Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

Employee Wellness Programs first became popular during the economic boom of the late 1980s and early 90s. Programs featured on-Site gyms and massages, and were used as recruitment tools for young staff members searching for nontraditional work environments. However, when the tech bubble burst, so too did the willingness to spend money on perceived perks, and businesses returned to a more old-school benefit structure focused on managed medical care.

In recent years, as Healthcare costs have spiraled out of control, organizations have explored the potential of Employee Wellness Programs as a cost-saving strategy. Businesses such as Johnson and Johnson, General Motors, Motorola and Union Pacifi c Railroad have all seen a signifi cant return on investments in employee health (See Case Studies, p.20). Employee Wellness Programs can help reduce the costs associated with:

Healthcare premiums – The cost a company pays for health care insurance: According to a 2005 study by Hewitt, the Healthcare cost per employee in the United States in 2006 will average $8,046, with employers absorbing nearly two-thirds of that cost.

Prescription costs – The price of a drug plan: According to a 2005 study by Mercer, the average annual drug costs for big organizations grew 11.5%, making it nearly a decade straight of double-digit increases in cost.

Short-term disability (STD) – The cost of offering STD insurance to staff members: According to a 2004 study by insurance provider Cigna, the average STD claim results in $13,094 in direct disability payments and healthcare costs. The report also found that 26% of claims related to healthcare events were a result of chronic conditions that could likely be mediated through Employee Health Promotion Programs, and that these cases amount for 56% of the STD-related healthcare costs.

Absenteeism – The cost of missed work: Absenteeism cost organizations $660 per employee in 2004, with nearly one-third of organizations characterizing the trend as a somber issue.

Presenteeism – The cost associated with employees who work at decreased productivity levels: Sixty percent of the total cost of employee illnesses come from presenteeism, according to a 2004 study by the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Cornell University.

The evidence is clear that strategically designed Workplace Health Promotion Programs can decrease both direct and indirect Medical Care costs. A 2004 review of Workplace Health Promotion Programs revealed that, in total, an investment of $1 by a organization in Wellness Programming returned a median cost savings of $2.05 to $4.64.

Employee Program Engagement is the level at which workers are aligned with and working toward organization goals and objectives. Employee Program Engagement is persuaded by a wide range of factors that comprise of internal talks, organization structure, benefits and recognition.

Employers that have high levels of employee engagement benefit from greater productivity, retention and achievement than peers with disengaged workers.  Levels of engagement among workers in the United States have been declining over the past several years as individuals have become disillusioned with the treatment of workers by employers. The inability to involve workers is one of the reasons why, despite steady rises in hours worked, America lags behind several other nations in terms of employee productivity per hours worked.

Workplace Wellness Programs may increase employee engagement in several ways. First, when communicated properly, they corroborate to employees that the corporation cares about their well-being. This can improve retention and turnover as well as support a greater discretionary effort from employees. During a period of significant downsizing, Motorola found increased interest in its Workplace Wellness Programs as managers recognized the value of providing for the health and well-being of employees.

In addition, the health improvements will lower absenteeism and presenteeism (when workers continue to work despite decreased productivity), allowing for more time spent at full productivity. Lastly, healthier workers are more likely to have increased morale, which translates into a more enjoyable and more effective work environment.

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports defines wellness as “a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of well-being.” Wellness looks beyond the current guide of treating disease and focuses on preventive actions and healthier lifestyles. Employee Wellness Programs, also commonly referred to as Employee Wellness Programs, serve as a complement to existing insurance-based health benefit programs and can take many forms and address a myriad different potential health conditions. They are a powerful strategy to promote positive lifestyle changes that can result in significant cost savings for businesses.

Examples of potential components of a Workplace Wellness Program cover:

Health Risk Assessments / Employee Health Screenings – Health Risk Assessments (aka Health Risk Appraisals), evaluate the most prevalent lifestyle-related risks of an individual. HRAs frequently cover screenings for Blood Pressure (BP), cholesterol, glucose levels and other health indicators. These analyses supply significant benchmarking measures that ideally will allow staff members to prevent or lower their risk of diseases. Finding Wealth Through Wellness, As noted by Kathryn Krivy, director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Wellness Institute in Chicago, “Medically based Health Risk Assessments are a necessity because in order to affect transformation in your organization, you need to know what the issues are, and you just do not know until you get the data.”

Physical Activity and Weight Management – One of the most popular Employee Wellness Programs is for organizations to supply access to a fitness center, frequently on-Site. Other potential measures include offering healthier vending machines and cafeteria options, weight management support groups and fitness challenge programs. Some organizations, like hospital group Baptist Health South Florida, will even pay for workers to attend weight-loss seminars such as Weight Watchers.

Awareness and Education Programs – Many  companies hold events discussing the benefits of nutrition, safety or physical fitness, among other topics. Other options are to host a wellness fair or lead a disease-awareness campaign.

Behavior Modification – This covers issues like smoking, wearing seat belts, and alcohol use. While many companies will supply assistance for staff members looking to change behavior, some companies, like healthcare benefits administrator Weyco, Inc., mandate changes, such as stopping smoking, as a condition of employment.

Alternative Treatments – Other Worksite Health Promotion Programs can comprise of absorbing some or all of the costs for massages, stress-reduction activities like yoga or even herbal medicines.

A more progressive and systemic solution may incorporate businesses starting Workplace Health Promotion Programs, which allow businesses to be proactive in preventing disease and promoting healthier lifestyles for employees. When implemented effectively, this approach can guide to reduced direct costs from claims, a reduction in Healthcare premiums and increased employee productivity.

Yet while Workplace Health Promotion Programs potentially offer companies substantial cost savings, the success of the programming is dependent upon the ability to involve workers in them. Additionally, companies must navigate the legal and cultural challenges posed by Workplace Health Promotion Programs: Companies really should be careful that initiatives respect protected classes and the privacy of workers. Moreover, companies must battle resistance from workers wary of their employer regulating off-the-clock actions.

Over the next 6-12 posts we’ll layout the case for Workplace Health Promotion Programs in today’s employment environment, arguing that the cost savings and increased employee engagement outweigh potential restrictions. We will examine the considerations a corporation must make before beginning a Workplace Health Promotion Program and the communication necessary to create successful engagement from workers. Finally, we will discuss several successful Workplace Health Promotion Programs and provide a list of resources that corporations can use for guidance.

During the past decade healthcare insurance premiums have climbed steadily. This is taking a toll on the bottom-line of employers, cutting into earnings, limiting growth and forcing a reevaluation of a once sacred employee benefit system. According to a projection by McKinsey & Co., at the present rate, by 2008 health benefits will eclipse earnings at the average Fortune 500 organization.

Businesses, through private healthcare insurance employers, are the leading provider of healthcare services in America. In 2004, 59.8% of American citizens were covered by a company-based healthcare insurance program, accounting for 88% of all private healthcare insurance. Yet the growing costs of Healthcare, ever-rising drug prices and a steady rise in chronic illnesses have brought the corporate world to a breaking point.

For many companies the increasing burden has become too difficult to carry. During the past five years healthcare insurance premiums have grown an average of 11.6% annually, more than four times the average rate of inflation and employee earnings over that time.3 Not surprisingly, this growth in costs has caused the number of companies offering Health Care services during that time to drop from 69% to 60%.4 In addition, in 2005,  healthcare insurance premiums jumped 9.2%, more than three times the rate of inflation – and that was the lowest increase in the past five years.

In this environment corporations need to find progressive ways to mitigate the rising costs of Medical Care coverage. Seemingly, the easiest strategies to accomplish this goal would be to cut benefits coverage or pass on agrowing burden to workers and retirees. More than 80% of corporations have chosen one or both of these options in the past few years and almost half of all sizable corporations are likely to increase the amount workers pay in 2007.5

However, these methods do nothing to address the fundamental causes of increasing costs, one of which is a population that needs increased medical. To make a lasting and substantial influence on costs and overriding health, companies need to look beyond a antiquated reactive-based approach.

Planning company fitness and Worksite Health Promotion Programs is not about beginning a grand scheme that is so complicated it is underutilized.

Company Wellness Programs are about establishing an environment that encourages fitness and healthy living. The program should be accessible and make sense to the people it is directed at throughout the day.

The results will be a plan that gives plenty of opportunity for exercise, teaches proper nutrition and stays current on health concerns advantageous to the staff members.

The results will be a plan that provides plenty of opportunity for exercise, teaches proper nutrition and stays current on health concerns productive to the workers.

Structuring Business Physical Activity Programs and Workplace Health Promotion Programs – Making a Proposition

Planning employer fitness and Corporate Wellness Programs means understanding there are many directions the program can take. For starters, it must be of interest to employees at all levels.

The company’s proposal to the employee is this: you take better care of yourselves and we will help you accomplish your goal. To be effective, the Worksite Wellness Program must be pervasive.

In other words, it must address the needs of the top executives as well as the warehouse employees. The variety of jobs within a organization usually indicate wide differences in stress and strain levels on the body and differences in mental and emotional stress.

The program must also take into account employee habits at work and at home. A company with a company fitness and Corporate Health Promotion Program in place sends the message to its staff members and customers is that the company takes health seriously.

Structuring employer fitness and Worksite Wellness Programs involves determining the types of activities that will be most effective for the postion.

Every company will need a different plan. A company fitness plan can cover a lot more than just an physical activity program and dietary planning.

It can offer real opportunity to enhance the entire business environment. A Company Health Promotion Program can comprise of the following:
• Health intervention for existing health issues
• Recreational programs that engage employees and their families
• Ergonomics to reduce work strain and resulting injuries
• Specialized programs that target employees with physical conditions interfering with work achievement
• Approaching health and fitness topics related to an aging work force
• Beginning physical activity programs specifically designed to broaden employee job-specific strength

The benefits of carefully coordinating business fitness and Company Wellness Programs are obvious. Workers get access to the physical activity program either onsite or through business membership at the fitness center.

Planning organization fitness and Worksite Wellness Programs means including those components critical to great health.
• Meal structuring and wholesome nutrition choices
• Seminars instructing on the food pyramid and how the body processes nutrients
• Instruction on exercising safely
• Weight loss and weight management

The benefits for the business are endless.
• Savings on Medical Care costs
• Less employee sick days
• Staff Members with a sense of health fitness
• Lowerincidences of chronic illnesses
• Attracts new employees dedicated to fitness

Structuring Organization Fitness Programs and Company Health Promotion Programs – Closing the Deal

Beginning and structuring employer fitness and Worksite Wellness Programs nets big rewards for workers and the employer.
employees are happier, feel better, are more satisfied with their work, are healthier and have more vitality.
Stress is lowerd which positively influences the attitudes of staff members, lowers injuries and makes staff members more productive.
Closing the deal on a physical activity program means the organization and employees sign on the dotted line of health. Do not let Health Care care costs continue to rise. Begin now planning organization fitness and Workplace Health Promotion Programs.

Worksite Wellness Program proposals must be designed so that they meet company intention.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs for workers are the newest attack on employee unhealthy lifestyles that are equating to exorbitant healthcare expenses.

Corporate Wellness Program Proposals for beginning a program must take into consideration the type of business, the budget and the makeup of the employee population.

Company Health Promotion Programs for office employee will be different than programs for construction employees

The goal will be same, but the approach to reaching those goal will be different. For a program to be considered successful, outcomes must be measurable.

• staff members achieve better overriding conditioning
• Healthcare claims lower
• Productiveness increases
• employees experience fewer sick days
• Number of injuries declines
• Physical problems like high Blood Pressure (BP) are decreased
In general, Employee Health Promotion Program proposals must target the fitness concerns at the employer and provide plans for change.

Company Wellness Program Proposals – Going the Distance

There are many different kinds of wellness proposals.

• One-one-one employee assessments by a  professional health care provider
• Outside specialist assistance for program design and implementation only
• Ongoing program monitoring by a personal trainer
• In-house program design
• Health Center memberships
• Worksite Health Promotion Programs
• Complete Employee Health Promotion Programs including nutrition and fitness
• Programs that address a specific topic like injury at the worksite

These are just a few forms Corporate Health Promotion Program proposals can take. A Wellness program can be very basic or elaborate depending on the business budget. A program can include up to 4 components.

• Education on health topics
• Assessment programs with follow-up screening
• Employer culture of health improvement

• Fitness and nutrition programs – supervised and unsupervised programs can comprise of a myriad of health and fitness information and exercises. The rewards for starting a Corporate Health Promotion Program are unlimited.

Worksite Wellness Program proposals offer a way for management to invest in their staff members with a promise of returns in the form of productivity and cost savings.

Wellness Proposals – Healthy Alternatives

Worksite Wellness Program proposals provide workers alternatives to specific health problems. Proposals can address particular problems in addition to central fitness.

These topics include quitting smoking, more flexibility for job performance, preventing back injuries, preventing repetitive motion strain, improving loss of functionality due to age and prenatal programs.

Worksite Wellness Program proposals ought to have intention that comprise of improving employee morale, more productiveness, reducing absenteeism, more employee vitality and netting Health Care savings to the corporation.

Employee Health Promotion Program costs can significantly vary and many cover cost sharing between the employee and the employer to cover health club fees. The bottom line is that a employer can design a Employee Health Promotion Program proposal that suits the employer budget, employee lifestyles, and employee and employer objective.

In any of the Employee Health Promotion Program proposals, healthy alternatives to current company problems must be spelled out. Employee health is a top priority for any company that cares about its success.

Research online the different Worksite Wellness Program proposals that are available for organizations. Then select the one that works as if your employees’ lives depended on it, because that very well may be the case.

Workplace Wellness Programs has become a vital component of corporations. It has become apparent in a service oriented economy that employees are living more sedentary lives than ever before.

As a outcome, a myriad of healthcare ailments plague the workforce costing the employee quality of life, while the company faces increasing Health Care costs.

It is a postion in which no one wins. Waiting until the problem occurs is self-defeating for both the employer and the employee member. Worksite Health Promotion Programs only makes good sense by approaching the issue before it happens.

Workplace Wellness Program – Cease and Desist Order

Employee Wellness Programs are like cease and desist orders. These particular orders are instructions on why staff members ought to cease living unhealthy lives and desist from eating junk food.

Let’s face it – employee frequently eat unhealthy food throughout the day. Office workers, line workers, sales associates, and executives – they all fall prey to the temptations of donuts, vending machines food, office party snacks and so on.

The bad habits continue at home. Food that is bad for your health is staples in an abundance of diets. These foods include too much white bread, cakes, alcohol, fast food picked up on the way home and unhealthy snacks like buttered popcorn and sugar rich soda drinks.

Poor diet and little or no exercise results in serious chronic illnesses eventually including heart disease and strokes.

Waiting until the ailments occur is expensive. Rising medical care costs are taking a genuine financial toll on employers. Every dime that is spent on illness recovery could have been spent on a organization preventive health and Workplace Health Promotion Program.

Prevention means creating conditions such that illness and injury are minimized through diet and exercise and an awareness of what is a great fitness plan.

• employees are screened for potential for serious chronic diseases such as diabetes
• workers are taught the value of great nutrition and how to develop a dietary plan
• Individual job stress levels are evaluated
• Fitness Programs are made easily accessible to encourage participation
• Frequent classes are helpful on relevant issues of health and Corporate Health Promotion Programs
• Business offers incentive programs to maximize participation

A lot employees don’t understand the long-term consequences of living a life with little or no exercise. Workplace Health Promotion Programs bring the information to the employees so they can make informed decisions.

The decline in sick days, reduced injuries and decreased stress improves manufacturing and declines costs.

Company Wellness Program – Resuming New Health

Employee Health Promotion Programs can be elaborate menus of choices or simple plans that show staff members how to enhance their quality of life.

The programs can cover all the problems that confront workers during their work day also. These kinds of topics include preventing injury, fitting exercise into a busy schedule, making wholesome fast food choices or decreasing work related stress.

No matter what form the organization preventive health and exercise program takes the rewards will be rapidly incurred. It only takes a couple of weeks for workers to begin to feel the results of a more active life.

A exercise program instructs on diet and provides the opportunity for exercises that tone, strengthen and enhance flexibility.

Workplace Wellness Programs only make sense. It establishes a corporation culture that speaks volumes about the priority of a healthy lifestyle.

Once staff members stop their old sedentary habits, they are left with the choice of resuming new healthy attitudes and practices.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are here to stay.

Corporation health and fitness are not just words to be spouted so people think the employer cares about its employees. Health and fitness are valuable concepts that are just as vital to a employer as finance and sales.

That’s because the health of its workers is one of the big determinants of the health of the company. Organization workers labor long and tough hours and sometimes the price they pay becomes an unhealthy lifestyle.

A responsible business does not want its staff members to be troubled with countless weighty health concerns. A Company Wellness Program is a consolidation of an staff members desire to fit exercise into a hectic schedule and a company’s desire for a healthy crew.

It’s a takeover of poor health affecting employer manufacturing.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs – Benefits

Bearer bonds are owned by whoever has them in hand. Their value to the individual who carries them is realized by ownership. Health operates under the same concept.

An employee and the corporation must take ownership of the Worksite Wellness Program concept. A corporation has many choices as to how it creates a health and Worksite Wellness Programs.

• A consultant company writes a company specific fitness plan
• A Corporate Health Promotion Program professional and the organization jointly create a fitness plan
• An internet based fitness consultant can be utilized
• A personal trainer at a gym develops a corporation program
• Organization can create its own plan without assistance from outside professionals.

A Workplace Health Promotion Program may center around a program at a health center. It can also be based at the worksite itself, making it easily accessible to employees.

Utilizing a consultant provides means the employer gets knowledge based assistance in evaluating staff members. Each employee gets an evaluation of basic health status. Customized fitness plans are instituted and progress is monitored.

A qualified professional can be available at the health center, or visit onsite as schedules. Some organizations hire a fitness trainer to work directly with staff members on an ongoing basis at the workplace. Other organizations pay for the services of a trainer at the nearest health center.

The employer health and Worksite Health Promotion Programs vary. A employer may institute a fitness plan that includes employees and their families by paying for family membership at the fitness center.

The advantages of this plan is that the whole family can use the gym, which encourages participation. A lot  companies pay for the entire expense of the Employee Health Promotion Program at a gym.

Some employers pay a portion while the employee must pay the difference. Others only pay part and the employee pays the balance. Some company fitness plans are multi-layered and offer a wide range of exercise classes and seminars on nutrition.

There are group movements and daily tips for working on health. Some plans are very simple in that most of the internal Worksite Wellness Program is mostly information. All exercise is done outside the corporation at the fitness center.

It doesn’t matter what form the plan takes. The point is that a Employee Health Promotion Program is valuable for the success of the corporation and the health of the staff members. Taking care of its most valuable assets, the staff members, only makes sense.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs – Like Stock Options?

Businesses offer stock options, whereby employees can buy stock in the business. It is another form of ownership. Workers have many options when it comes to fitness.

Their health needs, genetics, work environment and current physical condition all play into the structure of the Company Health Promotion Program. It is up to the organization to offer a program that involves all employees so that maximum rewards are realized on both sides.

In other words, employees have plenty of choices and the organization realizes real dollar savings through a healthier labor force.

Organization Fitness Program – Group Effort

Companies are expected to be socially responsible in today’s culture. It used to be staff members had few amenities, because the business didn’t see any advance to the business.

Times have changed drastically. Companies now be aware of that the health of its employee workforce is indicative of the health of the organization itself. The organization exercise program was introduced to encourage active employee lifestyles, even while on the job.

Half The Time

Stress is a huge factor in how we control a heavy workload. Stress impacts our physical and mental wellness. It even creates a chemical that is processed into fat by our bodies. A employer exercise program uses exercise and health information to teach employees how to stay personally fit.

When in-shape, the body and mind is much better able to control stress. Stress has much side effects. It can cause inattention, sickness and high Blood Pressure. These effects in turn cost the company much money in absenteeism, poor work rate and higher healthcare costs.

A business physical activity program makes fitness a priority in the business among its staff members. In return, a physical activity program provides many rewards to the business.

• Increased productiveness because of changes in health
• Greater employee concentration due to minimization of stress effects
• General better morale
• Lowered absenteeism

You frequently hear people who are under much stress say, “I don’t know why I did that” when they make a mistake. The truth is they probably really don’t know that their concentration is misdirected because of stress.

I Want to Participate

A company physical activity program can take many forms.

• Fitness Program can be set up at the company’s facility and managed by an employee
• Employer exercise program  can have a organization membership with a nearby fitness center
• Fitness Program can be under contract with a fitness trainer who comes to the employer’s facility and coordinates the program, including employee evaluations
• Exercise Program can be managed by an employee workplace using the services of a web based exercise program

A corporation physical activity program can be modified in almost any way necessary to accommodate the corporation and its staff members.

Usually, in any program, seminars are offered periodically also to inform workers of current health concerns and trends. As a minimum, a corporation program normally will offer the following:

• Aerobics for cardiovascular conditioning
• Abdomen strength building
• General muscle toning
• Exercises for increased flexibility

More elaborate programs will provide employee courses, courses and fitness center equipment. Company programs can be adapted to any business and any budget.

Why Will This Work

We spend much time at work. It’s simple for employees to skip working out, blaming it on lack of time. Using professional fitness services like those found here takes away the excuses that are costing the corporation money.