Employee and Workplace wellness programs are beneficial and necessary for a successful business. I co-authored a workplace wellness book called Wellness Wins.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Southeastern Wisconsin, my home area for my entire life, has a unique demographic of ethnic diversity and unfortunately a higher than average rate of obesity and its related problems. Because of the locations uniqueness, a health and wellness speaker needs to be familiar with the region, the culture, its population’s health problems and viable solutions.
There are 6 specific considerations that should be addressed by the speaker/presenter:
1) The Milwaukee region has a harsh climate making outdoor physical activity difficult at times. The need for regular exercise is an important component of wellness, so the presenter needs to have viable alternatives for dealing with the region’s weather.
2) The people of the Milwaukee area are accustomed to foods high in saturated fats such as fish fries, French fries, custard, and sausage. Alcohol is consumed in higher than average quantities, usually in the form of beer. Speakers need to be aware of these customs and work at modifying them not eliminating them.
3) The education level of the region is higher than average so even though the region has the 2 above noted complications, the people are generally understanding of the health problems they face and willing to learn alternatives.
4) The region’s population has a long history of adapting to change politically and economically. Lifestyle changes will be more easily considered if this proud history is mentioned and complimented.
5) Competitive sports are highly valued and in Milwaukee such as baseball, bowling, golf, and basketball. Participation should be encouraged and highlighted as a viable source of physical activity.
6) The population has a well engrained conservative demeanor. Radical or unconventional lifestyle changes need to be introduced cautiously and judiciously.
In our current era, health and wellness education needs to focus on budget-friendly self care methods because of the difficulty in accessing the conventional medical system. This difficulty is mainly economic resulting from high deductibles and co-payments of health insurance.
Self care methods include regular exercise, better nutritional choices, stress management, spiritual growth and structural balance (posture and stretching). These instructions need to be kept entertaining, lighthearted and interesting, emphasizing the benefits to an individual’s wellbeing. Heavy use of statistics and research is discouraged because most audiences find it boring.
One item of research that is interesting to corporate and industry leaders is that which shows each dollar spent on wellness for employees returns $3.85 due to the decreased absenteeism and increased production by employees.
Thus, health and wellness education programs for the public in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Southeastern Wisconsin is unique and economically worthwhile when performed by locally based speakers/presenters like myself – Dr Tom Potisk.
I have developed several health and wellness programs for all size and type industries. The programs are based on my new book called Wellness Wins!: A simple guide to a happier, healthier life. The book was co-written with Dr Jerry Zelm, also a local resident, primarily as an aid for corporate wellness programs.
Due to requests, a completely web based program is in development. This will be able to be accessed by individual employees and their families. The advantages of this type program include no interruption in worker’s production time, magnified benefits due to the family involvement, and less cost.
The wellness book itself is available strictly from me. I also offer a complimentary consultation to evaluate your workplace wellness needs.
I can be contacted via email at tpotisk@aol.com or by calling 262-835-1767.
