In this activity, you will analyze the factors that should be considered to enhance the workplace wellness programs of two case scenarios.

Step 1. Review

Review these two case scenarios:

• ACE employs more than 200 full-time, year-round employees and contracts with thousands of seasonal employees to harvest and package carrots. It has been a repeated observation that most workers do not practice proper handwashing and sanitation before eating meals. As such, the company decided to launch a “Hygiene in the Workplace'' wellness program in partnership with a local health institute to ensure the employees adopt proper handwashing and sanitation. The hygiene in the workplace wellness program faced some challenges due to cultural and religious practices. Some believed that soap should not be used to cleanse their hands as it is composed of animal fat. To address this, the workplace wellness program applied educational strategies that included focus groups to allow employees to raise their concerns openly regarding the use of alcohol-based hand rubs, help them to understand the scientific evidence underlying this recommendation, and identify possible solutions to overcome obstacles together.

• .Due to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity in the transportation industry and the risks that accompany obesity, a health and wellness (H&W) program at a leading car service was initiated to reduce obesity and its associated risks such as hypertension, diabetes, etc. The local health system and gym worked with the company to offer health and wellness programs, ergonomic and injury prevention services, on-site physical therapy and health screens, and overall wellness coaching every Saturday morning to approximately 20,000 company-insured employees. Some of the challenges faced by the wellness program were disengaged employees who primarily did not feel the need to lose weight anymore and time-schedule conflicts as the employees were working in different shifts, thus making it hard to collaborate together as a “community” program. 

Step 2. Analyze

Analyze the goal of the two workplace wellness programs, and provide your thoughts on:

• How appropriate the measures to accomplish the program’s goals are

• Your recommendations for adjustments or additions to the strategy to achieve a comprehensive workplace wellness program

• How the actions taken are related to the determinants of health and the population health promotion model

Step 3. Respond

Respond by writing a 200-400 word discussion post that articulates the factors that affect the success and outcome of the two workplace wellness programs. Make sure to include the focus areas in Step 2 in your discussion.

Step 4: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

Step 5: Interact

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to the forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 6: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

In this activity, you will reflect on the best practices to promote workplace wellness, focusing on the concept of “built environment.”

Step 1. Review

Review the learning resources for this lesson, specifically how a “built environment” is designed. 

Step 2. Draw and Describe

Using the knowledge gained about the built environment, draw two models of the built environment: an ideal built environment workplace and a poorly built environment workplace in the boxes provided below. Describe each of your drawings.

Step 3. Explain

Based on your drawings, discuss in 200-600 words how the built environment affects the workplace and the people within the workplace, highlighting the following points:

• How the built environment influences an employee’s level of physical activity
• How the built environment leads to sedentary habits and behavior
• How the built environment contributes to poor health outcomes

Step 4: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

Step 5: Interact

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to the forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 6: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”