1   The U.S. spends more dollars on health care than any other nation yet we aren’t the world’s healthiest

• Largely sedentary   

• Use of tobacco is still popular   

• Stress is at epidemic levels (WHO)   

• Alcohol continues to take its toll on Americans   

2   Much of the illness in the United States is preventable

• Tobacco and alcohol are leading causes of death   

• as much as 70 percent of the cost of healthcare is driven by preventable illness   

3   Healthcare costs continue to rise

• Health Care premiums continue to rise and to be passed on to the employee   

• Healthcare cost are typically the number one benefit cost to most businesss    

4   The worksite is an ideal establishing to address health and well being

• Most American Citizens work   

• Poor health habits take a toll on American business   

• Companys have a vested interest in health related issues.   

5   Research validates that wellness programs can improve health, save money, and even produce a ROI.

• Aldana,S.G. (1998). Financial impact of corporate wellness and methodological quality of the evidence. the Art of Wellness. Vol 2, Number 1.   

• Wilson, M.G. (1996). A robust review of the effects of corporate wellness on health related outcomes -  an update. the American Journal of wellness. Vol 10, Number 6.   

• Wilson, M.G. (1996). A comprehensive review of the effects of corporate wellness on health related outcomes -  an update. the American Journal of wellness. Vol 11, Number 2.   

• Chapman, L.S. Proof Positive -  an analysis of the cost-effectiveness of corporate wellness. 3rd ed. Seattle -  Summex Company, 1996.   

• Pelletier, K.R. A review of the health and cost-effective outcomes studies of comprehensive wellness and illness avoidance programs at the worksite -  1993-1995 Update. the American Journal of Health and Promotion. Vol. 10, Number 5.   

Key Components of a Wellness Program   

Physical Wellness - Focuses on the development, maintenance, or improvement of one’s fitness   

Sample Physical Wellness Programs / Workshops

• Annual biometric testing

• Regular exercise

• Good safety habits

Emotional Wellness - Focuses on all aspects of mental fitness

Sample Emotional Wellness Programs / Workshops

• Stress management workshops

• Dealing with aging

• Addictive behaviors

• Parenting

Financial Wellness - Focuses on bettering the quality of life of workers by assisting families and individuals in becoming financially stable

Sample Financial Wellness Programs / Workshops

• Financial management

• Savings and Investing

• Credit and Purchasing

• Insurance and Estate Planning

Spiritual Wellness - Focuses on promoting a healthy inner self

Sample Spiritual Wellness Programs / Workshops

• Be certain to encourage daily devotional readings

• Provide regular service opportunities

• Provide a daily/weekly/monthly chapel (meditation) time during work hours

Nutritional Wellness - Will meet the needs of the staff members through group and individual nutritional services

Sample Nutritional Wellness Programs / Seminars

• Individual nutritional Assessment

• Individual and group counseling

• Educational classes

• Weight loss programs

The purpose of this article is to consider whether such programs improve health. If so, do they in turn reduce utilization of healthcare services and reduce healthcare expenditures?

The well-liked media have done much to promote the concept of corporate wellness. Last year, In Business -  Madison1 magazine printed a story accompanied by a table reporting an impressive range of returns on investment (ROI) -

Return on Investment (Per dollar ROI for lifestyle programs)

• Coors $6.15

• Kennecott $5.78

• Equitable Life $5.52

• Citibank $4.56

• General Mills $3.90

• Travelers $3.40

• Motorola $3.15

• PepsiCo $3.00

• Unum Life $1.81

Source -  2004 T.E. Brennan Business, as reported

Would these ROIs stand up to rigorous empirical analysis of the data? What factors produce such disparate returns among these programs? and does the published literature, subject to peer review of scientific methods, support the ROIs reported here?

Health and Productivity Management

Illness and injury associated with an unhealthy lifestyle or modifiable risk factors is reported to account for at least 25 percent of staff member health care expenditures.

The most meaningful of these risk factors are stress, tobacco use, overweight or obesity, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol use, and poor nutritional habits.

Over the past two decades, a selection of groups at the local, state, and national levels have promoted the theory that health risk reduction and care management programs can improve staff member health, and that worksite health education, health risk management, and benefit counseling should complement standard medical insurance benefits.

The intensity of wellness programs range from bulletin board,  flyer or newsletter information to on-site fitness facilities, health risk reduction classes, and personal lifestyle change coaching.

Wellness programs today often include a health risk (assessment|appraisal}  to evaluate each employee’s modifiable risk factors of disease. Program coordinators then target interventions to those that are at increased risk through personal communications and individual follow-up.

Comprehensive wellness programs may include courses on health risk reduction and job safety, fitness and exercise activities, fitness center memberships, and reductions in co-payments or premiums for staff members who adhere to recommended biometric screening guidelines.

Along with this, some employers are restructuring health benefits and encouraging employees’ cost-sensitivity when accessing healthcare.5 These changes are intended to reduce employees’ need for and utilization of healthcare, yielding lowered group medical care costs.

Demonstrated reductions in healthcare expenditures should then provide companys with a powerful bargaining chip in negotiating lower health insurance premiums during future terms.

Evidence basis -  A range of ROI estimates

The empirical research has produced results as varied as the popular media on ROI. However, evidence continues to grow that well-designed and well-resourced wellness and illness avoidance programs provide multi-faceted payback on investment.

Peer-reviewed examinations and meta analyses show that ROI is achieved through improved employee health, decreased benefit expense, and enhanced productivity.

• Goetzel and colleagues, in their meta-analysis of two dozen articles summarizing economic evaluations of health and productivity management programs, found an average return of $3.14 per $1 invested in traditional wellness programs. the ROI estimates for the individual programs ranged from $1.49 to $13.7,

• Aldana reviewed 72 articles and concluded that wellness programs achieve an typical ROI of $3.48 when considering healthcare costs alone, $5.82 per $1 when examining absenteeism, and $4.30 when both outcomes are considered.

• Ozminkowski and collagues conducted a 38 month case study of 23,000 participants in Citibank, N.A.’s health management program and stated that within a 2 year period, Citibank realized a ROI between $4.56 and $4.73.10  

Follow-up studies found improvements in the risk profiles of participants, with the high-risk group bettering more than the “usual care” group1 thus of more intensive programming.

• Chapman’s 2004 meta-evaluation of 42 studies, ranking overall validity of the studies, reports cost-benefit ratios from $2.05-$4.64.

In addition to immediately quantifiable cost reductions, researchers have announced a variety of spin-off benefits -  greater productivity, intellectual capacity, and reductions in disability12 and absenteeism.9,13,14,15

Such programs might also have positive effects on employee perceptions of the corporation and employee morale, even among nonparticipants.  These outcomes go beyond savings in direct healthcare costs to provide non-health related ROI.

Tailoring program to maximize ROI Wellness programs aim to reduce the health risks of workers at high risk while maintaining the health status of those at low risk.

A variety of disease management interventions are available to fit the specific risk profiles of various worksites. Insurers and companies now seek to calibrate their interventions to achieve optimal risk reduction and costeffectiveness.

In 2001, Univ. of Michigan researchers reported on stable trends in health care costs for over 2 million current and former workers in an 18 year data set.

The mean cost increase per risk factor gained ($350) was found to be more than double the mean cost decrease per eliminated risk factor ($150).

In other words, increases in costs when groups of employees moved from low risk to high risk were much greater than the reduces in costs when groups moved from high risk to low risk. Their conclusion -  Programs designed to keep healthful individuals  healthful will likely provide the greatest return on investment.

On the other hand, Pelletier’s meta-analysis and other program analysiss18 suggest that individualized risks reduction for high-risk employees within the context of robust programming is the vital element in achieving positive clinical and cost outcomes in worksite interventions.

Dose-Response?

A few factors may affect the impact of various programs and the ultimate ROI, including cultural and environmental factors, workforce demographics, level of participation and longevity of the program.

Most cost-benefit studies have been conducted in large businesses with more than fifty workers. But scientists have shown that similar results may be acquired by small businesses with as few as five workers actively involved in a well-managed program.

Various studies also suggest that even relatively modest levels of participation can achieve substantial program impact. Contrary to reports by the well-liked media that such programs require more than 70 percent participation, published reports of at least one case showed positive ROI with 51 percent participation.

Length of intervention appears to be a more salient variable -  an impact on health costs usually requires three-to five years of programming.

Future developments

Despite the abundance of positive program investigations, several caveats remain. Negative results are less likely to be announced or published, therefore biasing the ROI upward.

Uncertainty persists regarding the specific impact of the various program components. But as these programs take hold, further research and examination will enable fine-tuning of program investments.

Meanwhile, the preponderance of data and the strength of the published research stand in favor of a positive ROI for wellness programs.

Indeed, the company case for such programs is now well enough defined that some insurance agents offer discounted rates to companies that institute or subscribe to wellness programs.

Future questions will focus on how to best to combine comprehensive and focused interventions, the intensity of elements, and how to calibrate the dose-response model to achieve a target ROI.

Here, companys, employees, and researchers will need to collaborate to define mutual objectives as for both clinical and cost outcomes.

Sources -

1. In Business -  Madison. Madison, WI -  September 2004. p. 39.

2. Anderson DR, Whitmer RW, Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ, Wasserman J, Serxner S. Health Enhancement Research Organization Committee. American Journal of Wellness 2000; 15(1) -  45-52.

3. Manning J. Wellness movement gains ground among businesses, health insurers. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. August 19, 2004.

4. Chapman LS. Expert opinions on “best practices” in corporate wellness (WHP). the Art of Wellness Newsletter, July/August 2004 - 1-6.

5. Fronstin, P, and Werntz, R. EBRI Issue Brief No. 267, March 2004. Washington, DC -  Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI).

6. Powell C. Professionals urge corporations to promote staff member wellness strategies. Akron Beacon Journal. October 25, 2004.

7. Goetzel RZ, Juday TR, Ozminkowski RJ. AWHP’s Worksite Health, Summer, 1999.

8. Goetzel, RZ. Absolute Advantage. Washington DC -  Wellness Councils of America. Vol 1(8); 2002.

9. Aldana SG. American Journal of Wellness 2001; 15(5) -  296-320.

10. Ozminkowski RJ, Dunn RL, Goetzel RZ, Cantor RI, Murnane J, Harrison M. American Journal of Wellness 1999; 14(1) -  31-43.

11. Ozminkowski RJ, Goetzel RZ, Smith MW, Cantor RI, Shaughnessy A, Harrison M. the impact of the Citibank, N.A. J Occup Environ Med. 2000; 42(5) -  502-511.

12. Serxner S, Gold D, Anderson D, Williams D. J Occup Environ Med. 2001; 43(1) -  25-29.

13. Riedel JE, Lynch W, Baase C, Hymel P, Peterson KW. American Journal of Wellness 2001; 15(3) -  167-191.

14. Edington MD, Karjalainen T, Hirschland D, Edington DW. AAOHN J. 2002 Jan; 50(1) -  26-31.

15. Aldana SG, Pronk NP. J Occup Environ Med. 2001 Jan; 43(1) -  36-46.

16. Pelletier KR. American Journal of Wellness. 2001; 16(2) -  107-16.

17. Edington DW. American Journal of Wellness 2001; 15(5) -  341-349.

18. Leatherman S, Berwick D, Iles D, Lewin LS, Davidoff F, Nolan T, Bisognano M. Health Affairs 2003; 22(2) -  17-30.

19. Erfurt JC, Holtyn K. J Occup Med 1991; 33(1) -  66-73.

20. Serxner S, Anderson DR, Gold D. American Journal of Wellness. 18(4) -  1-6, iii, 2004 Mar-Apr.

21. Serxner SA, Gold DB, Grossmeier JJ, Anderson DR.

The emerging corporate culture in the USA  is one which has an worker population centered in health, safety and wellness.

Developing a corporate strategy for wellness and disability management makes good corporation sense. the following eight-step process ensures a strategic, integrated, needs-driven and results-oriented approach.

The following process works best in organizations with strong leadership and a long-term commitment to worker health.

1. Identify Your Program Champion

This person ought to be a leader in your organization and a strong advocate of health. Generally this is a personal who actively pursues his or her own personal quest for optimal health.

The program champion must’ve the resources and authority to drive the program forward. the program champion’s key role is to ensure the strategic plan for health is aligned with the corporation’s business goals, strategic focus and organizational values.

For example if the organization promotes that “our strength is our individuals ” the wellness program must demonstrate how programs will nurture and protect that valuable resource.

2. Form Your Wellness Strategy Team

The Wellness Strategy Team should include decision makers and stakeholders from areas of the company that can influence health and the corporation’s bottom line.

These areas may include; finance, human resources, training and development, health services, compensation and benefits, staff member assistance services (EAP), marketing and advertising, facilities, health and safety, rehabilitation, cafeteria or food services and the union. A team of six to eight representatives is advised.

The role of the Strategy Team is to create and implement the strategic plan, look for opportunities to promote health, ensure the program is integrated into key areas of the organization, streamline efforts, maximize corporation resources and program evaluation.

3. Complete an Organizational Health Audit

The purpose of an Organizational Health Audit is to evaluate your existing programs and services, physical environment and policies and procedures that support health.

It’s also important to look at your organizational culture or “how things are done” around the corporation.

Members of the Strategy Team complete the Audit independently and then meet to discuss their investigation. During the investigation process, health issues and opportunities are discussed in preparation for the development of the strategic plan.

4. Analyze Your Corporation’s Cost Pressures

Cost pressures are identified by analyzing  a number of areas including; benefit costs, Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) claims, drug usage, kind of paramedic claims, absenteeism data and employee assistance program (EAP) utilization.

This process helps to target areas that may be positively impacted by a wellness program and to provide a baseline for assessing  change.

5. Conduct a Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} or Employee Needs and Interest Survey

The next step is to determine your employee’s health risks, interests and readiness to change. A confidential health risk (assessment|appraisal} can accomplish many objectives.

It provides a baseline from which to measure personal lifestyle changes, provides staff members with relevant health information, excites staff members to take charge of their health and assists in program planning.

Most health risk (assessment|appraisal}s provide individual reports and a corporate report identifying high-risk areas in the company.

A lot of organizations prefer to administer personalized needs and interest survey to evaluate worker needs. the advantage of this approach is that the business can gather information on the employees’ perceived wellness needs and program interests.

This information may be incorporated into the strategic plan. Administering a recent survey also has the added advantage of fostering a sense of worker ownership to the program.

6. Create Your Strategic Plan for Wellness

The strategic plan should incorporate information accumulated from the Organizational Health Audit, your corporation’s cost pressures, and health risk (assessment|appraisal} data or employee survey results.

The strategic plan should include your program mission, three or four goals and a few programs under each objective. the strategic plan provides a framework to encourage, support and evaluate “best health practices.”

It’s also important that the plan align itself with the vision, objectives and objectives of the organization.

The sample strategic plan that follows was developed for blue jeans maker Levi Strauss and Co. (Canada) Inc. Levi Strauss and Co.’s mission statement and aspirations (how workers interact with each other in a corporation environment) guided the development of the plan.

Levi Strauss and Co.’s aspirations include the following statement -  Above all, we want satisfaction from accomplishments and friendships, balanced personal and expert lives, and to have fun in our endeavors.

The wellness program plan included a number of components to ensure that it embraced this statement including the following -

1. A vision statement, which tied in with the corporation’s aspirations.

2. an incentive system to encourage and reward the accomplishment of healthful milestones.

3. A recognition system to applaud success.

4. Friendly competitions between Levi Strauss and Co. locations to ensure a fun environment.

5. Opportunities to participate in small group educational programs to foster team support.

6. Initiation of support groups for employees completing wellness programs (i.e. tobacco use control support group).

7. Programs dealing with work and family balance.

Other information that was investigated and used to create the plan included -

1. Corporation demographics

2. Focus groups

3. Cultural audit

4. Top drug report

5. EAP utilization

6. Worker benefit services report

7. Health and dental claims

8. Operational performance summaries

9. Health risk (assessment|appraisal}s

7. Prepare a Corporation Case to Support Your Plan

Your corporation case for wellness provides the necessary details for approval at the  executive management level. the corporation case includes -

1. the Strategic Plan for Health

2. A proposed program budget

3. Advertising strategies

4. Program leadership options

5. an implementation plan

6. Analysis methodology.

In presenting the strategic plan it is important to highlight how the plan aligns itself with the strategic direction of the organization.

The program budget should include educational resources, marketing and advertising costs, rewards and incentives, leadership costs and supplies.

Marketing strategies should address how the program will be promoted and rolled out to various groups within the organization i.e. decentralized locations, high risk staff members, older staff members.

Program leadership should address how volunteers will be used, internal resources  and whether consultants have been proposed. All play an equally important role in the implementation of your wellness program.

The program implementation plan should incorporate the following kinds of programs that help create awareness of positive health practices, assist employees in making lifestyle changes and initiatives, which support long-term change.

Awareness programs create an awareness of the importance of healthful lifestyle practices and motivate employees to take the next step. Examples of awareness programs include posting educational posters, newsletter articles and lunch and learn seminars.

Lifestyle change programs are more extensive and longer in duration. They are designed to assist staff members in changing behavior. Examples of lifestyle change programs are nutrition education programs, stress management programs, back care classes and smoking control programs.

A supportive corporate environment encompasses everything from corporate policies and procedures, the physical environment and creating a corporate culture that supports good health practices. Follow-up sessions and support groups for staff members who have completed 6-10 week wellness programs also provide a supportive environment for long-term change.

Evaluating the effectiveness of wellness is ongoing. A formal analysis should be conducted annually and may include; re-administering steps three to five, program participation statistics and a year end survey to revisit “soft” issues like morale, program satisfaction and future program direction.

8. Solicit Input and Communicate Your Plan

Worker input is vital to the long-term success of your program. an Worker Advisory Committee must be formed to roll out the plan. Another key responsibility of this team is to solicit feedback from all levels of the organization to ensure buy-in.

Front line Manager’s Information Sessions and focus groups are also important. This group needs to buy-in to the notion that they play a key role in supporting positive health practices.

Regular meetings are recommended with front line managers to receive ongoing input, address issues and orient new managers.

Conclusions

The World Health Corporation’s definition of health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of illness and infirmity.”

In order for us to create healthful workplaces, wellness programs must have a program champion, have employee ownership, be management supported, results driven and strategically aligned with the overall corporation goals of the organization.

Wellness program that embrace these qualities will have a positive impact on an corporation’s bottom line. Canadian research points to many case studies where onsite programs have resulted in lowered absenteeism, lower claims and increased productivity.

Organizations who have embraced wellness as part of “how they do business” have one thing in common. They demonstrate a commitment to their most valuable resource - their individuals .

They understand the increased pressures associated with downsized organizations, a quickly changing workplace, an aging work force and the challenge of balancing work and family obligations. and they share a common belief that healthful staff members are happier, absent less and more productive.

References -

Design of Wellness Programs by Michael P. O’Donnell. 1995. Published by the American Journal of Wellness.

Pro Fit-ability by Veronica Marsden. Group Health Care Management. May 1997.

Meeting Expectations by Laura Mensch. Staff Member Health and Productivity. August 1999

7 Steps to Wellness by Daphne Woolf and Veronica Marsden. Group Health Care Management. February 1996.

Published in the Journal of Wellness for Northern Ireland, Issue 9, March 2000

The list below provides “best practices’ that can help meet any wellness program budget! the Wellness Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Policy - Conduct an Worker Needs and Interest Survey

• Policy - Create a management/employee Wellness Committee

• Policy - Choose health plans that cover costs for weight control and tobacco use cessation

• Policy - Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive health care visits

• Program - Display  handouts on a variety of wellness topics for staff members to take

• Program - Establish a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a selection of topics of interest to employees

• Program - Identify staff members who are mentors or champions for healthful activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees

• Program - Plan and promote periodic or regular educational sessions.

• Program - Plan monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic

• Program - Post a Wellness Bulletin Board and update it monthly

• Program - Promote messages from national health observances during the month

• Program - Publish and/or post healthful tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.

• Program - Sponsor a benefits fair

• Program - Sponsor business fitness and healthy consuming challenges

• Program - Sponsor business health fairs or other on-site events

Nutrition Programs

• Policy - Offer free, healthful snacks for workers (fruit, nuts, popcorn)

• Policy - Provide healthy meal options in cafeterias and at corporation events

• Policy - Provide information to employees about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria

• Policy - Begin a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria

• Policy - Stock vending machines with healthier options

• Policy - Subsidize healthful foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¡ apples might  be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)

• Program - Coordinate a weekly or monthly healthful lunch club

• Program - Have  handouts available on a selection of healthy consuming topics

• Program - Include nutrition articles in company newsletters

• Program - Schedule a healthful food tasting contest Free

• Program - Schedule educational sessions at lunch-time on a variety of nutrition topics of interest

• Program - Sponsor an employee healthful food cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or buy a cookbook for all employees

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Policy - Consider flexible work schedules so that workers can participate in weight-loss programs

• Policy - Subsidize registration costs for weight-management programs

• Program - Form a support group to help workers who are attempting to lose weight

• Program - Locate registered dieticians near your worksite as a resource for employees who want information on healthy consuming, meal planning or weight control

• Program - Offer individual counseling for workers trying to lose weight

• Program - Offer onsite fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician

• Program - Schedule an educational session on diet myths and healthful eating

Exercise Programs

• Policy - Allow flexible work schedules to encourage exercise

• Policy - Create a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights

• Policy - Develop accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes

• Policy - Be sure to encourage employees to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance

• Policy - Establish a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, group exercise classes, fitness experts

• Policy - Hold walking meetings

• Policy - Make the stairwells more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)

• Policy - Offer decreased gym membership fees to all employees

• Policy - Give facilities for staff members to secure bicycles

• Policy - Schedule 5 - 10 minute stretch breaks during the day

• Policy - Subsidize health club membership for staff members who participate a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)

• Policy - Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or business sports team

• Program - Be certain to encourage stairwell use and incentives

• Program - Install a basketball hoop outside

• Program - Promote and support community walks or fitness events

• Program - Promote walking during breaks and other off-time periods

• Program - Give periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage exercise

• Program - Schedule educational sessions on fitness activities

Tobacco use Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Policy - Develop a smoke-free grounds

• Policy - Create a tobacco-free workplace

• Policy - Make certain to encourage the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s free Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com

• Policy - Reimburse for tobacco replacement products

• Policy - Subsidize the cost of tobacco use cessation workshops

• Program - Provide  pamphlets and information on health effects from smoking and tobacco cessation

• Program - Schedule awareness sessions to motivate staff members to attempt to quit tobacco use

• Program - Schedule onsite smoking cessation workshops

Worker Medical Testing

• Policy - Discount health insurance premiums or reduce co-payments for staff members who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors

• Policy - Install blood pressure monitoring equipment

• Program - Offer flu shots for workers and family members

• Program - Offer Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s to all workers, including counseling and follow-up

• Program - Offer periodic blood pressure screenings and follow-up

• Program - Offer periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood sugar, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Be certain to work Life Balance Programs

• Program - Allow flexible schedules for family/work life balance

• Program - Offer and promote an worker assistance program

• Program - Give information on substance abuse prevention

• Program - Give  brochures and information on stress management and mental health

• Program - Give  brochures and information on work life balance, like financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.

• Program - Give supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, organizational stressors, etc.

• Program - Review business policies and work schedules to identify organizational stressors

• Program - Review the staff member assistance program to ensure it is meeting the needs of the workers and company

• Program - Schedule educational sessions on stress management and work life balance

• Program - Schedule seminars on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance topics

Working with local hospitals and other organizations, you can obtain information on providing screening and intervention programs that could improve your employees’ health and save your company money in absenteeism, treatment for disease complications, and reduced productivity.

Below are some ideas to help get you began.

Based on your Worker Needs and Interest Survey and the demographics of your workplace, consider offering periodic screenings to find specific health risks such as -

• Blood Pressure Checks to identify staff members with pre-hypertension or hypertension (high blood pressure),

• Cholesterol Screenings for total, HDL (good cholesterol), LDL (bad cholesterol) and/or Triglycerides

• Blood Sugar Screenings fasting or non-fasting to screen for possible diabetes,

• Body composition, such as Body Mass Index  or body fat measures

• Bone density for potential risk of osteoporosis,

• Cancer screenings such as, skin evaluations, mammograms, or PSA screenings,

• Vision checks for glaucoma, or visual acuity

• Other screenings depending on your worker population and needs

Your local hospital, business doctor practice, or health department my provide assistance. Notwithstanding, when you have a young workforce you may want to concentrate on programs that’ll keep them healthful rather than screening for early identification of chronic condition.

The focus of your wellness program might  be healthy lifestyle practices to reduce risk and prevent disease.

In addition to the biometric screenings, consider offering a Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} to all staff members. the Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} will help to identify factors that may lead to additional risks, like tobacco use history, stress levels, perception of health, family history, job satisfaction, support systems, and mental health.

Often the screening results are included on the Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}, which provides a more comprehensive snap shot of health risks. the summary results provide the important information to plan appropriate interventions.

Wellness Program Interventions

The key to the success of screenings and Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s / Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s is the interventions or follow-up programs. the information from the screenings increases awareness and often motivates employees to consider making healthier changes.

It’s the follow up interventions that provide the essential support and assistance needed for workers to actually make and maintain those changes.

The interventions can include individual follow-up and ongoing counseling, individual or group health coaching on the risk factors, behavior change programs, and/or organizational support. Examples include -

• Strategies to lower blood pressure

• Managing diabetes

• Taking care of your heart

• Healthy eating

• Weight loss strategies

• Increasing exercise

• Smoking Cessation

Of course, this is for individual information only. Any follow-up interventions planned by the business would be based on interest expressed by the employee.

Based on the results and your Wellness Committee goals you are able to plan the best strategies for your company and staff members. Consider the community resources available to provide services, like health associations, hospitals, health care providers, and/or public health agencies.

The Quick Wellness Program Ideas provides Quick program idea tips for your consideration. Additionally refer to Prevention Strategies to determine the best approach for your corporation based on the wellness budget to reach the desired outcomes and objectives established.

Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s have four standard elements in worksite establishings -

• A Questionnaire

• A Computerized Program to Evaluate Health Risk

• Confidential Individual Reports

• Group Summary Report

Individuals complete a lifestyle questionnaire that includes for example nutrition practices, height and weight, exercise habits, family history, stress perceptions, tobacco use history, and work satisfaction.

Another important feature to consider is readiness to change questions to determine participation interest. Including medical screenings such as cholesterol and blood pressure (BP) results increases the advantages of an Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} by providing a more valid health assessment and hence improving lifestyle option decisions and program choices.

Nevertheless, it’s important to determine if the Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} can be used without including this information.

The questionnaire information is entered into a computer program and an individual confidential report is generated that summarizes health risks in addition to information on how to lower risk factors.

Individual reports are completely confidential. Depending on the reason for beginning the Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}, it’s important to consider the kind of report the company will receive as well.

A group report summarizing major risk factors and recommendations for programs to start for reduce worker and corporation risks provides valuable information for your wellness program.

The Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s / Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s could be used to -

• Bring awareness to individual employee’s health status

• Motivate staff members to make healthier lifestyle changes

• Coach high-risk employees

• Plan wellness programs based on the identified needs

• Evaluate program success by comparing Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s / Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s completed at set intervals like each year.

The practice focuses on promotion and restoration of health, avoidance of disease and injury, treatment of work and non-work related injuries and illnesses, and protection from work related  and environmental hazards.

OHN roles can include -  Case management, Counseling, Wellness, Legal and regulatory compliance, Clinical services, and Hazard detection and controls.

The American Association of Occupational and Environmental Health Nurses is the national association, www.AAOHN.org. the State Chapter also has a website with information including local chapter information to help you find a contact near you, www.NCAOHN.org.

Health educators can design, conduct and evaluate activities that help improve the health of all your workers. They’re subject matter professionals who may  be a asset regardless your program needs and goals.

They can help form a Wellness Committee and implement many of its programs and services, for example or depending on the structure and time commitments of your Wellness Committee, they can also coordinate the entire program as well.

Integrating the activities of the Committee and/or Wellness Professional services within your operations, including within your safety and occupational health program will provide additional benefits!

Please take a few minutes to answer some questions about your interests. Your answers will be combined with those of other’s and reviewed to help plan programs for you. Don’t sign your name.

Please complete the survey today and return it to__________. Thank you for your valuable input! Your help is important for planning successful programs. Return the completed form by _____________.

Rate your interest on a scale of 1 - 3 with one (1) being of little or no interest; two (2) being of some interest and three (3) indicating that you’re very interested. Indicate your response by circling or “Xing” the number.

I am interested in -

Participating in wellness programs before work 1 2 3

Participating in wellness programs after work 1 2 3

Participating in wellness programs during my lunch break 1 2 3

Learning healthy eating choices to lose weight 1 2 3

Sports nutrition 1 2 3

Healthier cooking 1 2 3

Assisting my children eat healthier 1 2 3

Quick, healthful meals for busy lifestyles 1 2 3

Healthy snack options 1 2 3

Learning how to quit use of tobacco 1 2 3

Attending courses to help me quit tobacco use cigarettes 1 2 3

Stress Mangement skills 1 2 3

Balancing work, family, and personal life 1 2 3

Time management skills 1 2 3

Participating in a starting fitness program 1 2 3

Planning time to exercise for busy people  1 2 3

Getting medical information that I can read or watch at home 1 2 3

Learning about cancer avoidance 1 2 3

Heart health choices 1 2 3

CPR and First Aid 1 2 3

Team sports activities at work 1 2 3

Learning how to stretch 1 2 3

Learning how to raise intake of fruits and vegetables 1 2 3

Parenting Topics (age of kids -  ) 1 2 3

Onsite exercise classes -  walking Yoga aerobic other -  1 2 3

Medical screening such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar 1 2 3

Then, based on the analysis data, adjustments can be made to fine-tune your wellness program.   Adjusting the program based on analysis data is critical to its continued success.  

Analyzing your program doesn’t have to be complicated.  HOWEVER, it is important to plan how you will monitor your wellness efforts and determine success during the planning phase.  

Also remember to evaluate the program based on the goals and goals you already identified during your planning process.  

In order to evaluate your program you need to have a system to document specifics as you go along.  This can be as simple as maintaining file folders on programs that are offered, or a computer document with a table or spreadsheet summarizing information gathering.  Consider -

• Program topic and numbers of employees who participated

• the numbers of  flyers taken by employees or distributed and on what topics

• the number of participants in a behavior change program and how many met their goals in addition to how many attended all of the sessions

• Numbers of employees who continued the healthy behavior change following the program?

• Overall staff member satisfaction with the program or each topic.  Here is a sample analysis form.  

Depending on your objectives and objectives, gather desired data and compare it to previous data accumulated during the initial assessment to determine when the objectives were met.  Such data might include

• Absentee rates

• Injury rates

• Health risk factors Insurance costs  

Summarize and Report Wellness Program Results

Once you’ve gathered all of the examination information it needs to be reviewed with the Wellness Committee and summarized.  You’ll probably have positive results and some areas where a change is needed or additional focus required for continuous improvement.  

This not-so positive information may be used to make any needed changes in addition to to plan for next year and is important to include in your report.  

It is important to communicate the wellness program results to both management and employees.  Consider how management typically receives reports on operations and productivity issues and include the annual wellness program report in the same format.  

At some companies the reports are made during management meetings using presentation styles like power point slides.  At other companies, graphs and bar charts are the norm or a list of the objectives and the summary outcomes reported.  

No matter the format, it’s important to convey the outcomes and successes achieved, including any anecdotal stories, as well as areas for improvement.  Make sure to link the outcomes to the corporation mission and bottom line whenever possible.

Workers want to receive the same information!  Consider using the same communication channels used when informing workers of the wellness program -

• Company newsletters,

• Bulletin boards,

• E-mails  

Also consider celebrating successes and recognizing achievements by -

• Posting pictures from events

• Highlighting success stories

• Posting pictures of successes

• Scheduling a celebration

• Recognizing champions  

You can read about the different kinds of wellness programs offered by other businesses to get an idea of what may work for your business.  

If your planning phase was well executed, you should simply have to follow through with the plans you have already made.  

Important Wellness Program considerations include -  

1. Formally Introduce the Wellness Program and consider policy statements that state the importance of the wellness program.  Examples include a general policy regarding the commitment to employee health and safety in addition to specific policies such as No Tobacco use, Healthy Eating and Exercise.

2. Communicate Your Program -  the best planned program with great wellness programs will not be beneficial if your workers don’t know about it or don’t understand the choices or how to participate.  Communicate your wellness program using a variety of methods to ensure the message and “how-to’s” are heard!

Wellness Program Communication Strategies could include -

• Newsletter articles

• Postings on the corporation’s intranet or internet

• A designated Champion of the program

• Formal or informal meeting to announce program, “the kick-off”

• handouts / table tents,

• Bulletin boards / kiosk where all material is promoted or found,

• Email / phone messages,

• Mailings or distributions  

3. Use Wellness Program Incentives -   You will be amazed to find out what individuals  will do for a free T-shirt.  Incentives can both support and motivate participation among workers.  

Consider both formal or business incentives and informal or program rewards/prizes from local resources to reinforce participation in Wellness Programs. Either way, it’s important to provide incentives that are attractive and meaningful to your staff members.

Business Structural or Formal Wellness Program Incentives -

• Discounts on employee health insurance premiums or co-pays, or contributions to 401K programs, employee stock choices, or other mechanisms.  Click here for more information on health plan incentive ideas

• Fitness Club/Fitness Club discounts or enrollment fee coverage

• Public transportation vouchers

• Flexible work time options

• “Wellness Days” off work  

Rewards/Prizes or Informal Wellness Program Incentives -

• Cash - a very effective incentive!

• Prize incentives such as gift certificates to heart healthy restaurants; music player to use while exercising, emergency kits, or any other prizes that would motivate your employees.

• T-Shirts, water bottles, or other cheap rewards

4. Assess community resources available to provide some wellness services.  The local health department or your company healthcare provider might  be able to assist you with this information.  There are also vendors throughout the State providing excellent wellness services for companies.  They are available to help you strategize and find the best choices available.

5. Implement your program as planned documenting information and outcomes as you go like numbers of participants, dates of activities, and any other special details you’re tracking.