Publication Northwest Herald Date
December 25, 2005 Section(s) News Page

Ever consider offering yoga, massage, or reflexology during lunch to reduce employee stress and health-care costs?

It's a recommendation that Sandra Larkin of Crystal Lake, might make to area companies as part of the Strategic Wellness Solutions program she plans to launch in January.

"Everyone works. But how do we manage our personal time and stresses with the demands of our job effectively without making ourselves ill or creating other problems in our home environment?" she said.

"Every employee has problems in life, whether at home or in business. They will bring it to work. ... It automatically lowers productivity levels."

Larkin was inspired by her former experience as a mid-level project manager. "I was always striving for better health and well-being," she said. "I had a lot of pressures on the job ..."

She said she would research stress-management and life-balance techniques on her own time, because health and personal growth were important to her.

As part of her home-based consulting business, she has created a series of workshops for personal and professional development, ranging from fitness and nutrition evaluation to personal wellness coaching to morale and motivation management. It develops people in social, intellectual, emotional, physical, and occupational areas. Larkin's sessions could be conducted in groups or one-on-one.

"I customized a model on what I searched for on my personal time or things I would have wanted [at work] also ...

"If we can give employees these added benefits, we would see an increase in productivity and employee retention and see a decrease in medical and prescription drug costs and absenteeism. There also would be less turnover ..."

She conducted a soft offering of Strategic Wellness Solutions in November and received "tremendous response. ... I'm excited to launch it in January to corporations and companies in McHenry County and the surrounding area."

If a company wishes to participate in the program, she would send a professional assessment firm to evaluate leaders, a select group of employees, and the company's culture. With feedback in hand, Larkin would identify areas for development. From there, she would customize a solution and discuss related costs.

Larkin has been a professional life coach since February.

"I had been coaching for almost 20 years in corporate America," she said. "When you're a manager, you need to have those kind of coaching skills. I went to school for it and did the right thing by people who reported to me. I'm a servant leader, meaning I serve people in my group and on my team. I wanted to make sure I was serving them correctly."

Larkin graduated from Atlanta's Life Coach College in 2004, completing courses online and via teleconference.

For information on Strategic Wellness Solutions, call Larkin at (815) 301-5802 or visit www.SandraLarkin.com

If you're like me, attending holiday celebrations will continue into the new year. Thankfully the Five O'Clock Club, a national career coaching and outplacement firm, recently released tips on how to handle company parties.

"People think they're at the party to have fun and let it all hang out," said Richard Bayer, chief operating officer of the club, in a statement. "But a company party is a business event that can help advance or can decimate your career. It's not paranoid to remember that you are being watched. Although a holiday party might not feel like a business meeting, treat it as one."

The club offers the following guidelines:

And since this is my final column for 2005, I would like to wish everyone good health, happiness, success, and prosperity in 2006. Cheers!