Health and Wellness Leads : Employee Program Engagement

Employee Engagement is the level at which employees are aligned with and working toward business objectives and goals. Employee Engagement is altered by a wide range of factors that include internal discussions, business structure, benefits and recognition.

Corporations that have high levels of employee program engagement advance from better productivity, retention and achievement than peers with disengaged employees.  Levels of engagement among employees in the U.S. have been declining over the past decade as individuals have become disillusioned with the treatment of employees by businesses. The inability to engage employees is one of the reasons why, despite steady rises in hours worked, America lags behind several other nations in terms of employee productivity per hours worked.

Workplace Health Promotion Programs may increase employee engagement in several ways. First, when communicated properly, they confirm to workers that the organization cares about their wellbeing. This can improve retention and turnover as well as provide more of a discretionary effort from workers. During a period of significant downsizing, Motorola found increased interest in its Workplace Health Promotion Programs as managers recognized the value of providing for the health and wellbeing of workers.

In addition, the health improvements will lower presenteeism and absenteeism (when workers continue to work despite decreased productiveness), allowing for more time spent at full productiveness. Lastly, healthier workers are more likely to have increased morale, which translates into a more enjoyable and more effective work environment.