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Work Smart Corporate Wellness Blog

This Work Smart Corporate Wellness Blog highlights articles from our Corporate eBrief, Path To Wellness that has been publishing employee wellness information since 2002. It focuses on employee and corporate wellness strategies for the beginner to the seasoned professional. Our hope is that it will provide you with how-tos and update you on significant research and statistics that may assist you in your wellness initiatives. For specific wellness topics, use the search feature at the top of this website.

To receive the full eBrief every month, click on the "Absolutely!" link at the bottom of this page. New subscribers will receive a free white paper on Wellness Programming: Developing Buy-In.

We welcome your input, your questions and your best practices.

Addressing Mental Illness and Stigma

May 22

Mental illness is a very common form of human pain and suffering. According to research, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a diagnosable mental illness. One of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness is overcoming the stigma attached to it. This stigma brings about isolation and prevents people from getting the help that they need. Only 1 in every 3 Canadians with a mental health issue will seek help, leaving millions trying to cope all on their own. Stigma is perhaps the biggest barrier to mental health care. Fear of being criticize or judged by those around them may prevent them from reaching out to others for support. There are still many misconceptions about mental illness. These...

Workplace Wellness: Where Is Your Organization On The Continuum?

May 13

Mental Health Week was held during the first week of May and from the looks of social media, many companies chose to recognize the week in some way. But, mental health is not something that leaders should only focus on during one week a year. Employers have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of their employees. What Is Workplace Mental Health? Workplace Mental Health refers to policies, procedures, processes, systems, and initiatives that serve to enhance and protect the overall psychological health of individuals within the work environment. According to Guarding Minds At Work, when employers adopt policies and programs to address psychological safety and health, they incur 15% to 33% fewer costs related to psychological health issues....

Workplace Wellness: Your Employees and Burnout

May 9

Employees and Burnout Being burned out and being stressed out are not the same thing. Being burned out is not the same as dealing with Depression. And being stressed out can lead to being burned out and being burned out can lead to Depression. Many of us can tell when we are stressed out, but often, we cannot tell if we are burned out. Burnout may be the result of unrelenting stress, but it isn’t the same as too much stress. Stress is often about too many pressures that need to be dealt with. Burnout is about feeling empty, lacking in motivation, and beyond caring. Employees experiencing burnout often don’t see any hope of positive change in their situations. You...

Are Your Employees Fit For Duty?

April 18

ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES FIT FOR DUTY? One bad decision can have devastating effects. This my family knows only too well, as 20 years ago one young man’s bad decision after work left our brother and sister-in-law dead.Impaired driving, left parents’ heart-broken, robbed brothers and sisters of the chance to lean on each other, left future nieces and nephews without cousins and impacted this young man’s freedom for the next few years. Fit For Duty: Impairment Policy We know that fatigue, alcohol and drugs, mental health and a variety of other stressors impact both worker performance and health and safety.As an employer, you have an overriding obligation to protect the health and safety of your teams by ensuring that all workers performing work are Fit...

Workplace Wellness: How Can Leaders Up The Happiness Factor?

March 28

Issue: How Can Leaders Up The Happiness Factor? Happiness does not just happen. It has to be worked at. It is far easier to focus on the difficult,the stressful, the negative and the disappointing. There are so many examples of them happening all around us and the media, our colleagues and our friends are more than eager to point them out to us. These things make up most of our normal, everyday conversations. Happiness Is More Than An Emotion. Happiness Is A CHOICE. It takes effort to really notice and be thankful for the big and small things that make us happy. Beverly Beuermann-King Click to tweet According to an Ipsos Mori survey, 77% people in the developed...