Posts from — July 2009

Studies have repeatedly shown that accross the board Employee Health Promotion Programs, or Employee Health Promotion Programs, can lower healthcare and insurance expenditures, decrease absenteeism, and improve success and work rate. Other benefits shown in studies include improved ability to attract and retain key personnel, greater employee allegiance, and improved public conception of the business.

Healthcare and Insurance expenses

A number of studies offer evidence of reduced medical and insurance expenditures for participants in Workplace Wellness Programs, particularly wellness programs involving physical activity.

For $30 per person, the Bank of America started a Employee Health Promotion Program for retirees using a risk assessment questionnaire, self-care books and other mailed materials. Insurance claims were reduced an average of $164 per year in this group while they increased $15 for the control group. Since they were able to document significant changes in risk behavior, they anticipate greater savings in future years.

Pacific Bell’s FitWorks participants claim $300 less per case for a one-year savings of $700,000. Savings for conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle are $722 per case.

Coca Cola stated a reduction in medical|medical|medical care|healthcare} claims with an physical activity program alone, saving $500 per employee per year for the employees (60%) who joined their HealthWorks physical activity program. Prudential Insurance Employer reports that the company’s major medical expenditures dropped from $574 to $312 for each participant in its wellness program.

Decreased Rates of Absenteeism

Rates of Absenteeism has been established to be impacted by wellness programs. The evidence indicates a significant decline in absenteeism and resultant dollars saved as a result of employee exercise program.

Pacific Bell’s FitWorks program decreased absent days .8 percent to save $2 million in one year. FitWorks members also spent 3.3 days less on STD for an additional savings of $4.7 million.

Focusing Company Health Promotion Program efforts on elevated-risk staff members has the potential to lead a better outcome. A national manufacturing organization reports a reduction of 12.2 percent in illness days for these staff members.

A two-year study by The DuPont Corporation of the effect of its comprehensive Company Wellness Program on absences among staff members reports that blue-collar staff members at intervention sites had a 14 percent decline in disability days vs. 5.8 percent decline for controls. There were a total of 11,726 fewer net disability days.

Enhanced Performance, Productivity and Morale

A number of employers with Employee Wellness Programs report documented improvement in job attitude, work performance, energy level, and/or overall morale among program participants–all essential factors in enhancing work rate.

A Johnson & Johnson study found that employee attitude changes were greater at Worksite Health Promotion Program intervention sites with significant beneficial attitude changes noted in the categories of company responsibility, supervision, on the job conditions, job competence/security, and pay/benefits.

In a Canadian government study, the Canada Life Assurance Business experimental group realized a 4% increase in work rate after starting a employer fitness program, compared to the control group. Further, 47% of program participants stated that they felt more alert, had better rapport with their co-employees, and generally enjoyed their work more.

Swedish investigators found that mental performance was significantly better in physically fit workers than in non-fit workers. Fit workers committed 27% fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and short-term memory, as compared with the performance of deconditioned workers.

The Bottom Line

The following sample of Company Wellness Programs wellness program results have been published by individual employers:

Corporation: Dollars Saved/Dollars Spent

• Bank of America (Fries): $5.96/$1
• PacBell: $3.10/$1
• Wisconsin School District Insurance Group: $4.47/$1
• Prudential Insurance: $2.90/$1
• Bank of America (Leigh): $4.73/$1
• General Mills: $3.50/$1

Summary

There is growing evidence that a sizable portion of the billions of dollars now being invested by employers on health-related costs is preventable by means of Workplace Health Promotion Programs. Well-planned, inclusive Workplace Health Promotion Programs (Workplace Health Promotion Programs and Workplace Health Promotion Programs) have been determined to be cost-effective, particularly when the Workplace Health Promotion Programs is matched to the health issues of the specific employee.

Free Worksite Wellness Programs and Low Cost Health Management Alternatives

Organize a no cost Worksite Health Promotion Program or run a successful health management program in the office for little or no cost to your business. The advantages of workplace wellness and learning how to implement a health management program at work are many. The articles on health management have generated a variety of questions, mostly from wellness providers but also from companies trying to implement their own wellness workplace programs. There are a number of things to do to implement a successful health management program at work.

Suggestions for Starting a Free or Low Cost Employee Health Promotion Program

Prior to starting an inexpensive or no cost wellness program for your corporation, learn more about what staff members want. Survey staff members to learn more about their wellness concerns. Keep the survey confidential to protect employees’ identities. Typically the most popular workplace wellness issues are smoking cessation, weight loss concerns and heart and cholesterol health.

Look for Corporate Health Promotion Program Freebies

Find out who will come in for no cost to talk to employees and look into partnerships with outside agents involved with workplace wellness. For example, contact a local branch of a well-known weight loss company and ask if someone has the potential to come in and talk to employees. Seek agencies that are willing to come in and talk about issues related to wellness at no cost to employees, in exchange for something from you.

Find Workplace Wellness Program Partnerships

Working with a weight loss company to set up a speaking engagement for staff members is the perfect opportunity to explore a potential wellness partnership. The weight loss company may say that if ten staff members join the program, they will hold regular gatherings at company headquarters for the people who joined. The weight loss group also might offer company staff members a discount if multiple people join the program.

Nonprofits an Untapped Health Leadership Resource

There are also plenty of nonprofit agencies who would be thrilled to visit a organization to discuss health management. But it’s up to you to offer them something in return. For example, if the MS Society came in and talked about the signs of MS, the organization might offer to organize an MS walk (in keeping with organization health management objectives and goals, right?), or an auction with employee and organization-donated items where the proceeds go to MS. The people at the nonprofit agencies would be glad to open a dialog with your organization and to talk about what they would want in return for a speaking engagement. In numerous cases, they won’t need anything at all for a first meeting.

Gathering Data and Reviewing Worksite Wellness Program Results

Collecting data and analyzing results of a Workplace Health Promotion Program can be tricky because of HIPPA laws. Nonetheless, if at least 10 workers joined the weight loss program, or 20 people participate daily in the all-new “Let’s Walk a Mile at Lunch” program, that sort of progress can speak strongly to senior staff. And, organization successes will potentially give senior staff more incentive to provide money for additional health management and Workplace Health Promotion Programs in the future.

Small business wellness programs are catching on. A well-designed wellness program can increase productivity, boost morale and vitality, cut stress, cut absenteeism, and control preventable medical care expenditures within a business. The beauty of it is that you’re simply assisting workers to make smart choices so the expenditures of implementing a wellness program are minimal compared to the benefits.

Employee health is a primary concern for small employer owners. In a small employer, even a few sick employees are able to disrupt the flow of the workplace and bring the operation to a standstill.

Rather than sitting back and hoping for the best, some small organization owners are taking the matter of employee health into their own hands by launching Corporate Wellness Programs. Here’s how they work.

Overview of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Employee wellness programs are programs initiated by the business to improve the overall health of their work force and to help individual staff members overcome specific health-related hurdles. These programs have the potential to be offered in a variety of formats: In mandatory employee training sessions, as voluntary classes, or through a third-party provider offering a wide-range of EAPs.

In every case, however, the corporation foots the bill for the programs because an investment in employee health is a corporation expenditure that directly impacts the corporation’s bottom line.

Why offer Employee Wellness Programs?

Apart from the obvious problem for the health of your staff members, there are several other reasons why Workplace Health Promotion Programs make sense for small companies. From the get-go, your employer will benefit from the diminished level of absenteeism that goes hand in hand with a healthy workforce.

Workplace Wellness Programs will also cut the number of injuries that occur in the workplace, not just from accidents, but also from repetitive motion and other recurring sources. Since even a minor blip in worker attendance is able to have a sizable impact on a small organization, a more reliable workforce will finally translate into a smoother work cycle and a more robust bottom line.

Worksite Wellness Program Features

Company Health Promotion Programs can cover a broad range of health-related issues. Based on your workers’ needs, it’s completely up to you to figure out the kind of programming you wish to offer. Nevertheless, most Company Health Promotion Programs offer some at least some programs in the following areas:

• Nutrition. Diet has the potential to significantly influence an employee’s ability to do their job effectively. Nutritional programs educate workers about meal options and equip them to make healthy dietary choices.
• Physical Fitness. In addition to diet, physical activity is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle. Corporate Health Promotion Programs commonly offer staff members with opportunities to incorporate physical activity into their daily lives.
• Tobacco Cessation. Statistics prove that tobacco users tend to fall ill more generally than their non-smoking peers. Since sick employees disrupt the workplace, smoking cessation programs are a no-brainer for both employers and employees.
• Physiological Testing. Many employers offer physiological as a regular part of their wellness programs. Cholesterol tests, Blood Pressure (BP) screenings, and other simple exams are able to provide early warning signs for more weighty concerns.
• Stress Management. Stress itself takes a toll on workers. However, stress is also linked to other health issues such as depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Worksite Health Promotion Programs that help workers deal with stress improve not only the psychological health of your workers, but their physical health, too.

Organize a Organization Company Health Promotion Program for Your Employees Today

The benefits to starting a workplace health and wellbeing program are abounding.

A few corporate health and wellbeing tips to get employees started on the path to a healthier lifestyle:

1. Look around, and determine if staff members lead a healthy lifestyle before initiating an Workplace Health Promotion Program. How many staff members dash outside at lunch for a tobacco break? Would a tobacco cessation program help? How often do the junk food-laden vending machines really should be replenished? Is anyone working out or taking advantage of local walking trails as part of their healthy living goals and objectives? The answers to these questions will give companies a better idea of the Workplace Health Promotion Program that’s right for them.

2. Survey staff members to determine their healthy lifestyle habits. Are they working out regularly? Eat three square meals a day? Have regular physicals? Really? Then what planet are they on? Because we would love to visit! A corporate wellness program benefits most employers because staff members don’t have the time or energy to stay on top of health and wellbeing issues at work or when they leave the office to go home.

3. Give Corporate Wellness Programs a sizable kick-off with a healthy living “fair.” Offer workers free flu shots, Blood Pressure checks, cholesterol screenings, body/fat ratio assessments, tobacco cessation programs and free mammograms- and contact the local hospital, because there’s plenty more where this came from. Companies keep their workers hopping during the week. Give workers a chance to increase their healthy lifestyle on the company dime. A corporate wellbeing and health program is an added benefit that workers receive for working for the company!

4. Incent to live- offer cash money for staff members to lose weight, commit to a tobacco cessation program and generally enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Promote humankind’s innate competitive nature by offering prizes for health and wellbeing employee “winners.” And, promote a healthier lifestyle by sponsoring staff members who want to enter a local 5K for charity race, run a marathon or play a sport.

Introduction to Worksite Health Promotion Programs

The last ten years has brought big changes in company attitudes toward Workplace Health Promotion Programs. Interest in self-help and self-care programs has increased as growth in health care costs have encroached substantially into profits. Changes in the company structures of health care facilities, in particular the growth of the for-profit health care sector, and the need to contain costs are changing the ways in which purchasers of health care plans are viewing their own efforts toward provision of workplace health care programs and facilities. Projections for the next decade indicate that workplace health programs will continue to become important factors in the provision of health care, including prevention activities, for both government and private industry. In organizations with existing Workplace Health Promotion Programs, administrative rationale for sponsoring these activities ranged from improving employee health (28%) to improving employee morale (9.7%). Programs include interventions associated with safety, health risk assessment, tobacco cessation, Blood Pressure (BP) control, diet programs and stress management. Benefits given range from improved health and productivity to decreasing health care costs.

Demographics of the American Workforce
• 110 million American citizens composed the civilian labor force in 1981; by the year 2000 the civilian labor force is expected to be nearly 140 million.
• 44 percent of the 1984 labor force was female; ten percent was Black.
• The median age of the workforce is 32 years and is expected to grow to 32 years by 2030.
• 57.9% of all staff members work in businesses with between 2 and 500 staff members; 45% work in businesses with fewer than 100 staff members. An additional 7.5 million Americans are self-employed and 3 million are farmers.
• 18 percent of all wage and salaried staff members in 1985 were union participants.
• 45 percent of all staff members are employed in offices.

Prevalence of Worksite Health Promotion Programs Activities

Based on a 1985 survey, almost 66 percent of worksites with 50 or more staff members had Company Health Promotion Programs activities in 1985.  The frequency of workplace-based activities by selected categories in 1985 was:

Activity

Smoking Control       35.6 percent
Health Risk Assessment    29.5%
Back Care             28.6%
Stress Management       26.6 percent
Exercise             22.1%
Off the Job Accidents    19.8%
Nutrition             16.8%
Blood Pressure Control    16.5%
Weight Control          14.7%

Job Site size is the strongest indicator of program prevalence.

Most staff members believe the advantages of their Workplace Health Promotion Programs activities outweigh the expenditures, even though few formal evaluations exist.

The most commonly cited reason for starting programs and perceived profit from programs is improved employee health.

At most worksites with activities (85.4%), all employees are eligible to participate. 30 percent of worksites with activities offer them to company dependents, and an equal percent offer them to retirees.

When worksites seek outside program assistance, they turn to voluntary, not-for-profit corporations (57.1%), private for-profit providers-consultants (50%), local hospitals (44%), and insurance corporations (43%).

Tobacco Cessation Programs

Smoking related health issues cost United States corporations $26 billion per year in lost productiveness and $7 to $8 billion in tobacco-related healthcare expenditures.

Employees who smoke are 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized than people that do not smoke, have 2 times as a myriad of job-related accidents as people that do not smoke and have absenteeism rates approximately 50 percent higher than people that do not smoke.

People who used tobacco an average of one or more packs of cigarettes per day had 118 percent higher healthcare expenses than people that do not use tobacco.

76 percent of current smokers and 80 percent of former smokers and non-smokers feel that organizations should restrict smoking to certain areas.

In 1985, 65% of smokers, 85% of non-smokers and 78% of former smokers, felt that tobacco users should refrain from smoking in the presence of non-smokers.

In 1986, 17 states had laws regulating smoking in offices or workplaces either in government-controlled offices or offices of private staff members.

Examples of tobacco cessation intervention program used by organizations include:

• making available people that do not use tobacco a discount of health and life insurance;
• paying full or partial fees for tobacco cessation programs;
• providing cessation programs on corporation or shared time;
• making available cash payments to quitters after 6 of 12 tobacco-free months;
• participating in national quit smoking days; and
• adopting a smoke-free company policy and setting deadlines for implementing the policy.

Physical Fitness Programs

An active 55-year-old man can lead as vigorous a lifestyle as a sedentary 35-year-old.

Differences in work-related activity has been determined to provide a two- to three-fold difference in cardiovascular deaths between active employees and their more sedentary counterparts.

In addition to improving strength, balance, and flexibility, physical activity programs are able to lower the probability of back injuries among certain occupational groups.

93 million workdays in the United States are lost each year due to back problems.

Research findings support the notion that worksite physical activity programs better fitness and help reduce other health risks, although results related to improved productivity are weak due to lack of methods for accurately measuring productivity.

A very small percentage of worksites have onsite physical fitness facilities.

The majority of staff members sponsored exercise program involve skills training such as aerobic dance, low impact aerobics, weight training, preand post-natal physical activity classes, and walking/jogging groups.

Some employers subsidize employee participation in community “Ys,” health clubs or other community programs if no on-Site facilities are available.

Worksite exercise program may decrease expenditures to employers by lowering employee health care claims and expenditures.

Those whose weekly exercise was equivalent to climbing less than five flights of stairs or walking less than a half mile, spent 114% more on health claims than those who climbed at least 15 flights of stairs or walked 1 1/2 miles weekly.

Medical Care expenditures for obese people are roughly 11% higher than those for thin people.

Nutrition and Weight Control

One-third of this country population is obese to the extent of decreasing their life expectancy.

Improvements in eating habits have the potential to cut the risk of serious health concerns such as elevated Blood Pressure (BP) and blood lipid levels and is instrumental in the control of non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The workplace offers several advantages for nutrition education; support and effect of co-workers and senior staff, availability of a daily eating situation, and opportunities for follow-up and monitoring.

Worksite nutrition programs are able to be grouped in 6 broad categories:

• cafeteria programs;
• multi-component programs;
• weight management programs;
• blood lipid reduction programs;
• programs for pregnant and lactating women; and
• other nutrition education issues.

Men are less likely to participate in weight-loss programs than are female workers.

Stress Management

Estimates suggest that 50% to 80% of physician visits are able to be attributed to psychosomatic or stress-related origins.

Corporation pays many of the expenditures related to employee stress, both directly in the form of healthcare expenditures and in reduced productivity.

Job factors which are associated with stress include:

• not allowing employees to take part in decisions about the work process;
• positions which require more or less skill than the employee has;
• changes in work demands;
• lack of clarity about expectations and standards; and
• conflict with co-employees or supervisors.

Most workplace stress management programs are implemented as a result of requests from employees.

Stress management programs focus on three types of skills: relaxation skills, coping skills, and interpersonal skills.

Job Site stress management programs are frequently delivered in one of three formats:

• courses conducted by trained professionals;
• self-learning tools; and
• personal teaching to help  with self-assessment, planning for changes, learning new skills and responding to life crises.

The two major techniques used in workplace stress management programs are:

• teaching people to reduce the detrimental physical effects of stress; and
• teaching people to recognize and control sources of stress at work and in personal life.

Safety Belt Usage

Motor vehicle accidents are the largest single cause of lost work time and on-the-job fatalities of American business.

Motor vehicle accidents account for 27% of all work-related deaths and 45 million days of lost work each year.

Greater than 36% of the 11,300 accidental work deaths in 1983 involved motor vehicles.

Employees who regularly fail to use seat belts may spend up to 54% more days in the hospital.

Traffic accidents caused about 3 times as many days of restricted exercise as any other type of disability.

Motor vehicle crashes cost $15.2 billion in lost productiveness, 88 percent of which is attributed to losses from workforce activities and future earnings.

In corporate settings where safety belt policies, requiring use of belts by those riding in a organization vehicle or using a personal vehicle for organization business, have been enforced, 60% to 90% use has been reported.

Incentive programs, accompanied by education and use requirement restrictions have resulted in 40 percent to 70 percent initial usage rates.

Factors influencing the sources of worksite safety belt programs include:

• active responsibility on the part of senior staff;
• clearly defined and well enforced policy of required belt use working;
• positive incentives and rewards; and
• ongoing education and training programs.

Case Studies of Worksite Health Promotion Programs

Based on an extensive assessment of its accross the board employee Corporate Health Promotion Program, LIVE FOR LIFE, Johnson & Johnson stated the break-even point for the program occurs in year 3 and by year 5 they have a net profit of $316 per employee. Their year 9 projected profit is $677 per employee.

employees at four Johnson & Johnson businesses who were exposed to the Workplace Health Promotion Program expanding their daily energy expenditure in vigorous activity by 104 percent compared to an increase of 33 percent among employees at businesses that were provided only an annual health screen.

Members in the United Methodist Publishing House’s Company Health Promotion Program submitted more claims (1.14 per participating employee and .82 for the control in 1984, 1.44 and 1.3 respectively in 1985), but the average cost per claim was less for participants ($316 for participants and $567 for control, in 1984, $262 and $602 respectively in 1985, $270 and $566 respectively in the first four months of 1986).

The United Methodist Publishing House attributes some of the lower than projected use in medical care expenditures for 1985 ($902,116 projected with actual expenditures $142,884) to the Employee Wellness Program although the results are not conclusive.

In 1985, the Adolph Coors Corporation conducted a phone interview of a random sample of its 10,000 employees to determine changes in health practices since the introduction of an employee Corporate Wellness Program 4 years earlier. The sample of 495 employees was stratified to match the employer profile in terms of age, sex and job description. The survey stated that 65 percent of respondents started exercising in The previous 4 years, 37 percent had improved their diets, 20 percent were regular users of the wellness center, 9 percent had stopped smoking as the result of the employer’s smoking cessation program and regular participants of the wellness center miss an average of 1.96 workdays each year because of illness or injury compared to 3.08 days for non-participating employees.

The Coors Company also saw a cost savings from a cardiac rehabilitation program that was implemented in 1981. In 1980 employees were out of work 7.2 months after a heart attack or bypass operation. In 1984, cardiac patients were out an average 1.9 months saving $152,000 in lost work time and in 1985 cardiac patients missed an average of 2.6 months, saving $125,000 that year.

Company Exercise Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

Instituting a Worksite Wellness Program improves the health of employees, decreases employee absenteeism and saves the business money, too. Learn more about initiating an Worksite Wellness Program in the office.

Benefits of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

• A business expenditure of $100-$150 per employee each year to take part in an Worksite Health Promotion Program can save businesses $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings are able to take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in decreased health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America stated a $24 return for every $1 spent on a Worksite Wellness Program for small employers.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, businesses who adopted Company Health Promotion Programs realized a 30% decrease in health care and absenteeism expenditures in less than 4 years.

A thriving Corporate Health Promotion Program starts with Upper Management. Business owners should lead by example, taking part in their company’s fitness program and working closely with a wellness coach. Upper Management should make sure employees are well knowledgeable about their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or smoking cessation results on company intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Corporate Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Encourage staff members to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical ought to include information about blood sugar, cholesterol levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related concerns in a corporate exercise program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse ought to be at the forefront of an Employee Health Promotion Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct workers on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward staff members for taking part in company wellness plans. Let staff members accrue health and wellness points that they have the potential to redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a free massage, private training session with the company’s wellness coach or health diet gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee health and wellness leaders in employer newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the employer intranet.

Company Health Promotion Programs Provide Big Results

For employer owners who want to expand employee participation in a Employee Wellness Program, consider Johnson & Johnson’s approach. Faced with only 26 percent of employees participating in their employee wellness and health program, Johnson & Johnson offered employees a $500 discount on health care insurance costs if they completed a health risk profile. The number of employees participating in the Johnson & Johnson employer physical activity program jumped after they provided the incentive — to more than 93%.

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate fitness program to Senior Management to use basic facts about the advantages of Company Wellness Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.

5 reasons to have a wellness program

1.   The U.S. spends more dollars on healthcare than any other nation yet we are not the world’s healthiest
   • Largely sedentary
   • Tobacco use is still popular
   • Stress is at epidemic levels (WHO)
   • Alcohol continues to take its toll on American citizens

2.   Much of the illness in America is avoidable
   • Tobacco and alcohol are leading causes of death
   • As much as 70 percent of the expense of health care is driven by preventable illness

3.   Healthcare expenditures continue to rise
   • Medical Care premiums continue to rise and to be passed on to the employee
   • Healthcare expenses are usually the number one benefit cost to most employers

4.   The worksite is an ideal setting to address health and well being
   • Most Americans work
   • Poor health habits take a toll on American Corporations
   • Employers have a vested interest in health related problems.

5.   Research validates that Workplace Wellness Programs can improve health, save money, and even produce a ROI.
   • Aldana,S.G. (1998). Financial impact of Worksite Health Promotion Programs and methodological quality of the evidence. The Art of Health Promotion. Vol 2, Number 1.
   • Wilson, M.G. (1996). A accross the board review of the effects of Employee Health Promotion Programs on health related outcomes: An update. The American Journal of health promotion. Vol 10, Number 6.
   • Wilson, M.G. (1996). A all-inclusive review of the effects of Company Wellness Programs on health related outcomes: An update. The American Journal of health promotion. Vol 11, Number 2.
   • Chapman, L.S. Proof Positive: An analysis of the cost-effectiveness of worksite wellness. 3rd ed. Seattle: Summex Corporation, 1996.
   • Pelletier, K.R. A review of the health and cost-effective outcomes studies of all-inclusive health promotion and disease prevention programs at the workplace: 1993-1995 Update. The American Journal of Health and Promotion. Vol. 10, Number 5.

   
Key Components of a Company Health Promotion Program

Physical Wellness – Focuses on the development, maintenance, or improvement of one’s physical fitness

Sample Physical Company Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Annual health evaluation
• Regular physical exercise
• Smart safety habits

Emotional Wellness – Focuses on all aspects of mental fitness

Sample Emotional Corporate Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Stress management sessions
• Accepting aging
• Addictive behaviors
• Parenting

Financial Wellness – Focuses on improving the quality of life of employees by supporting families and individuals in becoming monetarily stable

Sample Financial Company Health Promotion Programs / Workshops
• Financial management
• Savings and Investing
• Credit and Purchasing
• Insurance and Estate Planning

Spiritual Wellness – Focuses on promoting a healthy inner self

Sample Spiritual Employee Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Encourage daily devotional readings
• Give regular service opportunities
• Provide a daily/weekly/monthly chapel (meditation) time during work hours

Nutritional Wellness – Will meet the needs of the employees through group and individual nutritional services

Sample Nutritional Workplace Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Individual nutritional Assessment
• Individual and group counseling
• Instructional classes
• Weight loss programs

Many employers, as part of their efforts to contain rising healthcare expenditures, are launching workplace programs variously described as Workplace Wellness Programs, lifestyle programs, health and productiveness management, population health management and, simply, wellness programs.

The purpose of this article is to consider whether such programs improve health. If so, do they in turn reduce utilization of health care services and reduce health care expenditures?

The popular media have done much to reward the concept of organization wellness. Last year, In Business: Madison magazine printed a story accompanied by a table reporting an impressive range of returns on investment (ROI):

Return on Investment (Per dollar ROI for lifestyle programs)
• Coors $6.15
• Kennecott $5.78
• Equitable Life $5.52
• Citibank $4.56
• General Mills $3.90
• Travelers $3.40
• Motorola $3.15
• PepsiCo $3.00
• Unum Life $1.81
Source: 2004 T.E. Brennan Company, as announced

Would these ROIs stand up to rigorous empirical analysis of the data? What factors create such disparate returns among these programs? And does the published literature, subject to peer review of scientific methods, support the ROIs published here?

Health and Productivity Leadership

Illness and injury associated with an unhealthy lifestyle or potentially-modifiable risk factors is stated to account for at least 25% of employee health care expenditures. The most significant of these risk factors are stress, tobacco use, overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol use, and poor nutritional habits. Over the past two decades, a variety of groups at the local, state, and national levels have promoted the concept that health risk reduction and care management programs can improve employee health, and that workplace health education, health risk management, and benefit counseling must complement standard health care insurance benefits.

The intensity of Workplace Wellness Programs range from bulletin board, pamphlet or newsletter information to onsite fitness facilities, health risk reduction classes, and personal lifestyle change coaching.3 Workplace Wellness Programs today often include a health risk assessment (HRA) to evaluate each employee’s modifiable risk factors of disease. Program coordinators then target interventions to those that are at increased risk through personal talks and individual follow-up.

Complete Company Health Promotion Programs may include classes on health risk reduction and job safety, fitness and exercise activities, health club memberships, and reductions in co-payments or premiums for employees who adhere to recommended medical assessment instructions.

Along with this, some employers are restructuring health benefits and encouraging employees’ cost-sensitivity when accessing healthcare.5 These changes are intended to lower employees’ need for and utilization of healthcare, provideing reduced group healthcare expenditures. Demonstrated reductions in healthcare expenditures must then support employers with a powerful bargaining chip in negotiating reduced health care insurance premiums during future terms.

Evidence basis: A range of return on investment estimates

The empirical research has produced results as varied as the popular media on ROI. Nonetheless, evidence continues to grow that well-designed and well-resourced Worksite Wellness Program and disease prevention programs provide multi-faceted payback on cost. Peer-reviewed evaluations and meta analyses show that ROI is achieved through improved worker health, reduced benefit expense, and enhanced work rate.

• Goetzel and colleagues, in their meta-analysis of two dozen articles summarizing economic evaluations of health and work rate management programs, reported an average return of $3.14 per $1 invested in traditional Worksite Wellness Programs. The return on investment estimates for the individual programs ranged from $1.49 to $13.7,8
• Aldana reviewed 72 articles and concluded that Workplace Wellness Programs achieve an average return on investment of $3.48 when considering healthcare costs alone, $5.82 per $1 when examining absenteeism, and $4.30 when both outcomes are considered.
• Ozminkowski and collagues conducted a 38 month case study of 23,000 participants in Citibank, N.A.’s health management program and stated that within a 2 year period, Citibank realized a return on investment between $4.56 and $4.73.10  Follow-up studies saw improvements in the risk profiles of participants, with the high-risk group improving more than the “usual care” group11 as a result of more intensive programming.
• Chapman’s 2004 meta-assessment of 42 studies, ranking overriding validity of the studies, reports cost-benefit ratios from $2.05-$4.64.

In addition to immediately quantifiable expense reductions, researchers have published a variety of spin-off benefits: greater work rate, intellectual capacity, and reductions in disability12 and absenteeism.9,13,14,15 Such programs may also have beneficial effects on employee perceptions of the company14 and worker morale, even among nonparticipants. 13 These outcomes go beyond savings in direct medical costs to offer non-health related return on investment.

Tailoring program to maximize ROI Corporate Wellness Programs aim to cut the health risks of workers at elevated risk while maintaining the health status of those at low risk. A variety of disease management interventions are available to fit the specific risk profiles of various worksites. Insurers and businesses now seek to calibrate their interventions in order to achieve good risk reduction and costeffectiveness.

In 2001, University of Michigan researchers stated on stable trends in health care costs for over 2 million current and former workers in an 18 year data set. The mean cost increase per risk factor gained ($350) was found to be more than double the mean cost decrease per eliminated risk factor ($150). In other words, increases in costs when groups of workers moved from low risk to high risk were much greater than the decreases in costs when groups moved from high risk to low risk. Their conclusion: Programs designed to keep healthy people healthy will likely offer the greatest return on investment.

On the other hand, Pelletier’s meta-analysis16 and other program evaluations18 suggest that individualized risks reduction for high-risk workers within the context of accross the board programming is the vital element in achieving positive clinical and cost outcomes in workplace interventions.

Dose-Response?

Several factors might affect the effect of various programs and the ultimate ROI, including cultural and environmental factors, workforce demographics, level of participation and longevity of the program.

Most cost-benefit studies have been conducted in sizable companies with more than fifty staff members. But researchers have determined that similar results are able to be obtained by small companies with as few as five staff members actively involved in a well-managed program.

Various studies also suggest that even relatively modest levels of participation can achieve substantial program influence. Contrary to reports by the popular media that such programs require more than 70 percent participation, published reports of at least one case showed beneficial return on investment with 51 percent participation.

Length of intervention appears to be a more salient variable: an effect on health care costs generally requires three-to five years of programming.

Future developments

Despite the abundance of beneficial program evaluations, several caveats remain. Negative results are less likely to be reported or published, thus biasing the return on investment upward.

Uncertainty persists regarding the specific impact of the various program components. But as these programs take hold, further research and assessment will enable fine-tuning of program investments.

Meanwhile, the preponderance of data and the strength of the published research stand in favor of a beneficial return on investment for Workplace Wellness Programs. Indeed, the business case for such programs is now well enough defined that some insurance brokers offer discounted rates to companies that institute or subscribe to wellness programs.

Future questions will focus on how best to combine accross the board and focused interventions, the intensity of components, and how to calibrate the dose-response model to achieve a target return on investment. Here, employers, workers, and researchers will need to collaborate to define mutual goals in terms of both clinical and expenditure outcomes.

As employers today continue to compete in the global economy, expense containment strategies will be increasingly significant. Controlling the rising expense of employee ill health is becoming a priority for corporate leaders. The emerging corporate culture in the U.S. is one which has an employee population centered in health, safety and wellness.

Creating a corporate strategy for Employee Health Promotion Programs and disability management makes good organization sense. The following eight-step process ensures a strategic, integrated, needs-driven and outcome-oriented approach.

The following process works best in corporations with strong leadership and a long-term responsibility to employee health.

1. Identify Your Employee Health Promotion Program Champion

This person should be a leader in your organization and a strong advocate of health. Usually this is an individual who actively pursues his or her own personal quest for good health.

The program champion must have the resources and authority to drive the program forward. The program champion’s key role is to ensure the strategic plan for health is aligned with the business’s objectives, strategic focus and business values. By way of example if the organization promotes that “our strength is our people” the wellness program must verify how initiatives will nurture and protect that important resource.

2. Form Your Corporate Health Promotion Program Strategy Team

The Workplace Wellness Program Strategy Team must include decision makers and stakeholders from parts of the organization that have the potential to effect health and the company’s bottom line. These areas may include; finance, human resources, training and development, health services, compensation and benefits, employee assistance services (EAP), marketing, facilities, health and safety, rehabilitation, cafeteria or food services and the union. A team of six to eight representatives is recommended.

The role of the Strategy Team is to cultivate and enable the strategic plan, look for opportunities to promote health, ensure the program is integrated into key areas of the organization, streamline efforts, maximize corporation resources and program assessment.

3. Complete an Business Health Audit

The purpose of an Organization Health Audit is to evaluate your existing programs and services, physical environment and policies & procedures that support health. It is also valuable to look at your organization culture or “how things are done” around the organization.

Participants of the Strategy Team complete the Audit independently and then meet to discuss their assessment. During the assessment process, health problems and opportunities are discussed in preparation for the development of the strategic plan.

4. Analyze Your Organization’s Cost Pressures

Cost pressures are identified by analyzing a number of areas including; benefit expenditures, Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) claims, prescription drug usage, type of paramedic claims, absenteeism data and EAP utilization. This process helps to target areas that can be positively impacted by a Worksite Health Promotion Program and to provide a baseline for evaluating change.

5. Conduct a Health Risk Appraisal or Employee Needs & Interest Survey

The next step is to determine your employee’s health risks, interests and readiness to change. A confidential health risk appraisal can accomplish countless goals. It supplies a baseline from which to measure personal lifestyle changes, supplies workers with relevant health information, motivates workers to take charge of their health and assists in program planning. Most health risk appraisals provide individual reports and a corporate report identifying high-risk areas in the corporation.

Many employers opt to administer customized needs and interest survey to evaluate employee needs. The benefit of this approach is that the corporation is able to gather information on the employees’ perceived wellness needs and program interests. This information can be incorporated into the strategic plan. Administering a survey also has the added benefit of fostering a sense of employee ownership to the program.

6. Establish Your Strategic Plan for Wellness

The strategic plan ought to incorporate information gathered from the Company Health Audit, your organization’s expenditure pressures, and health risk appraisal data or employee survey results. The strategic plan ought to include your program mission, three or four objectives and several drives under each goal. The strategic plan supports a framework to encourage, backing and evaluate “best health practices.”

It is also valuable that the plan align itself with the vision, goals and objectives of the organization.

The sample strategic plan that follows was developed for blue jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. (Canada) Inc. Levi Strauss & Co.’s mission statement and aspirations (how employees interact with each other in a company environment) guided the development of the plan.

Levi Strauss & Co.’s aspirations include the following statement: Above all, we want satisfaction from accomplishments and friendships, balanced personal and professional lives, and to enjoy our endeavors. The wellness program plan included a number of components to see that it embraced this statement including the following:

1. A vision statement, which tied in with the company’s aspirations.
2. An incentive system to encourage and reward the accomplishment of healthy milestones.
3. A recognition system to applaud effectiveness.
4. Friendly competitions between Levi Strauss & Co. locations to ensure an enjoyable environment.
5. Opportunities to take part in small group educational programs to develop group backing.
6. Initiation of support groups for employees completing wellness programs (i.e. smoking control support group).
7. Programs dealing with work and family balance.

Other information that was analyzed and used to develop the plan included:

1. Organization demographics
2. Focus groups
3. Cultural audit
4. Top prescription report
5. EAP utilization
6. Employee benefit services report
7. Health and dental claims
8. Operational effectiveness summaries
9. Health risk appraisals
7. Prepare a Business Case to Support Your Plan

Your organization case for wellness supplies the necessary details for approval at the senior staff level. The organization case includes:

1. The Strategic Plan for Health
2. A proposed program budget
3. Marketing strategies
4. Program leadership options
5. An implementation plan
6. Evaluation methodology.

In presenting the strategic plan it is valuable to highlight how the plan aligns itself with the strategic direction of the organization.

The program budget ought to include educational resources, marketing costs, incentives, leadership costs and supplies.

Marketing strategies must address how the program will be promoted and rolled out to various groups within the organization i.e. decentralized locations, elevated risk employees, older employees.

Program leadership ought to address how volunteers will be used, internal resources  and whether consultants have been proposed. All play an equally significant role in the implementation of your wellness program.

The program implementation plan ought to incorporate the following types of programs that help create awareness of positive health practices, support  staff members in making lifestyle changes and drives, which support long-term change.

Awareness programs foster an awareness of the effect of healthy lifestyle practices and excite workers to take the next step. Examples of awareness programs include posting educational posters, newsletter articles and lunch and learn sessions.

Lifestyle change programs are more inclusive and longer in duration. They are designed to assist  workers in changing behavior. Examples of lifestyle change programs are diet education programs, stress management programs, back care classes and smoking control programs.

A supportive corporate environment encompasses everything from corporate policies & procedures, the physical environment and creating a corporate culture that supports great health practices. Follow-up sessions and support groups for staff members who have completed 6-10 week wellness programs also offer a supportive environment for long-term change.

Reviewing the effectiveness of a Employee Wellness Program is ongoing. A formal evaluation should be conducted each year and may include; re-administering steps three to five, program participation statistics and a year end survey to revisit “soft” concerns such as morale, program satisfaction and future program direction.

8. Solicit Input and Communicate Your Plan

Employee input is essential to the long-term success of your program. An Employee Advisory Committee must be formed to roll out the plan. Another key responsibility of this team is to solicit feedback from all echelons of the organization to ensure buy-in. Front line Manager’s Information Sessions and focus groups are also important. This group needs to buy-in to the notion that they play a key role in supporting positive health practices. Regular gatherings are advised with front line managers to receive ongoing input, address problems and orient new managers.

Conclusions

The World Health Organization’s definition of health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” In order for us to establish healthy workplaces, wellness drives must have a program champion, have employee ownership, be upper management supported, outcome driven and strategically aligned with the central business objectives of the organization.

Wellness plan that embrace these qualities will have a positive effect on an organization’s bottom line. Canadian research points to a myriad of case studies where onsite programs have resulted in lowered absenteeism, cut claims and increased productivity.

Employers who have embraced wellness as part of “how they do business” share one thing in common. They verify a commitment to their most significant resource – their people. They be aware of the increased pressures associated with downsized organizations, a rapidly changing workplace, an aging work force and the challenge of balancing work and family obligations. And they share a common belief that healthy workers are happier, absent less and more productive.

References:
Design of Corporate Health Promotion Programs by Michael P. O’Donnell. 1995. Published by the American Journal of Health Promotion.
Pro Fit-ability by Veronica Marsden. Group Healthcare Management. May 1997.
Meeting Expectations by Laura Mensch. Employee Health and Productivity. August 1999
7 Steps to Health Promotion by Daphne Woolf and Veronica Marsden. Group Healthcare Management. February 1996.
Published in The Journal of Health Promotion for Northern Ireland, Issue 9, March 2000

Want some wellness program ideas and wellness policy ideas to get you started? Or perhaps you want to jump start or better upon your current wellness program? The list below provides ‘best practices’ that are able to help meet any wellness program budget! The Workplace Health Promotion Program ideas are divided into topic areas.

General Wellness Progam Ideas

• Conduct an Employee Needs & Interest Survey
• Design a Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee
• Select medical programs that cover expenditures for weight management and smoking cessation
• Waive co-pay or reimburse for preventive medical care visits
• Put up pamphlets on a variety of wellness subject matters for workers to take
• Design a wellness resource center or library with videos, books, magazines, DVD’s on a variety of subject matters of interest to employees
• Identify employees who are mentors or champions for healthy activities and ask them to present or to list as a contact for other employees
• Plan and encourage periodic or regular educational sessions.
• Establish monthly educational sessions on the national health observance topic
• Display a Wellness Bulletin Board & update it monthly
• Display messages from national health observances during the month
• Publish healthy tips in newsletters, paycheck stuffers, bulletin boards, etc.
• Sponsor a benefits fair
• Offer organization fitness and healthy eating challenges
• Offer business wellbeing and health fairs or other on-Site activities

Nutrition Programs

• Provide free, healthy snacks for workers (fruit, nuts, popcorn)
• Provide healthy meal choices in cafeterias and at organization events
• Offer information to employees about the nutritional content of food served in the cafeteria
• Create a fresh fruit “snack basket” in the breakroom or cafeteria
• Stock vending machines with healthier options
• Subsidize healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines (10¡ apples may be more appealing than $1.00 candy bars)
• Begin a weekly or monthly healthy lunch club
• Have brochures available on a variety of healthy eating topics
• Include nutrition articles in organization newsletters
• Provide a healthy food tasting contest Free
• Schedule educational sessions at lunchtime-time on a variety of diet issues of interest
• Develop an employee healthy meal cookbook. Either sell the cookbook and use profits for programs, or purchase a cookbook for all employees

Weight Loss Programs / Weight Management Programs

• Offer flexible work schedules so that staff members have the potential to take part in weight-loss programs
• Partially fund registration expenditures for weight-management programs
• Offer a support group to help staff members who are trying to lose weight
• Locate registered dieticians near your workplace as a resource for staff members who want information on healthy eating, meal planning or weight management
• Provide individual counseling for employees trying to lose weight
• Provide workplace fitness and weight-management programs through your local hospital, Weight Watchers, TOPS or local, registered dietician
• Schedule an educational session on diet myths and healthy eating

Physical Activity Programs

• Allow flexible work schedules to encourage exercise
• Create a fitness space with aerobic equipment, and weights
• Establish accessible walking paths, trails, and/or bike routes
• Urge staff members to walk more by parking farther away from the entrance
• Create a gym with aerobic equipment, weights, aerobic classes, fitness professionals
• Have walking meetings
• Make the stairways more appealing (carpet, fresh paint, artwork, posters)
• Provide reduced fitness center membership fees to all workers
• Give facilities for workers to secure bikes
• Schedule 5 – ten minute stretch breaks during the day
• Partially fund gym membership for employees who take part a minimal number of days per week (ex., 3 days per week)
• Support lunchtime walking/running clubs or business sports team
• Urge stairwell use and incentives/rewards
• Install a basketball hoop outside
• Promote & support neighborhood walks or fitness activities
• Urge walking during breaks and other off-time periods
• Give periodic fitness incentive programs to encourage physical activity
• Have educational sessions on fitness activities

Smoking Cessation Programs / Tobacco Cessation Programs

• Create a tobacco-free grounds
• Develop a smoke-free workplace
• Encourage the use of 1-800-QUIT-NOW, North Carolina’s free Tobacco Use Quitline. Or check www.QuitlineNC.com
• Reimburse for tobacco replacement products
• Subsidize the expense of tobacco cessation sessions
• Provide handouts and information on health effects from tobacco use and smoking cessation
• Have awareness sessions to arouse staff members to try to quit tobacco use
• Schedule workplace tobacco cessation workshops

Employee Health Screening

• Discount healthcare insurance premiums or lower co-payments for workers who participate in screenings and who participate in managing their risk factors
• Install Blood Pressure (BP) monitoring equipment
• Offer flu shots for workers and family members
• Offer Health Risk Assessments to all workers, including counseling and follow-up
• Provide periodic Blood Pressure screenings and follow-up
• Offer periodic screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose, body composition, etc.

Stress Management Programs / Work Life Balance Programs

• Allow flexible schedules for family/work life balance
• Offer and encourage an Employee Assistance Program(EAP)
• Offer information on substance abuse prevention
• Provide pamphlets and information on stress management and mental health
• Offer pamphlets and information on work life balance, such as financial planning, childcare, parenting, elder care, etc.
• Offer supervisor and manager training on communication, relationship building, organization stressors, etc.
• Evaluate business policies and work schedules to identify business stressors
• Review the Employee Assistance Program to make sure it is meeting the needs of the staff members and company
• Schedule educational sessions on stress management and work life balance
• Have courses on relaxation, stress management, and work life balance topics