Corporate Wellness Is a Matter of Business Success

Back in the 1990's, there was a phenomena in Japan known as karoshi. The word literally meant to be worked to death, or to work until one dropped dead. The pressures that hit Japan as it rebuilt after the Second World War created a generation of people that were self-sacrificing, doing everything they could to rebuild their country and restore their economy. As a result, an economic bubble was created that lifted the country to a surprising level of wealth and prosperity.

Being a bubble, there would come a time when it would pop, and as that happened, many people would struggle to maintain the national standard of living. This meant working long hours, often without compensation, and at the expense of ones physical and mental health. Workers began to die for reasons seemingly unexplainable, and it was discovered that karoshi was the cause.

Since that time, steps have been taken in that country to prevent death by work, and steps have been taken internationally to help, aid, and assist businesses provide a greater sense of corporate wellness and health. Strategies are being employed both in the office place and through training and online media to help companies and individuals maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Preventing disease in the workplace, stress related and otherwise, has taken greater precedence as companies recognize that the loss of an employee, even for a single day, is an expensive setback that keeps the company from moving forward. With that change in culture, future prosperity will prove to be more than just a bubble.