TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - May 20, 2015) - Excellence Canada and Kimberly-Clark Professional* are pleased to announce the launch of the revised 2015 Healthy Workplace^® Standard, a four-stage comprehensive strategy to guide organizations as they build and safeguard the physical and mental health and safety of their people.

A complimentary copy of the Healthy Workplace^® Standard may be downloaded to help employers measure the wellness of their workplaces.

Successful organizations can be certified and recognized through the Standards of the Canada Awards for Excellence Program at each of four milestone levels of achievement, as hundreds of role-models across Canada have done before them.

“Individual wellness initiatives and programs are important elements of a healthy workplace but unless they are part of a holistic framework that is accountable to the organization’s strategic plan and key performance indicators, their value is seldom measured and tracked for feedback and improvement,” says Allan Ebedes, President and CEO of Excellence Canada. “The Healthy Workplace^® Standard creates a blueprint for building a culture of continual improvement by embedding ongoing monitoring, measuring, and reporting.”

Lots of studies show the benefits of comprehensive wellness initiatives for both employees and employers. A team of Harvard researchers reviewed 36 rigorous studies of the financial pay-offs of workplace health promotion¹. They found that healthcare costs fall by an average of $3.27 for every dollar invested and absenteeism costs fall by $2.73 for every dollar spent.

“The high cost of not addressing the health and well-being of employees is compelling senior leaders to adopt the Healthy Workplace^® Standard. The integration of the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace into the Healthy Workplace^® Standard now positions it above all other strategic approaches to employee wellness,” says Tom Fournier, Canadian Director of Sales for Kimberly-Clark Professional*. “We are pleased to be a Champion of Excellence in advancing employee engagement and productivity across all sectors and industries.”

A formal launch of the 2015 Healthy Workplace^® Standard is taking place on the morning of May 27^th at the Excellence Canada network meeting in Toronto. Space is limited so to reserve a seat please register here. Alternatively, an overview presentation of the Standard may be attended by webinar on June 11^th at 2:00 pm by registering here.

Healthy Workplace^® key outcomes are:

• Leadership commitment to Healthy Workplace® principles
• Broad team support of the organization’s vision, mission, and values
• A comprehensive planning process for Healthy Workplace® with measurable goals
• Alignment to the organization’s broader strategic plan with input from all stakeholders
• Awareness and understanding of the key factors that influence employee well-being and workplace health
• Programs in place that address the clearly-defined health needs of employees
• Measured improvement in:
  • employee engagement
  • communication
  • focus on process and risk management
  • productivity by creating a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce
• Cost reduction and profitability
• Improved customer experience
• Focus on prevention versus correction

About Excellence Canada

Excellence Canada is an independent not-for-profit corporation that is committed to advancing organizational excellence across Canada. Since 1992, Excellence Canada has helped thousands of organizations create cultures of continuous quality improvement and become world-class role models through a four-level certification methodology, including the Excellence, Innovation and Wellness Standard, Healthy Workplace^® Standard, and Mental Health at Work^® Framework. It is the custodian and adjudicator of the Canada Awards for Excellence Program, of which the Patron is His Excellency, the Right Honourable David Johnston, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., C.D., Governor General of Canada.

About Kimberly-Clark Professional*

Kimberly-Clark Professional* is the Champion of Excellence for Healthy Workplace^® and partners with businesses to create Exceptional Workplaces* to help make them safer, healthier, and more productive. Kimberly-Clark Professional* is one of Kimberly-Clark Corporation's four business sectors. Key brands include: Kleenex^®, Scott^®, WypAll*, Kimtech*, and Jackson Safety*. To see how we are helping people the world over work better, please visit www.kcprofessional.ca.

1. Baicker, K., Cutler, D. & Song, Z. (2010). Workplace wellness programs can generate savings. Health Affairs 29, 304-311.