Wellness: Its Impact on Student Grades and Implications for Business

Abstract

Personal wellness, manifested as physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional, social, environmental, and occupational dimensions, are discussed in a hospitality business context. Each dimension is analyzed as to its importance to student success, as measured by grade point average (GPA), and its implications for employee productivity and corporate profitability. University students tracked and reported how they spent their time relative to these seven dimensions over a 2-week period. Physical, social, environmental, and occupational dimensions all affect a student's GPA. Whereas wellness is as much habitual as it is learned, the authors make a case for wellness education in hospitality programs. Moreover, there is evidence to support a relationship between wellness and both individual and corporate values.

An examination of college student wellness: A research and liberal arts perspective

“…Regardless of the number of wellness dimensions, researchers agree that wellness is a multidimensional, positive, and affirming concept that has enormous practical and therapeutic benefits (e.g. Harrington, 2016 ; Hattie et al, 2004 ; Horton and Snyder, 2009 ; Meiselman, 2016 ).…”

“…Despite these noble similarities, it is unclear how these academic institutions compare on measures of holistic wellness. Research suggests that wellness has a lifelong effect on academic, business, and individual success ( Dolan et al, 2008 ; Gieck and Olsen, 2007 ; Horton and Snyder, 2009 ). According to Helliwell and Putnam (2004) , the ultimate dependent variable is human well-being, and all other outcomes derive their importance.…”

Does Implementation of a Corporate Wellness Initiative Improve Burnout?

“…1–4 Between 2011 and 2014, burnout rates have trended upwards, reaching what has been described as “epidemic proportions.”1,5 Burnout has been defined as “a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a sense of low personal accomplishment that leads to decreased effectiveness at work,” while wellness is an even broader, multidimensional concept. 5,6 Burnout has been shown to have a negative impact on patient safety and quality of care, patient satisfaction, and healthcare costs, as well as having negative effects on the individual such as job dissatisfaction, intent to leave, decreased productivity, and increased incidence of alcohol abuse, depression and suicidal ideation. 7 Various types of wellness, resilience and stress management interventions have been implemented in the past among various populations of healthcare providers, revealing inconsistent results.…”

Wellness Domains for Residency Training Programs

“…Wellness and burnout are complex, multi-dimensional phenomena. While burnout seems to be focused primarily on one's workplace, wellness seems to be influenced by additional factors and is a broader-reaching concept [1][2][3]. Residency program leadership is not in the position to influence all aspects of residents' lives that contribute to overall wellness.…”