Employer WellnessEmployer wellness programs and employer wellness consulting services

Employee Health Promotion Programs – Employee Engagement Strategies

Employee Health Promotion Programs without staff engagement are useless to a organization. How do you get staff members to enroll in Employee Health Promotion Programs – and stay engaged in the programs?

The handouts for these programs discuss the benefits to staff members and organizations. Employer Wellness Program statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a organization for offering such programs. Employee Health Promotion Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive organization, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by offering gift rewards to staff members who participate in Employee Health Promotion Programs. The wellness incentive reward program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment incentive rewards in Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Undoubtably companies that don’t work in the incentive rewards industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every organization can throw that kind of money at health management resources – and not every organization has the built-in savings as a business that specializes in offering incentive reward programs.

For certain rich incentive rewards like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many staff members’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many staff members uncomfortable with health management and exercise, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Employee Health Promotion Programs. So where does that leave organizations who are unwilling or unable to provide incentive rewards for health management program enrollment?

Successful Employee Health Promotion Programs motivate staff members – before and after signup

Employer Wellness Program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get staff members to take that vitally important first step. Even the best incentive rewards can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Employee Health Promotion Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness surveys before you build your Employee Health Promotion Programs so staff member input and needs are being met by your Employee Health Promotion Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Employee Health Promotion Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, staff members will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your employer and your co-workers.

Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Employee Health Promotion Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does workplace wellness stop when your staff members leave the office?

Wellness Continuity

If staff members don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Individual level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage staff members to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Always on Your Mind

Your Employer Wellness Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job description. In other words, you don’t want a Employer Wellness Program to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate Individual health and wellness with your Employee Health Promotion Programs.

This benefits your Employee Health Promotion Programs in a couple of ways:

it reduces the chance that the staff member will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Employee Health Promotion Programs; and
it shows that their employer is just as invested in their Individual health and wellness as they are

Like a marathon, Individual health and wellness is a long-term venture and it’s difficult for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your health when you know others are depending on you and watching your Individual performance. It’s easier to maintain to an physical activity program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights.

Similarly, it’s easier to maintain to your Employer Wellness Program when you know your employer is supporting you and wishing you the best.

Don’t Dictate Individual Health

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Employee Health Promotion Program, it’s vitally important that you involve staff members in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that staff members are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, provide resources and information.

Of course, don’t forget that part of Individual health and wellness responsibility is to provide good health risk assessment baselines so staff members can proceed safely on the road to better physical fitness.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: An Attainable Goal

Was Wellness on your company’s new year’s resolutions list? Here we are a little over midway into the third month of 2008, the time when resolutions start to falter if they haven’t lost momentum completely. Has your Worksite’s wellness resolution fallen by the wayside? If so, there are still ways to get back on track.

One Wellness tip comes to us from the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, reported from the Jersey Shore. Rod Shirk, the YMCA’s chief financial officer, participated in the organization’s first executive Employee Health Promotion Program, which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to get a physical, which showed high levels of a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening illness just in time.

Thanks Employee Health Promotion Program.

So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Employee Health Promotion Programs. He says, “For us here at the YMCA, if we are telling people to be healthy, we had better set a good example for our staff members.”

Wellness Decreases Health Care Costs

Though cases like Shirk’s dramatic cancer save are the most desirable effect of Employee Health Promotion Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for organizations. They do it to lower health care costs, and there’s no doubt that Employee Health Promotion Programs do just that. Employer Wellness Program Statistics show that Employee Health Promotion Programs return anywhere from $2.30 to $10.10 per dollar spent on wellness. “Health care costs should go down as people think about changing their diets and getting more active,” Shirk says.

The Employer Wellness Program savings aren’t just in the Medical Insurance department. Human resource departments report that Employee Health Promotion Programs also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

Still, companies have been loath to invest that elusive Wellness dollar despite the well-documented returns. A Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive survey found that only 10% of small- to medium-size organizations have made workplace Health Screening and Biometric Testings – like the one that saved Shirk’s life – available to their staff members.

Is It Necessary to Incent Corporations to Initiate Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Wellness incentive rewards may seem like an effective way to get staff members excited about Employer Wellness Program – but is it wise?

This helps and encourages organizations to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy workers, not only for the welfare of its staff members, but as well as the welfare of the organization bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary.

Tax Breaks as Wellness incentive rewards

In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage organizations to keep staff members healthy and prevent disease. The senators believed that having a country focused on “well care” versus “sick care” would decrease the overall costs of health care for everyone. They decided to start with America’s workers.

The legislation, introduced by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, states that companies would receive a Wellness incentive reward – a fifty percent tax credit – if they provide to their staff members a Employer Wellness Program that meets the following criteria:

1) A health education and awareness component, which could include Health Risk Assessments and Health Screening and Biometric Testings.
2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower staff members to lead healthier lifestyles.
3) A supportive environment component – including offering meaningful incentive rewards to taking part in staff members, such as a reduction in medical premiums or allowing staff members to engage in walking Employee Health Promotion Programs during the workday.
4) The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would tailor the Employer Wellness Program to the needs of the workers at a particular organization.

If this legislation gets passed, many organizations will be scrambling to provide Employee Health Promotion Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness incentive rewards.

Corporate Obesity: The Facts

Corporate obesity has become one of the fastest growing health care problems in America. It is well known that America is considered one of the, if not “the”, heaviest nations in the world. This is largely in part due to fast food, un-healthy snacks and a very sedentary lifestyle. However, what many people are not aware of is that the rate of obesity in our country has doubled in the last 30 years and this weighs heavily on a company’s bottom line.

According to a new report from The Conference Board, Weights and Measures: What employers Should Know about Obesity, obese staff members cost private organizations an estimated $45 billion each year. Here are some of the report’s findings:

Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on health care, more than smoking or problem drinking.
34% of adult United States citizens fit the definition of “obese”
Obesity related health problems are costing U.S. companies millions of dollars each year in medical expenditures and work loss.

Corporate Obesity: How organizations Can Help

With the increase in obesity and employer costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to develop a way to assist staff members with their healthy living choices. Employee Health Promotion Programs can help organizations help their staff members. By offering assistance with Health Screening and Biometric Testing, Health Risk Assessments and by conducting Employer Wellness Program surveys; Employee Health Promotion Programs allow the employer non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their staff member’s health.

We suggest establishing a Walking Employer Wellness Program to assist your staff members in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your staff members away from their desk and get them outside for a little exercise. Keep it fun by having contests, setting up weight-loss teams and having organized healthy picnics.

What is a Employer Wellness Program Proposal?

You probably have seen the term many times and wondered what exactly does it mean. A Employer Wellness Program Proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness consultant that makes suggestions for what type of Employee Health Promotion Programs you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s wellness goals, and costs associated with it.

Employer Wellness Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A Employer Wellness Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Employee Health Promotion Program. It will provide necessary stats and trends, background information, and costs that will enable the HR Department to fully present their case. Upper management will appreciate the preparedness and the research that has gone into your wellness request.

Employer Wellness Program Proposals Lead to Better Employee Health Promotion Programs

A well thought out Employer Wellness Program Proposal can lead to a better Employee Health Promotion Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Employer Wellness Program Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper Employer Wellness Program established. Employee Health Promotion Programs can vary greatly, but when your staff members ask, you can tell them that they generally include the following:

Walking programs which provides staff members with incentive rewards to take their walking breaks at their workplace.
Company teams, onsite yoga classes and massage therapists at the workplace.
Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Employer Wellness Program resources column in the staff member newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health.

Wellness Competitions Are Popping Up Everywhere

Wellness Competitions are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Competitions are usually about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams, these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and just making better life and health choices overall.

The best part about Wellness Competitions is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner.

Wellness Competitions provides incentive reward to Get Healthy

Establishing a Wellness Competitions in your office is a great way to get staff members to participate in your established Employee Health Promotion Program. Have staff members form teams and receive points for everything from attending a organization Health and Wellness Fair to getting a health risk assessment to starting an exercise regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated.

Wellness Competitions Improve Corporate Health

Not only will Wellness Competitions improve the health of your staff members, it will improve the overall health of the corporation by offering benefits such as fewer injuries, worker’s comp claims, decreased health care costs, better staff member attendance, and better organization morale.

Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Competitions!

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Employee Health Promotion Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Health Promotion Programs

The report states that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are Effective Tools

The report states that Employee Health Promotion Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Health Promotion Programs will improve the health of staff members, improve the organization image, improve staff member morale, reduce staff member absences and sick leave, increase staff member productivity, and reduce organization health care expenses.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Health Promotion Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Employer Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Employer Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the staff members. Workers should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Employer Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

Employer Wellness Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Employee Health Promotion Programs … do they provide a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever company’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Employer Wellness Program ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Employer Wellness Program ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Employer Wellness Program ROI is not an easy thing to do for companies because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the organizations that have taken the time to determine the Employer Wellness Program ROI of their Employee Health Promotion Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of staff member health and the slowing of the rate of their staff member health care expenses.

Employer Wellness Program ROI Alliance

Employer Wellness Program ROI is such an important aspect of today’s organization culture, that several large organizations have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

The alliance, formed by Henry Ford Health Systems, BMW of North America, Kraft Foods Global, Schlumberger Limited and MasterCare Worldwide, strongly believes in showing the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs and want to develop a standard for how Employee Health Promotion Programs are measured.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an organization-offered staff member Employee Health Promotion Program:

Employee assistance Programs (EAPs)
Disease Management Programs (DM)
Fitness and exercise Programs
Health Risk Assessments
Worksite health care Programs
Individual wellness profiles
Preventive Health Screening and Biometric Testings and immunizations
Smoking-cessation Programs
Phone based Employee Health Promotion Programs
Weight Management / Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.

Wellness During the Summer

Wellness is important all year long; however if your staff members haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon, then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal season to get back into shape and improve overall Wellness.  The weather is beautiful, staff members can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage.  Fitness, or lack of physical fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to starting a Employer Wellness Program in the Summer.  Employees are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they are in the cooler months of the fall and winter.  The summer months are also a great time to begin a Wellness challenge with your staff members and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a participant picnic or cookout.  Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Employer Wellness Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps when starting a Employer Wellness Program in your office.

Pick a coordinator for the Employer Wellness Program who is willing and able to see it through.
Make sure that you have the support of organization leadership.
Formulate a Wellness committee
Use a Employer Wellness Program survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your Employer Wellness Program
Provide Health Risk Assessments
Analyze the Employer Wellness Program and changes as needed
Do not forget to stress that the Employer Wellness Program is for the employees.  Employee Health Promotion Programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension.  taking part in in a Employer Wellness Program that provides all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the staff members.