Posts from — May 2010

Whether one owns a small family-run company or is the CEO of a big company, among the most important issues that employers absolutely need to address is staff member health and safety.

While productivity and overall revenue is important, when the staff members are not following safe practices and keeping themselves healthful, the result will eventually become a loss in earnings due to less productivity and compensation for sick days.

Every corporation absolutely needs to start written safety policies and procedures that are clear and understandable to the average reader. Not only is this necessary for protecting the employees from harm, but having written policies also helps to protect the corporation against claims about the corporation not following safe practices, or even worse, potential lawsuits.

Many businesses also understand that safety knowledge improves through ongoing training and inviting the employees to give input about safety practices.

Employees should also be encouraged to keep themselves healthful because an unhealthful worker causes more loss in revenue due to sick days. Obviously an business cannot determine what the worker will eat for lunch, but there are simple measures that an business can take to encourage healthier habits.

Providing healthier vending machine options, a tobacco-free environment, and even discounts on fitness center memberships may encourage healthier lifestyles.

While staff member health and safety are very important aspects of a business, unfortunately they’re often neglected until a problem arises. Companys need to be proactive about health and safety to protect themselves and their workers.

Safety training, encouraging breaks to take a walk, or compensating for worker gym memberships, will obviously cost the corporation money, but in the long term, this can be a great investment and a way to potentially save money due to health and safety issues in the future.

Corporations need to look at the large picture and how such simple measures can develop a more successful company.

What kind of insurance is right for your company?

Businesses have a few choices when choosing  an staff member medical insurance plan. There are many kinds of staff member medical insurance that may be bought for the corporation. Catastrophic, federal, and small corporation insurance plans all vary in cost and coverage.

Catastrophic health insurance plans, formerly known as high deductible insurance plans, have low premiums but high deductibles. You must reach the plan’s deductible before insurance will begin paying. Deductibles may be as low as $5,000, and increase from there.

These plans save money for an business by lowering the cost of staff member health care and save money for individuals who rarely need medical care. However, for someone needing ongoing care or experiencing an unexpected disease, this plan can cost the staff member a lot of money out of their own pocket.

Small company staff member health insurance could be more expensive than bigger companies’ insurances. Nonetheless, insurance rates can decrease if staff member health and safety increases. This is why staff member health programs like an onsite health club could be beneficial.

Nevertheless, small businesses can offer their workers many of the same health plans, such as Lifewise medical insurance, as bigger businesses offer.

Federal worker health insurance is often times among the best, all inclusive plans available. Federal worker health benefits often include low premiums, low co-pays, and even dental insurance PPO. Federal worker health benefits aren’t only open to federal workers, but also their families.

Having a superb worker health plan can draw in certified job seekers to your corporation. If someone has received multiple job offers, his/her decision may come down to which corporation has the best benefits. Health insurance is a major benefit to consider.

It is in every corporation’s best interest to take worker health seriously. It might be the determining factor for an great worker considering multiple job opportunities.

Wellness programs are designed to nurture wellness in employees, regardless of the work environment. Wellness programs may be found in factories, corporate offices, big companies, and small companies alike.

The idea for these wellness programs stemmed from a few different experiences, decades ago. Not only did companys want to lower health care expenses they were paying for employees, but many forward thinking companys wanted to make the work space a more inviting and relaxing environment for their employees as well.

Wellness programs have evolved from offering exercise equipment on site for employees to utilize, to offering heart healthy options in the cafeteria, to even having available, a real person to consult with about health care needs.

None of these things are a substitute for routine medical checkups, but wellness programs are designed to make medical treatment and medication for employees less needed.

There are different levels of wellness programs. One level is offering basic services and referrals online. the Internet authorizes access to major sources of information, but many people  are confused about what information is reliable and where to find specific information resources.

Online wellness programs may be set up to allow workers access to certain types of pre-screened information that is reliable and easy to find.

In addition to web-based tools, many wellness programs can tailor resources and data to each worker. Treating each worker and their concerns sensitively and in a timely manner, can help them see the importance of their health issues as well.

Just because an individual has diabetes does not mean they have all of the most up-to-date information on how to best live with diabetes. Oftentimes, diet and exercise alone can control diabetes and eliminate the need for medication or more invasive treatments.

Wellness programs are most successful when the employer and workers are fully engaged in the program with good health in mind. A successful workplace is not about the bottom line alone. It also means creating a safe and healthy workplace for each individual.

Wellness programs have been on the rise the past 20 years for a variety of reasons. When a business or small business is considering beginning a wellness program, they’ll first obtain several wellness quotes. Then the business will partner with the wellness program to determine if the program is a good fit for their staff members.

Ordinarily, a business will consider if the wellness program is a good fit for their business based on size, reputation and overall experience. These quotes aren’t all about the financial aspect, but really what will benefit the overall health and wellness of the workers and members.

Ideally, a wellness program should offer its members the opportunity to prevent and manage long-term health risks. an example of this would be weight loss management.

Not only is it cost effective to provide staff members with exercise equipment or a fitness club membership to use, but it also provides education and support for weight loss and weight management. Making healthy food choices and catering to those with special dietary needs would also be included in health education.

Considering that a high percentage of diseases are preventable when diet and exercise are tied in with the workplace, a majority of diseases in that same workplace could be eliminated.

Wellness quotes should also include the ability of an employee to self-monitor progress. It’s a scientific fact that when adults can track their progress on any type of goal, they will be more likely to continue with that goal, even if it’s an abstract goal, such as energy level.

Wellness quotes can’t tell an company if a program will be a good fit for its staff members. That is something for the company, staff and potential wellness program coordinator to determine.

The concerns of all parties should be taken into consideration to ensure a good match for life-long wellness.

Ways businesses can boost worker wellness participation

Employee wellness programs are important to workplace benefits. Notwithstanding, they don’t make any difference when your employees aren’t participating. Does your company have an employee wellness program that seems to be failing due to lack of participation? When so, there are creative ways that you can motivate your workforce to take control of their health, and participate in the program.

Giving program materials upon sign-up is a excellent way to show staff members that the corporation acknowledges and encourages their wellness efforts. Receiving free program materials, like pedometers and exercise guides, will improve participation for staff members with little time or money.

These program materials could be quite low cost when bought in bulk. Plus, the business will still be saving money because their workers will be getting fit and there will be less sick days taken.

The toughest times when beginning a new exercise regimen, are at six weeks and six months. If a person may make it to the six week point when beginning to exercise, they’re more likely to continue. Those first six weeks are very critical.

After exercisers have made it past the six week mark, many stick with their fitness routine until six months, at which point they often become bored or lose motivation. During these two crucial times it is essential that staff members have motivation to continue. One way to celebrate participants’ successes is to recognize their achievements through incentives.

Incentives like a celebration banquet, certificate of achievement for making it past six weeks or six months and even cash incentives, work well to improve morale and increase participation. Employee wellness programs that stay involved by checking in on participants, encouraging and rewarding them, often see better results.

If your company is struggling to elevate participation in the employee wellness program, take a good look at how involved the corporation is in the process. Offering start-up materials and continued support will get more people  on board and keep workers focused on fitness.

How does a wellness program affect the company?

Wellness programs undoubtedly benefit both the employers and employees. Numerous studies have found a direct link, showing that healthful employees make happy employees, thus increasing productivity in the workplace.

Not only are employees who exercise more apt to be productive, but they are more likely to stay with their business long term. This saves businesses a great deal of money in application and turnover costs.

Health Care costs in the United States doubled between 1990 and 2001. They are expected to double again by 2012. During this time, studies have shown that adult obesity has risen as high as 80 percent in some states. This is a startling statistic. for every 1 percent in Body Mass Index (BMI), a person’s healthcare costs increase by $120.

Not only is this expensive for the employer but it can also be deadly, greatly raising one’s chances of heart attack or stroke. Staff Members at risk for these two serious medical conditions cost employers thousands of dollars more each year than their healthy colleagues.

Knowing these troubling statistics authorizes corporations to take action. the first step is to come up with a plan on how to fight these statistics in your workplace. Most adults in this country spend the majority of their time at work.

That is why wellness programs are so essential. Having access to an exercise facility and other healthy lifestyle choices should be implemented in every company. There really is no reason not to.

One study showed that implementing a wellness program in the workplace, lowered sick time by 28%, lowered the use of health care benefits by 26%, and lowered employee’s compensation claims by 30%.

Take a good look at some of these statistics. Your business cannot afford not to have a wellness program.

How can our company increase participation in the corporate wellness program?

Having a corporate wellness program in place can increase morale, improve fitness and health and increase productivity in the workplace. Now that you’ve taken the steps necessary to begin a corporate wellness program, how do you get your staff members interested and willing to participate?

By implementing healthful eating habits, exercise and offering incentives, your staff members will not only sign up for the wellness program, but they will stick with it.

Does your company have an onsite fitness center that employees have access to? If not, offering free or discounted fitness center memberships to a local fitness center can be an effective method for getting employees to exercise. Whether the fitness center is on or off-site however, authorizing employees to use the facility during work hours, like on their lunch break, will increase the likelihood that they’ll exercise.

Rewarding employees’ achievements is another way to keep them excited and living a healthful lifestyle. Establishing business goals such as collectively walking a certain number of miles, supports team building. Offering incentives such as gift cards, certificates of achievement, and even a day off work can be effective ways to keep participation levels up.

Since there will likely be less sick days being used due to illness, your corporation may  be able to afford to offer a day off pass as an incentive. These incentives do not have to be expensive, just valuable to the staff member.

Providing a healthful lunch once a week for workers participating in the corporate health plan, is a excellent way to promote healthful eating. Offering an incentive of healthful, delicious, free food is one way to reward workers for their efforts while supporting their new healthful lifestyle.

Having a corporate wellness program in place will provide long term benefits to both the corporation and the employees. This is one corporate plan that is definitely worth your time and money!

Why should our corporation host a corporate health fair?

Do you work in your corporation’s human resources department? Are you looking for events to plan for your corporation this year? If so, it’d be a great idea to look into hosting a corporate wellness fair. Corporate wellness fairs are valuable to both the employer and the staff member because they promote overall health, awareness and prevention.

What kind of vendors are at a wellness fair?

There are many vendors to pick from when bringing a corporate health fair to your business. the most popular vendors include dentists, massage therapists, chiropractors, nutritionists and the American Red Cross. These few popular vendors are a part of a long list available to attend health fairs.

How do we select which vendors to include in the wellness fair?

While most vendors are excellent for all employees, there are some vendors available for corporations with a specific demographic. for example, if your corporation has a lot of pregnant women or women of child bearing age, it may be a good idea to have a vendor especially talking about prenatal care.

If there are a lot of smokers at your company, you may want to have the American Lung Association present. Attempt to choose providers that meet your employees’ needs. Do not forget that hosting a corporate wellness fair is meant to be advantageous to them.

When should we hold a wellness fair?

Anytime is a excellent time to host a health fair. Nonetheless, you may want to consider not scheduling around holidays or busy seasons so that you can maximize participation. Another excellent option is having the corporate health fair on a weekend and making it family friendly. Corporate health fairs help keep everyone healthful, therefore increasing work productivity.

Not only does hosting a corporate wellness fair promote health, it also builds camaraderie between coworkers, improving team building and communication in the office. It is a win-win for both the business and the employee!

Wellness programs have been shown to lower rates of absenteeism, employee turnover rates, and health care costs. It’s a key piece of a corporation’s success. the results of these programs lead to higher productivity, which in the end leads to a more profitable corporation.

In order for these programs to run properly and produce results they must’ve a clear operating plan with an attainable and measurable goal. the programs must also encourage all workers to lead a healthy lifestyle while at work and at home.

Wellness programs have been introduced to companies all over the United States to make workers healthier and in turn happier. Companies which implement these programs do so to varying degrees. Some simply offer literature about how to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress while at work.

Some corporations offer biometric screenings and health risk (assessment|appraisal}s for free during the year to help employees understand what’s going on with their health and what they are able to do to improve it.

At the top of the list, there are the companies which offer free, onsite health clubs and aerobics programs to be used at lunch breaks or after work. No matter what’s offered it would be a waste not to take benefit of these wellness programs.

It requires cautious planning and thought to start wellness programs. Once a program is put into place it is very important to reassess and analyze it several times to reach the primary goal –  healthier staff members.

All the programs that are put in place should be assessed after a determined time frame to help the business understand what needs to be changed or kept in place to maintain corporate wellness.

Everybody knows today that working in corporate America could be a stressful situation. It seems that staff members are expected to work longer hours and spend more time away from home. Long commutes and large amounts of work are taking its toll on American office staff members. Something ought to be done; business wellness is a good way to begin to help all those stressed out staff members.

Beginning business wellness programs can help develop a healthful culture. There must be an incentive program set up to drive interest to wanting to be more health conscious. Making good decisions that affect health now and in the future must be rewarded as individual’s goals are met.

There are a number of wellness ideas that a company wellness program can help plan for. Some ideas include giving out maps of walking or jogging trails located near the workplace. It’s a good idea to post a steps collected map on the workplace wall where all staff members can log their steps or miles.

Be sure to help encourage joggers, walkers, and those who enjoy other forms of exercise to form workout groups to meet before work, during lunch, or after work.

In a company environment, relationship development is also an area where aligning cultural touch points are necessary. Make certain to work culture affects health practices.

Workers will either form personal relationships in a bad way, like tobacco use in the break room, or they’ll form relationships doing something more physical like going for a round of golf for relaxation and developing friendships with fellow employees. Be certain to work must be done to develop healthful venues to develop expert friendships and relationships.

There are so many good benefits for a company selecting  to make company wellness a priority. Workers who participate in wellness programs are more likely to be the best workers.

Colleague relationships in the workplace are important to creating a healthful lifestyle culture that lasts. as an added bonus, overall job satisfaction is better if staff members are feeling well and healthful while doing their work.