Why you need wellness intervention
At no time previously in the history of humanity has the quality of our nutrition been so poor; our lifestyle so inactive and our exposure to stress so extreme and ongoing.
One of the things affected most by these issues is effectiveness in the workplace. Individuals don't enjoy their work as much as they could and don't work to their full potential. Companies are impacted both by the sub-optimum performance of their employees and the cost of sick days.
In order to help businesses achieve their highest potential in the marketplace, it is necessary to help employees achieve their highest personal potential with regard to health, energy, productivity and mental accuity.
How can we help?
The Happy Body can help you reduce both absenteeism and medical aid claims by improving the health of your staff. Healthier staff members perform better and tend to be happier, which results in greater morale. We can help employees manage their stress levels and become educated about important health risk factors, which in turn helps prevent potential future health problems.
In a nutshell, we can assist you in increasing productivity, while reducing healthcare costs, in an expedient and cost-effective way.
Why our programmes are successful
The data we collect allows for ongoing measurement and enables us to evaluate the outcomes of the programme. We help staff create effective, realistic and personal action plans that encourage greater adherence.
The group nature of the programme makes it essential for us to create a supportive environment for all attendees. Staff involvement is pivotal to success and this can be achieved with an understanding of each employee’s needs and wants.
What the statistics say
1. In 2005, 60% of deaths in the world were attributable to Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle (CDL).
The Chronic Diseases of Lifestyle Research Unit (part of The South African Medical Research Council) explains that CDL are a group of diseases that share similar risk factors because of exposure, over many decades, to unhealthy diets, smoking, lack of exercise, and possibly stress. The major risk factors are high blood pressure, tobacco addiction, high blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, which can result in various long-term diseases and high mortality rates due to stroke, heart attack, tobacco- and nutrition-induced cancers, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, renal failure, and many others.
Crucially, CDL can be prevented.
2. In 2011, the Heart and Stroke Foundation reported that 56% ofwomen and 29% of men are overweight and obese in South Africa. 1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women will develop a heart condition before they are 60 years of age. Up to 80% of these incidences are due to lifestyles and behaviour (meaning that 80% of premature deaths could be avoided with a few lifestyle changes).
3. In 2009, statistics from a Corporate Absenteeism Management Solutions (CAMS) survey of 60 South African companies with more than 7000 employees over the course of a year, revealed that sick absenteeism costs corporate SA about R19 billion per year.
4. In 2007, the Heart and Stroke Foundation reported that premature deaths caused by heart and blood vessel diseases (CVD) in people of working age (35-64 years) are expected to increase by 41% between 2000 and 2030.