Health and Wellness in the Workplace Gets Social Networking Makeover
Making health and wellness in the workplace a priority is now simple with Optimum Health Club, which uses a social networking platform as a tool to communicate educational content to members in search of information on living a balanced living lifestyle. Participating employers get employees who are more productive, more loyal, and less likely to miss work due to illness.
Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) December 26, 2008
A new and unique wellness organization, OptimumHealthClub. com, is offering employers a simple way to increase employee productivity, employee retention, and employee loyalty through a no cost workplace wellness program called "The Gift of Wellness". Employers can secure a full membership for each employee which starts with a personal wellness profile in a social network style environment similar to FACEBOOK, and MySpace.
The membership includes access to educational information relating to all aspects of health and wellness, including dieting, nutritional supplements, specialized strength training and fitness routines, aerobics and environmental wellness along with financial wellness, and alternative medicine. Discussion forums are moderated by wellness professionals with expertise on those topics. Full members also receive a membership card to get discounts with wellness professionals and product suppliers who participate in the program. The organization features a weekly Internet radio show and podcast, and monthly webinars to educate members with an interactive, hands on approach.
Members can also connect with virtual or real workout partners, a benefit of using a social networking framework. Facilitating communication amongst members keeps them motivated to pursue their goals as they collaborate with each other on and offline. Optimum Health Club is different from other wellness websites because of the level of interactivity built into the system through the live radio show, monthly educational webinars, an instant messaging system, moderated forum discussions and local community activities like wellness expos, and community wellness events.
The program is the brainchild of Glenn K. Garnes, a retired attorney, who has had his own ups and downs with sticking to a wellness lifestyle. Garnes believes a social network devoted to the topic will help people achieve greater success because collaboration with other people makes participants more likely to follow through on their goals.
Garnes represented businesses for over 20 years and knows the challenges they face. "Creative use of social networking is making it possible for health and wellness in the workplace to be given priority virtually anywhere in the world", says Garnes. We are making this program available for free to employers because we know they are at their wit's end on ways to help employees and increase productivity, without worrying about the cost, Garnes explained.
Garnes is not the only one who thinks this concept makes sense. Wellness professionals who heard about his plans began signing up before the website was even created. "When Glenn told me about Optimum Health Club I didn't have to think twice about joining as a wellness professional", says Dr. Brian Morrison, a chiropractor based out of Ellicott City, Maryland. "I think this program is going to change results for a lot of people in coming years, and the social networking platform meets them right where they are at this point in time", Morrison continued.
Statistics show that companies with a workplace wellness initiative save between $2.30 and $10.00 for every dollar spent on wellness. For example, health care costs for IBM employees who exercise 1-2 times per week are $350 per year less than those who don't, according to a report on Benefitnews. com. The "Gift of Wellness" program, is attractive to employers because it is simple, free, and requires no ongoing administrative costs. Wellness related topics are some of the most heavily searched on the Internet, and with rising health insurance premiums making it difficult for employers to pitch in, the Optimum Health Club workplace wellness program may provide welcome relief for struggling employers.
"We are excited at the reception this project is getting from wellness professionals and members", says Garnes. "It seems that many people appreciate how easy we have made it to get information that allows them to excel at pursuing a wellness lifestyle"
OptimumHealthClub. com scheduled its launch on December 26 to capture the New Year's resolution crowd that will be making affirmations about wellness for the coming year, and now the organization feels it has something that will help them keep those resolutions.
Employers who wish to participate in the OptimumHealthClub. com workplace wellness (http://www. optimumhealthclub. com/page/gift-of-wellness) can learn more by visiting the site at http://www. optimumhealthclub. com (http://www. optimumhealthclub. com), or by emailing to support (at) optimumhealthclub. com.
Contact Information:
Glenn Garnes
800-306-6488 ext. 101
202-318-0341 Fax
Http://www. optimumhealthclub. com (http://www. optimumhealthclub. com)
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