BEWELL@WORK: WORKPLACE WELLNESS IN BELGIUMThe Belgian Heart League BeWell@Work initiative helps businesses and other workplaces build programmes to reduce employees' risk of heart attack and stroke. Launched in 2008, it now works with some 30 employers, from small offices to large multinational companies. It helps each company develop a wellness programme tailored to its own needs, capacities and workforce. Belgium's biggest killerIn spite of enormous progress in its treatment, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in Europe. In Belgium alone, CVD kills over 100 people a day. Risk factors are common. The country's population is under 11 million, and according to the Belgian national health survey in 2004, some 5 million have high cholesterol, 4 million get too little exercise, more than 3 million are overweight or obese, 2.8 million smoke daily, and 1.2 million have hypertension. Better employee health = better businessLost productivity due to death or illness from CVD costs the European Union some 35 billion Euros a year. In 2007, a study in Belgium showed that absenteeism due to illness had gone up 15% in one year. By keeping employees healthy, businesses decrease absenteeism and increase productivity, improve employee health and economic/social security, and enhance company image. But most firms don't need external statistics to know about the high costs of employee illness: they know it from their own books. “One reason that we started BeWell@Work was that more and more businesses were calling us to ask for help setting up wellness programmes,” says Dr Freddy Van de Casseye, General Manager of the Belgian Heart League: “on the business end there was a real demand.” Reaching where CVD prevention counts most“The other reason was that it satisfied our own needs,” he recounted. “While many people join the Heart League and are active in its activities, most are from older age groups, either already victims of heart attack or stroke or old enough to recognize them as immediate risks. But we had few members in the age range 30–50 years: they are very busy, and since they do not feel sick, they tend to see worrying about heart disease and stroke as something they can put off until later. Yet these are exactly the people we can help the most with prevention and control. We had such limited access to this important population, and the easiest place to reach them was at work,” continued Dr Van de Casseye; “it is a natural meeting place, a place for exchanging information and ideas and for taking action.” Tailoring programmes to the businessWorkforces and worksites differ tremendously, so they need different approaches to workplace wellness. BeWell@Work tailors its programme to the needs and interests of each company. Meetings and workshops are generally one to two hours long, so that they fit easily into work schedules, but BeWell@Work also organizes full-day events such as athletics competitions to have a more diverse and in-depth staff involvement. These are sometimes combined with other corporate events or meetings. Activities are supported by BeWell@Work tools such as leaflets, cooking notes, and an exercise kit. Defining good practiceDefining good practice is a critical first step. “There are all kinds of wellness offerings out there in different areas – different diets, all kinds of methods, sometimes very exotic, for relieving stress and so forth,” explained Dr Van de Casseye. “The role of the Heart League and its added value, in business terms, is to ensure that the approaches offered are scientifically valid. Our scientific committees are the primary reference,” continued Dr Van de Casseye, “but there are topics that go beyond their expertise: for issues about smoking cessation, for example, we consult the Fonds des Affections Respiratoires (FARES); for stress management we work with the Stress Clinic at the University Hospital in Brussels.” Working in partnershipBeWell@Work mobilizes networks of physicians, nutritionists, psychologists, tobacco-cessation specialists, sports coaches, physiotherapists, health-communication experts, chefs, and specialists in e-learning and event organization to help employers offer programmes that fit employee needs and business objectives. “One of the biggest challenges,” admitted Dr Van de Casseye, “is logistical. You can’t just have one or two people with each category of expertise: you need a whole pool of people in order to be sure to have someone available at the time that is most convenient for the company. Organizing it all is very time-consuming, so we rely on professional networks that are already in place, like agencies of dieticians. Choosing the right networks is very important: they need to be aligned to best practice and committed to evidence-based approaches. We also work closely with the Occupational Health doctors and nurses who are employed at larger workplaces: ‘the workplace is really their territory’ Dr Van de Casseye emphasised: “they are there all the time and specialize in that setting, and it is important to join forces to avoid working in parallel or even competing.” Spicing up scienceEnsuring that programme content is engaging to workers with varying profiles is another challenge of implementing an evidence-based programme. Dr Van de Casseye explained: “making sure that something is scientifically sound is one thing, but it is just as important that presentations and recommended activities are practical, interesting and fun. As an organization that is based on medical science we are used to concentrating on the science, but to communicate with the workforce we need the help of those who have experience in communicating and getting peoples’ attention.” Engaging business and building commitment“Most commonly we approach companies through their human resources (HR) departments,” said Dr Van de Casseye. The Belgian Heart League promoted BeWell@Work by putting an article in the HR Tribune and presenting it through HR directors’ associations and conferences. Companies that show a long-term engagement to the BeWell@Work programme can belong to the BeWell@Work club and use its logo. This signifies their commitment to basic workplace wellness principles and to raising employees’ awareness of their CVD risk. Set up for sustainabilityThe BeWell@Work programme was set up with support from Danone. This support enabled the Belgian Heart League to build the BeWell@Work website, develop printed materials and tools, set up administrative systems and define guidelines. Now the programme is self-supporting: businesses pay for the services, so there is no need for external funding. “Work with Heart”: raising public awarenessThe Belgian Heart League plans to integrate the “Work with Heart” theme and promotion of BeWell@Work into its “Week of the Heart” programme, which ends on World Heart Day. “We have always targeted business management in our promotion of Workplace Wellness,” explained Dr Van de Casseye. “The World Heart Day theme gives us a hook to send messages to the general public for the first time.” Further information:• Belgian Heart League: http://www.liguecardiologique.be/fr/index.cfm | |||||||
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