Wellness For All (Collars)

I recently read an article put out by WellSteps, a wellness company based in Utah, that I thought was a very important reminder.  The article spoke to the nuances associated with blue collar jobs and the ways in which wellness programs meant for white collar jobs might fail them.  A blue collar worker is typically someone whose job requires physical activity - construction, mining, manufacturing and agriculture are a few industries where these jobs can be found.  In general, it has been found that these workers tend to have high rates of tobacco use and obesity.  They often also don't receive health benefits and have lower incomes.

When most people think of an employee wellness program, I've found that they picture an office space and office workers.  The typical workplace.  Well, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that this typical workplace is not the only way that work can be done.  Companies have been desperately trying to keep their employees engaged while they are working remotely because this remote work is new to so many.  I am excited to see the level of work that is being done to try to help these newly remote employees balance the separation of work and personal life as well as the extra stress or anxiety that might arise due to the uncertainty of the current situation.  And yet, it is rare even now to see much being done to improve the health of blue collar workers.  This may be because this population has very different needs than those of typical office workers. 

I am personally interested in this issue because a family member of mine employs some blue collar workers.  She has expressed concern over the health of these employees, yet states that there are not many options for wellness programs for them.  The area where they are employed is rural West Virginia.  The food options are incredibly limited, often leading to the employees eating fast food for many meals of the day.  The internet and phone signal in the area is less than desired and most workers try not to use their phones too often as they don't want to run down the battery.  As you can see, barriers exist for these individuals that could prevent them from utilizing a traditional wellness platform.

In the article I read, Wellsteps offered a few tips on how employers can try to adapt wellness programs to the lives of these blue collar workers.  They are as follows:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Make it convenient
3. Work closely with the wellness coordinator (if there is one)
4. Make participation meaningful for workers
5. Be patient

As I've said before, it is important to make the healthy choice the default.  This is even more important for blue collar workers.  With the grueling hours and nature of the work, these workers often don't have much energy left for complex wellness platforms.  Instead, try quick morning text messages, onsite meetings or paper and pencil forms to engage this population.  One particular example regarding convenience comes from maritime workers.  These workers can either fill out paper or pencil forms or sync up an activity tracker to get credit for the physical work that they already do in a day.

If your company has a wellness coordinator, it is important to coordinate with them regarding what the employees are saying.  These coordinators will have first-hand experience with the workers and be able to provide feedback based on what is working and what is not.  If a company doesn't have a wellness coordinator, they may not be able to receive this integral information.  If at all possible, having an inside man/woman who can interact with the workers on a day-to-day basis can help a company find success in a blue collar wellness program.

When speaking about finding something 'meaningful', it is important to really know your population.  Say, for instance, that you are working with a group of warehouse workers who really don't have the energy to care about their health in addition to all that they do.  Some of these individuals may even be doing this work as a second job overnight.  It may be necessary to utilize incentives to get this group motivated to start putting energy into health.  Identifying the correct incentives requires that an employer surveys the work force to see what it is that they want.  Providing incentives without this input might result in no change in the employees' behavior.  Additionally, once some of the workers start making changes, there might be some positive social pressure that motivates others to change.

I still think that providing wellness to blue collar workers presents a larger challenge than a typical office.  These workers tend to work longer hours and more physical work.  They also may not have access to health insurance.  The places that they work may be isolated and mean that the food choices are not as plentiful.  It is up to the employer to be thoughtful in their planning so that any wellness programming will be targeted to motivate their employees' specific needs.

For those that are interested in reading more, you can find the full article I referenced here.

And because I love The Lego Movie so much, here is a fun photo of the main character, Emmett, who happens to be a construction worker.

-Vicky