Posts from — November 2008

Company Health and Wellness Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Employee Wellness Programs … do they provide a strong return on investment? This is a question that we  are sure goes through ever corporation’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Company Health and Wellness  Program ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Company Health and Wellness Program ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Company Health  and Wellness Program ROI is not an easy thing to do for corporations because it involves a lot of  different variables and time.

However, the companies that have taken the time to determine the Company Health and Wellness Program  ROI of their Employee Wellness Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the  Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of worker health and the slowing of the rate of their  worker health care expenses.

Company Health and Wellness Program ROI Alliance

Company Health and Wellness Program ROI is such an important part of today’s organization culture, that  several large companies have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the  HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of  consistency in proving the value of Employee Wellness Programs.

The alliance, formed by Henry Ford Health Systems, BMW of North America, Kraft Foods Global, MasterCard  Worldwide and Schlumberger Limited, strongly believes in showing the value of Employee Wellness  Programs and want to develop a standard for how Employee Wellness Programs are measured.

Employee Wellness Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an organization-provided worker  Employee Wellness Program:

Employee assistance Programs
Disease Management Programs
Fitness and physical activity Programs
Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)
Workplace health care Programs
Individual wellness profiles
Preventive Health Screenings and immunizations
Smoking-cessation Programs
Phone based Employee Wellness Programs
Weight Management and Weight Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.

Wellness During the Summer

Wellness is important year-round; however if your employees haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon,  then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal season to get back into shape and improve overall Wellness.  The weather is  beautiful, employees can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes  with less coverage.  Fitness, or lack of fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to beginning a Company Health and Wellness Program in the Summer.  Employees  are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they  are in the cooler months of the fall and winter.  Summer is also a great time to begin a Wellness  challenge with your employees and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a member picnic or  cookout.  Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh  vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Company Health and Wellness Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps when starting a Company Health and Wellness Program in your office.

Pick a coordinator for the Company Health and Wellness Program who is willing and able to see  it through.
Make sure that you have the support of organization leadership.
Create a Wellness committee
Make use of a Company Health and Wellness Program survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of  your Company Health and Wellness Program
Provide Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)
Analyze the Company Health and Wellness Program and changes as needed
Do not forget to stress that the Company Health and Wellness Program is for the workers.   Employee Wellness Programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension.   Taking part in in a Company Health and Wellness Program that provides all that should be an easy  decision for the corporation and for the employees.