We are all very conscious of our health, now more than ever, due to the current situation around the world. Even before the drastic change of circumstances, there were many who were aware of their health and wanted to be healthy in order to have control of their life – as well as to keep several diseases at bay. The benefits of being healthy and leading a suitable lifestyle have been discussed, researched, and studied over the years. There are only positive results to report in this aspect. In many offices all over the world, health risk assessments have been introduced to better understand the health status of its employees. So, the importance of a health risk assessment needs to be discussed in detail to validate the fact that being healthy is an indicator of a better lifestyle.
What is a health risk assessment? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes it as a process of gathering information about the factors that support and/or hinder the health of employees at a particular workplace. It’s also called a workplace health assessment. This is a well-researched means of identifying a member’s current and past health and is also a reliable indicator of the probability of having a health condition in the future.
This information can be redacted from questionnaires, surveys, and consultations with a healthcare professional. The benefits of having this information about your health status are beneficial not only to you but also to the employer. There are several ingredients that go into maintaining an office environment. An office is a place where there are a lot of discussions, brainstorming sessions, and important decision-making. We need to appreciate that maintaining healthy relationships at work and having a considerable awareness about health statuses are also important sides that need to be taken into consideration.
Why does a workplace use a health risk assessment? Conducting a thorough assessment of employee health is paramount for getting the desired results for health and wellness. What do companies and individuals achieve with this data?
- Employees get an overall idea about their health and wellness, and any areas of improvement that can be made. The recognition of these shortcomings and timely intervention has been found to show tremendous advancement in health and wellness.
- When employees are concerned about their health, it is natural for them to want to follow healthier options for their lifestyle, be it diet or exercise. Using a well-balanced diet and working out as required also helps to keep a useful daily routine. This can also inspire hesitant colleagues and family to follow suit.
- By seeing improved results and changes that these bring about, taking future health risk assessments to know about the progress, could be conducted. When the desired results are not being achieved even on subsequent assessments, tailoring the wellness programming can be made. If it’s due to a lack of motivation to continue on a monotonous diet or exercise routine, here’s what to do in cases where people feel discouraged to carry out daily exercises
- While health assessments promote better health for the employees, it, in turn, reduces absenteeism amongst them. With more days worked and increased productivity, the productivity of the company would undoubtedly show an upward trend.
- By having a better understanding of the bigger picture, companies and employees can devise their strategies and plans according to the strengths and weaknesses of each person. This data can be used for directing healthcare funds judiciously. When companies know which areas of health are lacking more, more funds can be distributed to those areas and for improvement on those fronts.
Health is slowly being recognized as one of the top priorities or pillars of a company because of the many benefits associated with it. Health risk assessments are now being employed for the same purpose – a better understanding of the health state of employees. These assessments are the cornerstone of getting a grip over the heath data.
