Educating business leaders on designing a “Healthy-Workplace” environment to promote health, safety and well-being

Americans spend an average of 47 hours at work per week. That’s more time than we spend at home with our family or eating and sleeping.  The priorities of any business tend to focus on how to increase the bottom line no matter what it takes. Today’s employees face demands that often lead to unhealthy lifestyles and chronic disease risks. Business leaders are in the perfect position to change how organizations think. The workplace is yet another ‘built environment’ for public health to help prevent disease and promote health, safety and well-being. Health Links, a nonprofit initiative within the Colorado School of Public Health, aims to advise and certify businesses on adopting an evidence-based framework to design and build healthy workplaces and create an environment where employees can thrive. Through one-on-one educational sessions, expert advisors work with a business to conduct assessments, identify solutions and create action plans. Health Links uses an online workplace assessment tool adopted and developed from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to recognize and certify businesses that have made a positive change in their environment and are shifting the way they do business to focus on health. Health Links has engaged 150 companies and conducted 60 advising sessions. 74% of companies have adopted healthy nutrition policies and programs. 72% promote workplace physical activity and 50% have created stress management programs. Through these advising sessions we are able to see a cultural shift toward greater health and safety one business at a time.