More and more, people are asking us what it takes to become a wellness professional. Blog readers (like you!) and podcast listeners are often intrigued about how to make workplace wellness their full-time gig. So, we are dedicating this blog post to answering that question. Below we provide some tips for people who are interested in ensuring that employees are happy, healthy, and productive.
Is the Wellness Industry Growing?
The short answer is – yes. The wellness industry is now worth over 480 billion dollars and experts suggest that it will grow continue to grow at a rate of 5-10% per year. This is because Gen Z and Millienials are spending more money on wellness than their predecessors. Indeed, younger generations spend more money on their physical health, sleep, nutrition, and appearance. They are also more focused on gaining mental clarity through mindfulness or meditation.
So, if you’re interested in becoming a wellness professional, the good news is that the industry is booming. However, since we are always interested in science-based wellness offerings, we’d be remiss if we didn’t suggest that you do some research on the types of wellness initiatives and programs you want to support or be a part of. Just like any other industry, there are some solutions that truly work, and others that emerge purely because the market will buy into it. Do your homework first, whether you’re an employee or a consumer!
What is a Wellness Professional?
Most wellness professionals are housed under HR. They have many different titles, such as a wellness manager or coordinator. They might also be called a wellness coordinator, specialist, or director. If you’re interested in knowing if these positions would be a good fit for you, you might start by Googling these job titles and looking at some descriptions. Do you have the qualifications necessary to do the job? What might you need to do to get there?
While wellness professionals are generally well paid, your level of experience will determine how much companies are willing to compensate you. For example, while being a Chief Wellness Officer might sound like an amazing role, being one requires 10-15 years of relevant HR experience on average. If you’ve been in an HR leadership role before, perhaps that’s a possibility. If not, you might start out in a lower-level position. Or you might try to gain experience by taking on wellness-related stretch projects while in your current role.
Is Being a Wellness Professional for You?
Finally, you should consider the core competencies required to be a wellness professional. Wellness professionals have to communicate a lot. They have to sell the value of health and wellness, and make people aware of the various options they have for improving their wellbeing at work. If you like engaging in dialogue, giving presentations, and crafting communications, this job could be a good fit. They also have to be able to manage projects and initiatives so that they are successful. This requires leadership and sharp organizational skills. Finally, wellness professionals need to make data-driven arguments to show why a focus on wellbeing is needed. They also need to measure the impact of their initiatives on employee outcomes. So, being able to gather and work with data is key!
Finally, wellness professionals need to have knowledge about health and wellness. But, they also need to be able to listen and learn from employees about what they want and what’s important to them. Without an empathetic orientation, and an ability to take others’ needs into consideration, wellness professionals are unable to do their jobs well.
If all of this sounds good to you, then being a wellness professional might be up your alley. If not, simply championing the health and wellness of employees on your team, or in your organization more broadly, can have a positive impact!
