Corporate Wellness Mistakes

o Organize a launch event to develop excitement about upcoming activities and to develop a social climate that establishes being active as the norm.

o Organize and promote monthly or bi-monthly organization events that are fun and active, e.g., picnics with physical games, staff tournaments and dragon boat racing.

Make certain to encourage families to join in by including all-ages events like relay races, soccer matches, bocce ball and baseball games.

o Begin a swim club at a local pool. Invite groups of workforce to swim the distance of a nearby lake. Convert kilometres to lengths and reward workforce who complete the swim.

Be certain to set up a challenge between staff members and managers to see who covers the greatest distance.

o Post a sign-up board where staff can become a member of  group or find a buddy to participate in activities of interest.

o Arrange a organization badminton tournament that lasts several months, with each staff member playing once a week. Post the results as the tournament progresses.

o Organize an office Olympics, World Cup, Wimbledon or Masters Games. Invite teams to compete in a few activities over a month. Reward everybody who participates.

o Create a point system in which one minute of activity equals one point. Be certain to set a target, and post a chart where all staff members can track their points. Reward the first group to reach that target.

o Co-ordinate a stair climb challenge. Post a chart at the top of the stairwell, and encourage workforce to track the number of flights of stairs they climb each workday.

Make certain to set up teams, and award a prize to the first team to climb the equivalent of Mount Everest.

o Post and promote a sign-up board for lunchtime walking groups.

o Organize a walk “across the USA ” Pick a route, find out how many steps it’d take to walk that distance and challenge workforce to do it.

Give or loan pedometers to workforce, and ask them to record the number of steps they take. Or, when you cannot afford pedometers, track the minutes walked. Be certain to set up a challenge between workforce and managers to see who can walk across the U.S.  first.

o Co-ordinate a walk to work club. Acknowledge employees who either walk to work or walk to public transit.

o Have a volunteer group leader guide weekly lunchtime power walks.

o Coordinate a million-step challenge. Form groups, challenge each group to walk a combined total of a million steps and reward the winner. Departments or sites could compete with each other and with management.

o Challenge personnel to walk 10,000 steps a day. Buy pedometers for all participating personnel or, if you cannot afford that, make pedometers available at a decreased rate.

Give tips for increasing daily steps, and reward staff who succeed.

There is no single right way to approach wellness programs but winning wellness programs share common success factors. These include commitment from management, staff member involvement, adequate resources, and a health policy that goes hand in hand with the organization’s mission, vision and values.

Health Promotion Program –  A Range of Approaches

While the goal is to eventually have a long-term, robust health promotion program, some organizations prefer to start with a single program at a basic level.

For  instance, the first steps may be as simple as offering lunch-hour sessions on first aid or healthy eating; or they could launch a pilot project to figure out how interested personnel are to ensure personnel needs are being met before taking on anything more ambitious.

This approach provides a chance to show the impact on employees and the workplace so senior management are going to be more willing to consider a bigger and more far-reaching strategy.

Other organizations plan a variety of wellness programs to meet the needs of the different kinds of individuals  that make up their workforce.  And some decide to develop a sound company case, complete with a health strategy, before trying any type of wellness program.

Organizations want to ensure that a new health promotion program is fully integrated with their overall business vision and mission.

Health Promotion Program –  Success Factors

Regardless of whether your business chooses to think big from the outset or to start with something smaller, always keep in mindthe following key success factors

o support and participation from management;

o staff member involvement in planning;

o wellness programs that meet worker needs;

o A realistic budget; and

o continuous review.

In sports, a game plan is a series of steps that a team must follow to accomplish its goal of winning. Most winning teams plan to win. Companies also need game plans, even if they don’t call them by that name.

Good planning will help to ensure that your health promotion program happens the way you want it to, and that costs may be identified in advance and kept within budget. Good planning avoids small problems from becoming bigger.

Steps in Creating a Health Promotion Program

Obtain senior level management support. You could need to create a corporation case to convince managers that the health promotion program is a corporation strategy-that employee health and job satisfaction affects their productivity. Workers need to see evidence that senior level management believes in and is committed to employee health.

Establish a planning committee. Members can include representatives from employee groups in addition to from human resources, health and safety, and communications.

Collect information.  To prove that your wellness program is beneficial, establish a benchmark before the wellness program starts. You could wish to look at worker satisfaction, absenteeism rates, stress levels, drug costs or WCB expenditures.

Assess what workplace facilities are available to support staff to make healthful options like showers and change areas or a secure place to store a bike. Assess employee needs through a recent survey or questionnaire, suggestion box or focus group. Communicate the results.

Create the plan to reflect the information accumulated. Include wellness program goals, activities and how you’re going to measure whether your goals were met.

Keep the plan flexible. You could need to change direction in response to employee feedback or changes in the company’s structure.

Get senior level management approval. Support for staff time and a budget are needed.

Put activities in place. Provide a selection of activities that develop awareness, increase knowledge, develop skills, and provide social interaction.

Activities could include walking clubs, participation in national campaigns like Corporate Health Promotion Week, SummerActive, WinterActive, corporate challenge, golf days, and newsletters that provide information about community resources.

Worksites can also make it easier for workforce to make healthy options by providing flextime to allow workforce to fit activity in when it is convenient or by subsidizing wellness programs in cooperation with community or private fitness facilities. A policy on catering for meetings can ensure that healthy foods are offered.

Evaluate the plan. Share your successes with others, learn from your mistakes and modify activities.

A wellness program doesn’t need to be complicated or a gigantic investment. Just do it. Get support from management, bring a few committed individuals  together to generate some ideas and get began.

Precisely how does it feel to walk into your worksite? Do people  look happy? is the place well lit and cheerful? Do you feel welcome, wanted and energized? Or do you feel a gloom come over you, and count the hours until you can leave?

The influence of the workplace environment on the wellness of staff members is profound. First there is the physical look, feel, smell, and sounds of the place. Then you’re affected by the policies, like whether others are allowed to smoke around you.

After awhile, more subtle factors start to affect you. Do your attempts to adopt a healthier lifestyle get recognized at work, or are they sabotaged? Are your managers inspiring you by being healthful role models? Do you get regular opportunities to learn healthier behavior?

In a supportive environment, workers feel that the business they work for provides them with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards for healthful lifestyles.

And the spirit that results is incredibly contagious. Employees who feel cared are naturally more loyal and productive.

The following ideas will help you transform your worksite environment into one that in truth supports the wellness of your workforce and organization.

Health Promotion Program Ideas for Creating Supportive Environments

Wellness Friendly Facilities

When you enter a workplace, do you feel comfortable? Could you be glad working there? is there enough light and clean air? Are there pleasant work areas, places to eat decent food, take a walk before lunch? Close your eyes. How does it smell? Sound? Do the personnel have enough space?

There is no doubt that our physical environment affects us, from basic safety matters to subtle factors that can cause  or reduce stress. Healthy environments often have these features

o Vending machines with healthy food choices like low-fat milk, fruits, sugar-free and caffeine-free beverages and low-calorie snacks

o Workout area, walking paths, playing fields, basketball hoop, or other exercise opportunities onsite or nearby

o Cafeteria offers healthy foods including a salad bar with low-fat dressing

o Natural light is used whenever possible; all lighting is appropriate and adequate

o Heating and ventilation is adjustable, comfortable and healthy

o No cigarette machines, ashtrays, or use of tobacco areas onsite

o Noise levels are safe and conducive to concentration

o Be certain to work station furniture conforms to ergometric standards

o Safety hazards have been eliminated

o Lockers and showers are available for workers who workout before work or during breaks

o Stairs are clean and well lit, convenient and pleasant to use

Familiarity could make it hard to evaluate a worksite. People  get used to stressful conditions and forget that conditions ever bothered them.

It might be useful to ask individuals  who are unfamiliar with your worksite to walk through with you. Professional consultants can also help.

Proactive Health Promotion Policies

One clear way to influence behavior is through policies and procedures. If nurses are not permitted to work more than twelve hours in a row, there will be fewer medication errors.

When parents are allowed flextime to attend to their children’s needs, they will be less stressed. When employees can apply unused sick days to planned vacation time, they will save them up in lieu of calling in sick to use them all.

Supportive corporate policies might include

o Seatbelt use required in corporation cars

o Alcohol and drug policies are appropriate to the industry

o Emergency procedures are developed, known, and practiced

o Flexible work schedules allow personnel to exercise, attend children’s school conferences, etc.

o Nonsmoking policy is enforced

o Excessive overtime is discouraged

o Membership at workout facility is partially reimbursed

o Shift staff members are scheduled to allow adequate rest

o Medical care coverage rewards good health

o Absenteeism policy rewards employees who don’t use sick days

o Worker assistance program available to help personnel with chemical dependencies, depression, family problems

o Significant consequences are given for unsafe, unhealthful, prohibited behavior.  Your company might have a policy against alcohol use during work hours, but if everyone looks the other way when someone comes back from lunch smelling like beer, the culture is one that allows drinking at lunch-and one in which written policies could be safely ignored.

Prohibited behaviors should be confronted promptly. Otherwise your policies become mere lip service instead of springboards to health.

Consistent Recognition and Rewards for Success

Attention, praise, and rewards are given for wellness achievements.

You are able to show you value wellness by celebrating your health promotion programs and those who’ve made way of life improvements in corporation newsletters, on bulletin boards, and at annual banquets, meetings, and celebrations. Incentives are a direct way to show appreciation, too.

Wellness mentors are sought and applauded, too. Staff Members who support others’ efforts to improve their health are noticed and appreciated. Coworker modeling and mentoring classes can encourage those who enjoy assisting others to step forward into a new role.

Managers Model and Support Healthy Behavior

Nothing could say “We encourage you to exercise often” better than a manager going on a bicycle ride during the lunch hour–or your supervisor sitting next to you in a weight management class.

Wellness activities promote relaxed interaction between people  from different departments and at different levels in the chain of command. That promotes relaxed communication and a feeling of solidarity that is pure gold.

Managers can also provide support for workers who are working on improving their health. It does not take anything fancy-just a “good job” or “nice to see you at the health club” can put a glow on the cheeks of most of us.

Managers can also help by authorizing personnel the flexibility to attend wellness events.

Ongoing Health Promotion Programs

It’s crucial to give personnel the sense that the wellness program is a permanent and important part of the company, not a company fad. That can begin as soon as a new staff member is hired.

New staff members are oriented to the health promotion program as among the employee benefits. Information about the health promotion program must be presented by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable person who invites the new employee to participate.

The workers are familiar with the ongoing health promotion programs.

The health promotion programs and wellness staff are well known in the corporation. Opportunities to participate are abundant and it’s easy to sign up.

A broad variety of awareness courses are offered. You will find topics of interest for everybody.

These are fun and easy events that could be done within your business to motivate healthful behaviors during a contest or during other times.  The goal is to encourage worker participation. Some examples

o Create a sub-committee of enthusiastic staff who will help promote the fitness program by offering ideas, suggestions and encouragement to fellow employees.

o Create monthly mailbox flyers to promote a contest or provide fitness-related education/encouragement information.

o Send a weekly voicemail on each participant’s telephone with stimulating wellness messages.

o Give regular cumulative health progress reports.

o Make available low-fat or heart-healthy lunch selections once a week in your cafeteria or have employees bring a healthy snack to share, with a recipe book compiled after the contest or specified period (such as a National Nutrition Month in March).

o Distribute staff member gifts (pedometers or other novelty item related to some aspect of your contest theme) as registration starts.

o Allow personnel “Fitness15-Minute Walk Breaks;” corporation time to walk, exercise, etc. When appropriate, you may use a space not currently used to set up a treadmill, elliptical bicycle, some free weights and meditation music.

o Hold a T-shirt design contest.

o Create posters to map contest (or fitness) progress and to serve as reminder of your objectives

o Use push pins or other identifiers for each individual to put up in the office showing how they have progressed – personnel can get very creative with this and design pins that reflect their personalities.

o Use a bar graph to compare progress.

o Use a “thermometer” kind graphic and color in progress – consider a different, fitness-related graphic all together and color it in as you progress.

o Offer aerobic dance or walking videos in your conference or break rooms.

o Compile a list of organized events in the community that offer opportunities to get staff members exercising by participating as a team (below are just a few)

o Race for the Cure

o March of Dimes Walk America event

o Juvenile Diabetes Research

o Foundation Walk to Cure

o American Heart Association’s Heart Walk

o American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life

o American Lung Association’s Lung Run

o Local marathons or special community walks or runs

o Create or attend a health-and-fitness retreat or workshop.

o Hold a soup-and-salad luncheon followed by a hula-hoop contest!

o Use the mall as an alternate walking location during inclement weather.

o Designate “Move it Mondays” – allow employees to take an additional 10 minutes at lunchtime for exercise.

o Designate “Tasty Tuesdays” – provide personnel with low-calorie treats/snacks.

o Designate “Walking Wednesdays”- allow employees to take an additional 10 minutes at lunch to walk, or “Wacky Wednesdays” that allow employees to explore new exercises.

o Designate “Thirsty Thursdays” – make healthful smoothies or juice drinks for personnel.

o Designate “Fresh Fruit Fridays” for staff – offer seasonal fruit treats.

o Send weekly exercise tips to personnel via the most effective communications automobile in your worksite.

o Partner with another company representative for local media events coordinated through your advertising and marketing or communication department.

o Make certain to encourage departmental teams to challenge each other (examples – Customer Service, Marketing, Medical Support).

o Establish walking clubs with executive/supervisory leadership.

o Seek out local aerobic opportunities or classes through churches, community groups, college, YMCA, etc.

o Contact a few local area gyms and ask when they can or will offer group discounts for fitness plans, waive enrollment fees, or set up a 12-week program as opposed to signing an extended contract.

o Hold a Frozen Yogurt Social – “Reap the Benefits of  Fitness.”

o Map out a walking track around the building including the number of laps required for one mile.

These are short informational “Health Tips” in an e-mail format on many different health-related topics. You may appoint someone within your company to find specific topics on the Internet from sites that are in the public domain or topics can be purchased from companies.

Some qualified sources include

o Hope Health

o Sound Ideas, Inc.

o Centers for Illness Control and Prevention

o National Institutes of Health

These e-mails could be sent daily, weekly or monthly. Our experience indicates weekly is the best frequency.

When the majority of your personnel do not have e-mail, consider providing the information to them through

o Bulletin boards

o Check stuffers

o Mailbox stuffers

o Newsletters

SAMPLE #1 Employee Health Promotion E-mail Messages

From – Wellness Program

To – Wellness Team

Subject –  Layering for Exercise

One way to help ensure enjoyment of a winter walk (or run) is to be certain you are dressed properly for the weather.  And the secret to that, for a winter workout, is to dress in layers.

Layer 1 — Prevent 100 percent cotton in the first layer, next to your skin. Cotton holds perspiration. Wear underwear made from manmade fabrics to wick perspiration away from skin.

Layer 2 — A zippered sweatshirt and sweatpants will keep you warm. Just open the zipper if you get too warm.

Layer 3 — If needed, over the sweatsuit, you are able to add a waterproof and windproof jacket. If it’s very cold, you may want to wear a jacket made with goose down.

Hands — Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.

Feet — Wear socks made from wool or manmade fabrics that keep your feet dry and warm. Avoid 100 percent cotton socks. Do not wear sneakers or boots that fit too tightly …  This will restrict blood flow and your feet will end up feeling colder.

Head — About 40% of your body heat is lost through your head. Wear a hat and cover your ears.

Lips — Don’t forget lip balm with sunscreen … even in winter!

SAMPLE #2 Company Wellness E-mail Messages

From – Health Promotion Program

To – Health Promotion Team

Subject –  Energy Improves

Need an energy increase? Here are some ideas for tapping into your own energy sources — and most require little effort.

o Get an extra hour of sleep. No surprise here — it could make a big difference in your energy level the next day.

o Eat less more often. Have small, balanced meals or snacks throughout your day for a steady supply of fuel and energy. Make note of which foods seem to increase your energy level.

o Drink plenty of water. Dehydration contributes to fatigue, which you can offset by drinking water throughout the day.

o Prevent alcohol and caffeine. Both may contribute  to dehydration and fatigue. They also tend to disrupt sleep patterns.

Wellness Workshops are learning sessions planned and organized by you to meet specific goals. Decide on a topic and choose a speaker. Pick a site for the “Lunch and Learn” session, ordinarily a lunchroom or break room.

Depending on your budget and objectives, workforce can brown bag the lunch or you might provide the meal. Meetings could be mandatory or elective, your choice.

Experience tells us the most success will be achieved when these Health Promotion Seminars are elective and when the company provides lunch.

Goals for Health Promotion Seminars

Education on a specific medical problem. You may want to choose one of your group’s top diagnoses. Examples are

o Diabetes – diabetes prevention and care by a certified diabetic educator

o Heart disease – cardiovascular health (individual counseling sessions with a nutritionist)

o High blood pressure

o High cholesterol

o Flu and pneumonia

o Breast cancer – breast health or breast self-exam sessions may be taught by a trained instructor

Education on medical insurance benefits

o Diabetes – what are the covered benefits, where to purchase diabetic supplies, support groups for personnel with diabetes.

o Wellness Program Benefits

o Well baby/child care.

Education on the importance of enrolling in your medical plan or local health department’s health education programs or disease management programs. Example programs

o Diabetes

o Respiratory

o Low-Back Pain

o Cardiovascular

o Tobacco use

Community Resource Speakers for Health Promotion Seminars

o Local medical plan office

o Local heart association

o Local cancer society

o Pharmacies – many pharmacists are available to speak on pharmacy-related issues.

o Pharmaceutical Organizations – many corporations have standard presentations created for corporations that are provided free of charge to use at your own direction. Some examples are

o Know Your Numbers (high cholesterol) – Pfizer

o Respiratory Wellness (flu and pneumonia) – Pfizer

o Men’s and Women’s Health – Pfizer

o Local health clubs/fitness trainers/YMCA – can discuss walking safety, benefits of walking, swimming and aerobics.

o Yoga and/or Pilates instructors

o Running, cycling club representatives

o Local hospital nutritionists

o Stamp Out Use of tobacco – Tobacco Coalition representatives

Topics for Health Promotion Seminars

o Bicycling – benefits and opportunities for cycling

o Nutrition and health (Heart Healthy lunch for all attendees)

o Cardiovascular health

o Women’s health issues

o Just how to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke

o National Employee Fitness Day within the office establishing – Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness representatives can promote event

o Exercise tolerance and healthful heart concerns

o Beginning a workout program – include the importance of seeing the physician before the starting of any new exercise program

o Self-defense

o Domestic abuse

o Safety in general

o Exercise safety

o Walking/running benefits and safety tips Tobacco dangers and avoidance

Conducting an Employee Fitness Challenge at your worksite is a fun and arousing way to elevate awareness among workers about the importance of starting and sustaining an exercise program.

It is a concentrated effort in which to engage them in physical activity for a specific period that, hopefully, will help them begin a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.

Nonetheless, it is important to practice wellness year-round. This section provides a extensive list of Wellness Program ideas that have been implemented within health promotion programs.

All ideas presented in this section have been successful for one or both of the entities. Each activity/idea could be used as a stand-alone event, even if you don’t conduct a fitness contest, or could be held and your Staff Member Fitness Contest.

You may want to pick some ideas you think will work for your personnel or think of others and start your program to develop a better state of health.

Scientific studies have repeatedly demonstrated that extensive health promotion programs, or Wellness Programs, can lower healthcare and insurance costs, reduce rates of absenteeism, and improve performance and productivity.

Other benefits demonstrated in studies include improved ability to attract and retain key personnel, greater worker allegiance, and improved public image of the business.

Healthcare and Insurance Costs

A number of studies provide evidence of lower health care and insurance costs for participants in health promotion programs, namely health promotion programs involving exercise.

For $30 per individuals, the Bank of America conducted a wellness program for retirees using a risk assessment questionnaire, self-care books and other mailed materials. Insurance claims were lowered an average of $164 a 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 health care claims with a fitness plan alone, saving $500 per worker a year for the workers (60%) who joined their HealthWorks fitness program.

Prudential Insurance Company reports that the organization’s major medical costs dropped from $574 to $312 for each participant in its health promotion program.

Lowered Absenteeism

Absenteeism has been proven to be impacted by company wellness and wellness programs.  The evidence indicates a meaningful reduction in absenteeism and resultant dollars saved thus of employee fitness plans.

Pacific Bell’s FitWorks health promotion program lowered absent days .8 percent to save $2 million in one year. FitWorks members also spent 3.3 days less on short-term disability for an additional savings of $4.7 million.

Focusing wellness efforts on high-risk staff members can lead to better results. A national manufacturing organization reports a decrease of 12.2% in illness days for these staff members.

A two-year study by the DuPont Company of the effect of its extensive wellness program on absences among employees reports that blue-collar employees 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.

Better Performance, Productivity and Morale

A number of businesss with health promotion programs report documented betterment in job attitude, work performance, energy level, and/or overall morale among health promotion program participants–all critical factors in enhancing productivity.

A Johnson and Johnson study found that worker attitude changes were greater at wellness intervention sites with significant positive attitude changes noted in the categories of organizational commitment, supervision, working conditions, job competence/security, and pay/benefits.

In a Canadian government study, the Canada Life Assurance Company experimental group realized a 4 percent increase in productivity after beginning an employee fitness program, compared to the control group.

Further, 47 percent of health promotion program participants stated that they felt more alert, had better rapport with their peers, and ordinarily enjoyed their work more.

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

The Bottom Line

The following sample of company wellness wellness program results have been reported by individual corporations

Company –  Dollars Saved/Dollars Spent

o Bank of America (Fries) –  $5.96/$1

o PacBell –  $3.10/$1

o Wisconsin School District Insurance Group –  $4.47/$1

o Prudential Insurance –  $2.90/$1

o Bank of America (Leigh) –  $4.73/$1

o General Mills –  $3.50/$1

Summary

There’s compelling evidence that a sizable portion of the billions of dollars currently spent by companys on health-related costs is preventable by means of health promotion programming.

Well-planned, comprehensive health promotion programs (health promotion programs and worker health promotion programs) have been shown to be cost-effective, especially when the health promotion programming is matched to the health problems of the specific worker

Free Health Promotion Programs and Cheap Health Management Alternatives

Start a free wellness program or run a successful wellness program in the office for little or no cost to your organization.  The benefits of corporate wellness at work are many.

The articles on wellness program have generated a variety of questions, mainly from wellness providers but also from companies attempting to begin their own wellness programs. There are a number of things to do to start a successful wellness program at work.

Suggestions for Starting a Free or Affordable Wellness Program

Before beginning a inexpensive or free wellness program for your organization, learn more about what employees want. Survey employees to learn more about their wellness concerns.

Keep the survey confidential to protect employees’ identities. Generally the most well-liked corporate wellness topics are smoking cessation, weight reduction concerns and heart and cholesterol health.

Look for Company Wellness Freebies

Find out who’ll come in for free to talk to workforce and explore partnerships with outside agents related to company health promotion.

For  instance, contact a local branch of a well-known weight loss organization and ask if someone can come in and speak to staff members. Look for agencies that are willing to come in and talk about topics related to wellness at no cost to staff members, in exchange for something from you.

Find Corporate Wellness Partnerships

Working with a weight loss corporation to set up a speaking engagement for workforce is the perfect opportunity to explore a potential wellness partnership.

The losing weight company may say that when 10 workforce join the wellness program, they will hold weekly meetings at company headquarters for the people  who joined.  The losing weight group also may offer company workforce a discount when a few people  join the wellness program.

Nonprofits an Untapped Health Management Resource

You will find also plenty of nonprofit agencies who’d be thrilled to visit a company to discuss health management. But it’s up to you to give them something in return.

For example, if the MS Society came in and talked about the signs of MS, the business could offer to organize an MS walk (in keeping with business health management objectives, right?), or an auction with employee and company-donated items where the proceeds go to MS.

The individuals  at the nonprofit agencies would be happy to open a dialog with your company and to talk about what they would want in return for a speaking engagement. In many instances, they will not need anything at all for a first meeting.

Collecting Data and Analyzing Wellness Program Results

Accumulating data and reviewing  results of a wellness program may be tricky because of HIPPA laws. Nonetheless, when at least 10 staff joined the weight loss program, or 20 people  participate daily in the all-new “Let us Walk a Mile at Lunch” program, that sort of progress can speak strongly to senior-level management.

And, organization successes will potentially give management more incentive to provide money for additional health management and wellness programs in the future.

Small corporation wellness programs are catching on. A well-designed wellness program can increase productivity, improve morale and vitality, reduce stress, lower rates of absenteeism, and control preventable health care costs within an organization.

The beauty of it’s that you’re simply assisting personnel to make smart options so the costs of implementing a health promotion program are minimal compared to the benefits.

Employee health is a major concern for small company owners. In a small shop, even a few sick workers can disrupt the flow of the worksite and bring the operation to a standstill.

Instead of sitting back and hoping for the best, some owners are taking the matter of worker health into their own hands by starting worker health promotion programs. Here is how they work . . .

Overview of worker health promotion programs

Employee health promotion programs are programs initiated by the company to enhance the overall health of their labor force and to help individual employees overcome specific health-related hurdles.

These health promotion programs could be offered in a variety of formats –  In mandatory staff training sessions, as voluntary seminars, or through a third-party provider offering a wide-range of worker assistance programs.

In every case, nonetheless, the business foots the bill for the health promotion programs because an investment in worker health is a organization investment that directly impacts the company’s bottom line.

Why offer employee wellness programs?

Apart from the obvious concern for the health of your staff members, there are several other reasons why staff member health promotion programs make sense for small corporations. Right off the bat, your organization will benefit from the decreased level of absenteeism that goes hand in hand with a healthy workforce.

Health promotion programs will also reduce 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 employee attendance can have a big impact on a small business, a more reliable workforce will inevitably translate into a smoother work cycle and a more robust bottom line.

Health Promotion Program Features

Wellness programs can cover a wide range of health-related topics. Based on your employees’ needs, it is entirely up to you to determine the type of health promotion programming you want to offer.

Nevertheless, most worker wellness programs offer some at least some wellness programs in the following areas

o Nutrition. Diet can significantly impact an staff member’s ability to do their job effectively. Nutritional programs educate workers about food options and equip them to make healthful dietary options.

o Fitness. In addition to diet, exercise is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle. Health promotion programs frequently provide personnel with opportunities to incorporate exercise into their daily lives.

o Tobacco use Cessation. Statistics prove that smokers tend to fall ill more frequently than their non-use of tobacco colleagues. Since sick personnel disrupt the worksite, use of tobacco cessation programs are a no-brainer for both companys and personnel.

o Physiological Testing. Many businesss offer physiological as a regular part of their health promotion programs. Cholesterol tests, blood pressure (BP) screenings, and other simple exams can provide early warning signs for additional serious problems.

o Stress Management. Stress itself takes a toll on staff members. Notwithstanding, stress is also linked to other medical problems like depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Health promotion programs that help staff members deal with stress improve not only the psychological health of your staff members, but their physical health as well.