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economist sunsuntribune wellness saturdaymarch u 2006 17 staff photo illustrationmike barrett york businesses try fitness centres wellness fairs stress management programs to keep you happy and productive 1 by michael power staff writer he new gym and health centre at smucker foods of canada scores a perfect 10 with work- ers employee mary lottsays weve gone from having nothing to all of this the markham companys executive assistant says m of this means a fitness cen tre that opened last may and includes free weights three tread mills and a rowing machine there is health information on the walls of the gym dubbed the apple a day wellness centre as part of a healthy kickoff to the year the company also held a wellness fair in january offering blood sugar and blood pressure screening speaking as an employee ifs gone over very well she says of the companys healthy focus every thing has changed in terms of health and wellness efforts to keep you healthy and therefore at work and productive are nothing to sneeze at absenteeism due to stress costs canadian employers 35 billion a year mental health problems jvhich include worker burnout depression and stress run up an annual bill of 33 billion employees lost an average 77 work days last year due to illness and disability statistics canada reports the benefits of keeping employees healthy wasnt lost on smucker foods communications manager katherine oneil says there are costs associated with it but it will do a lot in terms of worklife balance and morale she says i think that at the end of the day its clear the healthier employees are the more produc tive they are and employees in todays workforce have no shortage of stress says mona hughes a pub lic health nurse with york region health services baby boomers still raising fami lies often find themselves saddled with caring for aging parents too ms hughes says also workers these days must deal with what ms hughes calls technostress absenteeism due to stress costs canadian employers 35 billion a year mental health problems which include worker burnout depression and stress run up an annual bill of 33 billion pagers email blackberries and cell phones makeit tough for employees to put work aside even when at home she says often what employees are expressing is that they are experi encing a lot of worklife conflict she says there isnt a transition where people can focus on other things theres almost like a chronic fatigue is setting in and people often dont have time to take a break that fatigue often leads to workers staying home due to colds and the flu she adds york region health services runs the workplace wellness pro gram to help employers keep workers healthy it includes consultations work shops and a newsletter sent three times a year to companies in the region interested in improving employee health york region and the health and longterm care ministry pay for the program and companies dont have to shell out for the services as part of the program ms hughes visits companies to help tailor a stress management pro gram for employees that involves pinpointing caus es of stress among employees which can include financial woes chronic illness or trouble balanc ing work and home lives she says employers must look at the full picture and not just one factor such as stress or nutrition when trying to keep workers healthy public health nurse teija cum- mingsays companies should also tailor health and wellness programs to what employees care about she says noting meres not much point arranging fitness classes if employ ees wont show up just posting pamphlets on a bulletin board isnt going to fix the problem she says not every company has to open an onsite gym office wellness committees can organize walking programs at lunch or try to get j healthier food in vending machines ms cumming says most companies see an increase in productivity among workers about a year after starting a wellness program she says but it takes several years for a company to see the financial bene fits of that she adds employers interested in the workplace wellness program can call the region at 9057621282