Posted by Employer Wellness | Posted in Employer Wellness | Posted on 19-07-2010
Wellness Programs are excellent for waistlines and your bottom line
In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, companys have understood the benefits associated with keeping employees well – increased productivity from reduced absenteeism and reduced disability claims.
For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many businesses realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, businesses ought to consider Wellness Programs as a way to keep staff members healthy.
But just how important are these programs to employees? How often are they willing to participate in programs designed to positively impact their wellness? Who do workers trust to provide them with important information about their health?
Answers to these questions and more were recently garnered from a research study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).
The AAOHN survey questioned 500 workers nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60 percent consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current company.
Staff Member retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building wellness programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented workers and to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.
Wellness wish list
Workers appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85% of survey respondents cited stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.
In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include screening programs (84 percent), exercise/physical fitness programs (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management (DM) workshops (80 percent).
In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and workplace violence.
Starting a Wellness Program
With such a broad range of health concerns, a key goal for corporations is finding a way to proactively address the health needs of the largest number of workers, and effectively change unhealthful behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and disease.
Printed materials like brochures, posters, fliers or brochures present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different individuals require different formats for learning.
A good rule of thumb – provide information in a variety of learning formats such as videos, flyers, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch and learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.
This assumes you have overcome the first hurdle – getting people to sign on to a wellness program. While survey respondents indicated wellness programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) reported that they participated in the wellness programs at their companies. the other 40 percent cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.
This points to the need for a comprehensive, structured wellness program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing.
By investing in an organized wellness program headed by a certified health care professional such as an on-site nurse, companies can give employees the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.
The result – staff members become savvier healthcare consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health. and healthier staff members make for a healthier bottom line.