Health Wellness ProgramHealth and Wellness Programs and Wellness Program Consulting

Staff Members ordinarily enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Sponsor a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.

• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of staff members set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A nutritionist from the health department or local hospital or community serves as the judge.

Dishes and foods are analyzed based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes may be developed and distributed to the entire staff.

• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People  with cholesterol over 200 mg.  Are invited to voluntarily participate.  The invitation needs to be extended to all workers as the Health Promotion Team won’t have (nor should have) access to individual medical information.

Offer a variety of services to assist in lowering cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers cholesterol management health programs for personnel qualifying by cholesterol score.

If an staff member gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, provide an incentive like a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply information and reminders for continued cholesterol control.

• Label reading contest. Designate a particular food or food category. Employees must find the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the supermarket. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants.

Or, provide samples of healthier food options based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthy options. Display results of the contest in the staff member break room or at an staff member brown bag event.

Other Wellness Program Nutrition Suggestions –

• Give freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.

• Sponsor a healthful food “bake-off” once a year.

• Give sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.

• At meetings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.

• Serve free popcorn in the break area.

• Create a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by staff members.

• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Display an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if colleagues know what it is. Staff Members can put their name and the name of the item on an index card.

These can be used to conduct a prize drawing after the week from the cards with the correct answer.  To add fun, encourage people  to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item.

Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and provide a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Make certain it may be eaten raw.

Unusual food items like star fruit are now readily available in supermarkets work well for this activity as many people haven’t tried these kinds of produce.

Weight management is a major area of both worker interest and need. BMI  is the clinical measure that indicates whether people  are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese.    

The Body Mass Index is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are measured during the staff member medical testing. A computer mathematical calculation provides the Body Mass Index score.    

Ideas for workplace based weight control programs include –    

• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight control groups meet in your worksite or nearby. Make available such groups before/after work or at lunchtime. Employee attendance is usually better if personnel can attend either wholly or partially on work time.

Break times might  be rolled into lunch break times to minimize employee time away from work duties (with senior management approval). Staff Members typically pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.

• If the wellness program offers incentives based on participation, award a completion gift when staff member has attended a certain number of weight management sessions or activities.

• Supply information regarding community weight control groups.

• Incentives such as cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards could be given to person who write a weight reduction contract and meet their goal.

• Launch a worksite commitment to offer alternative healthful snacks at business-sponsored meetings. Healthy snacks such as fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies provide demonstration as to the business’s commitment to health and employee well being.

Every worksite will have staff who’ll not take part in offered employee health promotion activities. But these same staff might  be following many healthful practices in their daily living.

A good wellness program ought to give these people  credit and recognition for their good work.

Recognition of healthy goal setting and goal achievement is a good approach for reinforcing what individuals  are doing on their own outside of work, and for reaching those who don’t like group activities.    

Suggested steps for individual objectives and recognition include –    

• A form personnel can fill out which includes the set goal(s) and a target date for completion.   

• Information on establishing realistic goals, as people  often overestimate what they are able to do and by when. It’s good to remind workers “baby steps” count!   

• Maintain a confidential file of the submitted staff member goal forms in a dated “tickler” system.   

• Send a reminder to each worker at the time of each participant’s goal date. This reminder can be a copy of their original goal form. Ask for staff member’s feedback regarding their goal(s) –  completed the goal, need an extension, or have discontinued the goal.   

• When the form is returned from an employee –    

   1) When an employee has completed the goal, a certificate of completion is received along with a prize or incentive item linked to the goal (if possible).

   2) If the employee renegotiates the deadline or the goal, the form is re-filed for future follow-up. Continue to encourage the employee.

   3) If the goal is canceled, send a note acknowledging this “good try” and encourage the staff member to attempt again when the timing is right.

• Allow those interested in this process to set objectives any time and as often as they want.   

Walking Club

Walking clubs or “trekking” can either be done in real time (by scheduling walking groups), or clubs could be set it up so people  do their walking on their own and keep a shared log at work.

After a certain number of miles or steps are logged, staff are eligible for membership into the walking “club” and receive something like a prize (a walking pin, similar to the ones that volkswalkers get, or a certificate of membership).

Ways to continue interest in walking groups include –

• Periodic announcements about community walking events. Keep abreast of events in the community, Parks and Recreation wellness programs, available tracks, inside walking choices, volkswalking events, etc.

• Periodic information specific to walkers; such as what to look for when buying a pair of walking shoes.

• Consider a worksite team to take part in a local fundraiser walk, like the March of Dimes walk.

• A walking club can be the kind of “club” that never really meets, or it can be the kind that does provide the option for those who are interested in group walks and events.

Health Awareness Video Programming

Many good health related videos and DVDs are available through loan programs either at no or low costs. Choose video programming based on employee interests and needs.

• Schedule periodic health video viewings during lunch brown bag sessions.

• The videos may be related to health or other related wellness topics like financial planning, caring for aging parents, or even humor as a “break” from the work routine.

• Make certain to preview videos before showing them to insure they’re appropriate, not too long, etc.

• Have a Wellness Committee Host moderate the viewing, greet individuals , and lead a brief discussion after the video. Develop one or two questions for discussion after previewing the video and use these to lead the discussion. Many health videos come with group discussion questions.

• Try to supply a pertinent educational brochure for participants to take with them for additional information on the topic.

• If possible, provide popcorn or fruit as a snack.

• Offer a prize drawing (or points if you’re doing that type of incentive health promotion program) for those attending the video program and discussion.

Wellness Mentors

Every workplace normally has at least a couple of workers who’ve successfully made changes in their health. Typically, other workers will relate to one of their peers. Coworker support can go a long ways in stimulating healthful changes.

• Seek volunteers from the work force who have experienced a illness resulting from an unhealthful behavior, or survived or recovered from a illness that just happens like breast cancer, and who have successfully made positive changes.

• Connect these success story staff with staff struggling with similar health issues.

• Both workforce participating in the mentoring process are doing so on a voluntary basis. Respect the privacy of this very special relationship.

• A Wellness Committee individuals could be involved from a peripheral standpoint, and be available to share other resources that might  be valuable to both workforce.

Create and offer “free” medical information resources as part of the overall corporate health promotion strategy. Reliable information is available free, or at very low cost, through many resource areas.

Ideas and resources are going to be suggested here. Furthermore review the Resource and Website listings at the end of this guide for more ideas and resources.

Wellness Bulletin Board Ideas

Most workplaces have at least one worker bulletin board located in a central area. Obtain permission to use part of that bulletin board as the “Wellness Corner”, or obtain executive management approval to create a bulletin board dedicated to wellness. Wellness bulletin board suggestions include –

• White 8 1/2″ x 11″ flyers are going to be ignored. Use color or nonstandard size and shape when possible.

• Change your bulletin boards often. When they remain the same too long, they become “white noise.”

• Play “Dialing for Dollars” to raise bulletin board attention. Make a random phone call and ask an staff member to name the health fact of the day as listed on the health bulletin board. Award nominal prizes to winners.

Use an “activities calendar” with targeted advertisements, football schedules, recipes, etc. that will encourage keeping the calendar updated and utilized.

• Post or email quick tips on health. Get tips from the Hope Health website at – http – //www.hithope.com/main.php?dir=content&file=health_tips.txt.

Wellness Library

Develop an employee library in a central area that has easy employee access. Resources and ideas for the library could include –

• A local medical resources guide with referral lists to help workforce hook up with resources if onsite resources cannot be provided. Keep referral lists in a 3-ring binder and update monthly.

• A brief, periodic wellness newsletter or update flyer distributed to staff members via their paycheck or department meetings. It’s easy to make use of the monthly CIS Healthful Benefits worker update for this purpose.

• A variety of consumer books, magazines, videos, and articles related to good health. Solicit staff member donations of current titles and recyclable items.

Be certain to encourage staff members to checkout materials for loan. Update resources regularly. Consider using some of the CIS Healthy Benefits company wellness grant funds for good library resources.

• Healthy resources are available at local libraries. Publicize those resources within your onsite wellness library.

• Health magazines could be kept in the employee break area.

• Download extra copies of the CareWise quarterly newsletter from the CIS website at http – //www.cciservices.com, Healthy Benefits, and circulate these in employee break room areas.

• Create a consumer health information bin that is updated with articles and pertinent information regarding consumerism and healthcare. Check the resource listings after this guide for additional ideas.

• Free brochure materials could be acquired from local non-profit agencies (American Red Cross, Heart Association, Cancer Society, Lung Association), and made available in employee areas.

See website listings and other resources in the back of this guide for additional ideas regarding free health resources.

New Year’s Resolution Bulletin Board

• Have staff voluntarily write down their health-related New Year’s resolutions on 3″ x 5″ index cards with their names on the back.

• Post the cards in the form of a collage on the wellness bulletin board.

• Leave the cards up for about two weeks, and then store them in a secure wellness file.

• Post the cards near the end of February to remind personnel of their objectives and self-commitments.

• Take the cards down again after another week and again store in a secure file.

• Mail the cards back to the person along with health promotion program promotions or other information announcements at the end of March.

• Throughout the year, continue to offer wellness opportunities, support groups, or related activities.

The feasibility of worksite based wellness courses depends on the size of the workforce. Worksite programs have to be supported with an adequate number of interested workers to keep a class going.

Generally a certain level of worker involvement is also necessary to ensure availability of facilities such as a room and equipment.

There are broad ranges of ongoing courses which may be offered in the worksite, including aerobics, yoga, tai chi, stretching, weight control, stress management, smoking cessation, and self defense.

Depending on results from an interest survey, offering an “introductory” mini class series regarding a topic of high interest might  be a good beginning idea.

For  instance, offer a series of five starting yoga classes to acquaint employees with the posture and relaxation advantages of yoga. After an introductory series, employees may want to pursue something on their own in the community.

Or, possibly an worker interest group could develop where interested staff would pursue the chosen activity as a group.

Who Pays for What When? (Staff Member Subsidies and Discounts)

Many workforce and wellness teams are below the impression that the employer should pay for all wellness activities. Remember the employer is compensating the bulk of the employee’s health and benefits package.

When vacation time, insurance costs, and sick costs are all factored in, the typical American company spends very close to $10,000 per year per employee on related health, time off, and lost productivity costs.

Health is an individual responsibility and a gift we can all give to ourselves. Be sure to help employees increase their understanding and appreciation of self-care for their health by encouraging their share of accountability for healthful and safe living and working.

Other ways of financing worksite based wellness activities and to also “internally” motivate employees are included here –

Subsidies

When there is a budget but not enough space or staff to offer onsite classes that are available elsewhere (like Weight Watchers, health clubs exercise classes, Jazzercise, hospital community ed wellness programs, etc.), a subsidy could be offered to those who take advantage of these community resources.

Establish guidelines ahead of time about eligibility and maximum reimbursement, conditions for reimbursement, whether proof of participation is required and what form it ought to take (receipts, log forms, etc).

The wellness policy also needs to address whether someone is eligible one time only, once a year, every five years, etc. for reimbursements.

• Subsidies work best when the worker puts out the money and effort first, and then gets a partial reimbursement or completion gift based on some sort of attendance or participation completion.

• The reimbursement ought to be big enough to be worth the trouble of implementing the wellness program, but should not cover the entire cost the wellness program.

• It is easy to get carried away with requiring “proof” in these kinds of health promotion programs. Don’t make it too bureaucratic or no one will use it. It is important to remember no matter how well your policies are set up, there will be individuals , ordinarily very few, who cheat-that’s unavoidable and should not become the major focus of documentation requirements.

• Consider appropriate participation gifts for financial reimbursement. for  instance, when an staff member meets attendance criteria for a stretching class, provide a stretching strap or yoga mat as the completion gift.

• Be certain to check with the executive management team regarding policy for subsidies, tax reporting, etc.

Discounts and Donations

Worker discounts and donations may be sensitive areas for public corporations and workforce. In many jurisdictions, public workforce aren’t permitted to receive any kind of special consideration, including discounts, from local corporations, providers, or providers.

Make certain to check organizational ethics and procurement policies before asking for discounts.

If executive management policy does allow for discounts and donations, the whole solicitation process needs to be conducted fairly and spelled out in writing. All interested, qualified vendors, and service providers should’ve a fair unbiased opportunity to participate when they so choose.

No inappropriate advantages are given to one provider over another in terms of access to staff, publicity, etc. No vendor or service provider should be promised or guaranteed additional revenue, corporation, or anything else if they select to voluntarily offer a donation or discount to staff.

Follow the same donation and/or solicitation policies when offering provider door prizes or gifts at an employer-sponsored wellness fair.

Hollywood Stars or American Celebrities

This is another fun activity focusing on healthy weight reduction or maintenance.

• Participants choose a secret code name (the name of a Hollywood star or other celebrity).

• Participants weigh-in with a “trusted” confident privately – at which time a healthy weight goal is set for the period of the contest.

• Post a chart with everybody’s secret name assigning each a beginning weight of zero.

• Participants weigh themselves weekly and submit the weight with their code name on the paper.

• Weight is expressed in relation to a starting weight of zero. for  instance +4 would indicate a weight gain of four pounds; while -2 would indicate a weight reduction of two pounds.

• Future weigh-ins must be in relation to the beginning weight, not the previous week’s weight.

• The chart is kept current and posted publicly by Health Promotion Committee.

• Post a “weight control hint of the week” next to the tracking chart.

• Provide “take one” pamphlets on weight management education or motivational tips by the chart.

• Celebrate employee progress after the activity.

Wellness Book/Journal Club and/or Book Exchange

Similar to any other book discussion group, the readings and focus of this group is health. With a wide “health” definition, many subjects can be appropriate including communication, self-improvement, relationships, money management, environment, ecology, recreation, cooking, etc.

Let the group choose the topics and books. Another suggested idea is to establish a book swap area where readers can trade the book(s) for those that others have left for trade.

Pre-Make certain to work Stretching Group

Several minutes of gentle stretching is a great way to safely start the workday. A professional fitness instructor may  be brought in to teach proper stretching techniques.

After that, most often an internal group can meet and run itself. Make available periodic refresher sessions with the trainer or instructor to vary the routine and help keep participants motivated.

Considerations for workplace stretching –

• Make certain to work with your Management Team for stretching endorsement.

• Stretches should be taught by a knowledgeable and certified individuals.

• Even though pre-work stretches are done on an employee’s personal time, the question of employer liability will likely arise, namely if someone reports an associated stretching injury.

Talk with your corporation’s legal counsel and/or contact your corporation workers’ compensation carrier to help in design of an employee release of liability waiver.

Workplace Chair Massage

Bring in a licensed massage therapist to offer chair massage at the employees’ expense. These massages are done fully clothed with the recipient seated in a chair.

The therapist brings in a special chair that fully supports the head and shoulders while an upper body massage is given. Sessions are generally 15 minutes, with an average cost between $12.00 – $15.00 per session.

Post a sign up sheet with appointments at intervals recommended by the therapist. Be certain the therapist is certified. It’ll be necessary to provide a private space. A group of “regulars” may evolve which can establish a regular massage schedule.

Obtain an agreement with executive management so workforce can trade massage time for coffee or personal break time.  Note – executive management may want the therapist to supply proof of liability insurance.

Art at Work

Art could be a good way to nurture employees’ creative side and help them manage stress at the same time. Bring in various art and craft supplies once a month and let the creative juices flow.

When participants are willing, have a temporary “art show” later that day. Or, feature employee art during certain months or times of the year. Make certain to encourage staff members to post their art in their personal workspaces.

Healthful Email-a-Week

Create an email list of coworkers who want to receive an inspirational, funny or educational health quote, thought, tip or idea once a week by email.

Ask members of the Wellness Committee to collect ideas initially, and then ask the members of the email list to contribute ideas and information as time goes on. Follow all corporation rules regarding work time and email protocols.

Hobby Show or Demonstrations

Hobbies are excellent stress management tools. Be certain to encourage workforce to show off their talents by sponsoring a “hobby fair” or demonstration. Send around a sign up sheet.

See who’d be willing to bring in samples of their hobby, and maybe even do a live demonstration. Fairs or demonstrations can be scheduled as a group activity or brown bag that authorizes interested staff to interact.

Or, hobby sharing could be done in groupings by topic over a scheduled period of time, permitting for a brief presentation and/or demonstration by the hobbyist.

Brown bag presentations are a good way to create awareness about selected health topics. Community health experts will often provide presentations of a half hour or less at no charge.

Use staff member interest surveys to follow up on staff member interests that are expressed.  The definition of health is broad, so brown bag presentations may also cover a wide variety of topics. Topics might include physical, mental, emotional, women’s health, men’s health, financial health, etc.

Considerations for brown bag presentations –

• Brown bag sessions are excellent for awareness building. This seed planting process can help employees become more proactive about healthy choices.

• Do not schedule the health promotion program for the full hour – generally 40 minutes or so works best. This will allow folks a chance to come and go, grab a quick bite, ask questions, etc.

• If the subject matter is sensitive, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, etc., it’s possible individuals are going to be reluctant to attend for fear of being associated publicly with the problem. They will, however, attend if the focus is on assisting family members, peers, etc.

• Ensure that staff members hear valuable information and will leave with tools and resources to carry out the message. Be sure to work with the presenter on information strategies that work for your employee group.

• Promotional materials should publicize the wellness program with a name that indicates the brown bag focus. Include all other pertinent information such as where, who, when, etc.

• Some topics that can’t be covered in one session might  be offered in a short series. It’ll work best to schedule one session each week in lieu of several sessions in one week.

For example, you could offer a 3-week series on healthful eating in lieu of attempting to cram all the information into one session.

• A catchy title can draw people  to the event.  An example of this would be calling lunchtime presentations “Noonlighting”

• If possible, provide a free healthy snack for workers who attend.

• To keep the momentum going, try establishing up a routine monthly time and day for lunchtime seminars.

• If personnel work in shift or are in work groups in different geographical areas, devise a plan that offers equal attendance opportunity to all.

Resources –

1. Please see the idea list after this guide which offers a selection of resource topics of interest to employees.

2. Every community has many person, specialists, or specialists from voluntary groups (heart, cancer, lung associations), special interest groups (Y’s, Red Cross, Weight Watcher’s, Safety Council, Alcoholics Anonymous), or the local health department as possibilities to present workplace sessions free or at a low cost.

A lot of of these contacts will also provide low cost materials.

3. Topic videos could be used for a brown bag session.

Quite often people  shy away from low fat foods because they think these foods do not taste good.  To help inform personnel, buy a selection of low fat foods and put them out in a conference room for an hour or so for a drop-in tasting session.

Or, arrange for low-fat potlucks stimulating staff to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthy dishes.

Considerations –

• Be sure the selections actually taste good.

• Provide a “fact sheet” with the names and price of the various products to assist participants when they want to buy these products from the grocery store.

• Provide other written information on good nutrition for any interested participants to take. Make use of web sites and other resources listed in the Resource Section after this guide.

• Give small tasting spoons or wooden ice cream tasters.

• It does not take much of each item to give participants a taste of the food or dish. It is not necessary to purchase enough, or bring enough, food to provide a meal.

• Make sure to set up the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.

• Watch for overly sugary items…sometimes low fat means high sugar – so make sure to check the label.

• Typical buys for a worksite sampling could include –  two boxes of low fat crackers, a package of low fat cheese, a box of low fat cookies, two or three low fat spreads like hummus, low fat cream cheese, a package of honey nut or other flavored rice crackers, and one or two other low fat items.

• Put signs on the table politely reminding participants that the idea is to sample, not have a meal.

• Make available a beverage like a new type of fruit juice or herbal tea.

Group support and encouragement may be very advantageous in assisting employees make healthy changes. Create situations, coworker groups, or information avenues where the professionalise and experiences of coworkers may be shared with others. Some ideas for providing on-site support for healthy changes include –

• Workers can be asked to voluntarily submit suggestions, advice, and strategies related to particular healthful practices they have successfully implemented in their lives.

For example, ex-smokers could be asked to submit suggestions about what worked for them when they quit; then those ideas could be shared in newsletters, flyers, classes, etc.

• Topics like weight control, stress management, managing change, increasing exercise, etc. lend themselves to this development of collective wisdom sharing.

• Behavior change support groups, developed based on worker interest in making healthy change, can meet on a regular basis to share ideas, resources, support, etc. Health promotion programs can offer some help and facilitation in getting a group started.

The group then its self takes charge of keeping the group going. Periodically the health promotion program can offer to bring in a speaker or presenter on a topic relevant to the group.

Be sure to help the group establish ground rules that everyone agrees to before the group is left on its own.