Posts from — October 2008

If your employer is interested in measuring the impact of your Company Health and Wellness Program  efforts in future years, you’ll want to gather relevant baseline data on the health and health  behaviors of your worker population.

Company Health and Wellness Program Data on your worker population

Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)

Some health plans offer companies free online Health Risk Assessments (HRAs), complete with summary  aggregate reports. If your medical plan does not offer a free HRA, you could pay for an HRA either  through your medical plan or through a third party vendor.

To encourage participating in an HRA, assure workers of confidentiality and consider offering  incentives for completing the assessment. The higher the participation rate, the more likely that the  aggregate data will accurately represent the behaviors and risks of your worker population.

Company Health and Wellness Program Health Surveys

You can get a general sense of workers’ health-related attitudes and behaviors using a “lowtech” paper  survey. As with a health risk assessment, workers will be more likely to respond to a survey if there  is an incentive and if they are confident that their responses are confidential. Remember that without  widespread participation you’ll only get a “feel” for worker behaviors rather than a statistically  accurate picture.

Company Health and Wellness Program Focus Groups and Informational Interviews

The information you can collect from focus groups or informational interviews with workers is an  important supplement to the anonymous survey or HRA data. Listening to workers discuss their attitudes,  values, receptivity and obstacles related to health provides a wealth of information on which to base  decisions on how to improve your employer’s Employee Wellness Program. Company Health and Wellness  Program focus groups are especially useful for obtaining information from hard-to-reach worker  populations, such as those for whom English is a learned language.

Keep Company Health and Wellness Program focus groups small (8-19 workers, ideally all of a similar job  class). If possible, offer incentives such as movie tickets or lunch, to recruit participants. Develop  a list of open-ended questions in advance and allow 60-90 minutes for the discussion.

Informational interviews are an alternative to Company Health and Wellness Program focus groups. The  Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator of your health improvement Strategies or selected  members of the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee can conduct one-on-one interviews with  workers in a variety of positions to better understand their attitudes, interests and obstacles related  to a) health behaviors and b) the workplace policies, environments and practices.

Population data

If data on the employee population are not available, you can use state or national data to estimate  the prevalence of risk behaviors among workers.

In addition to looking at the health behaviors of workers, take a good look at your employer. The  following questions can help you identify opportunities for your employer to support and encourage  healthy behaviors among workers.

A strong foundation for employee health improvement

1. To what extent does the senior management in your employer actively and visibly support the Employee  Wellness Program?

__ No support for the Company Health and Wellness Program
__ Support, but not at senior level
__ Support at senior level, but not visible to workers
__ Strong and visible Company Health and Wellness Program support
Comments:

2. Is the Company Health and Wellness Program tied to your employer’s mission statement?

__ No
__ Yes, the Company Health and Wellness Program is tied to business plan OR mission statement
__ Yes, the Company Health and Wellness Program is tied to both business plan and mission statement
Comments:

3. Is there an worker within your employer whose job responsibilities include Company Health and  Wellness Program coordination?

__ No
__ Yes, but has little time available to dedicate to Company Health and Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to Company Health and Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least one full-time position dedicated to Company Health and Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to wellness AND has a background that includes  Company Health and Wellness Program qualifications
__ Yes, our employer has at least one full-time position dedicated to health improvement AND the  worker’s background includes Company Health and Wellness Program qualifications
Comments:

4. Does your employer have an active wellness committee with diverse representation?

__ No (does not have a Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee, or has a committee that doesn’t  meet)
__ Yes, we have a Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee, but with limited representation
__ Yes, we have a Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee with widespread representation
__ Yes, we have a Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee with widespread representation AND  committee involvement is a component of each representative’s job responsibilities
Comments:

5. Does your employer have an annual budget for Company Health and Wellness Program expenses? (Employee  Health and Wellness Program expenses may be associated with offering a health assessment, paying for  behavior change programs/coaching programs, covering incentives that encourage healthy behaviors,  subsidizing healthy food options, communications and activities around specific health topics, fitness  centers/walking paths, etc).

__ No
__ Yes, but funds are earmarked for Employee Wellness Programs (e.g. only for Weight Watchers or  fitness discounts) and do not meet all existing Company Health and Wellness Program needs
__ Yes, funds are available to meet current Company Health and Wellness Program needs
Comments:

6. Does your employer have a plan for engaging workers in the Employee Wellness Program?

__ No
__ Yes, we have a communications plan for our Company Health and Wellness Program
__ Yes, we have a communication plan AND we offer meaningful incentives or rewards (such as premium  discounts or debit cards) for the Company Health and Wellness Program to engage in healthy behaviors.
Comments:

A data-based approach to the Company Health and Wellness Program

7. Does your employer have clearly stated Company Health and Wellness Program objectives and priorities  for employee health improvement?

__ No
__ Yes
__ Yes, data (e.g. HRA, claims, productivity) are the basis for defining Company Health and Wellness  Program objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data AND evidence-based best practices are a basis for defining Company Health and Wellness  Program objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data and best practices are basis for defining Company Health and Wellness Program objectives  or priorities as well as measuring Company Health and Wellness Program progress (assessment)
Comments:

8. Has your employer completed a Health Risk Assessment?

__ No
__ Yes, but more than 2 years ago
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a participation rate of less than 50 percent
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a 50 percent – 79 percent participation rate
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved an 80 percent or greater participation rate
Comments:

A workplace environment that supports healthy behaviors

9. Does your employer’s tobacco reduction strategy reflect best practices?

(Check all that apply)
__ A no-tobacco use policy that includes both buildings AND grounds
__ 100 percent coverage for the cost of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy
__ Worker access to – and strong promotion of — a tailored stop-smoking program
Comments:

10. Does your employer provide opportunities (time and places) for physical activity during the work  day?

__ No
__ Yes, indoor places for physical activity (on-site fitness center) OR outdoor places for physical  activity (walking paths)
__ Yes, both indoor AND outdoor places for physical activity
__ Yes, indoor and outdoor opportunities AND employees can use work time for physical activity
Comments:

11. Does your employer promote healthy eating by offering access to fruits and vegetables?

__ No
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available at the workplace (in vending machines, break areas, or  cafeterias)
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available and discounted at the workplace
Comments:

Benefits that support employee health improvement

12. Does your employer provide workers with self-care resources?

(Check all that apply)
__ Distribution of self-care books
__ online access to health information
__ Nurse advice line
Comments:

13. Which of the following preventive services are covered at 100 percent by your employer’s health  benefits?

(Check all that apply)
__ Vision screening
__ Hearing
__ Immunizations (per CDC/ACIP recommendations)
__ Radiology
__ Laboratory services
__ STD screening
__ Preventive medical examination for adults
__ Cancer screen (includes: colon, cervical, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers)
__ Contraceptive management
Comments:

14. Which of the following are included in your employer’s pharmacy benefit?

(Check all that apply)
__ Mail order or other 90-day supply option for medications
__ Specialty pharmacy network
__ Incentive-based tiered formulary design
Comments:

15. Do your employer’s health benefits provide coverage for behavioral health (such as depression,  mental illness, counseling, stress management, and chemical dependency)?

__ Yes, at the same level as medical benefits
__ Yes, but at a reduced level (less coverage) than medical benefits
__ No coverage for mental or behavioral health
Comments:

Why it’s important and how to do it

The Company Health and Wellness Program Vision

A Company Health and Wellness Program vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the  purpose and objectives of your employer’s commitment to starting a Employee Wellness Program. Taking  the time to clarify and describe your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program vision can provide  a focus and a consistent direction for your Strategies for years to come. The vision statement reminds  leaders and workers of the link between worker health and the employer’s ability to achieve its overall  mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and powerful  Company Health and Wellness Program vision for your employer’s culture of health:

• What do you want your Company Health and Wellness Program to accomplish?
• How do you intend to accomplish it?
• How does this Company Health and Wellness Program mission support or further the employer’s  mission?

A sample Company Health and Wellness Program vision statement might be . . .

To have workers who perform at their best and who enable XYZ Corporation to be an industry  leader in printing quality and customer service (employer’s mission), XYZ Corporation is committed to  offering opportunities for healthy behaviors during the workday (how) in order to encourage workers not  to smoke, to be active, and to eat healthfully (what).

The Company Health and Wellness Program Brand

In the same way that your employer’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your  Strategies toward starting a Company Health and Wellness Program will benefit from being easily  recognizable to workers:

• A consistently used Company Health and Wellness Program brand on all communications conveys  to workers that the commitment to a culture of health is here to stay.
• A Company Health and Wellness Program brand institutionalizes the culture and makes it more  likely to withstand changes in staff and budget.

Do what you can to engage workers in starting the identity (brand) for your employer’s Employee  Wellness Program. Not only are they more likely to accept the name, it’s also a great way to announce  to workers the employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program commitment. Here are two possible  approaches to involving workers:

Option 1: Have a Company Health and Wellness Program contest

1. Announce the Company Health and Wellness Program contest guidelines and deadline.
2. Have the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee review the ideas submitted, and  select a name.

If, for example, your business, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial  construction business, you might receive the following Company Health and Wellness Program ideas from  workers:

• Cornerstone: Feeling well is what it’s all about
• Premier Elements: Building healthier workers
• Custom Build: Building health builds wealth
• Building Health: Designing better worker health

After reviewing the entries, your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee  determines that it likes the name “Premier Elements” and the subtitle “Building health builds wealth”.  Your committee awards the “name the Company Health and Wellness Program contest” prize to the two  workers, those who submitted the pieces of the name that represent the final product.

Premier Elements: Building health builds wealth

3. Select a Company Health and Wellness Program logo to go with the name.

The Company Health and Wellness Program logo is an important piece of the branding

• Review any ideas submitted for Company Health and Wellness Program logos.
• If you’re fortunate enough to have a graphic design professional at your business,  enlist her or his help with developing the Company Health and Wellness Program logo!
• As an alternative, select a piece of clip-art that fits with the Company Health and  Wellness Program name you’ve selected. For example, the business referenced above might look for a  symbol that conveys building, health and wealth.

Option 2: Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee determines the name and brand

1. Have your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee brainstorm Company Health and  Wellness Program names.
• To get ideas flowing, ask members to write down all health-related words and words  associated with your employer or industry.
• Try clustering words together as in the construction business example above.
2. Once your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee has narrowed down the possibilities  to about three ideas, have committee members vote to select a name for your culture of health.
3. Select a Company Health and Wellness Program logo to go with the winning name.
4. Announce the employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program and the corresponding Company  Health and Wellness Program name. Explain that employees on the advisory committee chose the name.

Sample Company Health and Wellness Program meeting agendas and topics for discussion

Is your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee  new?  Has it existed on paper but been inactive for a while?  In either case, some of the following may  be appropriate agenda items for your first Company Health and Wellness Program meetings.   You may also  want to revisit these topics each year.

•    Clarify roles of Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee members
­    Are members accountable for implementing changes or recommending changes?
­    How long are members’ terms on the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee?
­    How will new members be selected?

•    Determine Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee meeting frequency and processes
­    Determine dates, times, and locations.
­    Determine how agendas will be set.
­    Plan for recording and distributing meeting notes.

•    Plan Company Health and Wellness Program communication with leadership
­    Does a leader sit on the group or does the coordinator report on progress (and to  whom)?
­    How often do leaders want reports on Company Health and Wellness Program progress?

•    Select a name and brand for your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program

•    Create a vision statement for your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program

•    Establish existing allies Company Health and Wellness Program for promoting worker health  within your employer
­    Who do Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee members know who could be relied  on to support workplace changes necessary to establish a culture that promotes health?

•    Brainstorm challenges your employer may face in working to establish facilities, policies and  Company Health and Wellness Program practices that promote worker health
­    What do committee members regard as opportunities? How about potential Company Health  and Wellness Program obstacles?

•    History of past Company Health and Wellness Program efforts
­    If relevant, summarize past Company Health and Wellness Program efforts. Discuss what  your employer learned from those efforts.
?    What has the employer tried over the last few years?
?    What has worked well?
?    What hasn’t worked well?
?    How, if at all, was success of previous Company Health and Wellness Program efforts measured?

A representative Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee is a cornerstone of a successful  Employee Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the employer.

Membership of your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your employer’s size).  Your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g.,  full-time and part-time workers, managers and front-line employees, salary and hourly workers, union  representation, Human Resources, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).

Here are some additional considerations:

• Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee members can be selected by leadership or can  be selected from among volunteers.
• Determine in advance how long Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee members will  support and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring  fresh ideas and energy to your employer’s Employee Wellness Program.
• It’s not necessary, or even desirable, to have your healthiest workers on the Employee Health  and Wellness Program Committee. Ideal Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee members are those  who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Employee  Wellness Program.
• Consider offering an incentive or recognition to Employee Health and Wellness Program  Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some employers that  have implemented stipends have generated enough worker interest that the selection of Employee Health  and Wellness Program Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Employee Health and  Wellness Program Committee responsibilities become a formal component of the member’s job  accountabilities.

Role of your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee

In some employers the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee is accountable for the  implementation of the Employee Wellness Program. In other employers, the Employee Health and Wellness  Program Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

• Attend regular meetings of the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee.
• Help establish a vision and name for the employer’s Employee Wellness Program.
• Represent their peer group by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work  areas and colleagues about proposed Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies, policies, and  programs.
• Provide feedback on the possible obstacles to proposed Company Health and Wellness Program  Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those obstacles (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit  with the schedules of workers?).
• Suggest effective Company Health and Wellness Program communication Strategies and solutions  to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with workers who work the third shift?  How will workers react to a proposed message from leadership?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of health, carrying the message from the Employee Health  and Wellness Program Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee

Meet. Schedule regular Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee meetings on paid work time. Your  Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee may want to meet regulary at first, then slightly less  often as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Employee Health and Wellness  Program Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and  their interests.

Communicate. Set up frequent and regular channels of communication with Employee Health and Wellness  Program Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is often the easiest way to  do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Company Health and Wellness Program  coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, determine how effectively the Employee Health and Wellness Program  Committee is functioning. Is the Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee serving its original  purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference?  Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing  initiatives? Do they understand their expected Company Health and Wellness Program roles and  responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be  selected?

Starting a Company Health and Wellness Program need not be expensive, but will require the commitment
of some financial resources. If possible, include the Company Health and Wellness Program in your
employer’s annual business plan and budget as you do for other efforts important to your employer’s
success.
How much to budget for the Employee Wellness Program?
There is no one-size-fits-all formula for starting a Company Health and Wellness Program that results
in improved employee health. Organizations differ in how much money they need and how much they can
make available for the Employee Wellness Program. Consider the following common expenses in developing
an adequate Company Health and Wellness Program budget:
• Company Health and Wellness Program staffing costs (either internal salaries or consultant
fees)
• Company Health and Wellness Program data collection costs (including health risk assessment

costs, if relevant)
• Company Health and Wellness Program incentives for healthy behaviors (such as discounts on

premiums for non-smokers)
• Costs of Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies to be implemented (such as costs of

covering tobacco quit medications or costs of subsidizing healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending

machines)
• Company Health and Wellness Program administrative and communications expenses

In times of tight finances, be prepared to justify your requested Company Health and Wellness Program

budget. Arm yourself with data on potential short- and long-term outcomes of the proposed Company

Health and Wellness Program Strategies. Itemize the Company Health and Wellness Program expenses of

past programs and share projected expenses for programs planned for the upcoming year.

Sustaining Company Health and Wellness Program Funding

A dedicated Company Health and Wellness Program line item in your employer’s budget makes it more

likely to be regarded as a need, rather than as a “nice-to-have” amenity that could be cut when funds

run low.

One of the best Strategies for ensuring continued financial support for the Company Health and Wellness

Program is frequent communication to leadership, including:

• How many workers have you reached through the Employee Wellness Program? Has morale improved?

Have health risks decreased, e.g., fewer workers smoking, more workers active?
• How well are you managing the Company Health and Wellness Program resources you’ve been

given? Where and how has your budget been spent? Keep track of the staff time necessary for each

program and be able to present the numbers at any time.
• Anecdotal Company Health and Wellness Program success stories from workers. Don’t

underestimate the power of a good story to put a human face on your success.

Additional sources of Company Health and Wellness Program Funding

If necessary, have the individuals accountable for starting a Company Health and Wellness Program look

for ways to supplement available internal funds. Are there grants or other financing available that can

help support your Company Health and Wellness Program ? What community Company Health and Wellness

Program resources could you use to meet some of your needs?

Finding an individual to lead your employer in starting a Company Health and Wellness Program

Without a qualified Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator to lead and manage your employer’s

creation of a culture of health, efforts can be scattered and momentum can stall. While it’s vital that

the creation of a culture of health be someone’s priority, not all employers need a full-time

coordinator.  There are a number of ways to capture the time of a qualified coordinator.

Be careful not to confuse Company Health and Wellness Program skills with fitness skills. You are not

looking for a personal trainer or a nutritionist to run your Employee Wellness Program. The following

are good indications that an individual may be qualified to be a Company Health and Wellness Program

coordinator:

• knowledge of population health, community health and worksite Employee Wellness Programs
• experience working with and understanding aggregate data, preferably Company Health and

Wellness Program data
• experience managing projects, including developing timelines and facilitating meetings
• experience in strategic planning, including defining goals and related objectives
• ability to understand, and use the findings of, journal articles on effective Company Health

and Wellness Program Strategies.

What will a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator do?

The Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator is accountable for guiding a process that

establishes workplace facilities, policies and practices that promote health. The individual may do

some of all of the following for your Employee Wellness Program:

• act as a liaison between leadership and the Company Health and Wellness Program employee

advisory workgroup
• interpret health-related data on your Company Health and Wellness Program
• establishe and manage work plans and budgets for implementation of selected Company Health

and Wellness Program Strategies
• facilitate Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee meetings
• lead your employer in establishing measurable objectives for the Company Health and Wellness

Program
• recommend effective Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies, using the evidence in the

health behavior literature and national and/or recommended best practices
• document and report short-term and long-term progress on Company Health and Wellness Program

Strategies and objectives.

Where can we find a qualified Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator?

Consider the following when looking for a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator:

• Existing employees: Are there individuals on employees who have the background, or are

interested in gaining the skills, to support as a Company Health and Wellness Program coordinator? Is

it possible to dedicate a portion of someone’s time (e.g., .5 FTE) to the position of coordinating your

employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies? If possible, budget enough to cover not only

salary but also continued learning, journal subscriptions and membership fees for this Company Health

and Wellness Program position.
• New employees – Can you hire an individual to be your employer’s Company Health and Wellness

Program coordinator? Would it need to be a full-time position, or would part-time be sufficient?
• Company Health and Wellness Program Consultation – Various employers (e.g., health plans,

benefit consultants and public health departments) provide Company Health and Wellness Program

consultation on building a culture of health within a workplace.

An outside Company Health and Wellness Program consultant can advise an internal Company Health and

Wellness Program coordinator and your Employee Health and Wellness Program Committee on establishing

priorities and determining Strategies. Or, you can contract with a Company Health and Wellness Program

consultant to be your coordinator. If you go with the latter approach, you’ll want to contract with the

individual for sufficient hours to carry out all of the responsibilities associated with coordinating

an effective strategy.

Strong and visible leadership support for the Company Health and Wellness Program promotes health and is vital to securing necessary Company Health and Wellness Program resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Establish a Company Health and Wellness Program champion

In a small employer, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Employee Wellness Program. In a larger employer, look for an executive with the authority to sway others in the highest levels of the organization regarding the Employee Wellness Program. The Company Health and Wellness Program champion need not be the fittest member of leadership. Rather, look for a Company Health and Wellness Program leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of workplace policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Company Health and Wellness Program champion at each site.

2. Find existing Company Health and Wellness Program allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your employer who recognize the value of a Employee Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your employer; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Company Health and Wellness Program ally. Capture their stated support for the Employee Wellness Program. Company Health and Wellness Program support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the workplace that will help to build a culture of health.

3. Build a business case for the Company Health and Wellness Program

There is a reason that more and more companies are finding a way to promote employee health via a Company Health and Wellness Program and policies: A Company Health and Wellness Program makes good business sense. employees with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower health care costs than workers with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Employee Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Company Health and Wellness Program use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your employer

Every employer is different. Build leadership support for the Company Health and Wellness Program in the way that makes the most sense for your employer. Think about the following as you plan how to approach leadership for Company Health and Wellness Program support:

• What are the current priorities and pressures facing executives? How could a Company Health and Wellness Program and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do your leaders rather receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What kinds of Company Health and Wellness Program information are likely to sway decisions? Do they want data and Company Health and Wellness Program statistics specific to your employer, or are state or national data sufficient? Are your leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would your leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Company Health and Wellness Program information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions get made in your employer? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Company Health and Wellness Program will become a reality.

5. Maintain Company Health and Wellness Program support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Company Health and Wellness Program support, ensure that you maintain it by regularly updating your leaders on employee health and progress toward starting a culture that promotes health. Ask upper management how often they want to receive Company Health and Wellness Program progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. BC/BS of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.

The workplace environment is a powerful, but often overlooked, element in managing worker health.  Here we will identify some of the best-practices in starting a Company Health and Wellness Program that supports your organization’s employee health strategy and allows workers to take charge of their own health.  For example, a Company Health and Wellness Program that includes a smoke-free workplace policy improves the likelihood that workers will try to quit tobacco use and will quit smoking successfully. Similarly, a Company Health and Wellness Program that includes discounting healthy foods in your cafeteria and vending machines helps increase workers’ consumption of healthy foods which supports your investment in disease management programs for workers with diabetes, heart disease or hypertension. The following will guide you through the ten key steps in starting a Company Health and Wellness Program and workplace environment that promotes worker health.

In an era of ever-increasing health care costs and intense competition, companies have a vested interest in the health of their workers.  Research studies have found that, on average, workers with healthy behaviors (such as not smoking or being active for 30 minutes a day) incur lower health care expenses, are absent from work less often, and are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism) than workers with unhealthy behaviors.

Employee Wellness Program: Gaining Leadership Support

Company Health and Wellness Program support from the highest level of leadership is vital to your success in starting a culture of health within your workplace. Look for Company Health and Wellness Program support from a leader who is respected by and can sway other leaders. (It’s not necessary that he or she be the fittest executive within your organization just that they directly support the Employee Wellness Program.) You will be relying on this culture-of-health champion to advocate for changes that you recommend and to ensure the organization allocates adequate Company Health and Wellness Program resources (staff, time, and money) to maintain and improve the workplace policies, physical environment, and social norms.

Capture Company Health and Wellness Program Staff and Financing

Starting and maintaining a Company Health and Wellness Program within your employer needs to be someone’s priority. However, unless your employer is quite large, you likely don’t need to hire a full-time staff person for the Employee Wellness Program.  There are a number of ways to find an individual with the necessary skills to guide and support your employer’s Employee Wellness Program.

Starting facilities and Company Health and Wellness Program policies, such as those allowing workers to be physically active during the workday, does not need to be expensive, but it does require adequate and sustained financing.  If possible, include the creation of a workplace environment that supports the Company Health and Wellness Program as a permanent component of the operating budget; that helps to ensure it’s an ongoing priority for your employer.

Worker Involvement in the Company Health and Wellness Program

Developing a cross section of employees to advise your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program ensures that improvements in workplace facilities, policies and practices address the true needs and obstacles of all groups of employees.   In addition, these workers can support as the front-line Company Health and Wellness Program supporters of policies and practices with their peers.

Create a Company Health and Wellness Program “Brand” and Vision

A Company Health and Wellness Program vision and a brand are powerful first steps in turning a Company Health and Wellness Program from an idea to a reality. What would you like your workplace environment to look like five years from now? A succinct Company Health and Wellness Program vision statement summarizes for all (workers and leaders alike) the reasons for starting a Employee Wellness Program. It also reminds everyone of the link between worker health and your employer’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Branding your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program conveys to workers that the employer’s commitment and support of healthy behaviors is important and is here to stay. Select a Company Health and Wellness Program name and logo that resonate with workers. Then use that brand on all Company Health and Wellness Program communications with workers about the policies, facilities and programs your employer offers to promote healthy behaviors.

Evaluate Your Present Company Health and Wellness Program Situation

Exactly how your employer establishes a Company Health and Wellness Program that promotes healthy eating, physical activity, and reduces tobacco use will depend on the unique characteristics of your employer and employee population.

Evaluate how the current workplace facilities, policies, and unwritten norms support — or discourage — healthy behaviors.

Gather information on the health and health-related behaviors of your employee population.  The most common method is by using a validated health risk assessment. If you don’t have data specific to your workers, you can estimate the prevalence of different health risks and behaviors within your employee population using state or national data.  Note: Information on employees’ health interests alone is not sufficient; but can be a useful supplement to health risk data and might help you set priorities.

Determine Company Health and Wellness Program Goals and Priorities

Use what you’ve discovered about employee health and about your current workplace environment to determine your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program priorities. From those Company Health and Wellness Program priorities, define clear and measurable Company Health and Wellness Program objectives for improving employee health and your employer’s culture. Well written objectives will provide the basis for planning and for measuring your progress.

Select Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies

Focus your employer’s Company Health and Wellness Program resources (time, energy and money) on procedures that are most likely to produce results:  a rise in healthy eating, a rise in physical activity, and a reduction in tobacco use. There’s no need to guess at what might work. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reviewed thousands of studies and has identified the Company Health and Wellness Program approaches most likely to result in significant, lasting, and widespread improvements in health behaviors. Those Company Health and Wellness Program procedures are included in the physical activity, tobacco, and healthy eating sections of this website.

The formula for Company Health and Wellness Program success is to make the healthier choices the easier choices.

Implement Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies

Once you’ve chosen your Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies, it can be useful to arrange the work on a timeline.  The “right” amount of time for implementing each Company Health and Wellness Program strategy depends on the staff time, budget, and business demands of your employer.  Work plans maintain your efforts moving and help to ensure that plans to establish a Company Health and Wellness Program stay on track even if there are changes in staffing or other challenges.

Communicate and Educate About the Company Health and Wellness Program

Ensure workers are aware of the Company Health and Wellness Program opportunities you’ve provided.   Planning your Company Health and Wellness Program communications allows you to communicate regularly with workers without overwhelming them at any one time.

Monitor and Report Your Company Health and Wellness Program Results

At the same time that you plan your Company Health and Wellness Program Strategies, think about how you’ll measure success.  It’s much easier to gather information – or to establish systems for collecting information — before you begin a Company Health and Wellness Program strategy rather than as an afterthought.   Keep in mind that you’re likely to see improvements in worker morale and/or behaviors before you see decreases in absenteeism or health care claims.

Report both your Company Health and Wellness Program successes in building a healthy workplace environment (such as complete implementation of a policy that provides workers time for walking during the workday), and Company Health and Wellness Program successes in getting employees to take charge of their health (a rise in the number of workers who contacted the stop-smoking program, or a rise in the number of fruit-cups purchased from the cafeteria following a promotion and price-cut).