Voter Fatigue occurs when:
- Voters get tired of heading to the polls and voting
- Lack of trust in any of the candidates that are running
- Lack of trust in how the system is being run
- Lack of convenience when casting a vote (physical reasons, work reasons)
- Lack of interest in any of the issues that are being voted on
It doesn’t matter which side of the election coin you sit on there is a national feeling of overwhelming fatigue. The sad part is we still have a long way to go to the election. I have a very similar feeling about the topic of worksite wellness.
It’s also something I hear from individuals as well as employers that they are on wellness overload. People feel inundated with constant “hints” or as the profession likes to say, “nudges” to do what “the experts” deem healthy.
Have we hit a tipping point in wellness that is producing negative returns? Maybe it’s time to take a step back and regroup. What you say? Just look at all the statistics on obesity, chronic disease and other “possible” health risk factors we need to address.
Individual or the Organization?
Maybe actually we shouldn’t be focusing on individual health needs but looking at the “health” of the organization? Just saying! I encourage you to read Dr. Jon Robison and Dr. Rosie Ward’s book on How to Build a Thriving Culture at Work for excellent steps on how to do just that.
The election process is beating us down through constant messaging on television, radio, social media posts and overall chatter. The same is true for wellness.
The “healthy” drum is beat daily by the media. Think of all the stories you hear on obesity, disease, pharmaceuticals, latest diet and exercise phenomenon etc. Employers add to the overkill by pushing time-consuming requirements like blood screenings, Health Risk Assessments (HRA), online programs and tracking devices required for wellness points.
And don’t even get me started on the peer pressure towards employees about weight loss and BMI. Programs like the Biggest Loser do not help this situation. Sadly many programs do little to help folks either sustain weight loss or moreover find realistic lifestyle changes. (See recent article on weight gain from former Biggest Loser contestants here)
Honestly I start to feel like it’s pure fear mongering. If you want to think conspiracy theory, is the constant push that something is wrong with you designed to sell you a pill, product or medical intervention? Or is it really in the interest of your health?
Plus when it comes to wellness we are talking about VERY grey areas of an individual’s life. What I find healthy may not be the same for the person sitting next to me. Is it right for companies, wellness vendors and other gurus of health to demand we follow their routines?
One example, what the National Dietary Guidelines in Nutrition promote do not provide me with what I would call a healthy diet. Simply said if I were to eat all the carbohydrates and sugar in the food pyramid I would be riddled with joint pain and have to deal with intense hunger swings. So I found my own food philosophy which works for our house, science experiment n=2, husband and myself.
Another example is there are individuals who would much rather read a book that join a walking program. Who are we to say you must walk? Maybe that person reading the book comes up with the next big product idea for your company because their creative juices were excited?
So what can we do?
- Encourage breaks and time away
- Promote individuality in wellness
- Eliminate programs focused solely on biomedical markers
- Reduce barrage of messaging on wellness
- Enhance creativity and skill building
While the list might seem too simplistic I feel it’s a start to enhancing employee and company energy. The goal is not to wear people down but enhance their performance capabilities.
There is more to wellness than just physical health. Thinking out of the box does a lot to reduce wellness fatigue. Recently I saw a refreshing idea from Al Lewis on Financial Wellness.
His idea is for employers to assist employees in reducing their credit card debt. In other words a novel way to reduce employee stress and build better skills around financial management. Now I think that’s pretty cool wellness.
“People have different reasons for the way they live their lives. You cannot put everyone’s reasons in the same box.”
Kevin Spacey
