M7A1: Workplace & Employee Health and Wellness Program
In Module 5, you learned that you had recently been hired as a Business Communication Analyst. In this role, you are responsible for writing reports and proposals for a variety of audiences and purposes.
For this assignment, identify a need within your own workplace. Perhaps you want to introduce a recycling program or help others get fit through a weight loss contest. It’s up to you to choose something realistic that you can support with credible research information for a specific audience. The position should be arguable. That is, it should not be something that your manager already agrees with. In fact it is best he does not agree – at least not at first.
Your audience for this proposal is your immediate supervisor, but it’s entirely possible that your supervisor will forward the proposal up the chain of command if he or she thinks it’s worthy of further consideration. As such, you’re writing a formal proposal.
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The format of your proposal will follow the example shown in Chapter 11, Figure 11.12, of Bovee and Thill (20016), except that you’re writing a proposal instead of a report. For this rough draft, write at least the introduction, body, conclusions and recommendations, and references sections. You will add the other elements in Module 8 when you revise the proposal for final submission. Your rough draft should be at least 3 or 4 single-spaced pages and include a minimum of three sources to support your proposal.
Your instructor will provide feedback, which you are expected to incorporate into the final version of your report.
NOTE: While it is not an absolute requirement to include a visual element in your proposal, you may choose to do so if you believe your proposal would be more effective with a chart, graph, illustration, or other visual aid.
A need in the workplace: Employee health and wellness program
Student:
Professor:
Course title:
Date:
To: John Adamson, CEO at Bell Agencies
From: Thomas Hardin, Business Communications Analyst at Bell Agencies
Date: 18/09/2016
Subject: A need in the workplace: Employee health and wellness program
The purpose of this report is to describe a need in the workplace. The identified need is the introduction of an employee health and wellness program in the organization. I propose that we introduce an employee health and wellness program in the organization. The introduction of this program into the workplace is crucial in maintaining a healthy workplace. As the world of work continues to progress, a notable sign of a top-notch employer would be a health and wellness program in the workplace (Stuart, 2016).
A health and wellness program in the workplace is basically a health promotion activity that is aimed at supporting healthy behaviours and improving health outcomes for the company’s employees whilst at work (Elia & Rouse, 2016). Such programs often comprise activities like medical screenings, weight management programs, on-site fitness programs, as well as health education and coaching. In addition, health and wellness programs in the workplace include policies that are aimed at facilitating the health of workers for instance providing nutritious and healthy food alternatives in the vending machines, offering on-site kitchens and eating areas, allowing time for exercise, and providing fiscal or other incentives for taking part (Bovee & Thill, 2016).
On-site fitness centre in the workplace
The fitness centre should be in a central location where all our employees can easily access it. Examples of central locations where the facility could be located include near the lunch room, near the cafeteria, or near the entrance to the main office building. Considering the size of the company, employee interests and needs, the number of employees and availability of space, the size of the facility should be 4,000 square feet. The fitness centre would be supervised by a professional. The equipment within the facility would include various strength and cardio equipment aimed at providing a well-rounded exercise program that is suitable for every level of fitness.
Benefits of the health and wellness program to the company
Reduces healthcare costs for the company and the employees: the physical environment at the workplace could have a significant impact on the health of employees. Chronic illnesses for instance high blood pressure and major depression could result in a decline in the overall health of workers within the organization, cause health-related expenditures for both the employees and the company to rise, and lead to more days of work missed and lower productivity (Elia & Rouse, 2016). When the company has a fitness centre on-site, our employees would be able to exercise which would help improve the health of workers for instance by helping them to control their blood pressure and relieve their depression. When our workers are healthy, healthcare costs for the company will certainly go down. All in all, implementing the health and wellness program is crucial in curbing the costs of growing healthcare.
Increases productivity: employee job productivity will increase. Developing a health or fitness habit could take a lot of effort, but in the end it will result in healthier employees; healthier employees in turn have higher work productivity. Taking into account the improvement to both the employees’ wellbeing and their productivity at work, and the amount of time that employees actually spend at the workplace, it seems right to promote the health and wellness program (Jarman et al., 2015). In essence, the program will not just affect the employee output in a positive manner, but it will also make the employee to feel good in every area of life, even work.
Leads to greater job satisfaction: researchers have reported that having a fitness facility leads to greater job satisfaction for employees because employees are healthier and happier. In his study, Stuart (2016) found that over 80% of employees reported to feel more satisfied with their job because their company had developed a health and wellness program in the workplace that actually allowed them to exercise, keep fit and stay healthy. Since these employees were happy with the program which enabled them to stay healthy, they were satisfied with their job at the company (Stuart, 2016).
Helps in attracting and retaining skilled workers: Skilled employees, who like to get fit, keep fit and stay healthy would be attracted to the company by the fitness centre. Such employees are also likely to remain loyal to the company for a long time.
Enhances teamwork, communication, and engagement. Having an in-house fitness centre within the organization where staff members can exercise together results in enhanced communication, engagement, as well as teamwork. This is because the facility would become a hub of activity within the company in which staff members come together to have fun, workout and socialize (Elia & Rouse, 2016). In addition, it will provide a continuous reminder that we actually care about the well-being of our workers.
Cost of the health and ...