Workplace Wellness Alliance
Introduction
Workforces today are threatened by ageing and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – mainly cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes and mental ill-health. In parallel, demand for human capital is rising as economies grow and mature, and significant talent gaps of up to 45 million employees in Western Europe alone are forecast for 2030. These two trends form a vicious circle of dwindling workforce capacity and productivity.
NCDs are forecast to cost a total of US$ 47 trillion over the next 20 years. Against this backdrop, preserving the health and productivity of the workforce becomes of paramount importance. Being absent from the job (absenteeism) or underperforming while working (presenteeism) are estimated to cause productivity losses worth US$ 1.6 trillion due to mental ill-health and US$ 389 billion due to cardiovascular disease.
In September 2011, the United Nations’ Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of NCDs called on the private sector to lead the movement whereby workplace wellness initiatives can be part of the solution to some of the challenges the world is facing. Reaching over 50% of the world population, employers can improve productivity and contribute to the economy while attracting and retaining talent, and promoting health and well-being for all.
The World Economic Forum raises awareness about the impact of chronic disease globally, advocates for workplace health promotion to be considered as both an economic and social win-win investment, and provides practical tools and solutions to support organizations developing their workplace health programmes. The Workplace Wellness Alliance counts over 150 members to date and focuses on both knowledge sharing and metrics.
See a full list of Alliance members.
To find out how to join the Workplace Wellness Alliance, contact us at wellness@weforum.org
The Workplace Wellness Alliance - Making the Right Investment: Employee Health and the Power of Metrics
The Workplace Wellness Alliance (the Alliance) was launched by the World Economic Forum in 2009 to address the challenges of data collection and knowledge sharing globally around workplace wellness programmes and the calculation of return on investment (ROI) of such initiatives. Bringing together 150 member organizations from across nine industries, the Alliance has worked with its Leadership Board and select experts to identify key performance indicators, and started the collection of a global baseline of employee health metrics. In 2012, this effort covered almost two million employees...
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January 16, 2013
Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation in the Arab World
Dead Sea, Jordan 21-23 October 2011Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation in the Arab World Recent shifts in the Arab world coupled with an economic contraction at the global level have created a new urgency for decision-makers across the region: the need to address the fundamental conditions required to revive growth and support human development.Now more than ever, it is critical to match employment, entrepreneurship and education prospects with the aspirations of young populations. This has clearly become a key in the decisions taken by government, industry and civil...
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October 21, 2011
The Workplace Wellness Alliance - Investing in a Sustainable Workforce
Over the past three years the World Economic Forum has successfully worked towards the goal of improving health and well-being through the Workplace Wellness Alliance (the Alliance), a consortium of companies committed to advancing wellness in the workplace. Established in response to a call for action at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2008, the Alliance has continued to grow and evolve in terms of membership base and relevance. It is the stated objective of the Alliance to improve global health and productivity by making wellness a priority, starting in the workplace.
In the year...
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September 19, 2011
The Global Economic Burden of Non-communicable Diseases
Non-communicable diseases have been established as a clear threat not only to human health, but also to development and economic growth. Claiming 63% of all deaths, these diseases are currently the world’s main killer. Eighty percent of these deaths now occur in low- and middle-income countries. Half of those who die of chronic non-communicable diseases are in the prime of their productive years, and thus, the disability imposed and the lives lost are also endangering industry competitiveness across borders.
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September 19, 2011
Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2011
Dalian, People's Republic of China 14-16 SeptemberMastering Quality GrowthThe Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the “Summer Davos”, is the foremost global business gathering in Asia. Introduced in 2007 in close collaboration with the People’s Republic of China and with the personal support of Premier Wen Jiabao, the 2010 Meeting in Tianjin convened 1,300 participants, including over 400 CEOs from Forum Partner and Member companies together with up-and-coming leaders from business, politics, science and technology from 80 countries. In 2011, there was even stronger participation with over 1...
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September 14, 2011
World Economic Forum on East Asia 2011
Jakarta, Indonesia, 12-13 June 2011Responding to the New Globalism
Robust economic growth and an improved investment climate have underpinned the economic recovery of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), buoyed by an emerging market of nearly 600 million consumers. The planned economic integration by 2015 will see ASEAN emerge as the world’s 10th largest economy. As Chair of ASEAN in 2011, its largest economy and a member of the G20, Indonesia is the ideal location to host the 20th anniversary of the World Economic Forum on East Asia, convening leaders from business,...
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June 12, 2011
World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia 2011
Vienna, Austria, 8-9 June 2011
Expanding the Frontiers of Innovation
Europe and Central Asia 2011 - From Lisbon to VladivostokThis video was first aired in the Opening Plenary of the World Economic Forum on Europe and Central Asia.The diverse yet highly interdependent economies of Europe and Central Asia have reached a critical juncture. While the advanced economies of the European Union are experiencing fiscal austerity and slower growth, emerging economies further east and in Central Asia are grappling with the pressures of rapid growth.All the...
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June 8, 2011
World Economic Forum on Africa 2011
Cape Town, South Africa, 4-6 May 2011From Vision to Action, Africa’s Next Chapter “Partnerships are desirable and necessary and have worked well for us,” Tanzanian President Jakaya M. Kikwete told participants in a session on innovative partnerships for development. Added Kofi Annan “Our vision is not just to help farmers to feed themselves but also to feed the markets so Africa can become part of the global food security system. This is not a pipe dream.”News Release | Livestreamed SessionsDespite long-standing commercial ties with Europe, Africa now conducts half its trade with...
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May 4, 2011
World Economic Forum on Latin America 2011
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 27-29 April 2011
Laying the Foundation for a Latin American Decade
World leaders tapped into the Social Media Corner at Rio de Janeiro to share their session highlights and discuss the ideas and actions they would take away.
Thoughts on Global Governance by Moises Naim,
Senior International Economics Program at Carnergie Endowment
Take-aways on womens development by Laura Liswood,
Secretary General of the Council of Women World Leaders
Talking Global Risks by Arturo Condo,
President of INCAE Business School
Watch all the regions most influential...
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April 27, 2011
Workplace Wellness and Healthy Lives
Wednesday 26 January, 19.45 - 22.00
Seventy per cent of premature deaths are linked to
unhealthy behaviour.
What are the simple steps we can take to live longer,
healthier lives?
Key Points
The numbers
paint a grim picture of global health, with 60% of all deaths related to
non-communicable diseases. The good news is that many of these diseases can be
prevented.Organizations
are well-positioned to effect change – and it is cost effective. Healthy
employees are both happy and productive.The path to
wellness is well known; the challenge is how to convince individuals to...
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February 18, 2011
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2011
Browse the ReportSession VideosHighlights from Saturday 29 JanuaryHighlights from Friday 28 JanuaryHighlights from Thursday 27 JanuaryHighlights from Wednesday 26 JanuaryQuotes from Meeting ParticipantsThe Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters is perhaps best known to the world at large simply as "Davos". It is much more than a simple get-together of global leaders from many fields in a Swiss ski resort, however.The Annual Meeting provides a rethinking of our systems and exploration of strategies and solutions that have positive transformational implications. For...
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January 26, 2011
Summit on the Global Agenda 2010
The Summit on the Global Agenda is a unique gathering of the Members of the Forum’s Network of Global Agenda Councils, the world’s most relevant thought leaders from academia, business, government and society.Over 700 participants are engaging in interactive workshops and sessions to set priorities for the most compelling ideas to improve the state of the world and identify the latest trends, risks and innovative solutions to address the world’s challenges.
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November 28, 2010
Global Health
Health is one of the World Economic Forum’s key focus areas as it is directly aligned with the Forum’s mission: Committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in shaping the global, regional and industry agendas. The Forum focuses on three key health-related activities: advocacy, dialogue and action through partnership.The Forum recognises health as an important part of long-term economic development and engages its members and other stakeholders to advocate health as an investment.Health is an issue that involves multiple stakeholders – intergovernmental organisations,...
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October 20, 2010
Innovative healthcare delivery models
Finding solutions for some of the health problems that we face will require a new approach. For endemic conditions, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, there needs to be a way of incentivizing major pharmaceutical companies to find affordable treatments for people on a low income. As chronic and non-communicable disease rates continue to climb, governments, private sector, and non-governmental organizations are wrestling with how to provide, disseminate, and pay for adequate prevention and treatment.The general agreement is that the old model of delivery is not sustainable in the...
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October 20, 2010
Healthy Living
The links between healthy populations, productive workforces and economic growth is well established. Worldwide, $47 trillion of cumulative output loss can be expected in the next two decades due to chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health disorders. Already 36 million deaths annually or more than 60% of global deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. However, 80% of cardiovascular problems and 40% of cancers can be prevented by tackling key risk factors.Effective prevention of NCDs will require exceptional levels of...
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October 20, 2010
