Posts from — October 2008

Sometimes, Employee Wellness Programs can take advantage of “special situations” that occur and which  offer an excellent opportunity for worker education and support, at little or no expense to the  employer. Not only do these situations help workers personally, but also they are an opportunity for  the employer to be seen in a positive light. For example:

A company had several workers with cancer, as well as a number of workers with family members with  cancer. Their Human Resources staff had received numerous questions about what to say to a coworker  with cancer, as well as hearing about how difficult it was for the caregivers to manage work and home  demands. They thought that it would be a great idea to initiate a lunchtime monthly “discussion/support  group” to talk about the struggles, frustrations, and fears that people were facing. This activity was  included under the umbrella of Employee Wellness Programs that the company provided.

The group was facilitated by a rep from the Employee Assistance Program, but it was not a therapy  group, nor was it promoted as such. It was informal and workers came as they could fit it into their  schedules.

Did it solve all their problems? Of course not, but it did give them a place to vent, talk, and get  some information and support. It was a powerful statement from the employer saying, “We care about you  and we’d like to help you with this,” and the workers were very grateful. Effective Employee Wellness  Programs clearly convey this type of message to their workers.

Another employer had an worker who was autistic and often exhibited some odd or unusual behaviors. He  had some significant difficulties and had to be out of work for several months. As time came for him to  return, coworkers became anxious about what to expect.

The employer had someone come in to talk about autism and how best to deal with a person with the  disease. It was a general discussion, and there was no discussion of the worker’s personal information.  However, coworkers felt much more prepared to handle his return.

An worker with epilepsy told her coworkers about her condition in case she had a seizure. The employer  then had someone from an epilepsy advocacy group come in and educate workers about the illness and what  to do.

You may believe taking steps like this are not the responsibility of the employer, that it is not your  business. But physical and mental illnesses affect just about everyone and are natural elements of  Employee Wellness Programs.

Workers who are preoccupied and worried about someone having a seizure or catching HIV from a coworker  are not focused and productive. When you spend time informing and supporting workers, you not only have  productive workers, you also have their respect.

Employee Wellness Programs are also an effective way to educate workers/parents about substance abuse,  sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, depression, mental illness, learning disabilities, and other  issues that affect adults, children, and teens. Arming parents, other relatives, and concerned friends  with information is a way to prevent problems in the future, for themselves and their children.

Workers may not be comfortable attending Employee Wellness Programs entitled “Substance Abuse and You”  or “Dealing With Depression,” fearing they have “self-identified” just by their presence. However, when  much of that same information is billed as “Teens and Substance Abuse” or “Recognizing the Signs of  Depression in Teens,” there may be a full house for the presentation.

Once this occurs, the levels of awareness are raised. An employee who is concerned that he or she is  actually depressed can attend and gain life-saving information. Using this type of approach in Employee  Wellness Programs goes beyond raising awareness among parents whose children are struggling with  personal problems.

Mental health topics are often difficult to introduce. There is still some stigma attached to being  “mentally ill” or having alcohol problems. A benign way to bring information into the workplace is to  use Employee Wellness Programs and the National Screening Day programs. These are dates that have been  set aside each year to increase awareness about various problems. They include:

Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (April)
Anxiety Disorders (during Mental Health Month in May)
Depression (October)
Eating Disorders (February)

There is a wealth of information available online that can be made available to your workers at no cost  as a component of your Employee Wellness Programs. All it takes begin this into Employee Wellness  Programs is some type of notification in the form of an e-mail with an introductory statement and some  links.

Local mental health clinics, medical schools, and hospitals usually provide free employee health  screenings on designated days so that anyone can come in, take a test, and get information and a  referral for care if appropriate. You could arrange with a local provider for a block of time for your  workers to participate in the screenings, or talk to them about coming into the workplace to provide  them.

What Are Employee Wellness Programs?

Employee Wellness Programs are designed to promote and support employee health and wellness through  education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that  workers benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has improved loyalty and less  absenteeism.

As companies become more aware of the importance of employee health on productivity, there is improved  interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Employee Wellness  Programs may rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, improved attendance, less turnover,  and improved morale.

Types of Employee Wellness Programs

Employee Wellness Programs: Lunchtime Wellness Presentations

The easiest Employee Wellness Programs are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly  presentations during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local  mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may  provide these. This type of corporate health and Company Health and Wellness Program is usually  arranged through Human Resources, the medical department, or the safety manager. Participation is  generally voluntary.

Before determining topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of worker  polling to see what topics people are interested in. This may be as simple as an e-mail to all staff  asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design  a complete corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)

An employer can provide broad-based Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) for workers. Health Risk Assessments  (HRAs) are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, tobacco use,  alcohol use, frequency of exercise, family history of disease and illness, etc.). This is usually done  in conjunction with employee health screening for things like cholesterol and blood sugar screening.

Once the Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) are scored, the results are shared with workers along with  suggestions for changes. The employer is able to get aggregate statistics that will show trends that he  or she may want to address. For example, if a lot of people have high blood pressure, the employer may  consider an educational seminar, biweekly onsite blood pressure readings, and low-salt, low-fat  selections in the cafeteria or snack machines as interventions to include in the corporate health and  Employee Wellness Program.

If the Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) show that there is a “trend” toward not wearing seatbelts,  perhaps having the State police come in and give a presentation about what occurs in an accident when  you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Employee Wellness Programs: smoking Cessation

smoking cessation programs are very popular elements of Employee Wellness Programs. Often, the local  chapter of the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association will come in to run a group.  Another option is for workers to attend a smoking cessation group in the community. Costs for the  smoking cessation group can be offset by the employer after workers complete the program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Stress Management

Stress is a major area of concern for companies. Stressed out workers get sick more often, make more  errors, and generally do not perform up to capacity. As a result, Employee Wellness Programs often take  steps to address employee stress. There are many ways to address stress within your Employee Wellness  Programs, and the beauty of these ideas is that everyone can benefit from them.

Certainly, stress management presentations are educational and informative and should be included in  any corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs and Work/Life Programs

Many companies offer a work/life program that offers assistance with things from finding day care for a  child or elderly parent and information on obscure college scholarship funds to information on which PC  to buy and where to find someone to walk your dog. These programs fit into Employee Wellness Programs  because they help your workers handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing  stress.

Employee Wellness Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Employee Wellness Programs. By helping  workers address personal/mental health problems and concerns, an Employee Assistance Program can go a  long way toward improving overall health and productivity. Representatives from your Employee  Assistance Program can also work closely with you to design Employee Wellness Programs that are  integrated and effective.

Time Management and Employee Wellness Programs

Time is one of our most precious commodities, and anything you can do as an employer to help your  workers manage their time is going to be welcome. Although not traditionally thought to be a component  of Employee Wellness Programs, offering flextime and telecommuting are two ways to decrease stress and  increase productivity.

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all workers or all positions;  however, in many workplaces, they are underused. Either your Human Resources manager or an outside  consultant can help you design a program. If you belong to a business group or Chamber of Commerce, you  may find assistance there. Also, talk to colleagues who are doing this in their companies to see how it  is working.

The Culture of Wellness

Worker wellness has to be a component of your company culture, not just something you throw in as an  afterthought. It isn’t a Band-Aid, but rather a thoughtful piece of your business strategy. For  example, if productivity is down due to smoking breaks, offering smoking cessation classes can help.  But it’s also important to establish a no smoking policy.

When workers feel valued, they are more loyal and tend to work harder. They take pride in their work  and talk about what a great company they work for. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

Even the best and most innovative companies are experiencing the impact worker well-being on their  organizations’ performance.  The bad news is that many of these companies are unaware of the extent to  which less-than-optimal worker health and well-being is impacting workforce capacity and performance.   The goods news is that there is an increasing body of research and practice than may help companies  mitigate this often unseen issue and establish significant opportunities for improved workforce  attraction, retention and performance!  This article focuses on how employeral leaders may improve  physical and financial worker wellness in the workplace.

The Problems of Chronic Disease

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 percent of deaths in 2005 could be attributed to  chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes).1  The  largest attributing factors to the chronic diseases include tobacco use, physical activity, and diet.2   The costs of these diseases are staggering.  For example, if there were a 10 percent reduction in  mortality from heart disease and cancer, it could save the US $10.4 trillion each year.3  Further the  WHO projects that over 80 percent of the US population will be either considered overweight or obese by  the year 2015.

The Problems of Financial Distress and Dissatisfaction

As hard as it may be to fathom, a 2004 research study found that 67 percent of United States Workers  are dealing with Personal Financial Issues.4 In another research study, it was found that these issues  may exist in all segments of any workforce, regardless of income, education, or position level.5 Couple  these facts with our workforce reality:

* The workforce is aging and demand for professionals in many industries continues to exceed the  supply – and will for the foreseeable future.
* Due to the shortages of quality personnel the stress on our current workforce is increasing.
* With these workforce shortages, most companies cannot continue to pay spiraling market prices for  professionals.
* Lastly, those personality attributes that make many professionals great caregivers or  service-providers also tend to make them less apt to focus on matters of personal financial management.

The Return On Investment

There are significant reasons why companies should employ Strategies to begin Employee Wellness  Programs for their workers:

* Improve Productivity including reductions in health care and workers compensation claims,  absenteeism, and presenteesism;
* Lower employer paid health care and re-insurance premiums; and
* Improve worker, physicians and patient satisfaction; and
* Improve worker retention and productivity.

A recent Towers Perrin case study6 found that a ten percentage point improvement on worker engagement  was linked to a 4.6 percentage point improvement on customer satisfaction and revenue growth and labor  cost improvements equal to a 2.8 percent impact on controllable margin.

What all this shows is that offering Employee Wellness Programs and incentives is more than just “the  right thing to do.”  Rather, there is a profound business case.  As workforce capacity and engagement  increase, a bottom-up cultural change takes place in your employer.  These changes drive improvements  in customer satisfaction, productivity, absenteeism, and presenteesism – all of which drive  improvements in profitability.

The Course of Change

As an employer, you may have a tremendous impact on the health of the community.  Here are a few  suggestions on how you may engage your workers (possibly include flowchart):

1. Define the Plan – Determine if you have the internal resource availability and knowledge to develop  a formal Employee Wellness Program.  Many organizations, due to confidentiality legal and other  reasons, select to engage outside organizations to manage these processes.
2. Communication – Once you have developed the plan, communicate the plan to all workers – using  multiple media and approaches.
3. Lead by Example –Begin Employee Wellness Programs at the top (walk the walk).  Give yourselves the  opportunity to go through a health risk assessment and a financial assessment.  If you can, communicate  your results and your action steps to staff.
4. Develop incentives for Staff Participation – Here are a couple of financial incentives you may  provide staff that are low cost and optimally have a return on investment:

1. Pay workers to take a risk assessment
2. Lower employee contributions to medical plan for those with reduced risk of chronic disease  and correspondingly increase employee contribution to medical plan for those with increased risk of  chronic disease

5. Provide Personal Risk Assessment Counseling – Provide resources that can meet one on one with each  worker to understand their health risks and opportunities
6. Eliminate Trans-Fat from Your Dietary Offerings – If you have onsite food facilities, and haven’t  been required by legislative statute, you should eliminate trans-fatty oils from the worker and  customer meals
7. Eliminate all Smoking Areas for Workers – More and more organizations, including large cities, are  now banning tobacco use on their facilities.
8. Provide Proper Monitoring Programs – Probably the hardest component of the plan, the ongoing  monitoring is critical.  Some organizations are large enough to own or build wellness centers – but  even then, many workers feel uncomfortable in using them.  Typically the users of wellness centers are  those least in need.  The good news is that there are many external and online tools and options that  are available today.
9. Encourage Other Local Businesses to Provide Employee Wellness Programs.  In some cases (e.g.  hospitals), there are options where this may even generate revenue and/or deepen relationships with the  communities you support.

Legal Considerations

When thinking about a Employee Wellness Program, one must take into account certain requirements under  ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). All three laws were  amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to provide for  improved portability and continuity of health coverage. HIPAA also added Code section 9802, ERISA  section 702 and PHSA section 2702, each of which prohibits discrimination in health coverage based on  health status.

To be a bona fide Employee Wellness Program, the plan must meet the following requirements:

* An individual’s total incentive must be limited. A limit of 10 percent to 20 percent of the total  cost of employee-only coverage may be appropriate, according to the DOL.
* The program must be reasonably designed to promote good health or prevent disease.
* The incentive must be available to all similarly situated individuals. The program must allow any  individual for whom it is unreasonably difficult because of a medical condition to meet the Company  Health and Wellness Program standard (or for whom it is medically inadvisable to attempt to meet the  Company Health and Wellness Program standard) an opportunity to meet a reasonable alternative standard.

1 2005 Preventing chronic disease:  A important investment. World Health Organization
2 2007 Working Towards Wellness:  Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease.  World Economic Forum
3 2007 The Value of Health and Longevity.  Kevin M. Murphy and Robert H. Topal, University of Chicago
4 2004 Employer/Employee Equation Research on Worker Types, Preferences and Engagement Issues –  Concours Group, Age Wave and Harris Poll
5 1997 Neal E. Cutler, Ph.D
6 2003 Talent Report: New Realities in Today’s Workforce – Towers Perrin

Employee Wellness Programs that support workers and the environment that they work in have been shown  to be a good return on investment. Employee Wellness Programs may be extensive and sometimes expensive.  However, there are ways for small companies to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Employee Wellness Program: Weight Management/Physical Fitness Activities

1. Give access to on- and off- worksite gyms and recreational activities before, during, and after  work hours.
2. Provide and encourage participation in after work recreation or leagues.
3. Provide cash incentives or reduced insurance costs for participation in physical activity and/or  weight management or maintenance activities.
4. Provide shower and/or changing facilities onsite.
5. Provide outdoor exercise areas such as fields and trails for worker use.
6. Provide bicycle racks in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.
7. Provide onsite fitness opportunities, such as group classes or personal training.
8. Provide an worksite exercise facility.
9. Set up programs that have strong social support systems and incentives, such as:
o Buddy or team physical activity objectives
o Programs that involve workers and family
o Programs to encourage physical activity, such as pedometer walking challenges
o Consider discounted or subsidized memberships at local health clubs, recreation centers, or  YMCAs
10. Provide flexible work hours to allow for physical activity during the day.
11. Support physical activity breaks during the workday, such as stretching or walking.
12. Host walk-and-talk meetings.
13. Map out onsite trails or nearby walking routes and destinations.
14. Have workers map out their own biking or walking route to and from work.
15. Post motivational signs at elevators and escalators to encourage stair usage.
16. Provide exercise/physical fitness messages and information to workers.
17. Provide or support recreation leagues and other physical activity events onsite or in the  community.
18. Start worker activity clubs such as walking or bicycling clubs.
19. Provide onsite child care facilities to facilitate physical activity.
20. Sponsor a bike to work day and reward workers who participate.
21. Set up a box and solicit fitness and health tips.

Employee Wellness Program: General Health Education Activities

1. Have a current policy outlining the requirements and functions of a comprehensive workplace  Employee Wellness Program.
2. Have a wellness plan in place that addresses the purpose, nature, duration, resources necessary,  participants in, and expected results of a workplace Employee Wellness Program.
3. Orient workers to the Company Health and Wellness Program and give them copies of the physical  activity, nutrition, and tobacco use policies.
4. Promote and encourage worker participation in the physical activity/fitness and nutrition  education/weight management program.
5. Provide health education information to workers.
6. Have a committee that meets at least once a month to oversee the Employee Wellness Program.
7. Provide regular health education presentations on various physical activity, nutrition, and  wellness-related topics. Ask voluntary health associations, health care providers, and/or public health  agencies to offer onsite education classes.
8. Host a health fair as a kick-off event or as a celebration for completion of a wellness campaign.
9. Designate specific areas to support workers such as diabetics and nursing mothers.
10. Conduct preventive wellness screenings for blood pressure, body composition, blood cholesterol,  and diabetes.
11. Provide confidential health rist assessments.
12. Provide onsite weight management/maintenance programs for workers.
13. Add weight management/maintenance, nutrition, and physical activity counseling as a member  benefit in medical insurance contracts.

Employee Wellness Program: Tobacco Cessation

1. Establish a company policy prohibiting tobacco use anywhere on the property.
2. Provide prompts/posters to support no tobacco use policy.
3. Policy supporting participation in smoking cessation activities during duty time (flex-time).
4. Provide counseling through an individual, group, or telephone counseling program onsite.
5. Provide counseling through a medical plan sponsored individual, group, or telephone counseling  program.
6. Provide cessation medications through medical insurance.

Employee Wellness Programs that support workers and the environment that they work in have been shown  to be a good return on investment. Employee Wellness Programs may be extensive and sometimes expensive.  However, there are ways for small companies to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Employee Wellness Program: Nutrition Activities

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

1. Provide healthy eating reminders and prompts to workers via multiple means (i.e. e-mail, posters,  payroll stuffers, etc.).
2. Provide appealing, low-cost fruits and vegetables in vending machines and in the cafeteria.
3. Provide cookbooks, food preparation, and cooking classes for workers’ families.
4. Ensure onsite cafeterias follow healthy cooking practices and set nutritional standards for foods  served that align with the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
5. Provide healthy foods at meetings, conferences, and catered events.
6. Use point-of-decision prompts as a marketing technique to promote healthier choices.
7. Provide healthy cooking demonstrations that teach skills (i.e. fruit and vegetable selection and  preparation).
8. Provide taste-testing opportunities at the workplace.
9. Provide worker-led campaigns, demonstrations or programs.
10. Provide local fruits and vegetables at the workplace (i.e. workplace farmer’s market or  community-supported agriculture drop-off point).
11. Use competitive pricing (price non-nutritious foods in vending machines and cafeterias at higher  prices).
12. Provide protected time and dedicated space away from the work area for breaks and lunch.
13. Make kitchen equipment available to workers.
14. Provide an opportunity for onsite gardening if possible.

Sweetened Beverage Consumption

1. Make water available throughout the day.
2. Provide appealing, low-cost healthful drink options in vending machines and the cafeteria.
3. Modify worksite vending contracts to increase the number of healthy options.
4. Price non-nutritious beverages at a higher cost.
5. Use point-of-decision prompts to promote healthier choices.

Portion Control

1. Label foods to show serving size and/or nutritional content.
2. Provide food models, food scales for weighing and pictures to help workers determine portion  size.
3. Provide appropriate portion sizes at meetings, workplace events and in the cafeteria.

Breastfeeding

1. Support nursing mothers by offering them rooms for expressing milk in a secure and relaxed  environment, a refrigerator for storage of breast milk, policies that support breast feeding, and  lactation education programs.
2. Provide flexible scheduling and/or onsite or near-site child care to allow for milk expression  during the workday.
3. Adopt alternative work options (i.e. teleworking, part-time, extended maternity) for  breastfeeding mothers returning to work.
4. Educate personnel on the importance of supporting breastfeeding co-workers.

T.V. & Food Advertising

1. Place televisionss in non-eating areas of the workplace.
2. Limit food advertising in the cafeteria (i.e. print and other media).

(Adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health  Management)

Worker Lifestyles Impact Worker Health
•    Approximately 40 percent of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000  deaths each year) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary  lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include  genetic predisposition (30 percent), social circumstances (15 percent), poor access to quality medical  care (10 percent), and environmental  exposures (5 percent).
•    Unhealthy lifestyle is the primary factor to the six leading causes of death in the United  States – heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes – which  collectively account for over 70 percent of all deaths.
•    People with healthier lifestyles live an average of 6 to 9 years longer,  postpone disability  by 9 years and compress disability into fewer years at the end of life.
•    The prevalence of obesity among American adults rose to 30 percent in 1999-2000, a 33 percent  increase from a decade earlier,  and the prevalence of diabetes also rose by 33 percent during  approximately the same period (1990 to 1998).
•    About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, 55 percent do not get enough  physical activity,  26 percent are completely inactive,10 and only 25 percent eat recommended amounts  of fruit and vegetables  If diet/physical activity patterns continue worsening at their current rate,  these behaviors will soon surpass tobacco use as contributors to mortality.
•    Among young people, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled in the past 20 years  to 16 percent,  daily participation in high school physical education classes has dropped from 42  percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003,  more than 60 percent eat too much saturated fat, and almost 80  percent do not eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.
•    Lifestyle diseases disproportionately affect women, ethnic and racial minorities, the poor and  seniors:
•    The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70 percent higher than  among white Americans, and the prevalence among Hispanics is nearly double that for white Americans.
•    Women comprise more than half of the people who die each year of cardiovascular  disease.
•    Chronic conditions significantly limit daily activity for 35 percent of persons over 65  years of age.

Financial Impact of Lifestyle
•    It is estimated that lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for 70 percent of the nation’s  medical care costs, which translates to over 11 percent of the entire United States gross domestic  product.
•    Two comprehensive scientific reviews identified 83 peer-reviewed studies reporting that people  with unhealthy habits have higher medical costs.
•    Research conservatively estimates that high health risks (high blood cholesterol, high blood  pressure, etc) account for at least 25 percent of total medical costs.
•    Recently published research indicates a direct relationship between modifiable lifestyle risks  and reduced worker productivity, and relevant data suggest that the costs to companies in lost  productivity due to poor employee health may be substantially more than the direct medical and  disability costs.
•    Unhealthy lifestyles often lead to chronic disease, many of which cannot be cured and require  years or decades of expensive treatments. Below are estimated annual costs of selected unhealthy  lifestyles and chronic diseases including obesity,  tobacco use,  hypertension,  diabetes,  stress,   and inactivity.

Employee Wellness Programs Improve Health and Yield Major Savings
•    Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed studies showing that Employee  Wellness Programs improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
•    Research studies have demonstrated that lifestyle modification may often be more effective and  cost-effective than medical intervention in reducing morbidity  and mortality.
•    Several scientific reviews indicate that Employee Wellness Programs reduce medical costs and  absenteeism and produce a positive return on investment.  The most definitive review of financial  impact reported that:
•    18 studies indicated that these Employee Wellness Programs reduce medical costs, and 14  studies indicated that they decrease absenteeism costs.
•    13 studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these  Employee Wellness Programs are much greater than their cost, with medical cost savings averaging $3.48  and the absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the Employee Wellness Programs.
•    Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of United States gross domestic product (GDP)  in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent each year through 2015, when medical expenditures will account for  20 percent of GDP:
•    Per capita medical costs in the United States are the highest in the world and more  than double the median for OECD nations,  yet the United States ranks 26th in terms of healthy life  expectancy.
•    Medicaid is the second largest item in most state budgets, and its portion of the total  budgets is increasing each year.
•    Rising medical costs for United States companies continue to outpace general inflation,  averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years.   This trend is causing a tremendous financial  hardship on United States companies.

1. Senior management involvement in the Employee Wellness Program- Evidence of enthusiastic commitment  and involvement of senior management helps workers understand their companies’ serious commitment to  health.  Workers need to perceive that their senior management, supervisors, and coworkers have  positive attitudes toward health since these factors have all been associated with improved employee  health status.   Management-related factors have been shown to contribute more to success than the  content of the intervention.

2. Participatory planning – A Company Health and Wellness Program should be undertaken in partnership  with the workforce.  Workers from all levels of staff should be actively engaged in the health and  management aspects of the project as well as all on-going processes of any Employee Wellness Program.   Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their  commitment to the process.   Starting Company Health and Wellness Program steering committees to lead  interventions during the planning and delivery of workplace health promotion programming improves  worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction. Worker committees may identify perceived worker  interests regarding educational programming, determine work site-specific characteristics that may  affect the intervention or influence participation, and suggest the best methods for promotion and  delivery of Employee Wellness Programs and initiatives.  Ways to maximize worker input and involvement  might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors.

3. Primary focus on workers’ needs – A Company Health and Wellness Program should meet the needs of all  workers, regardless of their current level of health and recognize the needs, preferences, and  attitudes of different groups of participants. Program designers should consider the major health risks  in the target population, the specific risks within the particular group of workers, and the employer’s  needs.   In other words, interventions should be tailor-made to the characteristics and needs of the  recipients.   This means that varied programs must be provided at different levels.   Participation and  commitment may be improved if a group of workers has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable  risk factor of their choice.

4. Optimal use of on-site resources – Planning and implementation of Employee Wellness Programs should  optimize use of on-site personnel, physical resources, and organizational capabilities.   For example,  whenever possible, initiatives should use on-site health and safety, management, work organization,  communication, Human Resources, and other specialists.   Well-qualified external leadership may be  introduced when in-house expertise is lacking.

5. Integration – An overall workplace health policy should be developed.  The policies governing  employee health must align with the organization mission, vision, and values, supporting both short-  and long-term objectives. These consistent policies must affirm the value of worker health and a  commitment to engage workers in health enhancement.  Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies  should be integrated into a company’s regular management practices and eventually should be formally  incorporated into the company’s corporate plan  with adequate resources attached to them.

6. Recognition that a person’s health is determined by an interdependent set of factors – Any Company  Health and Wellness Program must address multiple components of an individual’s life:
•    the workplace physical and psychosocial environment;
•    their personal resources such as social support, sense of empowerment, etc.; and
•    their lifestyle practices influencing health.

7. Tailoring to the special features of each workplace environment  – Employee Wellness Programs must  be responsive to the unique needs of each workplace’s procedures, organization and culture.    Integrating health behaviors and program participation into the existing organization culture will  normalize program participation.

8. Company Health and Wellness Program Assessment – Project management should flow through needs  analysis, establishing priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and assessment.    Assessment must include a clearly-defined range of process measures and outcomes  as well as mechanisms  for monitoring the impact of non-intervention workplace changes such as plant closure, major workplace  re-organization, and new technology on staff health.

9. Long-term commitment – To sustain the benefits of the Employee Wellness Program, the worksite must  continue the initiative over time, reinforcing risk-reduction behaviours and adapting the programs to  ongoing personal, social, economic, and workplace changes.

Introduction to Employee Wellness Programs

Risky health behaviors by workers cost a company. Changing those behaviors can save the employer money  and increase the worker’s productivity.

Because work gives an worker a stable setting and support system, Employee Wellness Programs can have a  great impact on reducing high-risk behaviors. This impact results in decrease health claims cost, less  absenteeism, and less short-term disability.

Employee Wellness Programs may include:

Awareness Rasing Activities: Health and wellness newsletters, health topics covered in payroll  stuffers, healthy emails.

Health Risk Assessment: Employee health screenings, wellness fairs / health fairs, health rist  assessments.

Educational Programs: Lunchtime wellness presentations, guest speakers at staff meetings.

Skill Building: Healthy cooking demostrations, activity challenges, CPR instruction opportunites,  stress management classes, weight management classes.

Interventions: Massage, smoking cessation, and skills to help you get the most out of your doctor  visit.

Physical environment: Healthy items in the vending machines and cafeterias, clean air practices,  ergonomics, bike racks, flex time, welllit stairways.

Assessment: Worker needs assessment, baseline Company Health and Wellness Program assessment measures,  ongoing Company Health and Wellness Program assessment of overall effectiveness.

Why Provide Employee Wellness Programs

The typical employer spends about $8,000 a year on an employee’s health care. This includes medical  insurance, disability and worker’s compensation. As these costs climb, medical insurance is expected to  rise at least 10 percent per year.

A 1999 research study showed that companies using Employee Wellness Programs had a return on investment  from $1.49 – $13 in benefits per dollar spent. The amount depended on the nature of the Employee  Wellness Programs used. (S. Aldana, American Journal of Wellness, 2001; 15:296-320)

One research study showed that a “stop smoking” element to Employee Wellness Programs may save between  $404 -$40,829 per employee, depending on the age and sex of the worker.

The Employee Wellness Programs at Traveler’s Company included a self-care book, a newsletter,  single-topic brochures, and videotapes. The Employee Wellness Programs saved the company $7.8 million  in employee benefi t costs, decreased doctor visits, and it reduced absenteeism by 1.2 days per worker  per year. The estimated Employee Wellness Programs ROI was $3.40 per dollar spent.

In 1998, the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) reported a study of 46,026 workers from  six large companies for three years. Workers with an inactive lifestyle had 10 percent higher costs;  workers with depression had 70 percent higher costs.

Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs

Increased Productivity – The Canada Life Assurance Company realized a 4 percent increase in  productivity after starting an employee fitness program.

Increased Job Satisfaction – According to employee opinion surveys conducted by the Silverstone Group  about thier Employee Wellness Programs, workers’ morale improved, which helped support a more creative  work setting.

Enhanced Recruitment & Retention – In the midst of a tight labor market, Employee Wellness Programs  could be a important tool to draw new recruits.

Decreased Absenteeism – Canada Life Assurance Company’s absenteeism dropped 42 percent among workers in  the Employee Wellness Programs.

Decreased Workers Comp & Disability – In one year, Boeing Company’s number of back injuries decreased  by 34 percent. Six million dollars was saved by tracking injuries as they occurred.

Managed Medical Care Costs – Golden, Colorado Adolf Coors Company’s Employee Wellness Programs returned  $6.19 for every dollar spent.

Why have Company Health and Wellness Program objectives?

Company Health and Wellness Program objectives take your employer’s priorities for employee health  improvement and make them specific and measurable. Well-defined Company Health and Wellness Program  objectives provide direction for determining Strategies and a basis for which to measure progress.

Writing Company Health and Wellness Program objectives

Writing Company Health and Wellness Program objectives is not complicated or difficult. It does require  some thought, about your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program vision for a culture of health  and they should be:

Specific Company Health and Wellness Program Goals
Measurable Company Health and Wellness Program Goals
Attainable Company Health and Wellness Program Goals
Realistic Company Health and Wellness Program Goals
Timely Company Health and Wellness Program Goals

Specific Company Health and Wellness Program Goals: What is the specific outcome your employer is  looking for? “Reduce tobacco use among workers” is more specific than “Improve the health of workers.”  You may wish to write some objectives about specific outcomes (reducing smoking among workers) and  other objectives about specific progress (implementing a smoke-free campus policy or reducing the price  of fresh fruit in the cafeteria to 25 cents a piece).

Measurable Company Health and Wellness Program Goals: Making your objectives measurable provides a  means of evaluating your progress and success. There is an adage: “what gets measured, gets done.”  Measurable objectives can be powerful motivators for your employer. “Provide more time for workers to  be physically active” is much less measurable than “implement a daily 15-minute walking break into the  schedule of all workers.” “Increase the number of workers who want to quit smoking” is less measurable  than “increase enrollments in the stop-smoking program to 120 workers per year.”

Attainable Company Health and Wellness Program Goals: Determine objectives that challenge your employer  to change and that will demonstrate a real commitment to employee health. At the same time, set  objectives that are achievable. Goals that are set too far out of reach can be overwhelming and may  become a barrier rather than a motivator.

Realistic Company Health and Wellness Program Goals: Write objectives that are do-able, given the  skills, time, finances and overall strategy of the employer. A realistic project may push the skills  and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them.

Timely Company Health and Wellness Program Goals: When do you hope to achieve the goal? Next week? Next  year? Without a timeframe, the goal is still vague and is much less likely to galvanize resources and  energy within your employer.

“Reduce the percent of workers who use tobacco from 20 percent to 10 percent” is much less of a  challenge than “By the end of 2010, reduce the percent of workers who use tobacco from 20 percent to 15  percent”.