Strategic Employer Wellness Program planning

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 11-12-2008

Take the time to plan Employee Health Promotion Programs before they are started.

Strategic planning enables better use of all your resources. Include all the steps below when you plan a Wellness activity.
• Do your homework – Identify the science and research that support your interventions. Look for similar Employee Health Promotion Programs that already exist.
• Determine the specific health need(s) - Use these needs to target interventions to problems that are an issue for your population.
• Organize a team - A team is a resource multiplier. Network and build as many partnerships as you can.
• Make a plan, but don’t start completely from scratch. Create a written plan for your Employee Health Promotion Program. Look for every opportunity to take advantage of resources that already exist. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
• Select a focus – Choose one or two main target areas for Employee Health Promotion Programs. Address all five stages of change in the target areas rather than trying to hit every possible Wellness topic.
• Determine your resources - What assets do you have? What assets will you need? How can you fill the gaps?
• Get Upper Management support – Think like Upper Management. Communicate the value of Wellness from Upper Management’s perspective.
• Start the activity- Be flexible. Be prepared for unexpected challenges.
• Market the activity - Keep your Employer Wellness Program visible for Upper Management, line and medical personnel, Employer Wellness Program members, and potential partners and volunteers.
• Collect and analyze outcomes - Outcomes indicate Employer Wellness Program impact. Start with just a few outcomes – you don’t have to collect everything. Remember that it’s never too late to start measuring Employer Wellness Program impact.
• Assess, improve and re-evaluate – Use participant feedback and Employer Wellness Program outcomes to determine Employer Wellness Program impact. Identify areas in need of improvement. Use outcomes to determine if expended resources were worth the results.

Employee Health Promotion Program: Small Steps

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 10-12-2008

Why use small steps toward health behavior change?

Small steps give members immediate feedback on the changes they make towards better health. Measuring these small steps is also an excellent way to collect interim Employer Wellness Program effectiveness data.

Employer Wellness Program small steps make a big difference

Small steps for Employer Wellness Program members
• Walk to work.
• Use fat free milk instead of whole milk.
• Each day think of two things you are grateful for.
• Do sit-ups while you watch TV.
• Drink water before a meal.
• Take 10 deep breaths to relieve tension.
• Eat half your dessert.
• Skip second helpings and buffets.

Measuring small Employer Wellness Program steps

• Use short pre- and mid-point surveys to ask:
• How many glasses of water do you drink a day?
• How frequently you do eat fast food?
• How frequently do you skip a meal?
• How frequently do you engage in physical activity?
• How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat each day?

Use the results to show members how their health behaviors are changing for the better.

• Ask members to rate their health status and/or stress levels before and after an intervention.
• Add up individual (or team) steps and mark the progress on a map towards a far away destination.
• Be innovative! Do not rely only on weight loss, BMI, or cholesterol tests as health status progress indicators or health behavior change feedback.

Wise words for taking small Employer Wellness Program steps

• The first wealth is health. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle)
• The victory is not always to the swift, but to those who keep moving. (CDC)
• There are 1440 minutes in every day…schedule 30 of them for physical activity. (CDC)

Employer Wellness Program Follow Up

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 09-12-2008

Why Employer Wellness Program follow up?

Getting feedback from Employer Wellness Program members serves two purposes: to obtain data that quantifies a Wellness Program’s impact, and to find ways to improve a Employee Health Promotion Program.

Building follow up into your Employer Wellness Program

Keep it simple
• Keep follow up to information you absolutely require. A three-question survey is more likely to get a response than one with 20 questions.
• Use email or phone for follow-up. Use personal and business email addresses; use cell phone and unit phone numbers.
• Go to the Employees: go to the unit or somewhere else they will all be gathered, and get follow up information there.
• Give members a stamped envelope addressed to you, with a printed form listing the information you will need.

Make it structured
• Tell members right from the beginning that you will be doing follow up after the Employer Wellness Program is finished. Be specific about the information you will collect.
• If you need to do hands-on measurements, find out if members will be coming back to your location for another reason (like another clinic appointment). Ask them to stop by while they are in the building – or, better yet, go to where they will be.
• Ask members where they will be the next time you will be collecting data. They may already know their next duty station if they will be PCSing soon.
• Plan ahead for follow up and put it on the schedule. Planning to do follow up “when you have time” usually means follow up will never get done.

Make it catchy
• Give members something to go along with the request for information. By way of example, if you send an email to ask for information, send along a yummy recipe or a timely excercise tip.
• Schedule a ‘reunion’ day to collect follow up information. Invite members to come back and share successes and challenges. Have some (healthy) munchies available.
• Have a silly contest – the team with the most follow up data wins something, like having their photos posted on a prominently-placed bulletin board or an eggplant trophy, or some other fun thing.

Innovative Employer Wellness Program marketing

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 08-12-2008

Why bother to market your Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Because of the transient nature of the many employee populations, you must market your Employee Health Promotion Programs all the time. Your goal should be to keep your Employee Health Promotion Programs as visible as possible.

Innovative marketing can increase awareness of your Employer Wellness Program for:

• Potential Employer Wellness Program members
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Innovative Employer Wellness Program marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Employer Wellness Program as frequently as possible.
• By way of example: invite Upper Management to judge a Employer Wellness Program logo contest.

Link your Employee Health Promotion Programs to national advertising campaigns
• …like the Great American Smokeout and the Dairy Council’s Milk Mustache campaign.

Collaborate closely with personnel in the organization office.

• Submit articles about your Employee Health Promotion Programs that coincide with National Health Observances. By way of example: highlight your Asthma Program in May, which is National Asthma Awareness Month.
• Let the organization office know you can always provide an article to them when they run short on material. (Then make sure you always follow through.)
Word of mouth is the most effective advertising for your Employer Wellness Program
• Use real workers in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Employer Wellness Program members or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Start “buzz” by incorporating an element of competition: which ‘team’ had the most steps over the past week? Which department engaged most frequently in physical activity?
Take advantage of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t just market your Employer Wellness Program to potential members, but market the opportunities for others to be involved, as well.
• By way of example: does the Red Cross know you can always use a volunteer? Do other departments/clinics know that you can always use personnel with some temporary down time?
Don’t be “old news”
• If you put advertising materials up, be sure to take them down in a timely manner.
• Update marketing logos and themes as appropriate.

Employer Wellness Program Data

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 07-12-2008

What is Employer Wellness Program data?

Employer Wellness Program data is information that is collected about your Employee Health Promotion Program. All Employee Health Promotion Programs should include data as an integral part of the Employer Wellness Program plan.

Why should you care about Employer Wellness Program data?

Data tells the Wellness story. Data is the tangible evidence of a Wellness Program’s impact.

Building data into Employee Health Promotion Programs

Why bother with Employer Wellness Program Data?

You need Employer Wellness Program data to:

• Assess whether or not your Employer Wellness Program is working.
• Answer the ‘so what?’ about the need for a Employee Health Promotion Program.
• Offer information to Upper Management about the impact of the Employee Health Promotion Program.
• Write a budget justification so you can secure Employer Wellness Program resources.
• Use Employer Wellness Program resources efficiently and market your Employer Wellness Program more effectively.

Where to start collecting Employer Wellness Program data:

• MAKE A PLAN to collect the data: decide what, when, and how data will be collected.
• Determine what data is ALREADY BEING COLLECTED.
o By way of example: use dairy sales data in the dining facility to measure the impact of a milk marketing/dairy month campaign.
• Start collecting JUST A FEW small pieces of information. Be innovative!
o By way of example: BMI, APFT scores (before & after), tobacco quit rates

IT’S NEVER TO LATE TO START collecting Employer Wellness Program data.

Innovative Employer Wellness Program data strategies
• Use local college/graduate students to help collect, input, and analyze Employer Wellness Program data.
• If your employer has an internship program, get to know the Internship Director. Take advantage of intern resources – including having the Director and/or interns begin the data collection plan for your Employee Health Promotion Program.
• Use data to let upper management know about the Employee Health Promotion Programs affect on the workers.

Present this information at their monthly/quarterly meetings.
• Use innovative follow-up strategies to get data. Phone calls can be effective, but also consider email, mailed surveys with return postage provided, and going to the units in person to collect the information.
• Make data collection ‘fun’ for Employer Wellness Program members.
o By way of example: use a team approach – the team with the ‘best’ overall results gets some sort of award or recognition.
• ALWAYS relate the impact of your Employer Wellness Program to readiness.

Keys to Effective Employee Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 06-12-2008

Collaboration and Effective Employee Health Promotion Programs

Why should you collaborate?

Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Employer Wellness Program resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.

How can you build collaboration into a Employee Health Promotion Program?

Get Ready…
• Brainstorm a list of every potential Wellness partner you can think of. Be innovative!
• Be a politician: introduce yourself to everyone BEFORE you need their help.
• Develop a plan to get Upper Management support from as high up the chain as possible. Ensure that to include specific ways that your Employer Wellness Program will impact force readiness.
• Determine how YOU can help your organizations (not just what they can do for you).

Be Steady…
• Solicit input from everyone that your Employer Wellness Program will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the workers closest to Employer Wellness Program implementation (those with “boots on the ground”).
• The most frequently asked questions should be: “What would you suggest?” and “How do you think this would work best?”
• Identify someone who has done the same type of Employer Wellness Program before and ask their advice. (Hint: the Employer Wellness Program has a list of many Wellness POCs.)
• Plan NOW to show Employer Wellness Program effectiveness. Identify who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Employer Wellness Program is working.

Get Set…
• Step back and look at your Employer Wellness Program from a potential partner’s point of view.
• Brainstorm questions your collaborators might have, and have the answers ready.
• Be ready to frame your “selling points” in terms that are important to each specific partner.
• Put the Employer Wellness Program benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
• Stress to potential partners how this Employer Wellness Program will provide benefit to them.

And Go…
• Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you begin a Employee Health Promotion Program.
• Make your partnerships a two-way street: always let your collaborators know what you can do for them – then follow-up and do what you say you would do.
• Maintain Upper Management support by offering a regular flow of information. Invite Upper Management participation in the Employer Wellness Program and special events whenever possible. (Hint: they make great judges if you have a contest.)
• Offer regular feedback to your collaborators.
• Don’t hog the spotlight: let your collaborators share in the visibility of the Employee Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs – The Good and The Bad

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 05-12-2008

Employee Health Promotion Programs at the organization level are beneficial, right? Wellness statistics clearly show that such Employee Health Promotion Programs are not only cost-effective to the organization but can assist the employee in developing a healthier lifestyle. With the rising cost of health care, Employee Health Promotion Programs simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let’s examine the topic from both perspectives.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: The Good

• A sampling of return on investment for Employee Health Promotion Programs: Bank of America: 600%; General Motors:370%; Pepsico: 300%; Citibank: 465%; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560%. (Campbell,J., Wellness Improvement Experts, www.wellnessimprovementexperts.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
• Companies with Employee Health Promotion Programs have found a 28 percent reduction in sick leave, a 26 percent reduction in adjunctive healthcare costs and a 30 percent reduction in disability and workers compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)
• The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada found a $15.60 return on investment for each dollar spent due to a 20 percent reduction in rates of absence. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top Of The Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
• Employee Health Promotion Programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many individuals need in order to make lifestyle changes.
• Employees also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology employer, gave workers who filled out a health risk assessment a significant discount on their health insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, The New York Times, July 22, 2007.)

Employee Health Promotion Programs: The Bad

The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our employer to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? Some businesses are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
• Three hundred businesses have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more aggressive Employee Health Promotion Programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will start lowering employee paychecks by $10.00 for every employee who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 29.9 because not enough workers were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective employer, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the employer’s antismoking policy violated his civil rights. The employer has a policy against hiring workers who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, The New York Times,July 22,2007.)
• employee advocates are concerned that health discrimination may not be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

Penalizing workers by hitting them hardest where it hurts the most, in their pocketbook, does not appear to be a favorable approach to molding human behavior.
Such tactics may result in increased resentments and retaliation, primarily in the form of rates of absence and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based initiatives, such as the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results. A positive attitude on the part of management along with an opportunity for workers to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and employee.The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.

Employer Wellness Program Return On Investment

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 04-12-2008

For well over a decade, research studies have been showing the effectiveness of Employee Health Promotion Programs. For each dollar spent on Employee Health Promotion Programs, the returns have been cost savings of between $2.30 and $10.10 in the areas of decreased rates of absence, fewer sick days, decreased WSIB/WCB claims, lowered health and insurance costs, and improvements to employee performance and productivity.

Statistics do show that Employee Health Promotion Programs increase employee morale, improve the ability to attract and retain key workers, all while having more alert and productive workers. Some Employer Wellness Program return on investment statistics of note:

• Canada Life Insurance reported a return of $3.43 on Employee Health Promotion Program, and an overall Employer Wellness Program return on investment of $6.85 on each organization dollar invested on decreased turnover (32.4 percent lower), productivity gains and decreased medical claims,
• DuPont’s Employer Wellness Program pilot sites saw a saving of 11,726 disability days and a return of U.S. $2.05 for each dollar invested by the end of the second year,
• The Canadian government’s Employer Wellness Program return on investment was $1.95-$3.75 per employee per dollar spent (as found by Dr. Roy Shephard),
• Municipal workers in Toronto, missed 3.35 fewer days in the first six months of their Employer Wellness Program than workers not enrolled in the program,
• British Columbia Hydro workers enrolled in a Employer Wellness Program had a turnover rate of just 3.5 percent compared with a Organization average of 10.3 percent,
• Johnson & Johnson estimated an average saving of U.S. $224.66 per employee per year for the four years examined after the program introduction, with the bulk of the savings being in the third and fourth years,
• Pacific Bell found that overall rates of absence decreased after starting a Employee Health Promotion Program,
• Coca Cola report saving $500 every year per employee after starting a Employee Health Promotion Program, with only 60 percent of their workers taking part,
• Coors Brewing Co. found that for each dollar spent on their Employer Wellness Program they saw a $5.50 return, and the workers who participated decreased their absentee rate by 18 percent, and
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for workers taking part in their program were $312, as opposed to $574 for non-members

Gold’s Gym Employee Wellness

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 03-12-2008

Employees breathe life and value into your employer.  Within the modern worksite there are increasing instances of stress, anxiety, obesity, depression, and heart disease.  The modern worksite has become increasingly physical fitness-free.

Technological advances have lessened the need to “walk” at work.  Moving a mouse has the same level of physical exertion as pressing the buttons on a remote control.  Emails, the fax, and the internet have meant that it is possible to run a employer without having to leave the chair.  The “advances” affect physical and mental health in a disastrous manner ultimately affecting your employer’s profit.

A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for disaster – heart disease, chronic back pain, repetitive stress disorder, and low employee self-esteem are symptomatic of a work environment in which the only physical fitness available is surfing the net.  Organization morale will invariably suffer if an physical fitness policy is not endorsed and put in place.

Regular physical fitness can significantly improve workplace health.  Instances of absenteeism and staff turnover, low staff morale and decreased productivity can be alleviated with a Employer Wellness Program that energizes and motivates tired workers.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and workplace fatigue can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

Studies show, workers who are physically active on a regular basis record less sick days each year and are more energetic, dynamic, and industrious.  Investing in the health of your staff pays dividends through increased productivity and goodwill.  Physically active workers are happy workers.

• Lowering health insurance and compensation costs through decreased need for medical services
• Improving productivity
• Lowering rates of absence
• Improving morale
• Lowering stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a broad-based Employer Wellness Program shows your workers you care about their well-being.

Golds Gym Employee Health Promotion Programs is committed to creating a healthy, active workforce, offering employers with training incentives for workers at our state-of-the-art facilities. Golds Gym Employee Wellness also provides training services and facility design at your office location.

Incorporating all facets of fitness training (strength, core, cardiovascular, flexibility), performing broad-based fitness assessments, designing personalized fitness initiatives, and dynamic group training initiatives.  We take pride in our talented, professional workers who provide innovative and effective Employee Health Promotion Programs for diverse workforces.

Golds Gym Employee Health Promotion Program’s workers reach beyond the walls of the excercise center to motivate, educate, and encourage workers to embrace and maintain healthy active lifestyles.  Applying practical experience the Golds Gym Employer Wellness Program delivers dynamic cost-effective Employer Wellness Program that help workers work happier, harder, and healthier.

To motivate your workers to exercise, eat better, and lose weight, you could invest heavily in facilities, equipment, and staffing to develop on-site Employee Health Promotion Programs for workers, thereby hopefully creating a healthier, more productive workforce.  However, the problem with organization excercise facilities is that workers spend one quarter of their lives at work and typically are not motivated enough to come in early or stay late to do an exercise program.

Golds Gym Employee Health Promotion Programs provides attractive discounts for businesses to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your employer becomes a member of our Employee Health Promotion Program, your workers are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of employer you keep, we have a Employer Wellness Program to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

• Coca Cola reported saving $500 per employee every year after starting a Employer Wellness Program with only 60 percent of their workers taking part.
• Pacific Bell found that overall rates of absence decreased after starting a Employee Health Promotion Program.
• Coors Brewing Company found that for each dollar spent on their Employer Wellness Program they saw a $5.50 return and the workers who participated decreased their absentee rate by 18%.
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for workers taking part in their program were $312 as opposed to $574 for non-members (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 2004).

To learn more about Gold’s Gym Employee Health Promotion Programs contact us at (336) 725-8624.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: employer Flu Shots

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Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 02-12-2008

Flu Shot Facts & Myths

Myth: The flu isn’t a serious disease.
Fact: Influenza (flu) is a serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Annually about 200,000 workers in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 workers die because of the flu. Most who die are 65 years and older. But small children less than 2 years old are as likely as those over 65 to have to go to the hospital because of the flu.

Myth: The flu shot can cause the flu.
Fact: The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some workers get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot. It goes away in a day or two. Serious problems from the flu shot are very rare.

Myth: The flu shot does not work.
Fact: The majority of of the time the flu shot will prevent the flu. In scientific studies, the effectiveness of the flu shot has ranged from 70 percent to 90 percent when there is a good match between circulating viruses and those in the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is your best protection against this disease.

Myth: The side effects are worse than the flu.
Fact: The worst side effect you’re likely to get from a flu shot is a sore arm. The nasal mist flu vaccine might cause nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and cough. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is less than 1 in 4 million.

Myth: Only older workers need a flu vaccine.
Fact: Children and adults with conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease need to get a flu shot. Doctors also recommend children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year until their 5th birthday.

Myth: You must get the flu vaccine before December.
Fact: Flu vaccine can be given before or during the flu season. The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. But you can get vaccinated in December or later.

For more information, ask your healthcare provider or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).  You can also get more information about flu shots by visiting the following Website: www.cdc.gov/flu

Source: The Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention