Employer WellnessEmployer wellness programs and employer wellness consulting services

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Are Employee Health Promotion Programs?

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

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

Types of Employee Health Promotion Programs

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Lunchtime Wellness Seminars

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

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

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Health Risk Assessments

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

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

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

Employee Health Promotion Programs: tobacco Cessation

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

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Stress Management

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

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

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Work/Life Programs

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

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

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

Time Management and Employee Health Promotion Programs

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

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

The Culture of Wellness

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

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

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

The Problems of Chronic Disease

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

The Problems of Financial Distress and Dissatisfaction

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

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

The ROI

There are significant reasons why corporations should employ Procedures to begin Employee Health Promotion Programs for their staff members:

* Raise Productivity including reductions in health care and workers compensation claims, absenteeism, and presenteesism;
* Reduce employer paid health care and re-insurance premiums; and
* Raise staff member, physicians and patient satisfaction; and
* Raise staff member retention and productivity.

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

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

The Course of Change

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

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

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

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

Legal Issues

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

To be a bona fide Employee Health Promotion Program, the plan must satisfy the following requirements:

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

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

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

Employee Health Promotion Program: Physical Fitness/Weight Management Programs

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

Employee Health Promotion Program: General Health Education Programs

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

Employee Health Promotion Program: Tobacco Cessation

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

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

Employee Health Promotion Program: Nutrition Programs

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

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

Sweetened Beverage Consumption

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

Portion Control

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

Breastfeeding

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

T.V. & Food Advertising

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

(Adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health Management)

Worker Lifestyles Impact Worker Health

•    Approximately 40 percent of all deaths in the U.S. are premature (at least 900,000 deaths each year) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include genetic predisposition (30 percent), social circumstances (15 percent), poor access to quality health care (10 percent), and environmental  exposures (5 percent).
•    Unhealthy lifestyle is the primary contributor to the six leading causes of death in the U.S. – heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes – which collectively account for over 70 percent of all deaths.
•    People with healthier lifestyles live an average of 6 to 9 years longer,  postpone disability by 9 years and compress disability into fewer years at the end of life.
•    The prevalence of obesity among American adults rose to 30 percent in 1999-2000, a 33 percent increase from a decade earlier,  and the prevalence of diabetes also rose by 33 percent during approximately the same period (1990 to 1998).
•    About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, 55 percent do not get enough physical activity,  26 percent are completely inactive,10 and only 25 percent eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables  If diet/physical activity patterns continue worsening at their current rate, these behaviors will soon surpass tobacco use as contributors to mortality.
•    Among young people, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled in the past 20 years to 16 percent,  daily participation in high school physical education classes has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003,  more than 60 percent eat too much saturated fat, and almost 80 percent do not eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.
•    Lifestyle diseases disproportionately affect women, ethnic and racial minorities, the poor and seniors:
•    The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70 percent higher than among white Americans, and the prevalence among Hispanics is nearly double that for white Americans.
•    Women comprise more than half of the people who die each year of cardiovascular disease.
•    Chronic conditions significantly limit daily activity for 35 percent of persons over 65 years of age.

Financial Impact of Lifestyle
•    It is estimated that lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for 70 percent of the nation’s health care costs, which translates to over 11 percent of the entire U.S. gross domestic product.
•    Two broad-based scientific reviews identified 83 peer-reviewed studies reporting that people with unhealthy habits have higher health costs.
•    Research conservatively estimates that high health risks (high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc) account for at least 25 percent of total health costs.
•    Recently published research indicates a direct relationship between modifiable lifestyle risks and lower worker productivity, and relevant data suggest that the costs to corporations in lost productivity due to poor employee health may be substantially more than the direct health and disability costs.
•    Unhealthy lifestyles frequently lead to chronic disease, many of which cannot be cured and require years or decades of expensive treatments. Below are estimated annual costs of selected chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyles including obesity,  smoking,  hypertension,  diabetes,  stress,  and inactivity.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Improve Health and Yield Major Savings
•    Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed studies showing that Employee Health Promotion Programs improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
•    Studies have demonstrated that lifestyle modification may frequently be more effective and cost-effective than health intervention in lowering morbidity  and mortality.
•    Several scientific reviews indicate that Employee Health Promotion Programs reduce health costs and absenteeism and produce a positive ROI.  The most definitive review of financial impact reported that:
•    18 studies indicated that these Employee Health Promotion Programs reduce health costs, and 14 studies indicated that they lower absenteeism costs.
•    13 studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these Employee Health Promotion Programs are much greater than their cost, with health cost savings averaging $3.48 and the absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the Employee Health Promotion Programs.
•    Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent each year through 2015, when health expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP:
•    Per capita health costs in the U.S. are the highest in the world and more than double the median for OECD nations,  yet the U.S. ranks 26th in terms of healthy life expectancy.
•    Medicaid is the second largest item in most state budgets, and its portion of the total budgets is increasing each year.
•    Increasing health costs for U.S. corporations continue to outpace general inflation, averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years.   This trend is causing a tremendous financial hardship on U.S. corporations.

1. Senior management involvement in the Employee Health Promotion Program- Evidence of enthusiastic commitment and involvement of senior management helps staff members understand their corporations’ serious commitment to health.  Workers need to perceive that their senior management, supervisors, and coworkers have positive attitudes toward health since these factors have all been associated with improved employee health status.   Management-related factors have been shown to contribute more to success than the content of the intervention.

2. Participatory planning – A Employer Wellness Program should be undertaken in partnership with the workforce.  Workers from all levels of staff should be actively engaged in the health and management aspects of the project as well as all on-going processes of any Employee Health Promotion Program.  Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their commitment to the process.   Starting Employer Wellness Program steering committees to guide interventions during the planning and delivery of workplace health promotion programming increases worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction. Worker committees can identify perceived staff member interests regarding educational programming, determine work site-specific characteristics that may affect the intervention or influence participation, and suggest the best methods for promotion and delivery of Employee Health Promotion Programs and initiatives.  Ways to maximize staff member input and involvement might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors.

3. Primary focus on staff members’ needs – A Employer Wellness Program should meet the needs of all staff members, regardless of their current level of health and recognize the needs, preferences, and attitudes of different groups of participants. Program designers should consider the major health risks in the target population, the specific risks within the particular group of staff members, and the employer’s needs.   In other words, interventions should be tailor-made to the characteristics and needs of the recipients.   This means that different programs must be offered at different levels.   Participation and commitment can be increased if a group of employees has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable risk factor of their choice.

4. Optimal use of on-site resources – Planning and implementation of Employee Health Promotion Programs should optimize use of on-site personnel, physical resources, and organizational capabilities.   For example, whenever possible, initiatives should use on-site health and safety, management, work organization, communication, Human Resources, and other specialists.   Well-qualified external leadership may be introduced when in-house expertise is lacking.

5. Integration – An overall workplace health policy should be developed.  The policies governing the health of the employees must align with the organization mission, vision, and values, supporting both short- and long-term goals. These consistent policies must affirm the value of staff member health and a commitment to engage staff members in health enhancement.  Employer Wellness Program Procedures should be integrated into a company’s regular management practices and eventually should be formally incorporated into the company’s corporate plan  with adequate resources attached to them.

6. Recognition that a person’s health is determined by an interdependent set of factors – Any Employer Wellness Program must address multiple components of an individual’s life:
•    the workplace physical and psychosocial environment;
•    their personal resources such as social support, sense of empowerment, etc.; and
•    their lifestyle practices influencing health.

7. Tailoring to the special features of each workplace environment  – Employee Health Promotion Programs must be responsive to the unique needs of each workplace’s procedures, organization and culture.   Integrating health behaviors and program participation into the existing organization culture will normalize program participation.

8. Employer Wellness Program Evaluation – Project management should flow through needs analysis, establishing priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and assessment.   Evaluation must include a clearly-defined range of process measures and outcomes  as well as mechanisms for monitoring the impact of non-intervention workplace changes such as plant closure, major workplace re-organization, and new technology on staff health.

9. Long-term commitment – To sustain the benefits of the Employee Health Promotion Program, the worksite must continue the initiative over time, reinforcing risk-reduction behaviours and adapting the programs to ongoing personal, social, economic, and workplace changes.

Introduction to Employee Health Promotion Programs

Risky health behaviors by staff members cost a company. Changing those behaviors can save the employer money and increase the staff member’s productivity.

Because work gives an staff member a stable environment and support system, Employee Health Promotion Programs can have a great impact on lowering high-risk behaviors. This impact results in reduce health claims cost, less absenteeism, and less short-term disability.

Employee Health Promotion Programs can include:

Awareness Rasing Programs: Health and wellness newsletters, health topics covered in payroll stuffers, healthy emails.

Health Risk Assessment: Employee health screenings, health and wellness fairs, health risk appraisals.

Educational Programs: Lunchtime wellness seminars, guest speakers at staff meetings.

Skill Building: Healthy cooking demostrations, activity challenges, CPR instruction opportunites, stress management classes, weight management classes.

Interventions: Massage, tobacco cessation, and skills to help you get the most out of your doctor visit.

Physical environment: Healthy items in the vending machines and cafeterias, clean air practices, ergonomics, bike racks, flex time, welllit stairways.

Evaluation: Worker needs assessment, baseline Employer Wellness Program assessment measures, ongoing Employer Wellness Program assessment of overall effectiveness.

Why Make available Employee Health Promotion Programs

The typical employer spends about $8,000 a year on an employee’s health care. This includes health insurance, disability and worker’s compensation. As these costs climb, health insurance is expected to rise at least 10 percent per year.

A 1999 research study showed that organizations using Employee Health Promotion Programs had a ROI from $1.49 – $13 in benefits per dollar spent. The amount depended on the nature of the Employee Health Promotion Programs used. (S. Aldana, American Journal of Wellness, 2001; 15:296-320)

One research study showed that a “stop smoking” element to Employee Health Promotion Programs can save between $404 -$40,829 per employee, depending on the age and sex of the staff member.

The Employee Health Promotion Programs at Traveler’s Company included a self-care book, a newsletter, single-topic brochures, and videotapes. The Employee Health Promotion Programs saved the company $7.8 million in employee benefi t costs, decreased doctor visits, and it decreased absenteeism by 1.2 days per staff member per year. The estimated Employee Health Promotion Programs ROI was $3.40 per dollar spent.

In 1998, the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) reported a study of 46,026 staff members from six large corporations for three years. Workers with an inactive lifestyle had 10 percent higher costs; staff members with depression had 70 percent higher costs.

Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs

Improved Productivity – The Canada Life Assurance Company realized a 4 percent rise in productivity after creating an employee fitness program.

Improved Job Satisfaction – According to employee opinion surveys conducted by the Silverstone Group about thier Employee Health Promotion Programs, staff members’ morale increased, which helped support a more creative work environment.

Improved Recruitment & Retention – In the midst of a tight labor market, Employee Health Promotion Programs could be a important tool to draw new recruits.

Decreased Absenteeism – Canada Life Assurance Company’s absenteeism dropped 42 percent among staff members in the Employee Health Promotion Programs.

Decreased Workers Comp & Disability – In one year, Boeing Company’s number of back injuries decreased by 34 percent. Six million dollars was saved by tracking injuries as they occurred.

Managed Healthcare Costs – Golden, Colorado Adolf Coors Company’s Employee Health Promotion Programs returned $6.19 for each dollar spent.

Why have Employer Wellness Program goals?

Employer Wellness Program goals take your employer’s priorities for employee health improvement and make them specific and measurable. Well-defined Employer Wellness Program goals provide direction for deciding on Procedures and a basis for which to measure progress.

Writing Employer Wellness Program goals

Writing Employer Wellness Program goals is not complicated or difficult. It does require some thought, about your employer’s Employer Wellness Program vision for a culture of health and they should be:

Specific Employer Wellness Program Goals
Measurable Employer Wellness Program Goals
Attainable Employer Wellness Program Goals
Realistic Employer Wellness Program Goals
Timely Employer Wellness Program Goals

Specific Employer Wellness Program Goals: What is the specific outcome your employer is looking for? “Reduce smoking among staff members” is more specific than “Improve the health of staff members.” You may wish to write some goals about specific outcomes (reducing smoking among staff members) and other goals about specific progress (implementing a smoke-free campus policy or lowering the price of fresh fruit in the cafeteria to 25 cents a piece).

Measurable Employer Wellness Program Goals: Making your goals measurable provides a means of evaluating your progress and success. There is a saying: “what gets measured, gets done.” Measurable goals can be powerful motivators for your employer. “Provide more time for staff members to be physically active” is much less measurable than “implement a daily 15-minute walking break into the schedule of all staff members.” “Increase the number of staff members who want to quit smoking” is less measurable than “increase enrollments in the stop-using tobacco program to 120 staff members per year.”

Attainable Employer Wellness Program Goals: Determine goals that challenge your employer to change and that will demonstrate a real commitment to the health of the employees. At the same time, set goals that are achievable. Goals that are set too far out of reach can be overwhelming and may become a barrier rather than a motivator.

Realistic Employer Wellness Program Goals: Write goals that are do-able, given the skills, time, finances and overall strategy of the employer. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them.

Timely Employer Wellness Program Goals: When do you hope to achieve the goal? Next week? Next year? Without a timeframe, the goal is still not clear and is much less likely to galvanize resources and energy within your employer.

“Reduce the percent of staff members who use tobacco from 20 percent to 10 percent” is much less of a challenge than “By the end of 2010, reduce the percent of staff members who use tobacco from 20 percent to 15 percent”.