Health Handouts : Employer Culture

Effective wellness programs recognize the effect of building a supportive cultural environment. The worksite culture includes shared values/heartfelt beliefs about what is valuable. It includes social standards of expected and accepted behavior called “cultural norms.”

It includes peer reinforcement from family, friends, and co-staff members. This reinforcement can help one adopt healthy lifestyles. Tools are available to audit a business.

The long-term success of any wellness program is dependent on the corporate culture.

Some healthy culture signs in a organization are:

• staff members communicate openly
• Leaders support diversity and opinion
• workers have fun
• Policies support wellness
• workers are encouraged to grow
• staff members work together as a team
• employees’ skills and talents are matched to their jobs.
• Flexible work schedules are available
• Employers consider employees as their most valuable asset