​Workforce Wellness

A workforce wellness initiative is more than just a program. It refers to the systematic efforts of an organization to enhance the wellness of its members through education, behavioral change and cultural support. Many employers take an active role in supporting employee wellness because improved quality of life positively affects overall productivity, health and stability of the workforce. The key to long-term success is building a culture within the organization that encourages and supports health and healthy behaviors. This course provides a comprehensive overview of workforce wellness.

COVID-19 Vaccines: Implications for Canadian Employers

As the pandemic continues into 2021, vaccinations could play an important role in helping Canadians return to the workplace safely. Join us to learn more about the COVID-19 vaccines available in Canada, the distribution timeline, and the potential impact on workplace policies and procedures.

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NIOSH WellBQ—An Innovative New Tool to Measure Worker Well-Being

Learn about a a soon-to-be-released groundbreaking instrument to assess worker well-being: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Worker Well-Being Questionnaire (WellBQ). Developed over the past few years by researchers at NIOSH (a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) and RAND, this free tool asks workers about work-related policies and culture, health and quality of life. Organizations can use the questionnaire to understand the well-being of a workforce as well as identify strengths and opportunities in workplace programs and practices. Hear from NIOSH and learn how the NIOSH WellBQ may help you advance worker well-being in your population.

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The Biology and Chronic Disease Management of Obesity

“Eat less, move more” is the key to weight loss, right? Well, research is showing that it might not be that simple. Obesity can be the result of more than simple caloric surplus. Join this session to hear more about the biology of obesity, including the many factors that influence appetite regulation and metabolism. Learn about current guidelines related to the diagnosis and treatment of obesity as well as why, as a chronic illness, it deserves attention from your health benefits and wellness programs. Discuss how willpower is not the only key to a healthy weight—and how spreading this knowledge lessens the stigma of obesity.

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COVID-19 Vaccines and Your Workforce

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted our lives in nearly every possible way. But hope for a safer future from this disease is here, with vaccines being administered daily to Americans. What has the process for vaccine distribution been like, and what can we expect moving forward? How are employers reacting to the vaccine rollout?

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 1/27/2021)

Reaching Employees With Suicide Prevention and Support Resources

The rate of suicide is now at its highest level since 1941, and suicide is the second leading cause of death of those between the ages of 10 and 34. However, with risk identification and the right resources and support, many suicides can be prevented. In this session, we will explore how across industries and roles, we have the ability to spot warning signs or someone in distress, and we have an opportunity to provide education about suicide prevention, connect individuals to appropriate interventions and improve our overall mental well-being.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 1/21/2021)

Supporting Employees’ Financial and Emotional Wellness During Challenging Times

Recent research shows that providing financial planning to plan members not only helps prepare them for retirement but also reduces stress and improves their overall health. However, the ongoing pandemic has added some extra financial pressures and challenges.

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Helping Employees Tap into the Link Between Nutrition and Mental Health

What we eat can have a profound effect on many aspects of mental health, including depression, anxiety and stress. In this webcast, we will address the motivation and knowledge needed to make healthy nutrition choices for optimal mood as well as how to manage and prevent common mood disorders with nutrition. We will also examine the need for dietitian support to help employees get on the right track

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 10/27/2020)

Supporting Employees through COVID-19 with Disability and Behavioral Health Benefits

The COVID-19 pandemic has created several deeply personal challenges for today’s workforce, as isolation, illness, financial uncertainty and the general ‘unknown’ force employees to deal with conditions few have experienced before. As employers seek to support their employees and help them address these challenges, it’s important to acknowledge that disability and absence benefits represent valuable tools for employees, providing them with the extra support they need—when these benefits are properly understood and utilized.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 9/25/2020)

Rising Substance Abuse: Supporting Employees in Changing Work Environments

The pandemic has created disruption of work routines as well as reduced access to primary care and peer support. These historic challenges have precipitated a spike in substance abuse across North America. Plan sponsors can send the right message to their employees by providing programs and policies that are commensurate with these uncertain, unparalleled times.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 9/3/2020)

Mental Health Parity: Guidance and Compliance for Plan Sponsors

The DOL released new guidance on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA), including a 2020 Self-Compliance Tool, updated from the 2018 version. This session will serve to ensure your plan is in compliance with the provisions of the law and will discuss how plan sponsors can use the self-compliance tool to ensure members are getting the most from their benefit.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 7/25/2020)

Resilience in Crisis: Tools for Employers to Help

Resilience changes how we think and behave in the face of change, stress or adversity. Join us for this webcast where you’ll hear about how you can help your employees (and yourself!) build resilience, especially during the pandemic crisis.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 7/23/2020)

Supporting Employees with Social Isolation and Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI)

As your employees try to process recent world events, including COVID-19, what are the most appropriate workplace supports and treatments?

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 7/15/2020)

Strong Organizations: Your Role in Diversity and Inclusion

The world has changed. Over the past few weeks, we’ve experienced a dramatic shift in conversation—Organizational leaders are working to find how these discussions become part of our day-to-day work. Hear from three diversity and inclusiveness experts in a discussion led by the International Foundation’s President and Chair of the Board, Wendell Young, as they explore how the events of the past several weeks have changed the conversation and how organizations can more fully engage in diversity and inclusiveness to become stronger.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 6/17/2020)

Newfound Angst: Combating COVID-19 Stress and Anxiety

The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced tremendous uncertainty, change, social distancing and adversity into the lives of millions of people worldwide. This increases the stress, loneliness, worry and anxiety felt from family health, finances and work/home conditions. ​

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 4/6/2020)

Coronavirus and On-Site Clinics: What Plan Sponsors Need to Know

On-site and near-site clinics are a staple part of the benefits package for many funds and employers. In this webcast, we will learn about the value of on-site and near-site clinics, as well as how they are responding to the coronavirus pandemic, and what plan sponsors can do to ensure their clinic is taking the appropriate steps and precautions to serve members.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 4/9/2020)

Mindfulness as an Essential Human Resource

Developing and encouraging a culture that embodies mindfulness offers a wise response to the kinds of maladies found in our modern workplaces—the pressure to do more with less, being always "on," constant distractions—and the stress, anxiety and depression many experience.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 3/19/2020)

Suicide Prevention: What About the Workplace?

Learn key factors and statistics about suicide in the U.S. and Canada, the influencing risk factors, and how employers can implement workplace strategies to reduce the risk of suicide and play a leadership role in suicide prevention.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 10/10/2019)

The Results Are In: 2019 Workplace Wellness Trends

Join us on October 31 to hear exclusive findings from the new International Foundation survey on workplace wellness trends. Learn how organizations in the United States and Canada are evolving their programs to ensure the overall well-being of their workers.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 10/31/2019)

Bridging Safety and Health: How to Create a Comprehensive Worksite Wellness Initiative

Your organization has a wellness program and a risk-management program to address employee safety, but are these programs integrated? Lifestyle choices such as sleep, stress, physical activity and nutrition all play a role in safety and overall health. It’s important that your employees connect well-being to safety. In this webinar, Wellness Workdays CEO Debra Wein explains why a holistic approach to well-being that includes workplace interventions to protect safety combined with initiatives that advance employee well-being is the gold standard. No matter what industry your organization is in—financial, technology, life sciences, education, health care or another sector—you’ll learn what steps you need to take to integrate your programs and keep your employees safe and healthy.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 9/26/2019)

Improving Employee Financial Wellness Strategies

Many employers are concerned about employee financial wellness. Some want to start up a financial wellness program and need ideas. Others already have a financial wellness program in place but are looking for new ideas to boost employee engagement and business ROI. This session addresses the interplay between early financial wellness, personal finance skills and retirement readiness to see how employers can make a bigger impact. ​

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 10/3/2019)

Mental Health Benefits—Parity Compliance Considerations and Federal Enforcement of MHPAEA

Mental health and substance use disorders among the workforce take a large toll on employees and employers. To address this, many plans offer mental health and substance use disorder benefits along with their traditional medical and surgical benefits. Plan sponsors need to make sure these benefits comply with federal parity rules. This session focuses on complying with federal mental health parity rules such as the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The presentation addresses final guidance issued by the DOL in September 2019 as well as federal enforcement of MHPAEA.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 9/19/2019)

Wellness Benefits: Trends and Best Practices

Over the last ten years, workplace wellness initiatives have evolved beyond health risk assessments, physical fitness and nutrition programs. Successful wellness programs now include resources supporting mental health, financial wellness, substance abuse issues and more. Effective wellness program directors use both health and wellness data points and best practices, while keeping an eye on developing trends. This session focuses on how wellness initiatives can evolve to positively impact organizations.

Watch the webcast (Recorded on 8/1/2019)