Posts from — August 2010

Wellness programs are a long-term investment. But how long should you wait for results?

Finance and the CEO want hard numbers to show Return On Investment.  And wellness Return On Investment is tougher to calculate than, say, a 401(k).

18-month guideline

Recent studies have established some benchmark data on wellness Return On Investment you are able to use as a guideline. It’s useful whether you already have a health promotion program or are thinking about starting one.

It normally takes at least 18 months from the launch of a health promotion program to see any results in your healthcare plan bottom line.

For many firms, 18 months is the point at which workers’ improving health begins to cancel the cost of sponsoring and administering the health promotion program.

By and large, the long-term cost savings from a health promotion program will be driven by how much you’re willing to spend. Generally, organizations get what they pay for – both in time and money invested.

As a rule of thumb, the average cost to the corporation is about $3 to $5 per participating worker per month. Within three years of launch, you must be seeing significant savings.

The typical ROI tends to be about $4 to $5 saved for every dollar spent. So how can you manage the costs in the short-term to achieve the long-term savings?  and how can you maximize the long-term payoff?

Consider making wellness programs budget-neutral

For many companys, the most effective way to manage the cost of a health promotion program in the start-up phase is to make it a budget-neutral expense.

In other words, the wellness program neither adds to your medical costs at the outset, nor lowers them. Example –  You plan to roll out a wellness program effective Jan. 1.  The wellness program will cost the organization $5 per staff member.

You can roll the $5 per month cost directly into the employee’s monthly share of their health care premium. In this age of continuous cost-shifting, most staff members are used to seeing small increases in their monthly contributions each plan year.

Just be sure you’re not hitting folks with a large hike on top of that $5. Comparably designed wellness programs pay off about the same – meaning workers buy in and participate at the same rate – whether they’re budget neutral or the corporation absorbs the cost.

But when workers get clobbered by large-scale contribution hikes at the outset, they often resist the wellness program.  The long-term Return On Investment (ROI) for these wellness programs is usually disappointing.

If you’re faced with a situation where achieving a budget-neutral wellness program would trigger push-back, your firm is better off absorbing most or all the wellness costs.

The biggest hurdle is to get over the hump for those first 18 months or so.

A few years ago, business health fairs were all the rage. Now they’re making a comeback, with a slight twist.

In the past, the fairs often better served the provider(s) who came onsite than the needs of the hosting business or their staff. More recently, organizations have refined the planning of the events to serve specifically to launch or promote a health promotion program.

To be successful, the events need to serve two purposes – improveing staff member education and building their enthusiasm to take part in the wellness program.

To make certain you and your staff get the most out of a wellness fair, it helps to be aware of the plusses and minuses – and some little touches that can mean the difference between a so-so event and a hit.

Health Fairs –  Double-edged sword

On the plus side, workers received easy-to-grasp information on key wellness topics such as illness detection, symptom control and smarter medication practices. They also receive important services like free blood-pressure screenings.

On the down side, some professionals said the more newfangled events were more like “disease fairs” than “health fairs.” In other words, the tone was little too somber and staff weren’t in particular tuned in because they weren’t enjoying themselves.

Wellness program consultant Dr. Ron Goetzel believes that the savviest firms strike a balance in their wellness fairs. Stick with the screenings, but also feature exhibitors who offer “lighter,” more enjoyable services. Examples –

• A booth from a local health-food store

• A chair-massage station

• elder-care info from the AARP, or

• A “complimentary medicine” info booth (e.g.,a chiropractor or an acupuncturist).

Offering incentives

In many cases, workers still need an incentive to attend the fair and get the desired screenings, besides to doing the fun stuff. Some real-life health promotion programs that’ve worked –

• A contest offering prizes to staff members who visit every station

• quizzes and prizes based on info from different providers’ literature

• flex-scheduling or time-off incentives for getting screened (e.g., a comp day or an additional afternoon off), and

• cash incentives (as little as $20 and as much as $100) to people  who voluntarily participate in various screenings.

Medical research has long shown quitting use of tobacco at any age can improve a person’s health.

But a Duke Univ. shows that the group you might think would be the least likely to quit – individuals  over the age of 50 – may actually have the best odds for quitting through a use of tobacco cessation program.

Scientists tracked 573 older patients over 10 years. They found that just 16% of those who joined the use of tobacco cessation program later returned to use of tobacco.  Meanwhile, previous research has found young smokers who attempt to quit have a 35% to 45% relapse rate within two years.

Bottom line –   Given the aging staff member population and the cost of retiree healthcare, you may want to keep trying with tobacco use cessation education for your older personnel.

A lot of organizations recognize the need for a comprehensive strategy to help their employees be the best they can be.

They also know that successful and sustainable wellness programs are much more than a few “lunch and learn” programs.

Your wellness program should include a wide range of key elements, including –

• A clear agenda or statement of objectives.

• A plan characterized by passion.

• an effective leader who is creative and organized.

• A focus on short-term outcomes combined with an overall vision.

• A measurable strategy (what’s important gets measured!).

• A policy of celebrating and communicating success.

Planning Your Wellness Program

Plan carefully to ensure that your wellness program is seen as part of a broad commitment to maintaining the health and safety of all employees. Yes, creating a good plan takes a lot of effort and time (and sometimes resources).

But planning is essential and well worth the investment required. as the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.”

You may start by conducting a recent survey of staff member needs and interests. If you take this route, pay attention to the results and plan therefore. If you don’t, the employees will not support the program.

Accumulating information about what you are already offering is also a good idea. for  instance, you could be surprised by your company or corporation’s current wellness and health policies.

Another important step is to establish an agenda and/or measurable goals to help you determine priorities, timelines and the resources required to launch the program. be bold and creative in your planning, but also realistic.

Leadership

The leader of your wellness program must be able to wear many hats. the leader’s duties include –

• Developing a vision of the wellness program after receiving input from all interested workers.

• Communicating ideas and a rationale throughout the organization (to senior level managers and fellow employees alike).

• Keeping others enthusiastic about and committed to a wellness program.

• Serving as a role model and wellness coach.

• Developing and maintaining leadership skills such as giving effective presentations and being well-organized.

Good leaders avoid becoming overwhelmed by overly ambitious and complex plans. You could want to stick to short-term goals at the starting so that you get immediate and visible results.

These first steps are the basis for a successful wellness program.

Good leaders involve as many people  as possible in the program. for example, you will want to form a committee made up of a diverse group of employees to provide advice during the planning phase. This approach will –

• Be sure to help you to obtain valuable information from all parts of the company.

• Develop ambassadors who’ll help you implement the wellness program.

Keeping Score and Celebrating

Always rememberhow you will monitor progress and evaluate the success of your wellness program. Evaluation permits you to –

• Identify areas of excellence.

• Identify factors that affect participation in your programs.

• Gain management’s support for your efforts (and maintain that support).

• Better understand issues that need attention.

• Learn from mistakes and change the program to keep it on the right track.

When you evaluate your program, you can measure such things as –

• Employee absences.

• Worker turnover rates.

• the cost of your staff member assistance program.

• the cost of benefits, including short-term and long-term disability payments.

• the cost of your drug plan.

• Accident rates and safety records.

• Employees’ participation in wellness programs (and whether they’re staying in the programs).

• Changes in employees’ health habits.

• Level of employees’ awareness of healthful lifestyle issues.

• Results of your environmental wellness audit.

• Other noticeable changes in areas like morale and job satisfaction.

A good communications plan provides ongoing information to employees (including senior managers) and fosters excitement about the wellness program.

Positive reinforcement is part of an effective communications plan. for  instance, you might recognize individuals  who have helped set up the program or offer tangible rewards for achieving goals.

Everybody needs to know whether workers are getting involved, enjoying the activities and getting some benefit from them. Showing that a wellness program has financial benefits is often an important factor in maintaining strong support from the top.

When you pay attention to the key elements of your wellness program and communicate openly and continuously while planning and delivering it, you’ll lay a solid foundation and leave a legacy that lasts.

The businesses with the most cost-efficient health care plans are the ones that streamline the services staff receive for both their physical and psychological health.

As a long-term goal, having your general health plan, employee assistance program (EAP) and wellness program communicating regularly with one another about employees’ treatments is the single best way to reduce redundant or contradictory treatments, eliminate unnecessary claims and enhance the quality of the plans for which you pay.

Let’s look at the relationship between your health promotion program and your EAP to illustrate the importance of attacking health costs cross a wide front.

You can begin a wellness program with a health risk assessment and then, if appropriate, roll out a use of tobacco cessation program or a weight reduction program.

But ultimately you want to be certain that your wellness vendor works and your employee assistance program vendor.

Here’s why –  It’s very common for an staff member to contact the employee assistance program because the individuals feels depressed about his or her weight. What you want is for the employee assistance program provider to treat the employee’s depression and behavioral issues, plus you want the employee assistance program to refer the staff member to the wellness program to deal with the root cause of the problem – obesity.

The same thing goes with the relationship your health promotion program and your workers’ comp provider, STD and LTD providers, rehab people , and/or illness managers. You want all them talking to – and sharing data with – each other. When they’re not, it’s costing you money.

In general, the businesss who achieve the greatest cost savings through their wellness programs are the ones who overlap wellness with behavioral and occupational health issues.

How does physical activity fit into a full-time employee’s busy schedule? Often, it doesn’t.

One possible solution to this challenge is to make exercise a part of the work day. Clearly, being active at work is beneficial for workers.

But companys also benefit from having fit, energetic and healthy workers who are more productive.

The challenges

Your job takes up a lot of your time. In addition to the hours you spend actually working, there’s the time required to get to and from work and take lunch and rest breaks during the work day.

In the end, there are a not many hours left over for the rest of your life. This work life imbalance is namely true for Alberta, where statistics show that we work exceptionally hard.

A lot of jobs today are sedentary, and many American Citizens drive to work. the pressures of work might also cause us to eat lunch at our desks and skip breaks.

Then, after work or on the weekends we juggle household chores, family responsibilities and social engagements.

Wellness Programs –  Get began on a workplace fitness program

Management plays a key role in creating a culture that promotes health. the leaders at your workplace influence the various policies and the informal or formal practices, and these policies and practices affect your attitude towards healthy active living.

Start by talking to your boss about the advantages of a healthful active workplace. the best way to ensure the success of a workplace fitness program is to have the management on side and cheering you on.

Ask your boss to consider taking these actions –

• Send a memo or message about the importance of health and healthy living that encourages staff to take an active break each day.

• Give for flexible work hours that help staff to be more physically active. for example, they could need to take a longer lunch break to attend an exercise class, making up the time by coming to work early or staying late.

• Make available a meeting room or other suitable office space for noon-hour yoga or exercise classes, and hire a teacher to lead them, or use videos.

When your boss agrees to support a workplace fitness program, don’t forget to say thanks.

You do not need an on-site gym

Only very big businesses can afford on-site fitness facilities such as exercise equipment or squash courts. Still, most businesss can take other affordable steps to support workers who wish to become more active.

For example –

• Arrange for discounted fees for staff members at a fitness club, recreation centeror YMCA facility.

• Install showers and a place to hang a towel. (Be certain the showers are cleaned regularly and that women who use them will feel secure.)

• Install bicycle racks or a locked enclosure that is safe, conveniently located and well lighted.

• Hold walking meetings and set up lunch-hour walking groups

• Make employees aware of safe and pleasant walking routes near the workplace, as well as nearby facilities that offer fitness programs (such as walking, swimming, running, yoga, stretching).

• Hire a qualified instructor to teach staff about health, fitness and how to become more active.

Any size and type of workplace can support workers who wish to be physically active. It’s highly desirable to get management on side.

Even if your boss isn’t supportive, you can still find ways to get moving more. Make sure to set up activities for groups and individuals, and encourage your coworkers to join in.

Trying to do more with less money? Here are three proven ways to align the dollars and cents of a health promotion program in your budget.

Common thread –  the way you prepare – and control – your budget for a health promotion program is critical to its success.

1. Top-down health promotion budget

Depending on the size of your company and health promotion program, you could have full budget responsibility or may need to work with a C-level who has budgeting specialistise.

Regardless of the arrangement, you’re likely to face one of two distinct challenges –  a top-down budget or a zero-based budget.

A top-down budget is when you’re given a finite dollar amount and told to run the wellness program within the limit. When that’s the case, here are three critical questions to ask –

• Does this limit include money set aside for worker incentives and future programs?

• Should we keep long-tenured health promotion programs that keep going up in price, and

• Does Benefits/HR have to deliver all education about the health promotion program, or is there additional funding to hire staff?

2.  Zero-based wellness budgeting

In zero-based funding, you submit to senior level management an itemized list of the wellness programs/features you want and the cost of each. Best practices –

• Rank health promotion programs by priority (health-risk assessments should be at or near the top)

• Indicate which costs are fixed and which are variable, and

• List ways to incorporate existing resources (like an employee assistance program program) for a better return on investment.

3. Estimating wellness Return On Investment

On average, wellness programs ordinarily take at least 18 months to break even. After three years, you ought to see savings.

When not, it’s time to take a fresh look at the wellness program design.

We all know that physical activity is an important part of health and wellness. But sometimes it’s hard to find time for physical activity.

Lack of time is the number one barrier that individuals  say avoids them from participating in exercise on a regular basis.

The good news is that even short sessions of exercise help your health. Research has shown that 10-minute sessions that add up to between 30 and 60 minutes a day can produce meaningful health benefits.

Additionally, there are numerous ways busy individuals  can use to be more active. These strategies include –

• multi-tasking

• being active at work

• being active with loved ones

• scheduling activity into daily life

Different strategies work for different people . Being familiar with the different strategies is key to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle.

Read on to take a look at strategies you can attempt. With enough commitment, some of them are sure to work for you.

Strategy #1 –  Multi-tasking

The first strategy you can try is multi-tasking. This means doing things you already do, but in a more physically active way.

This way you get done what you need to get done and you get exercise at the same time.

For  instance, you are already travelling to work and other places. Instead of taking the car or the bus every time, try using active methods of transportation like bicycling, rollerblading, walking and skateboarding.

When you can’t use active transportation for a whole trip, attempt to be active for at least part of the trip. When you are riding the bus, for instance, get off a few blocks early and walk the rest of the way.

Active transportation benefits your body by increasing your activity level, and it also benefits your neighbourhood and the environment by decling the number of cars on the road.

You can also get exercise while doing housework and chores.

When you’re working around home, attempt to be creative and look for the active choice. for example, when you’re cleaning the crack between the fridge and the counter, why not move the fridge so you are able to clean the area better and build your strength at the same time?

For outdoor work, choose the old-fashioned way of doing things, as they are generally more active. for  instance, use a snow shovel rather than a snow blower.

Strategy #2 –  be Active at Work

Many Americans spend eight hours a day or more working at a sedentary job. Here are several simple ways to keep your body moving during the workday.

The exercise will revitalize you and help you be more productive.

When you are working at your desk, attempt sitting on a stability ball or disk for part of your day (30 minutes to an hour). This gives your back and abdominals a workout.

Take active breaks at least once a day. During your coffee break, attempt doing some yoga, stretching or taking a quick walk.

You might find that walking up and down the stairs a few times does a better job of rejuvenating you than the java jolt.

Speaking of the stairs, take them instead of the elevator whenever you can. the stairs in your building are an opportunity to get your heart pumping.

Organize walking meetings at work. Getting outside and having meetings in a less formal establishing is a great way to be active, makes the workday more fun and encourages creative ideas for work projects.

Strategy #3 –  be Active With Your Loved Ones

Do exercise with your family, friends, neighbours and pets. With this strategy, you and your loved ones are doing some excellent multi-tasking together –  enjoying quality time with each other and getting some exercise that you all need to be healthful.

Go for walks, swims or bicycle rides together. Play Frisbee, soccer and other games and sports together. When you take your kids to the park, play with them instead of just watching them play.

Many community facilities offer courses that keep you and your children active at the same time. Research these courses and take one or two.

You can even be active when you are watching your kids do activities without you. for example, if your child plays hockey, take the opportunity to walk up and down the stairs in the stands a few times.

If you feel self-conscious about doing it alone, why not gather a group of parents to do it together?

Strategy #4 –  Schedule Exercise into Your Day

Schedule your exercise directly into your daytimer. Make sure to set a specific time and place for exercising. Make your exercise appointments a priority, just as important as any other appointment you put in your daytimer.

To help you stay committed to your exercise appointments, you could want to make appointments that involve other individuals  -  such as by meeting with a fitness trainer, taking an exercise class or jogging with a friend.

When you are not sure how many appointments to make or what you must be doing during your appointments, attempt consulting with a personal trainer. A personal trainer can help you create a exercise plan and schedule.

The bottom line –  figure out what works best for you. Experiment with the strategies. Find inspiration by talking to other individuals  about how they keep active and what strategies they use.

Be creative and patient while you figure out what strategies work best for you. and be aware that your “best strategy” may change from time to time.

With enough effort, you’ll discover what works for you. Then, run with it!

Given the huge growth of wellness programs over the last two years, it was inevitable resistance would creep up among watchdog groups.

In Washington, lobbyists have spearheaded a push for Congress, the DOL and IRS to crack down on “punitive” health promotion programs.

Namely, the groups seek to limit wellness programs in which employees’ share of their healthcare costs are directly tied to their willingness to participate in a wellness program.

HIPAA’s non-discrimination rules prohibit businesss from building negative financial incentives for workers with health risks.

For example, you can’t raise someone’s premium share because he or she smokes. What you are able to do is offer a discount if someone completes a use of tobacco cessation program.

Reason –  the law does allow for financial incentives to workforce who willingly participate in wellness programs.

The watchdog groups seek greater regulation to be certain incentives and discounts are used only as rewards for healthful behavior, not as a thinly veiled form of discrimination against high-risk workers.

• Commit to workplace physical activity in policy statements and commit funding to physical activity initiatives.

• Clearly communicating the benefits of being physically active during the workday reinforces the corporation’s commitment to helping all staff members be active.

Use meetings, bulletin boards, newsletters and e-mail to reach as many employees as possible at least once a year.

• Offer flex time for physical activity. Invite staff members who actively commute to work or exercise at lunchtime to make up any missed time later in the day.

• Allow staff to work part time, so that they can participate in physical activity.

• Include a exercise account in your benefit plan to pay for or subsidize fitness memberships, assessments, classes, counselling or instruction.

• Provide interest-free loans for workers to buy bikes or good walking shoes/runners.

• Conduct periodic surveys of staff exercise preferences, and offer a selection of choices to suit those interests and needs.

• Hire licensed individuals  to lead stretch breaks or physical activity programs or classes. for help in finding accredited fitness leaders, visit Alberta’s Provincial Fitness Unit.

• Recognize employees who participate in exercise. Survey employees first to determine how they prefer to be recognized, e.g., through company newsletters, appreciation lunches, rewards and/or thank you notes.

• Provide child care and other family-friendly amenities during physical activities that occur after work.

• Prevent scheduling meetings over lunch.

• Be sure to encourage active breaks in lieu of coffee breaks.

• Have active fundraisers rather than bingos. for example, staff members might climb the Calgary Tower stairs or take turns riding a stationary bike for 24 hours.

• Make birthday celebrations active times. Instead of a lunch, invite the birthday person to select an activity. Options could include a session with a yoga instructor or an evening ski trip.

• Promote a casual dress day. One study found that employees who dress casually were more physically active.