So far this week, for National Public Health Week, faculty bloggers from Drexel’s School of Public Health have discussed issues of health at home and safety at school. Today’s theme is wellness at work, and two Drexel public health students have taken on the subject.
Mary Figgatt, a student pursuing a master’s degree in public health, writes about workplace safety, and helping employers adopt a safety-focused culture to protect the health of employees:
Setting the “tone” in the office can really make or break the business. If it’s a carefree, or careless environment, who’s going to double or triple check that you have a clear path in front of the forklift carrying six hundred pounds of equipment. So, how can we change the way the management views safety and health in the workplace? Well, we are working on it.
Arvin Magusara, a student in the Executive MPH program, writes about the impact of workplace wellness programs — and what factors give them the greatest likelihood of success:
In recent years, workplace wellness programs have gained popularity among employers due to noticeable increases in productivity, reduction of stress, and reduction of absenteeism. This return on investment (ROI) has also had a positive impact on bottom lines with many companies/organizations reporting significant reduction of healthcare costs.
A cherry on the workplace wellness sundae, today: Drexel University was just named one of the healthiest employers in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Business Journal for the “A Healthier U” program and other efforts to promote employees’ good health. Read more about that here.
