Workplace Wellness that Works: 10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into Any Organization

by Laura Putnam

A smarter framework for designing more effective workplace wellness programs Workplace Wellness That Works provides a fresh perspective on how to promote employee well-being in the workplace. In addressing the interconnectivity between wellness and organizational culture, this book shows you how to integrate wellness into your existing employee development strategy in more creative, humane, and effective ways. Based on the latest research and backed by real-world examples and case studies, this guide provides employers with the tools they need to start making a difference in their employees' health and happiness, and promoting an overall culture of well-being throughout the organization. You'll find concrete, actionable advice for tackling the massive obstacle of behavioral change, and learn how to design and implement an approach that can most benefit your organization.

Promoting wellness is a good idea. Giving employees the inspiration and tools they need to make changes in their lifestyles is a great idea. But the billion-dollar question what do they want, what do they need, and how do we implement programs to help them without causing more harm than good? Workplace Wellness That Works shows you how to assess your organization's needs and craft a plan that actually benefits employees.

Build an effective platform for well-being Empower employees to make better choices Design and deliver the strategy that your organization needs Drive quantifiable change through more creative implementation Today's worksite wellness industry represents a miasma of competing trends, making it nearly impossible to come away with tangible solutions for real-world implementation. Harnessing a broader learning and development framework, Workplace Wellness That Works skips the fads and shows you how to design a smarter strategy that truly makes a difference in employees' lives—and your company's bottom line.

Genres: Business

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 8, 2015

About the author

Laura Putnam, granted the 2020 Impact Award by the American Heart Association, is the author of Workplace Wellness That Works (#1 Amazon Hot New Release in HR & Personnel Management). Her company Motion Infusion, a leading well-being provider, provides speaking, training, consulting and licensing services. The company’s mission is to get people, teams and organizations “in motion” – and on the path to better health and well-being.

Clients include, among others, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont, Schindler Elevator Corporation, Aetna, Wells Fargo, Apple, Electronic Arts, Logitech, Visa, Fitbit and Stanford University.

Laura has been featured by or has contributed to MSNBC, The New York Times, US News & World Report, Forbes, NPR and many others.

Laura is a former urban public high school teacher, public policy advocate, international community organizer, dancer, gymnast and now a movement-builder in the world of health and well-being. Laura teaches at Stanford University and also is the recipient of the National Wellness Institute’s “Circle of Leadership” award. A graduate of Brown University and Stanford University, she lives in San Francisco with her fiancé.

To learn more about Laura, visit:

Websites: www.motioninfusion.com, www.lauraputnam.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lauraputnam
Twitter: twitter.com/MotionInfusion
Facebook: facebook.com/LauraPutnamAuthor
Instagram: instagram.com/lauraputnamauthor

Reviews

[Oana Izabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Din punct de vedere al subiectului abordat, este o carte chiar interesanta...i-am dat 3 steluțe doar pentru ca eu sunt fan ficțiune.

[Joe Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura's expertise comes through. This is a must read for folks in HR, employee benefits and others in charge of taking good care of stressed-out employees.

[Errin Weisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lotzastitches · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wellness committee.

[Lorilin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Workplace Wellness that Works, author Laura Putnam argues that there needs to be a shift in the way we talk about health and wellness at work. Instead of focusing only on individual physical risk factors and health behaviors, she wants to start focusing on health more holistically, in a way that includes other important factors like physical energy, emotional resilience, finances, feelings of connection to coworkers and the community, capacity to express one's self authentically, and, finally, the belief that one is fulfilling a higher purpose.

While I agree with Putnam completely on this point and was eager to hear her ideas on how to accomplish this objective, it became very clear to me early on that this is not a book for the layman (i.e., me). Putnam very specifically states in the introduction that her book is designed for "anyone tasked with workplace wellness"--maybe a manager in human resources, a safety coordinator, a senior executive, or an external consultant.

So just be prepared: Workplace Wellness that Works is a tome. It is truly PACKED with information, and I suspect that even the most experienced HR person (or whomever) will need days (perhaps weeks or months) to digest all the stories, ideas, examples, and action steps in here. I finished the book and felt like I had just attended a three-day seminar on fostering well-being in the workplace. It's intense.

The book gives 10 steps for creating, building, and then sustaining a workplace wellness plan that, you guessed it, works. Each step has its own chapter, and each chapter contains many examples of companies who made that particular point work, as well as action items to help you make that point work for your own team. Here are the steps:

Step 1 - Become an "agent of change." You don't need to be an expert on wellness to start the process. You need to be (essentially) a motivational speaker, a person who can trigger emotion in others in a way that makes them want to act.

Step 2 - Imagine what is possible. Use images to evoke an emotional response.

Step 3 - Examine the workplace culture, especially what things are unspoken or taken for granted. (I actually loved how she reworked Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in this chapter. That section was one of my favorite parts of the book.)

Step 4 - Start with what is going right--e.g., people's strengths, their shining moments. Also, stop with the negativity and scare tactics already.

Step 5 - Collaborate internally (with HR, compensation and benefits, facilities, IT, etc.) and externally (with vendors, your community, etc.).

Step 6 - Don't make your wellness campaign obvious. Incorporate it into existing routines. Keep it under the radar. You might end up fighting fewer battles this way.

Step 7 - Help people create meaning, something internal that will provide lasting motivation for them.

Step 8 - Design nudges (environmental prompts like signs, reconfigured meeting spaces that gently force people to be active, etc.) and cues (cultural prompts like policies, rituals, etc.) that make healthy choices the easier choices.

Step 9 - Launch your wellness initiative, evaluate it, fix the bugs and address the issues, then relaunch it. Don't be afraid of mistakes. Embrace them, make your program stronger, and move forward.

Step 10 - Think globally.

There is also a final, very comprehensive checklist of action steps for each step at the end of the book.

Like I said, this book is absolutely filled to the brim with well-researched concepts and helpful ideas for implementing a new or better wellness plan at work. If you are a higher-up in HR or in a similar department, you will most likely find a whole lot of useful information and suggestions in this book. But if you are like me, just a little so-and-so who isn't in charge of any such program or person, you might want to steer clear. Better leave this one to the professionals.

[Kathryn Guylay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book I've read about corporate wellness. It provides inspirational stories, strategies, tools and techniques for implementing employee wellbeing programs. Ms. Putnam provides all of this value via an easy-to-read writing style. Her 10 steps process across three major phases (START IT, BUILD IT, and MAKE IT LAST) allows organizations to avoid many hours putting together programs that are a waste of time and money. Ms. Putnam balances the practical with the inspirational, asking each and every one of us to be that "agent of change" that will lead toward the ideal state where workplaces provide an oasis for healthy living. Ms. Putnam doesn't miss out on a key element that makes the process of creating workplace wellness doable from a behavioral psychology standpoint (key ingredient= fun). The book contains real life case studies that demonstrate how workplace wellness programs give organizations a competitive edge. A must read.

[Alex Devero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Workplace well-being is crucial for every organization. By being an agent of change with the help of a diverse team, you can create, instigate and develop healthy programs and habits that everyone in your company can benefit from.

[Noel Boyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the issues involved and practical solutions to them!

[Andrew Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this while revamping my company’s wellness policy. A decent book, and it did help the situation.