

A health coach might work with employees to improve stress management at home. Or they may educate employees about the importance of eating healthy foods, then teach them about integrative nutrition. If the employee struggles with work life balance, the wellness coach can help with this as well.

Health coaches are also well-versed in chronic illness. If an employee has a chronic condition, it can impact all areas of their life. A health coach can help them manage their condition, improving their wellbeing. In some cases, it may even improve their health outcomes.

How to Improve Workplace Wellness with Health Coaching

Health coaches can employ several strategies to improve employee wellbeing. Here are a few to consider:

• Educate the employee about wellness program benefits. This serves two purposes. One, it lets the employee know what benefits are provided by the program. They can’t participate in a desired program if they don’t know it exists. Two, it reinforces the value of engaging in a health coaching program. If they don’t understand why they should participate in health coaching, they aren’t likely to do it.

• Explain the wellness journey. This tells the employee what to expect during wellness coaching. It’s important that they recognize that there will be ups and downs. If they expect the path to be easy, they may be tempted to give up when things get hard. But if you can help them understand that you will provide them with the tools needed to make it through the difficult times, they may be more likely to stick with your program.

• Help the employee set realistic health goals. It’s human nature to want to reach our goals tomorrow. But this isn’t realistic. Setting achievable goals can help the employee stay on track. It also reduces the risk that they’ll be disappointed by their results. 

• Help the employee recognize why their goals are important to them. Knowing their ‘why’ increases their motivation to make the necessary changes. It also creates a clearer desired outcome. Maybe they tell you that they want to reduce their stress. Why is this important? Is stress harming their physical health? Is it preventing them from being happy? Is it damaging their relationships? Getting to the heart of their health goals helps a health coach understand what it is the employee wants. This makes it easier to devise a plan to help them get it.

• Provide proven lifestyle change approaches. It isn’t easy to make lasting changes. An employee wellness coach can provide the tools that make this type of change possible. If the employee’s health is affected by poor sleep habits, the health coach can provide strategies for improving sleep hygiene. If the employee struggles to eat healthy foods, the coach can teach them how to make nutritious eating both easy and fun.

• Offer one-on-one employee health coaching for more personalized help. Depending on the size of the company, a health coach may spend most of their time working with groups of employees. They might provide workshops based on a specific behavioral health issue or lead an exercise or nutrition class. Offering one-on-one coaching in addition to group coaching enables employees to seek help for their specific issues or goals. Some people need more guidance than others. Or they might have a less common health issue. Coaching these employees on a more personal level can help them get better results.

Steps to Becoming a Corporate Wellness Coach

If you’re interested in providing health coaching as part of a corporate wellness or employee assistance program, the next step is to engage in coach training. This training teaches the science and art behind coaching someone to greater health and wellness.

In a coaching program, you will learn how to communicate with people from all walks of life and with various health issues and goals. You’ll also learn the most effective strategies for creating lifelong change. Since many people have chronic health conditions, this is also covered in a health coaching program. 

Completing a coaching program tells employers that you have the skills needed to promote employee wellness. Some employers may even require certification before considering you for a wellness coaching position.

If you’re ready to get started, ISSA offers Health Coach Certification. In this program, you’ll learn how to help people set and reach their health goals. It also prepares you to help employers devise and deliver an employee wellness initiative that works.

References

1. Peñalvo, J. L., Sagastume, D., Mertens, E., Uzhova, I., Smith, J., Wu, J. H., Bishop, E., Onopa, J., Shi, P., Micha, R., & Mozaffarian, D. (2021). Effectiveness of workplace wellness programmes for dietary habits, overweight, and Cardiometabolic Health: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 6(9). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2468-2667(21)00140-7 

2. Pieper, C., Schröer, S., & Eilerts, A.-L. (2019). Evidence of workplace interventions—a systematic review of Systematic Reviews. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(19), 3553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193553 

3. Berry, L. L., Baun, W. B., & Mirabito, A. M. (2014, August 1). What’s the hard return on employee wellness programs? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs