Posts from — October 2008

Employee retention is a challenge. Employee Wellness Programs can help. offering perks such as  incentives to exercise, healthy food, stress management and weight loss programs at work is a way to  maintain your workers satisfied.

Attracting new employees are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other  workers is to your advantage. Remember, salary isn’t everything. Often, the possibility of flex hours  or a discount at the local gym may be the deciding factor for a future worker. Once again, Employee  Wellness Programs to the rescue!

How Are Employee Wellness Programs Administered?

Whether running small Employee Wellness Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness companies  to oversee the whole thing, program promotion is of utmost importance. You may have a great speaker  come in to talk about a very “hot topic,” but if no one knew about it, it was a waste of the speaker’s  time and your money.

Corporate Company Health and Wellness Program setup and promotion go hand and hand. Depending on the  size of your business, it may be handled by one person or an entire Employee Wellness team. You may  even have an worker who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational  wellness presentations and activities.

Other workers may have areas of interest and would be willing to set up some educational programs.  Especially for smaller companies, once you have chosen your events and activities, it is best to set up  a calendar with a schedule of events. Then publish the entire calendar as well as announcing each  individual event as it comes up.

Access to Employee Wellness Programs

To make access easy, offer a wide range of Employee Wellness Programs and activities that can fit into  everyone’s schedule. For example, some workers may find it difficult to get to a presentation at work  or make a commitment for 8 weeks of the Weight Watchers at Work program. However, they will take  advantage of a reduced rate at the gym and will borrow tapes from the health and wellness library.

If you have shifts, don’t forget to schedule events for the after 5:00 group. Nothing will undermine  Employee Wellness Programs more quickly than promoting great activities that are only convenient for  first shift workers.

Employee Wellness Programs and Medical Care Costs

Employee Wellness Programs are more important now than ever.  A recent article in the Wall Street  Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of employer provided health care keep  continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article states that during the  year 2008, American companies can expect to see an increase of 10% in health care costs.

This increase in health care costs is causing some small companies to reduce their worker health  benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Wellness Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Wellness Programs do provide an option for small companies.  The corporations can provide  discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the provided Employee  Wellness Program.  Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment,  and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the employees, the reduce the overall health care costs for the corporation.  Just one  lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ health care budget.

Employee Wellness Programs and Your Bottom Line

Employee Wellness Programs provide many advantages to a corporation’s bottom-line. Company Health and  Wellness Program Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per person  enrolled in a Company Health and Wellness Program compared to an expense of $574 per worker that wasn’t  enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of member absenteeism dropping by 18%,  thus greater production and less health care costs overall.

Employee Wellness Programs are a fantastic investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in  Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee organization their committed investment in their worker’s  wellness.

Employee Wellness Programs are part of organization Culture

The Employee Wellness Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln, and it  doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The organization has three full-time employees dedicated to the  Company Health and Wellness Program and the wellness of the employees, who receive worksite massages  and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Employee Wellness Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Employee Wellness Program, which employees are not  required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on  their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility.  Based on these health assessments, the employees are  then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive  a organization-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain fitness levels and be a non-smoker.   Smoking cessation classes are part of the Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs Result in Big Savings

The Company Health and Wellness Program has been a smart investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having  healthier employees, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in health care costs per year.   The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Employee Wellness Program, workers’ compensation  claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Employee Wellness Programs Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Employee Wellness Programs are Are Becoming Increasingly popular outside the workplace, showing the  ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management.  Private insurance  corporations, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health  of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run.  They are finding that mini-Worksite  Employee Wellness Programs are definitely the way to go.

Employee Wellness Programs Help with Early Intervention

A recent article that recently appeared in The Indianapolis Star, companies, insurers and government  agencies are turning to “early intervention to change the behavior of those struggling with common but  dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The tactics that they incorporated to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for  different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients  to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that  were suggested by their health care provider.

Employee Wellness Programs Provide Quality Benefits

There are more benefits to a Company Health and Wellness Program than just the cost savings that an  employer or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient.  The patient is  going to get the motivation and the reward to get better or to manage their health risks by having to  answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness worker at their organization or a nurse  affiliated with their insurance organization.

Employee Wellness Programs are proven to improve productivity and reduce health care costs.  For a  business, that makes a difference in the bottom-line. Today, more than 81 percent of America’s  businesses with 50 or more workers have some form of Company Health and Wellness Program with the most  popular being exercise, tobaccos cessation classes, back care programs, and stress management. The  majority of companies offer Employee Wellness Programs simply because they think the benefit is worth  the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in  medical insurance premiums and health care costs.

For many companies, medical costs can consume half of organization profits or more. Some employer’s  look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or  incentives. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Employee Wellness Programs stand out as the  long-term answer for keeping workers well in the first place.

Employee Wellness Programs are an example of health care reform that works. Results from America’s  finest companies, summarized here, are reason enough to consider offering Employee Wellness Programs.   This investment in your most important asset – your workers – can have a positive impact on your  bottom-line.

Company Health and Wellness Program Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the WELCOA, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3  million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Employee Wellness  Program. By offering financial incentives ($250 – $325) to workers who meet specific organizational and  worker health initiatives the Company Health and Wellness Program continues to meet cost containment  expectations in the area of health care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and  self-care practices.

During the first 4 years of the Company Health and Wellness Program there was a 28 percent average  reduction in health care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a  control group.

Du Pont saw that every dollar invested in their Company Health and Wellness Program saved $1.42 over  two years in reduced absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well workplace Gold in Delaware). Absences from  illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar workers dropped 14 percent at 41 industrial sites  where the Company Health and Wellness Program was provided, compared with a 5.8 percent decline at 19  sites where it was not.

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for every dollar invested Employee Wellness Programs,  yielding total organization savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was reduced 19  percent during the four-year research study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000  workers and retirees by reducing poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized  cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a  similar but smaller research study, members of a Travelers fitness center Company Health and Wellness  Program were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members.

The Company Health and Wellness Program at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, located in Las  Vegas, cost $76.24 per worker during the two years it has been in operation. Over half of the 1,600  workers took part in the Employee Wellness Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol  levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21 percent lower lifestyle-related claim costs than  non-member. Resulting savings: $127.89 per member in the Company Health and Wellness Program with a  benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1.

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes  impressive results to the success of the business’s broad-based Employee Wellness Program. Superior  showed 22 percent fewer admissions to a hospital, 29 percent shorter hospital stays, and 42 percent  lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 workers with costs for  other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40 percent.

With medical costs per worker at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad  introduced their Company Health and Wellness Program to its 28,000 workers, mostly union and blue  collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest medical self-care initiative at an  annual cost of $50 per person, the Company Health and Wellness Program achieved a net savings of $1.26  million. In addition, a voluntary Company Health and Wellness Program to help workers decrease health  risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Workers in a treatment group  decreaseed their risk of high blood pressure (45 percent) and high cholesterol (34 percent); others  moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30 percent); and 21 percent stopped smoking.

Average medical costs of high-risk Steelcase workers- those whose lifestyles include two to four health  risks such as tobacco use, little exercise, overweight- are 75 percent higher than those of low-risk  workers. But high-risk workers at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing business who  improved their health habits through the company’s Company Health and Wellness Program and became low  risk cut their average medical claims in half thus lowering their medical insurance costs by an average  of $618 per year. If all high-risk workers (20 percent of the total worker population) in one location  changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three  years.

Workers at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing business in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care  techniques and decreaseed their business’s health care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide,  the 938 workers and their family members made smart medical decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and  dependent a nearly 18 percent reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and  emergency room use, the corporation saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3 percent decrease in costs over the  previous year.

A medical claims-based research study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts  found a reduced demand for medical services among those with access to Employee Wellness Programs and  self-care programs. Reductions in medical services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education  Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving  access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education  materials.

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Company Health and Wellness Program delivered an average savings of  $5,000 per birth by offering expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and  regular prenatal care. And 80 percent of participants had normal births without complications compared  with 50 percent for non-member.

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Workers’ Retirement System  sent its 55,000 retirees a health rist assessment followed, in some cases, with individualized reports  and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and  at the same time reduce the health care claim costs. In another research study, Bank of America  retirees in California who chose the full Company Health and Wellness Program and demand reduction  program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11 percent compared with a rise of 6.3  percent for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire.

With reduced health care claims, medical costs decreased 16 percent for employees in the City of Mesa  (Arizona) who took part in the broad-based Employee Wellness Program. The city realized a return of  $3.60 for every dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city employees.

To prevent back injuries among its employees, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar  workers, provided classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant increase in worker  morale, reduced worker’s comp claims, medical costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a  net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Employee Wellness Programs: Savings

Employee Wellness Programs provide Long-Term Savings

Employee Wellness Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices:   Employee Wellness Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to reduce costs if healthy habits are  followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really provide long-term health benefits  for your employees and reduce costs over the years.

Employee Wellness Programs provide Assistance

Insurance-based products provide employees the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to  save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an online health  assessment, visiting their doctor, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve  one coach call to the worker during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters  will actually change a person’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a person’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to  reduce medical cots in the future.

Employee Wellness Programs provide convenient Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) and testing for things  like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article states, these have initial start-up  costs, but the savings accrue over time and employees are more likely to stay active in an onsite  worker Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs Get Results

Finally, the article states that corporations with an effective Company Health and Wellness Program can  expect to see “500 percent reduce absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent  reduce health care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

Companies are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their medical insurance programs, and most  companies have been cost shifting, asking workers to cover more of their health care costs. Health  insurance costs continue to climb (10 percent or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation  rate. With nowhere else to turn, companies are – more than ever – looking to get workers engaged in  Employee Wellness Programs as a means of slowing health care costs and improving productivity.

For example, last year 53 percent of large companies provided Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) for their  staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven  by cost, but Employee Wellness Programs a win-win solution for both companies and workers.

Here are other Company Health and Wellness Program trends organizations are implementing:

More companies are integrating Employee Wellness Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the  best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Company Health and Wellness  Program and meeting minimum objectives.

More companies are offering onsite weight loss programs as a component of the Employee Wellness  Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight workers  and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight workers.

Companies are offering more Employee Wellness Programs designed to assist workers with chronic health  conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Companies are offering more online Company Health and Wellness Program interventions and health  information resources

More companies are offering regular onsite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose,  A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Employee Wellness Program.  Some Employee Wellness Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many companies are offering fitness programs, either in the community or onsite, as a component of  their Employee Wellness Program.

Corporations are offering more prizes, rewards, and incentives getting engaged in Company Health and  Wellness Program activities

Some companies are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop  smoking; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping workers stay engaged and maintain their health  changes is important for long-term success.

Companies are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working  primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Company Health  and Wellness Program return on investment.

Wellness companies are offering great resources for employers’ workers over the Internet – online  wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, online points tracking  systems, virtual fitness programs, online wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health  calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Companies who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future health care expenses  and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with  their broad-based Company Health and Wellness Program over the next 5 years!

Employee Wellness Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Wellness is more fun and  costs less than treating disease.

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July  2007.

Employee Wellness Programs start and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to  make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Employee  Wellness Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources necessary to assist and motivate  individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one component of starting worker Employee Wellness Programs. Below you’ll  find some things to assist you in your efforts to establish a healthy atmosphere for you and your  coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Start an Company Health and Wellness Program

This is the first step in starting a Employee Wellness Program. In recent times more and more companies  are starting to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their workers. Partnership for  Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″  (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an  excellent resource containing information on:
•    Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs
•    Suggestions on where to start
•    Tools like surveys and assessment forms

These resources are for both companies and workers to lead the development and determine the  effectiveness of their new Employee Wellness Program. Provide it to your employer as a place to start  or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Participating in Employee Wellness Programs

Once you have an worker Company Health and Wellness Program established, participating fully in all  aspects of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Employee  Wellness Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so.  These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an worker Employee Wellness Program:
•    Examine the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
•    Schedule time to go to the presentation or service.
•    Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
•    Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and  the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Employee Wellness Programs that might be available to you at work:
•    ergonomic evaluations and training classes
•    lactation rooms and classes
•    prenatal education
•    quiet rooms for relaxation
•    stress management programs
•    fitnes centers
•    chair massage
•    nutrition education
•    onsite primary health care services
•    child care facility or resources and referral service
•    smoking cessation programs parenting classes
•    Senior care resources and referral service
•    cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
•    flu vaccination
•    weight management and / or weight loss programs
•    health care consumerism programs
•    employee assistance programs
•    lifestyle coaching
•    onsite mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Employee Wellness Programs

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Employee Wellness Programs, a business saves $3 to $5 in  health and safety costs. Companies that invest in Employee Wellness Programs reap the financial  incentives through savings on health care costs, disability pay, absenteeism, turnover and safety  problems.

workplaces have already proven to be a great place to promote wellness. After all, people spend more  time at work than doing anything else. Eighty-two percent of the United States population is linked in  some way to a worksite. Therefore, offering Employee Wellness Programs is a great way to reach a  substantial number of people in your area.

Employee Wellness Programs in Small Businesses

Unlike large companies, small companies often lack the resources to provide Employee Wellness Programs  to their workers. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the  hardest hit by medical insurance costs and have the highest rates of substance abuse. Worker well-being  and physical or mental illness can also be more disruptive in a small business environment. Employee  Wellness Programs in small companies also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of  working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Employee Wellness Programs can pay. Statistically, even if there  are only 100 people in a business:

• 60 sit all day to do their work
• 50 don’t wear their safety belts regularly
• 50 feel they’re under moderate stress
• 35 are overweight by 20 percent or more
• 30 smoke
• 27 have cardiovascular disease
• 25 or more have high cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl)
• 10 are heavy drinkers
• 10 have high blood pressure
• 5 have diagnosed diabetes and another 5 have undiagnosed diabetes
• 7 use marijuana
• 1 uses cocaine

Bottom Line Company Health and Wellness Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the health care costs incurred by working adults can be attributed to  modifiable health risks (e.g., diet, exercise, tobacco use, etc.) Fortunately, there is a way to hold  back the trend. Growing research links an individual’s lifestyle behaviors to their health risk.

The good news is Employee Wellness Programs can:

• Decrease health care costs
• Decrease workers’ compensation claims
• Decrease worker absenteeism
• Improve worker productivity
• Improve worker morale

The bottom line is that Employee Wellness Programs can benefit any size business — small or large.

There are a number of reasons why a Company Health and Wellness Program is beneficial.

1. Enhanced Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Employee Wellness  Program, you and your workers may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the  employer.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious objectives of any broad-based Company Health and  Wellness Program is to attempt to sway the attitudes and actions of the employer’s most valuable  resource — its workers.

2. Reduced Turnover – As we all know, worker replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of  business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications,  checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a  serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high worker turnover pose, many  companies are looking to Employee Wellness Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent  workers from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, companies are forced to  pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Employee Wellness Programs can  prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

4. Reduced Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a business setting, the entire employer is  forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by  things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.

Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization  and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits,  Employee Wellness Programs can play an important role in reducing absenteeism.

5. Medical Care Cost Containment – The majority of companies don’t start a Company Health and Wellness  Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be  considered a viable goal by many companies.

6. Enhanced Worker Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Company Health and  Wellness Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests  well-designed Employee Wellness Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use,  high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

It is important to assess the effectiveness of all Employee Wellness Programs. There are several very  simple ways to assess Employee Wellness Programs:

How many attended the corporate health and Employee Wellness Program, and was there participation or a  visible level of interest?

Use a short and simple pen and paper assessment that people fill out at the end of the Company Health  and Wellness Program /presentation. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5  (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:
•    The value of the Employee Wellness Programs to the individual
•    The style of the presenter
•    The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
•    The level of knowledge gained by the worker
•    Other areas that would be of interest for future Employee Wellness Programs

Examples of Questions about Employee Wellness Programs
•    This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.
•    The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.
•    There was adequate time for questions.
•    The methods used to present the information were effective.

Open-ended questions about Employee Wellness Programs may include:
•    The best component of this Company Health and Wellness Program was…
•    The component that needed improvement was….
•    I would attend another Company Health and Wellness Program by this speaker…
•    Topics I would like to see included in other presentations or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process assessment that examines how well the Employee Wellness Programs were  implemented. It is also important to evaluate health outcomes and cost outcomes of Employee Wellness  Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Employee Wellness Programs can be found by  analyzing data before and after Employee Wellness Programs concerning health care claims, workers’ comp  claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Employee Wellness Programs can be  measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to evaluate the impact of Employee Wellness Programs on family members. For  example, smoking by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could  cost an employer or medical plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been  avoided with well-designed Employee Wellness Programs.

You can also compare the cost per worker of running the Employee Wellness Programs to the savings per  worker. One assessment of Employee Wellness Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 workers at New York  City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the business invested in Employee  Wellness Programs. The findings were based on a research study of medical costs and absenteeism.1

An ongoing assessment of your Employee Wellness Programs should be performed each year and additional  periodic evaluations of Employee Wellness Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc  assessment of your Employee Wellness Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example,  at the end of flu season, a business might want to assess its flu shot program.