Utilization of Wellness Programs - Essay Example

? Utilization of Wellness Programs Human resource is a crucial component in any organization. This component performs various roles, which ensure that organizations achieve their goals. However, many are times when the roles of this department are not clearly understood. The paper explores the HR system and how it utilizes wellness programs, related policies, communications, programs, and activities in support of organization’s strategy. Adoption of wellness programs also has legal issues that will be discussed together with HR contributions to strategic success. The other issue relates to how HR leaders find themselves performing dual roles in the HR systems and as members of the top management team (TMT). Utilization of Wellness Programs The term Human Resources has different meanings which depend with the context of usage. In economics, it means the human labor or capital at a firm’s disposal. However, in business it refers to individuals who make up the workforce of an organization. In most organizations, a human resources department headed by the HR manager is created so as to manage the organization’s workforce and to harness its efforts. The department has various responsibilities which ensure that the workforce is geared towards the achievement of the organizational strategies. Some of the HR roles involve utilization of wellness programs. Wellness in this regard encompasses more than just absence of ailments. An employee’s lifestyle should resonate with their mental and body health as well as their spirituality. These aspects hugely determine an employee’s wellbeing thereby crucial towards productivity (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). Therefore, it is essential for HR departments to encompass wellness programs in order to ensure a healthy and productive workforce. HR managers and support staff have the best opportunity of understanding individual employees better through the wellness programs. Through this program the management is able to ascertain employee’s stress levels and this opens room for early detection and treatment. Employee’s spirituality is also unearthed this way together with the general health status. It is also through these programs that the employer is able to assess the lifestyles led by their employees. A poor or disorganized lifestyle indicates a disorganized mind while the opposite is true. It is also important to note that wellness programs also include financial wellness. There is considerable comfort enjoyed by individuals when they dwell in financial health. An organization should therefore strife towards attaining wellness for the employees as a motivator. When employees are motivated in a positive manner, research has shown that they significantly increase their productivity (Ingham and Norris, 2007). Some of the popular wellness programs encompass health risk assessment, smoking and drinking and free or subsidized membership to fitness centers among others. Every organization ensures that there are clearly laid out policies or guidelines followed during operations to attain set goals. This means that everything that goes on in a firm must be in line with the set strategies. The various departments in the organization must also make sure that as they undertaking their responsibilities they comply with the organization’s key policy. As a result, operations in the organization are harmonized through teamwork and chain of command within the HR functions (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). It is not possible to have a workforce that is willing to work together if most of the workers lead unhealthy and poor lifestyles. Some will drag the others in a team as a result of illnesses or even mental stress. Employees should be exposed to education coupled with activities inclined towards healthy living in order to improve the general welfare of the employees. Employee wellness results in reduced cost of insurance due to many lifestyle related conditions and diseases for organizations. Absenteeism is another big issue plaguing organizations and one of the best ways of curbing it is utilization of wellness programs. Within the HR department there is need to have a committee that solely takes care of wellness programs and activities. It is quite important to ensure that employees (being the most important assets of a firm) lead healthy lifestyles. The HR staff can develop wellness programs that revolve around all these issues. In regards to motivation the HR team can develop reward systems that boost employees’ morale. When hiring, employees can be offered salaries or remuneration packages that are quite attractive which will act to satisfy financial wellness. Performance and evaluation policies are put in place to reward hard work and teamwork (HR Magazine, 2011). Promotion in this regard acts as morale boosters and they usually come with higher wages. The policies must first comply with the organizational strategies before being implemented by the human resources department. For instance, an organization may have a policy which stipulates the reward that an employee from any department can receive for exemplary performance. This implies that when the human resources staff is formulating motivation strategies and policies, it must comply with the reward guidelines set by the top management (U.S. Office Of personnel management, 2011). After incorporating reward systems, which are part of the bigger HR systems, the management can now watch as these employees turn the firm into a success. A firm’s success is easily assessed on how effectively and efficiently it follows its strategies. With a highly motivated, rewarded, skilled and satisfied workforce, failure is uncommon. Wellness programs should, therefore, be put in place with the bigger picture in mind so as to have sustainable growth and success of an organization. The policies, procedures and programs initiated by the HR department are meant to ensure that the organization has qualified, competitive, affordable, productive and competent workforce. The productivity of the employees translates to the organization’s success. Furthermore, the human resources department is responsible of formulating policies which should guide the employees towards achieving the organization’s main strategies. Thus, most of the effective policies by human resources department are aimed at guiding and motivating employees towards the organization’s strategic framework; hence, human resources department is an essential part which develops policies that help the organization to achieve its goals and strategies. In regards to communication, the human resources department stores all the employees’ records in respect to names, occupation, sex, age, qualifications and health status (although confidential) among others details HR Magazine, (2011). This makes it a perfect spot to send a message meant for the whole workforce. Thus, the department is usually entrusted with the role of making sure that communication within the organization is both timely and convenient. As a result of flawless communication channels the human resources department and the entire organization are able to smoothly pursue the set strategies since any developments or changes can be communicated instantly. Hence, the role of communication in human resources department supports the organization’s strategy. Training is usually done to newly employed staff so as to orientate them into the organization. However, it can also be done to the existing employees so as to refresh and instill modern skills in their work schedules. Training is usually undertaken so as to make sure that the employees are meeting the set performance standards or even benchmarks. Training is also meant to guide employees on the newest skills and emerging ways of doing things. Employees can also be subjected to training if an organization decides to change its strategies and policies so as to familiarize the employees on the new strategies. Hence, the HR department conducts several programs which ultimately support the organization’s strategy (Ingham and Norris, 2007). The human resources department is responsible for conducting various activities which include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). An example is where the organization through its employees participates in charitable events so as to give back to the society. The department also organizes bonding events where employees participate in social activities meant to create better relationships among them or even between employees and customers. Some of these activities work towards alleviating employee stress. They also make employees see the positive side of making the organization as success; the firm will be able to engage in more CSR activities. There are certain legal issues associated with wellness programs which are essential to consider. Americans with Disability Act (ADA) states that one cannot be discriminated against based on the fact that they are physically challenged. They should be hired and offered opportunities just like anyone else as long as they are fit and qualified to do so. Another is HIPAA which also disallows discrimination of any kind when enrolling people in premium considerations. It is also illegal under Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act of 2008 to have a person’s genetic information before enrolling them for an insurance cover (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). There are other statutes that should also be considered for employer-sponsored wellness programs. These include Lifestyle Discrimination Statutes although they vary with individual state. Another is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act which clearly stipulates that age should not form a basis for denying someone any benefits or even employment opportunity although with some exceptions. A human resources leader has the role of ensuring that the policies set are properly implemented. Thus the leader should provide guidelines and motivation to the human resources systems. As a member of the top management team, the human resources leader should be able to highlight the problems that are usually encountered in the human resources department so they can be discussed by the other members of the top management. The leader should also propose ways of improving the human resources capacity to harness employees’ efforts in the realization of the organizational goals and objectives. This includes laying down plans and estimating the cost of implementing them. As a result, the top management will understand the importance of the human resources department by embracing its contributions to the organization (McCalla, Kumar and Lybeck, 2009). Leading a HR department is one of the most tasking jobs a manager can have. It involves solving of disputes and coordinating all departments to achieve a common goal. In many cases this coordination does not come about smoothly since people exhibit differences in opinion leading to constant adjustments towards modalities of achieving set objectives. Dynamism is therefore, a key trait in a human resource leader or manager. Within the human resources department there are various programs meant for the organization’s employees. The programs are put in place with a purpose of ensuring that the employees are conforming to the modern and most efficient working methods and procedures. Among the most popular and beneficial programs undertaken by the human resources department is training (Ingham and Norris, 2007). When employees are taught new skills in a certain organization they develop a bond that reduces employee turnover. They are able to see the worth of the firm for which they work thereby work hard towards implementation of laid out organizational strategies. Wellness programs in general offer a good platform for HR managers to discover how to utilize the skills and efforts of the employees to successfully implement organizational strategies. The programs act as motivators and they also bring employees together towards attaining a common objective. References HR Magazine, (2011). Human resources management. Retrieved from: http://www.hrmagazine.com.hk/ Ingham, J., & Norris, A. (2007). “Health and wellness programs help manage human capital.” Strategic HR Review. 6(3). McCalla, M., Kumar, S., & Lybeck, E. (2009). “Operational impact of employee wellness programs: a business case study.” International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. 58(6). U.S. Office Of personnel management, (2011). Human resources flexibility. Retrieved from: http://www.opm.gov/omsoe/hr-flex/ Read More