Corporate Wellness in Emilia-Romagna: take part to the survey!

To achieve and enjoy truly complete wellness every day, we must adopt an appropriate lifestyle in all our daily activities and in the places we habitually frequent. From what we do at home to the way we spend our time in the office, from the sport we practise in our free time to the holidays we choose: achieving wellness necessarily involves improving all our daily behaviours, because wellness, as a lifestyle, involves a person’s entire way of being.

In recent years, the focus on employee wellness has grown exponentially, taking on a central role in the contemporary workplace. The practice of “Corporate Wellness” emerges as a fundamental tool for promoting health and well-being within organisations. It is a holistic approach that goes beyond mere medical care, embracing a wide range of initiatives aimed at improving workers’ quality of life. These programmes are not only limited to promoting physical activity and a healthy diet, but also extend to promoting work-life balance, stress control, time management and other healthy habits. Moreover, “Corporate Wellness” may include the provision of services such as nutritional counselling, access to sports facilities or assistance programmes to stop smoking or manage mental health problems. To sum up, investing in employees’ wellness not only benefits their individual health, but also results in a more productive, collaborative and satisfying working environment for all members of the organisation.

A recent study by The European House Ambrosetti, published on HBR, showed that a lack of attention to employee well-being and work-life balance is one of the main causes of job changes. Addressing this challenge requires the development of organic “corporate wellness” programmes that emphasise employee well-being. According to the study, investing in such programmes would have a significant impact: every €2,500 spent per employee generates a real value of over €11,000 (“multiplier” of 4.5 times). This not only improves the well-being of employees, but also the attractiveness and distinction of the company in the labour market, offering opportunities such as productivity growth and the attraction of new talent.

But what does the corporate wellness offer in Emilia-Romagna currently look like?

The Wellness Observatory, established by the regional government in 2018, in collaboration with the University of Bologna, the Wellness Foundation and the Emilia-Romagna Region, is currently conducting a qualitative survey on corporate practices for employee wellness. The main objective is to explore initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity, good nutrition and general health within the region’s companies. The survey is based on a short questionnaire designed to collect information on the wellness practices adopted by Emilia-Romagna companies. The results obtained will be fundamental in assessing the spread of these initiatives in the region and in guiding the development of policies aimed at promoting healthy and correct lifestyles.

This survey activity is part of the wellness protocol signed between the Region, the Wellness Foundation and the University of Bologna. The protocol aims to promote and support healthy lifestyles through studies, research and projects to encourage physical activity in the area, as well as the sharing of good practices in the wellness sector.

The collaboration between the three promoters of the initiative began in 2013. Thanks to it, it has been possible over the years to raise awareness of wellness, health and physical activity issues, promoting greater well-being and better health in the population.