Corporate wellness isn’t just a trendy buzzword. Over the past few years, it’s emerged as a priority among corporations that seek to keep employees happy, productive, and engaged. It’s also a valuable retention tool, helping to prevent burnout, reduce turnover, and limit hiring and recruiting costs.
In 2022, a report by Workhuman and Gallup estimated that employee burnout has cost businesses approximately $322 billion. Wellness in the workplace has also become a top priority for employees when seeking their next roles (or deciding whether to remain at their current companies). Forbes reports that 87% of employees take health and wellness benefits and initiatives into strong consideration when choosing an employer.
How critical is wellness in the workplace? According to research from Qualtrics, 54% of employees in the U.S. would actually be open to taking a pay cut to work for a company whose values aligned with their own.
Employees are taking their health and wellness more seriously than ever, and that has created an incredible opportunity for health and wellness professionals — and Health Coaches, in particular.
Institute for Integrative Nutrition graduate Jolene Hart recognized the issue — both for corporations and individual employees — and became committed to bridging that gap. She works with corporations to recognize the whole person, create a positive space, train leaders to more effectively manage teams, improve channels of communication, and promote flexibility. The former magazine beauty editor-turned-Health Coach also encourages corporations to celebrate employees more frequently and more intentionally, and make employee health — encompassing body, mind, and spirit — a top organizational priority.
Read More: Our 10 Most-Read Health and Wellness Stories of 2024
When working with employees, the Well-Rested Every Day author educates them on prioritizing quality sleep, moving regularly, taking all of their vacation time (important!), nourishing themselves first, communicating their needs and boundaries, and being open to dialogue and new ways of thinking. Additionally, she advises them to make time for creative outlets and unscheduled “space,” which often leads to the best and most valuable insights.
“The content is intended to inspire employees to live healthier lives,” the bestselling author says. “People don’t have the tools to balance work and life in a way where they can stay healthy, show up for work, be creative, and have energy.”
Hart has diversified her offerings over the years, touching on everything from strengthening your happiness muscle to proper sleep hygiene to nutrition and skincare. The goal is to make these relatively brief sessions — they’re generally no more than an hour, oftentimes a lunch-and-learn format — informative, inspiring, and experiential. Hart hopes that they’ll walk away with one or two actionable things that will shift the way they feel, both in and out of the workplace.
How Health Coaches Can Break Into Corporate Wellness
We often talk about the many career opportunities that Health Coaches can choose to pursue with their certification, and corporate wellness is yet another avenue that coaches can take with their holistic health education.
The Beauty Is Wellness founder is bullish on the future of corporate wellness, and believes that Health Coaches are ideal candidates to thrive in this ever-growing space.
More and more companies are creating the position of Chief Wellness Officer, and Hart has found that more human resource departments are allotting funds for wellness programs. If you’re looking to break into this field, Hart recommends getting in touch with these Chief Wellness Officers, or perhaps someone in HR, and pitching your expertise and offerings.
It’s important to be targeted and strategic, though, taking into account themes, cultural moments, and seasonality For example, rather than just saying you’re a Health Coach with an expertise in wellness, mention that Mental Health Awareness Month is approaching, and you’ve programmed a class or program that’s specific to taking care of your mental health. If that’s a success, it stands to reason that you’ll have more opportunities to work with that company and its employees in the future.
Hart has put in a ton of work to secure her clients, but she’s been pleasantly surprised by the consistency of these corporations. Whereas individual health coaching clients are often in flux, corporate wellness — if done right — can be more consistent and steady. As long as corporations continue to have budgets for wellness programs, there will always be an opportunity for Health Coaches to offer their unique services.
‘The Only Meaningful Change to Cosmetics Legislation in Over 80 Years’
In addition to her work as a Health Coach, Hart is a beauty advisor and beauty products expert. And as the calendar flips to 2025, there’s a piece of legislation that hasn’t garnered a ton of attention, but which Hart believes will have a revolutionary effect on cosmetics and cleaning up the beauty industry.
This coming year, critical and groundbreaking changes will be implemented as part of the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA).
“This is basically the only meaningful change to cosmetics legislation in over 80 years,” Hart says. “The last time we had legislation on cosmetics was the 1930s. This is so sorely needed, and these changes are really long overdue.”
What exactly is this piece of legislation, and what does it mean for consumers?
The goal is to really examine the effects of the products that we’re putting on our bodies, and taking a closer look at the ingredients in them.
There will be far more transparency for consumers, Hart explains. On labels, you’re going to start to see contact information, providing consumers the opportunity to report any adverse reactions they’ve experienced as a result of the product. By law, those companies will now have to take that information and pass it onto the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within 15 days of receiving it. Consumers can now take comfort in the fact that their complaints will be taken seriously — and will have a real, quantifiable impact.
Read More: 12 Simple Lifestyle Habits That Will Boost Your Hormone Health
Prior to this piece of legislation, Hart says, it was all voluntary. Companies weren’t required to report this information, and the FDA didn’t have the ability to recall products. But the balance of power is now shifting.
“Your brand's reputation is at stake,” the Eat Pretty book series author says. “If you're found to not be complying, or if you're found to have issues with ingredients or adverse effects, this is going to be more public. And I think that's going to put more pressure on brands to create a higher quality product. They’ll be held liable if they don’t.”
Additionally, fragrance allergens are going to have to appear on labels, which is very important for those with sensitive skin.
Hart points out that, as a result of this legislation, some product shipments and rollouts might be delayed — this will especially affect smaller brands that have to adapt to these significant changes and implement them quickly — and consumers might be slightly confused, initially, because labels will likely look different.
Those are small prices to pay, though, for the greater good of the industry, its products, and consumer education.
“There is going to be better oversight and more rigorous testing,” Hart predicts. “I think products are going to be held to a higher standard. It's nice to know that, as consumers, this is finally beginning to happen.”
Learn from 95+ of the world’s leading holistic health, coaching, and business experts in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s comprehensive Health Coach Training Program. Discover how to nourish your body and mind, on and off the plate, and how to empower others to do the same as a Certified Health Coach. Enroll now.
Published: January 6, 2025
Updated: January 6, 2025
