Corporate Wellness Magazine recently sat with one of the graduates of the Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist Programs on her thoughts about the recent shifts in the corporate wellness industry and what the future holds. Valerie N. Pogue has years of experience in corporate wellness and currently serves as Content Solutions Manager for a patient education company.
The Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist Program was developed by the Corporate Wellness Association to help business owners, leaders, and managers improve their skills in building top-tier corporate wellness programs to meet the growing health needs of the post-pandemic workforce.
Q: How important is well-being to you personally?
My well-being is one of my main priorities. I try my best to make sure I stay on top of my physical, mental, and spiritual health, and I course-correct whenever I feel like something is being neglected. I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but being a wellness professional, I have to at least try to practice what I preach.
Q: What change have you noticed over the last year with corporate wellness?
Over the last year, I've noticed that corporate wellness has once again become a priority. The pandemic has created awareness of the importance of putting people first. There's been a huge push to address mental and emotional health, which has, and always will be, an important part of overall health and wellbeing.
Q: Where do you see the industry headed?
I think that corporate wellness may shift from being an as-needed concept to a permanent part of the organizational culture.
Q: What are the most important focus areas for you in corporate wellness for the upcoming year?
I would like to focus more on my career, and social well-being. We spend roughly 9 hours a day at work (longer in this remote environment) and making sure that people have healthy workplaces where they feel engaged is something we need to talk more about. I also think that the pandemic has changed how we socialize and connect, and we need to give more space to that area as well.
Q: If you could give our readers one piece of advice in regards to wellness programs what would it be?
If you build it, they won't always come. Wellness is about selling health, and not everyone will be interested in buying. But don't let that stop you from offering programs and services that you know are important and impactful. If it touches one person, you've done your job!
Q: Why did you go through the CCWS program?
I went through the CCWS program because I wanted to learn more about corporate wellness from the human resources/business aspect. I wanted to be able to speak to the added value wellness brings to an organization.
Q: What was the most valuable takeaway of the CCWS program for you?
My key takeaway from the program is that creating a wellness program is bigger than health fairs and presentations. There's a strategy to corporate wellness that most people don't think exists.
