Employer WellnessEmployer wellness programs and employer wellness consulting services

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Healthcare Costs

Employee Health Promotion Programs are more important now than ever.  A recent article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of employer offered health care keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article states that during the year 2008, U.S. organizations can expect to see an increase of 10% in health care costs.

This increase in health care costs is causing some small organizations to reduce their staff member health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Health Promotion Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Health Promotion Programs do provide an option for small organizations.  The corporations can provide discounted co-pays and deductibles to those staff members that fully participate in the offered Employee Health Promotion Program.  Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the staff members, the lower the overall health care costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ health care budget.

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Your Bottom Line

Employee Health Promotion Programs provide many advantages to a company’s bottom-line. Employer Wellness Program Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per person enrolled in a Employer Wellness Program compared to an expense of $574 per staff member that wasn’t enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less health care costs overall.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are a fantastic investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee organization their committed investment in their staff member’s wellness.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are part of organization Culture

The Employee Health Promotion Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The organization has three full-time staff members dedicated to the Employer Wellness Program and the wellness of the staff members, who receive workplace massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the rules of the Employee Health Promotion Program, which staff members are not required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility.  Based on these health assessments, the staff members are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive a organization-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain physical fitness levels and be a non-smoker.  Smoking cessation classes are part of the Employee Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Bring a Big Savings

The Employer Wellness Program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having healthier staff members, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in health care costs per year.  The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Employee Health Promotion Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Employee Health Promotion Programs are Are Becoming Increasingly popular outside the workplace, showing the ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management.  Private insurance companies, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run.  They are finding that mini-Corporate Employee Health Promotion Programs are definitely the way to go.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Aid in Early Intervention

A recent article that appeared in The Indianapolis Star, organizations, insurers and government agencies are turning to “early intervention to alter the behavior of those struggling with common but dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The tactics that they incorporated to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that were suggested by their health care provider.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Provide Quality Benefits

There are more positive aspects to a Employer Wellness Program than just the savings that an employer or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient.  The patient is going to get the motivation and the incentive reward to get better or to manage their health and their health risks by having to answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness staff member at their organization or a nurse affiliated with their insurance organization.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are proven to increase productivity and lower health care costs.  For a business, that makes a difference in the bottom-line. Today, more than 81 percent of America’s businesses with 50 or more staff members have some form of Employer Wellness Program with the most popular being exercise, tobaccos cessation classes, back care programs, and stress management. The majority of corporations offer Employee Health Promotion Programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in health insurance premiums and health care costs.

For many organizations, health costs can consume half of organization profits or more. Some employer’s look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or rewards. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Employee Health Promotion Programs stand out as the long-term answer for keeping staff members well in the first place.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are an example of health care reform that works. Results from America’s finest organizations, summarized here, are reason enough to consider offering Employee Health Promotion Programs.  This investment in your most important asset – your staff members – can have a positive impact on your bottom-line.

Employer Wellness Program Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the Wellness Councils of America, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3 million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Employee Health Promotion Program. By offering financial rewards ($250 – $325) to staff members who meet specific organizational and staff member health initiatives the Employer Wellness Program continues to meet cost containment expectations in the area of health care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and self-care practices.

During the first 4 years of the Employer Wellness Program there was a 28 percent average reduction in health care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a control group.

Du Pont saw that each dollar invested in their Employer Wellness Program yielded $1.42 over two years in lower absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well workplace Gold in Delaware). Absences from illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar employees dropped 14 percent at 41 industrial sites where the Employer Wellness Program was offered, compared with a 5.8 percent decline at 19 sites where it was not.

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for each dollar invested Employee Health Promotion Programs, yielding total organization savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was decreased 19 percent during the four-year research study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000 staff members and retirees by lowering poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a similar but smaller research study, members of a Travelers fitness center Employer Wellness Program were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members.

The Employer Wellness Program at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, based in Las Vegas, cost $76.24 per staff member during the two years it has been in operation. Over half of the 1,600 staff members participated in the Employee Health Promotion Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21 percent lower lifestyle-related claim costs than non-participant. Resulting savings: $127.89 per participant in the Employer Wellness Program with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1.

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes impressive results to the success of the corporation’s comprehensive Employee Health Promotion Program. Superior showed 22 percent fewer admissions to a hospital, 29 percent shorter hospital stays, and 42 percent lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 staff members with costs for other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40 percent.

With health costs per staff member at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad introduced their Employer Wellness Program to its 28,000 staff members, mostly union and blue collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest health self-care initiative at an annual cost of $50 per person, the Employer Wellness Program achieved a net savings of $1.26 million. In addition, a voluntary Employer Wellness Program to help staff members reduce health risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Workers in a treatment group reduceed their risk of high blood pressure (45 percent) and high cholesterol (34 percent); others moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30 percent); and 21 percent stopped using tobacco.

Average health costs of high-risk Steelcase staff members- those whose lifestyles include two to four health risks such as smoking, little exercise, overweight- are 75 percent higher than those of low-risk staff members. But high-risk staff members at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing corporation who improved their health habits through the company’s Employer Wellness Program and became low risk cut their average health claims in half thus lowering their health insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk staff members (20 percent of the total staff member population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years.

Workers at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing corporation in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care techniques and reduceed their corporation’s health care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide, the 938 staff members and their family members made smart health decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and dependent a nearly 18 percent reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and emergency room use, the corporation saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3 percent decrease in costs over the previous year.

A health claims-based research study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts found a lower demand for health services among those with access to Employee Health Promotion Programs and self-care programs. Reductions in health services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education materials.

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Employer Wellness Program delivered an average savings of $5,000 per birth by offering expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and regular prenatal care. And 80 percent of participants had normal births without complications compared with 50 percent for non-participant.

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Workers’ Retirement System sent its 55,000 retirees a health risk appraisal followed, in some cases, with individualized reports and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and at the same time reduce the health care claim costs. In another research study, Bank of America retirees in California who chose the full Employer Wellness Program and demand reduction program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11 percent compared with an increase of 6.3 percent for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire.

With lower health care claims, health costs decreased 16 percent for staff members in the City of Mesa (Arizona) who participated in the comprehensive Employee Health Promotion Program. The city realized a return of $3.60 for each dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city staff members.

To prevent back injuries among its staff members, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar employees, offered classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant rise in staff member morale, decreased worker’s comp claims, health costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Results

Employee Health Promotion Programs provide Long-Term Results

Employee Health Promotion Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices:  Employee Health Promotion Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to lower costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really provide long-term medical benefits for your staff members and lower costs over the years.

Employee Health Promotion Programs provide Assistance

Insurance-based products provide staff members the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an internet-based health assessment, visiting their physician, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the staff member during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a person’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a person’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to lower health costs in the future.

Employee Health Promotion Programs provide convenient Health Risk Assessments and health screening for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article states, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and staff members are more likely to stay active in an onsite staff member Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Get Results

Finally, the article states that companies with an effective Employer Wellness Program can expect to see “500 percent lower absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent lower health care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

Businesses are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their health insurance programs, and most organizations have been cost shifting, asking staff members to cover more of their health care costs. Health insurance costs continue to climb (10 percent or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation rate. With nowhere else to turn, corporations are – more than ever – looking to get staff members engaged in Employee Health Promotion Programs as a means of slowing health care costs and improving productivity.

For example, last year 53 percent of large corporations offered Health Risk Assessments for their staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Employee Health Promotion Programs a win-win solution for both corporations and staff members.

Here are other Employer Wellness Program trends organizations are implementing:

More organizations are integrating Employee Health Promotion Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Employer Wellness Program and meeting minimum goals.

More organizations are offering onsite weight loss programs as part of the Employee Health Promotion Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight staff members and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight staff members.

Businesses are offering more Employee Health Promotion Programs designed to assist staff members with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Businesses are offering more internet-based Employer Wellness Program interventions and health information resources

More organizations are offering regular onsite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Employee Health Promotion Program. Some Employee Health Promotion Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many organizations are offering fitness programs, either in the community or onsite, as a component of their Employee Health Promotion Program.

Corporations are offering more incentives, prizes and rewards getting engaged in Employer Wellness Program activities

Some organizations are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop tobacco; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping staff members stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.

Businesses are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Employer Wellness Program ROI.

Wellness organizations are offering great resources for employers’ staff members over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, internet-based points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, internet-based wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Businesses who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future health care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their comprehensive Employer Wellness Program over the next 5 years!

Employee Health Promotion Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health Promotion is more fun and costs less than treating disease.

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.

Employee Health Promotion Programs start and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources needed to assist and motivate individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one component of creating staff member Employee Health Promotion Programs. Below you’ll find some things to assist you in your efforts to develop a healthy atmosphere for you and your coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Start an Employer Wellness Program

This is the first step in creating a Employee Health Promotion Program. In recent times more and more corporations are creating to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their staff members. Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″ (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an excellent resource containing information on:
•    Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs
•    Suggestions on where to start
•    Tools like surveys and assessment forms

These resources are for both corporations and staff members to guide the development and evaluate the effectiveness of their new Employee Health Promotion Program. Make available it to your employer as a place to start or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Taking Part in Employee Health Promotion Programs

Once you have an staff member Employer Wellness Program established, taking part fully in all facets of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Employee Health Promotion Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so. These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an staff member Employee Health Promotion Program:
•    Examine the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
•    Schedule time to go to the seminar or service.
•    Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
•    Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Employee Health Promotion Programs that might be available to you at work:
•    ergonomic evaluations and ergonomic training classes
•    lactation rooms and classes
•    prenatal education
•    nap rooms for relaxation
•    stress management programs
•    onsite fitness centers
•    onsite corporate massage
•    healthy eating education
•    onsite primary health care services
•    child care facility or resources and referral service
•    tobacco cessation programs parenting classes
•    Senior care resource and referral service
•    cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
•    influenza vaccinations
•    weight management programs
•    health care consumerism programs
•    employee assistance programs
•    wellness coach / health coach programs
•    onsite mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Employee Health Promotion Programs, a corporation saves $3 to $5 in health and safety costs. Businesses that invest in Employee Health Promotion Programs reap the financial incentives through savings on health care costs, disability pay, 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 Employee Health Promotion Programs is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Employee Health Promotion Programs in Small Companies

Unlike large organizations, small organizations frequently lack the resources to provide Employee Health Promotion Programs to their staff members. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by health 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. Employee Health Promotion Programs in small organizations also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Employee 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 Employer 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 Employee Health Promotion Programs can:

• Reduce health care costs
• Reduce workers’ compensation claims
• Reduce staff member absenteeism
• Raise worker productivity
• Improve staff member morale

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

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

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Employee Health Promotion Program, you and your staff members may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the employer.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any comprehensive Employer Wellness Program is to attempt to sway the attitudes and actions of the employer’s most valuable resource — its staff members.

2. Decreased Turnover – As we all know, staff member 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 staff member turnover pose, many organizations are looking to Employee Health Promotion Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent staff members from jumping ship.

3. Improved Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, organizations are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Employee 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 employer 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, Employee Health Promotion Programs can play an important role in lowering absenteeism.

5. Healthcare Cost Containment – The majority of organizations don’t start a Employer Wellness Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many organizations.

6. Improved Worker Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Employer Wellness Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Employee 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 Employee Health Promotion Programs. There are several very simple ways to measure Employee Health Promotion Programs:

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

Use a short and simple pen and paper assessment that people fill out at the end of the Employer Wellness Program /seminar. 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 Employee 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 staff member
•    Other areas that would be of interest for future Employee Health Promotion Programs

Examples of Questions about Employee 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 Employee Health Promotion Programs may include:
•    The best component of this Employer Wellness Program was…
•    The component that needed improvement was….
•    I would attend another Employer Wellness Program by this speaker…
•    Topics I would like to see included in other seminars or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process assessment that examines how well the Employee Health Promotion Programs were started. It is also important to evaluate health outcomes and cost outcomes of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

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

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

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

An ongoing assessment of your Employee Health Promotion Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Employee Health Promotion Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc assessment of your Employee 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. Employee Health Promotion Programs can help. offering perks such as healthy food, incentives to exercise weight loss and stress management programs at work is a way to keep your staff members satisfied.

Attracting new staff members are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other staff members 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 staff member. Once again, Employee Health Promotion Programs to the rescue!

How Are Employee Health Promotion Programs Administered?

Whether running small Employee Health Promotion Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness organizations 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 Employer 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 Employee Health Promotion team. You may even have an staff member who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational wellness seminars and activities.

Other staff members 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 Employee Health Promotion Programs

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

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