The workplace organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of helping workforce to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits to Wellness Programs include –  

o  Weight reduction

o  Increased fitness

o  Improved stamina

o  Lower amounts of stress

o  Better wellness, self-image and self-esteem

Corporations can also benefit from Health Promotion Programs. According to recent research, corporations’ benefits are –

o  Improved recruitment and retention of healthy staff

o  Reduced health care costs

o  Reduced rates of disease and injuries

o  Reduced staff member absenteeism

o  Enhanced worker relations and morale

o  Improved productivity

o  Weight loss

o  Enhanced physical fitness

o  Increased stamina

o  Lower levels of stress

o  Improved wellness, self-image and self-esteem

Businesss can also benefit from Health Promotion Programs. According to recent research, employers’ benefits are –

o  Improved recruitment and retention of healthful personnel

o  Lowered health care costs

o  Reduced rates of disease and injuries

o  Reduced staff member absenteeism

o  Enhanced staff member relations and morale

o  Increased productivity

A U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at worksites with exercise programs as components of their Health Promotion Programs have –

o  Lowered healthcare costs by 20 to 55%

o  Reduced short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent

o  Increased productivity by two to 52%

Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually increased. Just how much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we have lived our lives.

When our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these additional years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.

Furthermore, stress, distractions and the pressures of the job can take its toll on the staff member, which makes it important that a health promotion program is implemented.

Today, all across America, Canada, Europe and Asia, top corporate Health Promotion Programs are being used to help improve staff member conditions at work and reduce the cost of staff member healthcare.

Some of the top Wellness Programs currently in use today include –

Wellness Programs – Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) (HRAs)

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a top Wellness Program currently in use globally. Organizations that implement it determine the safety and health concerns of staff members by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the staff members.

It can, for example, guide the organization into determining how much air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem.

An HRA can also evaluate the level of exposure employees have to certain dangerous or dangerous materials and practices.

Wellness Programs – Immunizations.

This is not always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. Nevertheless, it has also become an important component of the top Wellness Programs in many companies in North America.

Immunization shots, like those used to combat flu, for example, are offered to employees for free.

Staff Member Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Worker Assistance Programs (EAPs) consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to workers regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many corporations, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

Weight Management Programs

This is another wellness program that companies use, especially those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer choices for a healthier diet, generally in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.

Worker Health Promotion Newsletters – Health Education Programs

One of the top Health Promotion Programs that organizations can begin is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign.

The campaign could  be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, such as use of tobacco hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the worksite, etc.

The newsletter in itself could be an effective means to deliver information to personnel or members of an organization but it is far from perfect. Some personnel, for example, might not peruse the newsletter in its entirety or even pay attention to it.

When the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it’ll be easier to maximize positive results.

Physical Fitness and Exercise Programs

Another top health promotion program for businesses is one that involves physical activities. Corporations often sponsor exercise-related events such as marathons and corporation sports programs to encourage staff members to remain fit or lose excess weight. In mid- to large-sized businesses, businesses may even pay for gym memberships or in-house exercise facilities.

Health Promotion Program Incentives.

Some of the top Health Promotion Programs implemented by companies involve incentive rewards. This involves company-sponsored programs that reward employees for achieving specific wellness goals.

Participation in health campaigns and signing up for Wellness Programs are two of the most commonly rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to points (for larger rewards) to specific gifts. In several cases, cash may also be used.

However, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top choices among businesses who are willing to modify it to fit their unique needs.

Wellness Programs – Group Activities

In many corporations, corporations take benefit of colleague pressure in order to encourage staff members to take part in Wellness Programs. This is currently among the favorite staff member Wellness Programs currently in use today and growing in popularity.

Peer pressure is often leveraged to help promote competitions referring to corporate wellness and to persuade workforce to be active in company-sponsored health fairs.

With the rising cost of health care, wellness programs simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let us examine the topic from both perspectives.

Health Promotion Programs –  the Good

o  A sampling of corporate returns on investment for wellness programs –  Bank of America –  600%; General Motors – 370%; Pepsico –  300%; Citibank –  465%; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560%. (Campbell,J., Health Promotion Improvement Professionals, www.wellnessimprovementprofessionals.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)

o  Corporations with health promotion programs have realized a 28% reduction in sick leave, a 26% reduction in adjunctive healthcare costs and a 30% reduction in disability and personnel compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)

o  The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada realized a $15.60 return on investment for every dollar spent because of a 20% reduction in absenteeism. (Hardy,A. (2005).  At the Top of the Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)

o  Wellness programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many person need to make lifestyle changes.

o  Staff Members also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology organization, gave employees who filled out a health risk appraisal a significant discount on their medical insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, the New York Times, July 22, 2007.)

Wellness Programs –  the Bad

The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our employer to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? Some corporations are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.

o  Three hundred organizations have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more assertive wellness programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

o  Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will start lowering employee paychecks by $10.00 for every employee who’s a Body Mass Index (BMI)  of greater than 29.9 because not enough workers were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

o  Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective corporation, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the corporation’s antitobacco use policy violated his civil rights.  The corporation has a policy against hiring workers who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, the New York Times,July 22,2007.)

o  Employee advocates are concerned that health discrimination might not be covered below the Americans with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

Penalizing staff by hitting them hardest where it hurts the most,their pocketbook, does not appear to be a favorable approach to molding human behavior.

Such tactics may result in increased resentments and retaliation, mainly in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based health promotion programs, like the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results.

A positive attitude by senior level management along with an opportunity for personnel to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and staff member.

The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthful lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.

o  Justifications for having a wellness fair

o  Health risk appraisals

o  Be sure to help for high-risk population –  smokers, obese employees

o  Early detection of diabetes, heart disease risk factors (high cholesterol, high blood pressure)

Health Fair Participation – Identify your audience

o  Employees only, whole family, retirees?

o  Community involvement? Theme?

Health Fair Time Line  

o  Make certain to set a date and time Allow 4-6 months of planning time

Wellness Fair Developing

o  Identify health-related screenings, tests, other activities you’ll offer Identify educational literature and other learning opportunities health fair will provide Include any “fun” activities, or food/beverage needs for the fair

Wellness Fair Location and Logistics

o  Consider location large enough to accommodate the largest volume of individuals  at “peak time” periods

o  Determine how booths/stations are going to be set up

Wellness Fair Providers

o  Target relevant health/safety-related community and corporate providers to provide services, educational materials, incentives and giveaways

Wellness Fair Marketing and Advertising

o  Determine marketing and advertising tools to be used to inform employees/participants (posters, mailings, e-mail)

o  Determine any incentives or giveaways that’ll be included in the fair or used to encourage participation in the fair

Wellness Fair Scheduling

o  Coordinate timing and events with staff and/or volunteers

Health Fair Personnel

o  Schedule appropriate professionals Physician or similar health care personnel to provide patient consultation for review of blood draw lab results

o  Nurse(s) to administer immunizations

o  Administrative/all-purpose individual to facilitate paper work, finger sticks and to provide general assistance

o  Pharmacist or pharmacist assistant if appropriate Dietitian for nutritional counseling suggested personnel designated for health fairs

Footnotes

1 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation via Reuters Health E-Line.

2 Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, (9/11/03)

3 www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/press/archive/lower_cost.htm

4 “Is Stress Nibbling Away at Your Bottom Line?” By Stephen Alper, Nov. 15, 2002.

5 Wellness in the Workplace, Michael P. O’Donnell, page 415.

6 http – //www.bmpcoe.org/bestpractices/internal/dayto/dayto_6.html

o  The more substantial the incentives,
o  The higher the success rate.

Incentives can range from tokens of achievement, such as t-shirts, water bottles and sports equipment, to more substantial financial awards, such as cash incentives or copay vouchers for the successful completion of a wellness program.

Nationwide Insurance is seeing results from a small incentive program initiated by among the organization’s on-site nurses.  To encourage lunchtime walking, the worker has informally launched a “shoelace program” modeled after the karate-belt color system.

Staff Members progress through the color scale until they reach “black-lace” status.  The reward system has resulted in more staff making commitments to walk during their lunch hour.

At the high end of the reward spectrum, some corporations pay cash to personnel who meet wellness goals. LuK, Inc. offers personnel $250 for kicking the tobacco habit and remaining smoke free for 12 months.

For logging fitness points that add up to 10 miles a month, employees are eligible for health assessments, which could lead to reward amounts of up to $225.

The most effective motivator, as reported by Gordian research, comes through linking participation in wellness programs directly to insurance premiums. Doing so obviously demonstrates to staff the positive effects of wellness on their own healthcare costs.

Frequently, the first step in linking wellness programming to insurance coverage is lowering deductibles for wellness care or eliminating deductibles altogether. By adding this benefit, organizations can encourage workforce to undertake routine screenings and other procedures to respond to medical problems before they become chronic.

Early detection benefits both patient health and business medical costs.

Incentivizing health promotion program participation with healthcare credits

More frequently, businesss are going beyond increased wellness care coverage and looking to demonstrate the importance of wellness by linking participation to employees’ bottom lines.

Worthington Industries has recently rolled out a health promotion program that allows employees to eliminate their portion of the insurance premium by enrolling in a Healthy Options health promotion program.

During the first year of the Healthy Options program, personnel and their spouses complete Personal Health Assessments and health screenings to determine their levels of health risks.

Nurses, dietitians and exercise experts are available to help moderate- and high-risk participants develop individual action plans for improved health through the use of educational materials, behavior modification, telephone help from third-party program health coordinators, and formal health management programs.

By completing the assessments, personnel earn their full premium credit. Because some plans at Worthington require no staff member contribution, a cash award takes the place of a credit in those cases.  

During year two of the health promotion program, the wellness bar is raised slightly.  To continue to receive the wellness credit, participants in the moderate- to high-risk category are going to be required to work at setting objectives with third-party health coordinators.

Year three raises the bar again, requiring participants to show progress in meeting objectives and to continue to work with health coordinators to reach objectives.

After year three, Worthington Industries workforce will be on the wellness track.  The organization believes that will mean a healthier workforce and cost savings for workforce and the organization.

The well being of Worthington workforce is the foundation of this wellness program, and both workforce and the organization are expected to benefit from the long-term advantages of the Healthful Choices Wellness Program.

While Worthington has taken a wide approach to wellness, other businesses have found success in offering incentives in specific areas. Longaberger, for instance, offers a discount on healthcare policies for staff who do not use tobacco.

An individual staff member who does not use tobacco saves $7 per bi-weekly pay. for tobacco-free personnel with family coverage whose families are also tobacco-free, the savings increases to $14 per pay.

The next step –  Penalizing harmful behaviors

As it stands, health care is the only kind of insurance that doesn’t focus on penalizing for behaviors that put the insured party at risk. With health care costs rising so dramatically, that could soon change.

Just as an accident likely raises auto insurance premiums, increasing premiums for those who engage in unhealthful behaviors is a possible next step in employers’ attempts to manage healthcare costs.

Reports that personnel would support this kind of action are stacking up. One Ohio company conducted an informal survey that indicated personnel would consider it a morale improve when health-conscious personnel were relieved of some of the burden of subsidizing care for personnel who engage in behaviors that negatively affect their health.

Whether or not or not this kind of health promotion program gains popularity, one thing is sure –  the need to control the rise in healthcare costs is becoming ever more pressing.

Take the first step

Whatever the strategy, from offering staff members health resources to providing incentives for healthful behaviors, companys have a real opportunity to improve morale and productivity, reduce absenteeism and control health care costs through wellness.

The first step is committing to taking one, whatever size effort is appropriate for your company.  Big strides start with small steps.

And experts predict that estimate is low, because it doesn’t take into account the rapid spread of the flu.

The American Association of Family Physicians’ Web site, www.aafp.org, offers a advised adult immunization schedule created by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

This schedule, tiered by age and chances of exposure, recommends diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, pneumonococcal, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, mumps and rubella, varicella and meningococcal vaccinations.

Ideas to incorporate avoidance and early detection –  

o  Hold a health fair and invite organizations that provide screening services for such conditions as blood pressure, blood iron, cholesterol, Body Mass Index (BMI)  and diabetes.

o  Give educational materials about well-baby care and immunizations.

o  Select health care coverage plans that include wellness check-ups and immunizations.

o  Offer onsite mammograms for staff members.

o  Sponsor onsite flu shots to coincide with flu season.

While stress can’t be eliminated from life, or even from the workplace, coping skills could be developed with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to decreased absenteeism and more effective, more productive staff members.

Because stress has been shown to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure and stroke, stress reduction has a direct impact on improving physical health.

Studies have shown that heart patients who attend stress management programs have 42 percent lower health care costs. Other studies have documented a 50 percent reduction in medical services use when stress management programs are employed.

Furthermore, Worker Assistance Program (EAP) specialists estimate that 20% of any workforce is affected by personal problems that can influence work performance.

Stress reduction tactics to consider –  

o  Offer on-site yoga or meditation classes.

o  Organize support groups among personnel.

o  Sponsor stress management courses during the workday.

o  Offer an employee assistance program that includes both counseling and referral.

o  Provide onsite counseling for staff members in the case of a work-related trauma, like the death of a colleague.

The old adage “an ounce of avoidance is worth a pound of cure” is especially relevant to when applied to preventive measures taken during pregnancy, when several additional ounces of birth weight can save a child’s life.

During pregnancy, simple precautions can help avoid catastrophic results; giving up use of tobacco, for example, drastically decreases the risk of miscarriage and pre-term labor.

The March of Dimes reports that if all women took adequate folic acid before conception and during pregnancy, the number of babies born with a neural tube defect could drop by as much as 70 percent.

The physical and emotional advantages of proper prenatal care to a mother and child are underscored by a strong organization case for offering prenatal wellness benefits. Nationwide’s Chief Medical Director, Dr. Michael Moore, estimates costs to care for one baby delivered prematurely could approach $500,000.

First steps in fostering a prenatal program –  

o  Invite the March of Dimes to present information about prenatal health at an employee brownbag lunch or breakfast meeting.

o  Hold prenatal care information courses for interested workforce at lunchtime.

o  Give educational materials about the effects of alcohol, drugs and smoking on an unborn child.

o  Make available incentives for adopting healthful life choices during pregnancy.

o  Give prenatal programs and education as part of the organization health care package.

Instances of respiratory diseases, cancer and other diseases may be decreased through use of tobacco cessation efforts. Smoking cessation programs can provide gigantic opportunities for improved health.

The American Cancer Society reports that use of tobacco personnel cost companies an average of $1,429 per smoker annually in increased healthcare costs over non-use of tobacco personnel.

Beginning a use of tobacco cessation program costs an typical of $45 per worker per year, saving companies an typical of $1,383 per year for each worker who quits use of tobacco. Likewise, the American Cancer Society reports that smokers are absent from work 50% more often than nonsmokers.

They are also 50% more likely to be hospitalized and have 15% higher disability rates. Use of tobacco lowers onthe- job productivity as well. Workers who take four 10- minute smoking breaks a day work more than a month less a year than personnel who do not take smoke breaks.

Places to start with use of tobacco cessation programs –  

o  Create a “buddy” program to provide encouragement for those who commit to stop tobacco use.

o  Give lung capacity tests at company wellness fairs.

o  Consider reimbursement for smoking cessation tools –  nicotine gum, patches and inhalers.

o  Limit tobacco use areas in the workplace.

o  Offer onsite tobacco use cessation sessions.