Workplace injury and illness have a global cost of $3 Trillion every year, over $250 billion in the USA and $61 billion in Australia. These costs have seen an increase in workplace wellness programs, and these have had mixed results. It would seem that the majority of these programs do not have an impact on overall employee health.

So what is wellness? As defined by the World Health Organisation, “Wellness is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” The question is, who is responsible for an individuals wellness?

An individuals wellness must be the responsibility of the individual and not the corporation. However, it is in the corporations best interest to have an employee that is not only healthy but able to perform to an optimal level. This model is a significant disruption to the present corporate wellness industry.

This field of Holistic Human Performance requires a complete understanding of how to maximise the performance of people from a physiological, psychological, sociological, tactical and productivity perspective. The strategy needed to achieve this optimal outcome requires integration and individualisation. At present many programs are focussed on one or two wellness outcomes with minimal integration and monitoring.

It is time to make a difference in an environment that requires change. It is evident by viewing the rising costs that present programs in the corporate wellness space do not have the effect that employers desire.

As Einstein stated “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results” so it would seem time to try another method.