THE ENVIRONMENTAL Health Foundation, in collaboration with Wellness Promotions Ltd. (WELLPRO), kicked off its annual wellness and lifestyle promotion week on Monday under the theme, 'Wellness begins with self-responsibility'.
The aim of the seminar is to promote wellness practices and positive lifestyles in the workplace, school, home, marriages, families and the community.
Speaking during the CEO's roundtable wellness breakfast on Tuesday, Dr. Jacqueline Watson, founder and president of
Health Concepts International, Washington D.C., said that the health and well-being of employees is vital to the overall fiscal health of any organisation.
HUMAN CAPITAL INVESTMENT
She said that employees should be seen as human capital investment, and stressed that employers should be concerned about the health and wellness of their employees.
Dr. Watson added that the benefits of wellness programmes in the workplace include lower health care costs, enhanced corporate image, retention of valuable employees, improved morale, increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, recruitment of top employees, and healthier and happier employees.
Noting that employers may be challenged to provide quality comprehensive and affordable health care coverage due to escalating costs and environmental forces, she argued that healthy employees are likely to incur lower medical costs, be more productive and reap big dividends for their companies.
