“If an employee has a problem the company has a problem……..”

Modern life together with all its “luxuries” is imposing more expectations and demands on people than ever before. With ongoing development and continual changes in society’s standards, companies, professionals and employees to are forced to continuously readjust.

Repeated & rapid change at work and at home can escalate uncertainty and feelings of powerlessness. These changes bring with them new challenges that bring increasing loads of stress. This “new” form of stress is termed “technological stress” and if not dealt effectively and with “new” approaches it will eventually lead to lack of vitality, mental fatigue burnouts and possibly even disease. In company terms this can result in increased absenteeism, lower turnover, lower productivity, job-related accidents, workers compensation claims, higher health insurance premium and increases medical expenses. But behold it is not only the workers and the companies that are feeling this pressure but also the consumers, who often unaware of those changes, are given the added stresses to deal with.

Unfortunately, the more ‘civilized’ we become the more we have to contain ourselves, the more we have to contain ourselves the more repressed we become, and the more repressed we become the more likely it becomes that we will develop anxieties and stresses with all the diseases that follow.

Workplace wellness is a matter for concern and the need for the corporate world to embrace the health & wellness industry has by now been well established….. Management & Employee stress lowers work & company productivity with more employees having accidents, using sick days and engaging in workplace conflicts.

According to the latest Ipsos-Reid survey published in March 18, 2004, participants indicate that the top two contributors to absenteeism and/or health costs in the workplace are “depression/anxiety/other mental health disorders” (66%) and “stress” (60%). The other ranked causes include “relationships with supervisor/manager” (44%), “childcare issues” (35%), “co-worker conflict in the workplace” (28%), “parenting issues” (21%), “addictions or substance use/abuse issues” (20%), and “eldercare issues” (19%).

This is substantiated by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations who states that ‘Depression will be the leading cause of disease burden by 2020’; with stress a major factor in depression. I don’t think we have to wait until then……… this is already happening .

All this of course has a huge impact on productivity. This is why many businesses and corporations are or are advised to invest in wellness programs in order to reduce the level of workplace stress

Work and life can no longer be seen as separate entities, they need be part of a whole package; a refined balance needs to be sought and the skills to deal with stress in the workplace need to occupy a prime position within company planning & management strategies. Your job can strain your emotions, through corporate downsizing, working more with less and keeping up with new technology.

Life doesn’t happen on a 9 to 5 schedule. People face stressful issues 24 hours a day, and sometimes don’t know where or how to get the help they need. When employees are distracted from work, it can negatively affect any organization’s ‘bottom line’.

With terms like "stress-related-illness" and "burnout" becoming household words, organizations are increasingly looking for ways to keep their workforce happy, healthy and productive.Corporate Wellness is about providing incentives and rewards to participate in personal health programs.

There is no standard for corporate wellness programs and they may encompass a variety of activities & education sessions. The benefits of Wellness in the Workplace are immeasurable.
A healthy employee/employer & workplace environment promotes a happy and productive work environment!

A comprehensive workplace wellness program ideally consists of three components: Prevention, Recognition, and Assistance. This can be implemented as various modules: healthy eating, fitness programs, stop smoking programs, workplace safety, life coaching and counseling, “lunch and learns:”, on-site healthcare, visiting a nearby spa and so on.

Stress Management within any business can begin with teaching very simple coping techniques such as relaxation, breathing, exercise, meditation & nutrition. In terms of the cost effectiveness on instituting effective corporate wellness programs, research shows that for every $1 spent on employee health programs, savings can range from $7 - $14 (Warren Shepell Consultants)

Wellness Programs improve morale, reduce absenteeism, and add to the health and longevity of each participant & are instrumental in keeping people on a healthy life path, especially in office or clinic environments where the employees are sedentary for significant portions of the day.
Learning to achieve and maintain a healthy life, acquire a better understanding of health problems affecting co-workers and friends, discovery of new resources for health information, skills for interaction with colleagues outside immediate workgroup & manage health problems in an informal and effective manner are all key aspects of any program.

With a wealth of retreat & spa environments available in every state in Australia, more than ever companies and businesses are able to utilize the wellness industry to increase their staff health & wellbeing, boost employee performance and job satisfaction.

At Authenticity Health & Wellness Retreat & Day Spa, we provide a congenial environment where you and/or someone you care about can relax and rejuvenate with services that elevate the body, mind and soul in an effort to reach that innate natural state of peace and harmony., we understand the corporate professional and have the therapies & workshops able to be tailored to individual needs.

High Powered professional business men & women, starting their day at a health retreat with an hour of meditation - something that would have been unheard of just a few years ago, yet recently during one companies’ combined strategy/planning forum & wellness break at Authenticity Health & Wellness Retreat this was exactly what we saw. The Jarvis Group; one of the largest privately owned companies in Australia employs over 250 staff , recently chose to incorporate a 4 day planning session with a focus on stress management & personal wellness.

Picture a group of executives – primarily men 35+, many of whom had never attempted yoga or meditation, rising from their beds early and participating in a guided meditation session together before their morning work session! After starting each day with meditation, breaking for a daily bicycle ride after lunch & engaging in yoga at their afternoon break ensured that even thought the work load of the planning sessions had not decreased, and in fact they were able to perform much better than ‘usual’, all participants felt completely different that they had felt at any other conference. The group was uplifted, energized and fresh as opposed to the normal feelings of tiredness & lethargy after their work sessions.

Feedback from all participants was extremely positive with all reporting increased awareness, feeling of vitality & an increase in skills and methods for coping with stress that could not only be utilised personally but also in their capacity as team leaders & managers.

The program was a combination between work & wellness, it is important to ‘meet people where they are at’, and use any time available in order to introduce complimentary practices and activities within their required schedules, while supporting & facilitating the needs of the group.

Authenticity Health & Wellness Retreat has created a year round corporate incentive program, which can assist businesses in rewarding staff performance. The outstanding performer each month, whether that is in achieving sales targets, excelling in projects or any other criteria that suits your business, will receive a retreat package.

The monthly package entitles one person to an overnight ‘Escape’ stay in a deluxe room, including stress management options at Authenticity, Port Elliot. ‘Escape’ stays include accommodation, meals, one relaxation massage or classic beauty treatment and full use of the facilities. The yearly high achiever receives a 5 (five) night ‘Rest & Rejuvenate’ package for 2 people in a Deluxe ensuite room.

Gift certificates each month and a presentation package for the yearly achiever will be provided. Employees are always eager to take part and ‘compete’ for the incentive packages and often senior management makes sure that there is a complimentary package running ‘side by side’ so that all members of the team have opportunities to attend the retreat.

Most Retreat/Health Resort facilities have the ability to tailor similar programs to suit individual needs and budgets. The monthly prize can range from a day spa massage package to a deluxe stay with a friend – the value is in being valued, irrespective of the actual cost and the feeling of being a valuable member of the team will be carried through any activities and tasks, making work more effective and fulfilling.

Health Retreat environments are now also much sought after locations for Personal or Corporate Retreats and can be utilized as an alternative to more conventional venues for key Management/Strategy meetings and can incorporated Retreat Services and health education.

Health and wellness programs can bring about improvement in both personal & team wellbeing by pointing the way towards healthy lifestyle choices; they can bring forth awareness in the use of nutrition and preventative medicine for healing, health and fitness maintenance. The availability of counseling for solving relational or communication problems within teams & with individual team members is an important factor in selecting the right environment.

This is what the Canadian tourism commission had to say on the emerging use of spas and wellness centers in recent years ’Extensive global research and market trend analysis strongly points to a boom in spa health and wellness vacations.’

We look forward to a time where all companies in Australia are including Wellness strategies for all of their staff on a regular basis, the benefits will then be visible on a personal, business & community level.

Corporate Executives & Professional including lawyers, politicians, medical practitioners, educators, nurses & cares, financiers & accountants, law enforcement & emergency personnel are just a few of the regular corporate fraternity at Authenticity.

Using health retreats for the executive meetings or workshops can demonstrate leadership in the community; improve employee morale by providing additional benefits and help employees deal more effectively with personal and family health issues