Why Corporate Wellness is a Bad Name for a Good Thing!
The United States of America works because we work. Our only civil war was fought largely over labor issues. During the great depression the ability to get a job was the sole means to survival and Americans could do and would do anything just to work.
Having a job in America is much more than a paycheck. It is much more than being able to purchase goods and provide for a family or others. Having a job in America is your place in society and your identity.
During our greatest periods of prosperity as a nation, unemployment rates were at all time lows. When everyone has a job, everyone feels good. This is a nation that is about one thing. This nation is about one word. Pursuit. The pursuit is what we are all after and what we teach our kids.
As our companies grew and our workforce grew, we developed words like corporate, corporate culture and corporate wellness. Many things in our public sectors and private sectors have evolved and rebranded. Recently, for example, the term “selfie” became the term for taking pictures of ourselves. In the 1980’s you could Xerox something, but now you just make a copy.
The term corporate and wellness have an oxymoronic struggle with each other. Wellness means just that--to be well in every way possible, which is easy to understand. The word corporate typically means company or big company, however, in Gen X and Millennial populations, the term corporate is often seen as uncool, evil or just something you do not want to be associated with.
Correct or not, from a cultural perspective the terms do not match and leave a paradoxical dilemma. Truth be told, there are thousands of companies that promote wellness in the workplace and create an impact in the world. There is no universal corporate monster in the closet. There are responsible and mindful organizations and there are not.
The development and growth of human capital within American organizations is one of our greatest opportunities and challenges. We could work on major issues like Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s, poverty, human trafficking and much more through and within our workforce. As pointed out above, America Works or “AmWorks,” as fictional President Frank J. Underwood, played by Emmy winner Kevin Spacey, pointed out in House of Cards, season 3.
“AmWorks” does not include health in its description but the intention of progress is clear. Performance, optimization, growth, creation, mastery, and building with our organizations, teams and business populations is a start in a more powerful, precise and intentional message surrounding our most vital asset as a nation. Our people.
Today’s definition of corporate wellness is traditionally defined as biometric testing, disease screening and health surveys, coupled with a seasonal or annual event. However, what if wellness within an organization meant total wellness through neurochemistry and behavior change, financial prosperity inside and outside of work, social impact in the community and of course weight management and disease control.
Our opportunity to rebrand and rethink corporate wellness is a chance to rebrand and rethink America. America Works.