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As we look at the pending workplace wellness trends for 2017, Interactive Health vice president of health services Jane Ruppert recently offered views in Workforce.

Among the highlights:

Social well-being. Says Ruppert: “Employees tend to adopt healthy behaviors when it benefits others rather than themselves.” The post adds: “Wellness programs in which employees have the opportunity to positively influence a community can be a fun and socially responsible addition to workplace wellness initiatives.”

For example, the post writes: “If a company offers to donate money to a charity if employees meet their collective wellness goal, those employees will be more intrinsically motivated to get involved.”

According to the post, Ruppert noted a Baltimore company based “that did an employee walk led by the CEO. They did a 5K and went through some of the poorer areas in town. At the end of the walk, they participated in a healthy lunch promotion for the community and donated food.” Said Ruppert:  “It was not only about getting people to move, but also giving back to the community in which they walked around.”

Sleep Health. Said Ruppert: “There is a strong link between poor sleep quality and not only some chronic conditions but also emotional health.” The post continues: “Wellness programs will address the importance of sleep more moving forward.”

“Coming to work with poor quality sleep can contribute to short-term implications such as impacting decision-making at work, memory, and retention, she added. This could be especially problematic in employees such as truck drivers, for whom lack of sleep could threaten employee productivity and safety.”

Trends noted by other leaders include:

• “Expand the Definition: Total Well-being”
• “Programs Which Aim to Reduce the Need for Prescription Drugs”
• “More Types of Wellness Offerings, Including Mindfulness”
• “Measurements Matter”