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Richard Ollis: Wellness isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life.
Richard Ollis: Wellness isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life.

Employee resiliency drives more than bottom line

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America has a crisis of resiliency in the workplace, according to the platform David Hunnicutt stands on.

“A lot of people in the workforce are disillusioned with work to the point of giving up,” he said. “The average millennial will change jobs more in the first 10 years of their working career than a baby boomer over their lifetime.”

A college degree used to slot a person into a 40-year career. Now, it’s an entry-level point for their first job. According to a recent Gallup poll, only half of millennials strongly agree they plan to be working at their company one year from now.

For businesses, this suggests that half of their millennial workforce doesn’t see a future with them.

Hunnicutt is coming to Springfield Nov. 3 as the keynote speaker for the 10th annual Ollis/Akers/Arney Wellness Conference, and he plans to address the engagement problem.

“Work plays a critical role over our lives,” he said. “Employers can do lots of little things, like add a pingpong table, but in the end what is the point of it all? Employees need to be inspired.”

Gallup found 29 percent of millennials are engaged at work, meaning only about three in 10 are emotionally and behaviorally connected to their job and company. Another 16 percent of millennials are actively disengaged, meaning they are more or less out to do damage to their company.

Hunnicutt said the key is a vision.

“Most leaders don’t pay attention to a company’s vision. They may have a generic mission statement,” he said. “But people need to be inspired by the work they do. What’s the value in this? What am I dedicating my life to? What’s the greater good?

“I know for certain the bottom line isn’t the greater good and won’t inspire anyone too much.”

Hunnicutt points to Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: APPL) and co-founder Steve Jobs philosophy: “We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?” Though it’s changed under current CEO Tim Cook, Jobs’ original mission statement for Apple was, “To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

“That kind of vision gets people thinking. It gets your guts flowing,” Hunnicutt said. “From that inspiration comes a great product and great service.”

During the conference at the John A. and Genny Morris Conservation Education Center – formerly the White River Conference Center – 600 W. Sunshine St., Hunnicutt plans to talk about the “Resilience Dividend,” covering how this disengagement among employees directly affects profitability.

It’s a syndrome he calls “Get up. Go to work. Go home. Go to bed. Repeat.”

Gallup found 21 percent of millennials say they’ve changed jobs within the past year, and Gallup estimates that millennial turnover costs the U.S. economy roughly $30.5 billion annually.

Held in conjunction with the annual Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fitness Festival – a year-long series of outdoor events culminating in a Nov. 4 marathon through Springfield – the Wellness Conference was in part the brainchild of Ollis/Akers/Arney President Richard Ollis.

“We had been involved in wellness for a few years and I approached (Bass Pro Shops Director of Conservation and Community Relations) Martin Mac Donald about adding a corporate wellness component,” Ollis said.

With roughly 250 to 300 people in attendance annually, Ollis said the conference has evolved over the years from something focused on physical wellness at work to the idea of corporate wellness for employees and the health of the bottom line.

In addition to Hunnicutt’s presentation, the conference includes vendor booths from area companies, something attendees such say are highly valuable.

“It’s a great place to get ideas,” said Stacie Brown, wellness coordinator for JMark Business Solutions Inc. “I’ve also met several people there and speakers who end up coming to JMark and speaking to the group.”

An Ollis/Akers/Arney client and in attendance the past several years, Brown considers the conference on the forefront of innovation.

Helping grow the JMark wellness program from the ground up, Brown said the national speakers are the biggest boon to her program.

“These are speakers I’ve only seen before in the media or on YouTube,” she said. “It’s a different experience seeing them in person. There is more gravity to their message and they talk about specific impact on our region.”

As workplace wellness continues its rise as a hot button topic nationwide, Ollis hopes the conference continues to evolve with it.

“Wellness is becoming more than a trend and buzzword. It’s a way of life,” he said.

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