Healthy Workplaces:
Tips And Tools For A Comprehensive Approach Workshop

Submitted by Julie Bolton, BNSc, RN, Public Health Nurse

Comprehensive Workplace Wellness is an approach to workplace health promotion that enhances and supports the health of employees in an organization. Historically, workplace wellness programs have focused exclusively on employee “lifestyle” issues such as, physical inactivity and smoking and have lacked a multiple strategy approach to address the health issues of employees on a broader level.

In May 2003, the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit hosted a regional workshop in conjunction with The Health Communication Unit called “Healthy Workplaces: Tips and Tools for a Comprehensive Approach”. The purpose of this workshop was to help build the capacity of participants in organizing, promoting and implementing comprehensive workplace wellness strategies. There were 38 participants in total from various partner agencies throughout eastern Ontario, along with community members, representatives from worksites and Health Unit staff.

The goals of this one day workshop were to explore the elements of comprehensive workplace health promotion and to provide tools to help assist with this type of work. The workshop allowed for the formation of partnerships, sharing of resources and ideas and networking opportunities. Participant feedback on the workshop was very positive indicating that particpants felt confident that they would be able to apply what they had learned in their worksites and communities.

In the fall of 2003, the Health Unit had an opportunity to apply the comprehensive workplace wellness approach in partnership with a local manufacturing plant to support their efforts to improve employee health. Grenville Castings invited the Health Unit to deliver information sessions on healthy eating and physical activity to all 300 staff as part of mandatory training. The Health Unit took this opportunity to evaluate the workplace wellness program from its inception. In addition to the information sessions, the employer has provided on-going education by including Health Unit articles in their monthly newsletter, which is sent to the homes of all current and retired employees. The Health Unit continues to support the wellness activities in this and other workplaces throughout Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Counties.

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