We are slowly moving toward a global business environment. Many small businesses can still afford to ignore the global market. But soon every business will have to compete on a worldwide level. In order to stay competitive these businesses are going to have to stay highly efficient and effective. That means that not only the management but all staff need to work at their best.
Having workers who are stressed out or working at limited capacity due to health issues will have dire consequences to any company who fails to address it quickly and effectively. That is why the larger corporations are increasing their spending on employee wellness programs. They appreciate that all parts of the organization need to be working at peak performance. It helps with retention and reduced health plan costs as well so there really are few reasons not to provide your employees with every advantage.
The impact of employee wellness programs is so important that other countries are making big investments in their employees well-being. Canada has fallen behind the other world countries in their commitment to the new work environment. Spending only one dollar for every two dollars invested by their American competitors. As if that were not bad enough, Japan spend five times as much and Germany spends eight times as much.
If we allow our businesses to fall too far behind their competitors we may find that we become unable to remain competitive. Now is the time to make the investment. Get the new work environment in place to make Canada an attractive place to work, to attract international talent here, and stop the brain drain we are currently experiencing.
If North America wants to stay competitive on the world stage they are going to need to step up their game. We may be able to make a smaller investment than other countries because we have the skilled people already here. Bu t we need to act fast so they are not enticed away to those other countries who are making the bigger investments right now.
The benefits of happy well-adjusted employees are well documented. The tools to develop happy healthy employees are available. The business community needs to put them in place and reap the rewards. We have always lead the world in innovation, now should be no different. If you work in HR you need to start planning for employee wellness. If you work in management you need to prepare your business for global success. If you are an unhappy employee, take heart in the knowledge that there are businesses out there who understand the importance of your happiness.
Holistic wellness specialist, Dr. Don Lester Ph D utilizes current research and best practices information into a realistic, holistic and practical approach through his dynamic stress and wellness workshops, on-line articles, e-newsletters and media interviews and through a collaboratio n called Amazing Workspaces.
Visit http://www.creeksideholistic.com/ for more on Dr. Don and his wellness work.