Posts from — October 2008

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Corporate Health Promotion Programs, a corporation saves $3 to $5 in health and safety costs. Businesses that invest in Corporate Health Promotion Programs reap the financial rewards through savings on health care costs, disability pay, rates of absenteeism, turnover and safety problems.

workplaces have already proven to be a great place to promote wellness. After all, people spend more time at work than doing anything else. Eighty-two percent of the U.S. population is linked in some way to a worksite. Therefore, offering Corporate Health Promotion Programs is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs in Small Businesses

Unlike large corporations, small corporations often lack the resources to provide Corporate Health Promotion Programs to their employees. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by medical insurance costs and have the highest rates of substance abuse. Worker well-being and physical or mental illness can also be more disruptive in a small business environment. Corporate Health Promotion Programs in small corporations also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Corporate Health Promotion Programs can pay. Statistically, even if there are only 100 people in a corporation:

• 60 sit all day to do their work
• 50 don’t wear their safety belts regularly
• 50 feel they’re under moderate stress
• 35 are overweight by 20 percent or more
• 30 smoke
• 27 have cardiovascular disease
• 25 or more have high cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl)
• 10 are heavy drinkers
• 10 have high blood pressure
• 5 have diagnosed diabetes and another 5 have undiagnosed diabetes
• 7 use marijuana
• 1 uses cocaine

Bottom Line Wellness Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the health care costs incurred by working adults can be attributed to modifiable health risks (e.g., diet, exercise, tobacco use, etc.) Fortunately, there is a way to hold back the trend. Growing research links an individual’s lifestyle behaviors to their health risk.

The good news is Corporate Health Promotion Programs can:

• Decrease health care costs
• Decrease workers’ compensation claims
• Decrease employee rates of absenteeism
• Increase worker productivity
• Improve employee morale

The bottom line is that Corporate Health Promotion Programs can benefit any size business — small or large.

There are a number of reasons why a Wellness Program is beneficial.

1. Enhanced Morale - When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Corporate Health Promotion Program, you and your employees may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the corporation.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any complete Wellness Program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the corporation’s most valuable resource — its employees.

2. Decreased Turnover - As we all know, employee replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high employee turnover pose, many corporations are looking to Corporate Health Promotion Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent employees from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential - In the midst of a very tight labor market, corporations are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Corporate Health Promotion Programs can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

4. Decreased Absenteeism - When an employee misses work in a business environment, the entire corporation is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.

Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, Corporate Health Promotion Programs can play an important role in reducing rates of absenteeism.

5. Health Care Cost Containment - The majority of corporations don’t create a Wellness Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many corporations.

6. Enhanced Worker Health Status - One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Wellness Program is the promise of enhanced health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Corporate Health Promotion Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as smoking, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

It is important to measure the effectiveness of all Corporate Health Promotion Programs. There are a number of very simple ways to measure Corporate Health Promotion Programs:

How many attended the corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Program, and was there participation or a visible level of interest?

Use a short and simple pen and paper evaluation that people fill out at the end of the Wellness Program /presentation. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:
•    The value of the Corporate Health Promotion Programs to the individual
•    The style of the presenter
•    The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
•    The level of knowledge gained by the employee
•    Other areas that would be of interest for future Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Examples of Questions about Corporate Health Promotion Programs
•    This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.
•    The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.
•    There was adequate time for questions.
•    The methods used to present the information were effective.

Open-ended questions about Corporate Health Promotion Programs may include:

•    The best component of this Wellness Program was…
•    The component that needed improvement was….
•    I would attend another Wellness Program by this speaker…
•    Topics I would like to see included in other presentations or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process evaluation that reviews how well the Corporate Health Promotion Programs were started. It is also important to consider health outcomes and cost outcomes of Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Corporate Health Promotion Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Corporate Health Promotion Programs concerning health care claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Corporate Health Promotion Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to consider the impact of Corporate Health Promotion Programs on family members. For example, smoking by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or health plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

You can also compare the cost per employee of running the Corporate Health Promotion Programs to the savings per employee. One evaluation of Corporate Health Promotion Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 employees at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the corporation invested in Corporate Health Promotion Programs. The findings were based on a research study of health costs and rates of absenteeism.1

An ongoing evaluation of your Corporate Health Promotion Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Corporate Health Promotion Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc evaluation of your Corporate Health Promotion Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a corporation might want to measure its flu shot program.

Employee retention is a challenge. Corporate Health Promotion Programs can help. offering perks such as incentives to exercise, healthy food, stress management and weight loss programs at work is a way to maintain your employees satisfied.

Attracting new employees are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other employees is to your advantage. Remember, salary isn’t everything. Often, the possibility of flex hours or a discount at the local gym may be the deciding factor for a future employee. Once again, Corporate Health Promotion Programs to the rescue!

How Are Corporate Health Promotion Programs Administered?

Whether running small Corporate Health Promotion Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness corporations to oversee the whole thing, program promotion is of utmost importance. You may have a great speaker come in to talk about a very “hot topic,” but if no one knew about it, it was a waste of the speaker’s time and your money.

Corporate Wellness Program setup and promotion go hand and hand. Depending on the size of your corporation, it may be handled by one person or an entire Corporate Health Promotion team. You may even have an employee who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational wellness presentations and activities.

Other employees may have areas of interest and would be willing to set up some educational programs. Especially for smaller corporations, once you have chosen your events and activities, it is best to set up a calendar with a schedule of events. Then publish the entire calendar as well as announcing each individual event as it comes up.

Access to Corporate Health Promotion Programs

To make access easy, offer a wide range of Corporate Health Promotion Programs and activities that can fit into everyone’s schedule. For example, some employees may find it difficult to get to a presentation at work or make a commitment for 8 weeks of the Weight Watchers at Work program. However, they will take advantage of a lowered rate at the gym and will borrow tapes from the health and wellness library.

If you have shifts, be sure to schedule events for the after 5:00 group. Nothing will undermine Corporate Health Promotion Programs more quickly than promoting great activities that are only convenient for first shift employees.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is a wealth of information available internet-based that can be made available to your employees at no cost as a component of your Corporate Health Promotion Programs. All it takes implement this into Corporate Health Promotion Programs is some type of notification in the form of an e-mail with an introductory statement and some links.

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

What Are Corporate Health Promotion Programs?

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are designed to promote and support employee health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that employees benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As corporations become more aware of the importance of employee health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Corporate Health Promotion Programs can rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, enhanced attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Lunch and Learn Wellness Seminars

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

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

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

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

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: smoking Cessation

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Stress Management

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

Certainly, stress management presentations are educational and informative and should be included in any corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Work/Life Programs

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

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

Time Management and Corporate Health Promotion Programs

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

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

The Culture of Wellness

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

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

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

The Problems of Chronic Disease

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

The Problems of Financial Distress and Dissatisfaction

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

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

The Return On Investment

There are significant reasons why corporations should employ Procedures to implement Corporate Health Promotion Programs for their employees:

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

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

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

The Course of Change

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

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

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

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

Legal Considerations

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

To be a bona fide Corporate Health Promotion Program, the plan must meet the following requirements:

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

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs that support employees and the environment that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Corporate Health Promotion Programs can be extensive and sometimes expensive. However, there are ways for small corporations to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Corporate Health Promotion Program: Physical Fitness/Weight Management Programs

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

Corporate Health Promotion Program: General Health Education Programs

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

Corporate Health Promotion Program: Tobacco Cessation

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs that support employees and the environment that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Corporate Health Promotion Programs can be extensive and sometimes expensive. However, there are ways for small corporations to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Corporate Health Promotion Program: Nutrition Programs

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

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

Sweetened Beverage Consumption

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

Portion Control

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

Breastfeeding

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

Television & Food Advertising

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