What is a Chief Wellness Officer?
We have all heard of the mainstream, highly coveted titles within any business – CEO (Chief Executive Officer, COO (Chief Operations Officer), CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), and so on. However, a new title is entering the workforce and it is solely fixated on “looking after humans.”–This title? Chief Wellness Officer, or CWO.
What Does a CWO Do?
A Chief Wellness Officer’s main responsibility is to create work culture for employees to not only show up and perform, but thrive. By creating a healthy work culture, employees will be happier with their work environment and look forward to coming to work and getting their daily tasks done which is a win-win for both the employees and management.
Creating a human culture, rather than a corporate one, will stop the employee burnout felt so often by employees – a large reason for employee turnover. A Chief Wellness Officer creates an encouraging environment where employees feel motivated to learn, work, and progress in their professional lives.
Characteristics of a Great CWO
A great Chief Wellness Officer understands their company’s employees on a human level. They have a deep understanding of happiness and what makes people feel this emotion along with what makes them relaxed, motivated, and optimistic. He or she applies this understanding to create a human-centric company culture.
A company culture is more than a mission statement, a brand, or a sleek building – it’s about the little, meaningful interactions between employees. A great Chief Wellness Officer understands the values and goals that are important to employees and merges those characteristics within the work day to promote a success-driven and comfortable work environment.
How Your Company Can Benefit from a CWO
By hiring a Chief Wellness Officer, employees will have a leader to turn to that is specifically there to satisfy their needs. If a wellness program is invested in, then the program receives the support and top-down influence and funding it deserves, meaning it won’t be ignored or forgotten by management. A Chief Wellness Officer creates enthusiasm for corporate culture and wellness, casting as much influence as the CMO when a new product launches for instance.
Corporate wellness programs that are implemented from the top will be felt from the whole company. When the whole company feels the benefits of wellness, employees are happier doing their jobs; therefore performance ratings will be higher. More valuable work is being done, which is good for business overall.