Posts from — July 2009

These are short informational “Health Tips” in an e-mail format on many different health-related issues. You can appoint someone within your employer to find specific issues on the Internet from sites that are in the public domain or issues can be purchased from corporations. Some qualified sources include:
• Hope Health
• Sound Ideas, Inc.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institutes of Health

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

If the majority of your employees do not have e-mail, consider offering the information to them through:
• Bulletin boards
• Check stuffers
• Mailbox stuffers
• Newsletters

SAMPLE #1 Job Site Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Employee Wellness Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Layering for Exercise

One way to help ensure enjoyment of a winter walk (or run) is to make sure you’re dressed properly for the weather. And the secret to that, for a winter workout, is to dress in layers.
Layer 1 — Avoid 100% 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 required, 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% cotton socks. Don’t 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’s heat is lost through the head. Wear a hat and cover your ears.
Lips — Don’t forget lip balm with sunscreen … even in winter!

SAMPLE #2 Worksite Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Company Health Promotion Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Energy Boosts

Need a boost of energy? Here are some ideas for tapping into your own energy sources — and most require little effort.
• Get an extra hour of sleep. No surprise here — it is able to make a sizable difference in your energy level the next day.
• Eat less more frequently. Have small, balanced meals or snacks throughout your day for a steady supply of fuel and energy. Make note of which foods seem to boost your energy level.
• Drink plenty of water. Dehydration contributes to fatigue, which you have the potential to offset by drinking water throughout the day.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both are able to contribute to dehydration and fatigue. They also seem to disrupt sleep patterns.

Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are learning sessions planned and organized by you to meet specific objectives and goals. Decide on a topic and choose a speaker. Select a site for the “Lunch and Learn” session, usually a lunchroom or break room. Depending on your budget and objectives, employees are able to brown bag the lunch or you might offer the meal. Meetings are able to be mandatory or elective, your choice.
Experience tells us the most success will be experienced if these Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are elective and if the employer supplies lunch.
Goals for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs

Education on a specific health problem. You may want to choose one of your group’s top diagnoses. Examples are:
• Diabetes - diabetes prevention and care by a certified diabetic educator
• Cardiovascular disease - cardiovascular health (individual counseling sessions with a nutritionist)
• Hypertension
• Hypercholesterolemia
• Flu and pneumonia
• Breast cancer - breast health or breast self-exam sessions can be taught by a trained instructor

Education on healthcare insurance benefits:
• Diabetes - what are the covered benefits, where to purchase diabetic supplies, support groups for staff members with diabetes.
• Worksite Health Promotion Program Benefits
• Well baby/child care.

Education on the effect of enrolling in your health plan or local health department’s health education programs or disease management programs. Example programs:
• Diabetes
• Respiratory
• Low-Back Pain
• Cardiovascular
• Tobacco use

Community Resource Speakers for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs
• Local health plan office
• Local heart association
• Local cancer society
• Pharmacies - many pharmacists are available to speak on pharmacy-related problems.
• Pharmaceutical Companies - a myriad of businesses have standard presentations developed for employers that are provided free of charge to use at your own direction. Some examples are:
   • Know Your Numbers (high blood lipids) - Pfizer
   • Respiratory Wellness (flu and pneumonia) - Pfizer
   • Men’s and Women’s Health - Pfizer
• Local gyms/personal trainers/YMCA - can discuss walking safety, advantages of walking, swimming and aerobics.
• Yoga and/or Pilates instructors
• Running, cycling club representatives
• Local dieticians
• Stamp Out Smoking - Tobacco Coalition representatives

Topics for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs

• Cycling - benefits and opportunities for cycling
• Nutrition and health (Heart Healthy lunch for all attendees)
• Cardiovascular health
• Women’s health issues
• How to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke
• National Employee Fitness Day within the office setting - Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness representatives can encourage event
• Exercise tolerance and healthy heart concerns
• Beginning an physical activity program - include the importance of seeing the doctor before beginning of any new physical activity program
• Self-defense
• Domestic abuse
• Safety in general
• Exercise safety
• Walking/running benefits and safety tips Tobacco dangers and avoidance

Conducting an Employee Fitness Challenge at your workplace is a fun and exciting way to raise awareness among workers about the effect of beginning and sustaining an physical activity program. It is a concentrated effort in which to engage them in physical activity for a specific time period that, hopefully, will help them start a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.
Still, it is important to practice wellness year-round. This section supplies a comprehensive list of Corporate Wellness Program ideas that have been implemented within wellness programs.
All ideas presented in this section have been thriving for one or both of the entities. Each exercise/idea has the potential to be used as a stand-alone event, even if you don’t conduct a fitness contest, or has the potential to be held in conjunction with your Employee Fitness Contest.
You may want to choose some of the ideas you believe will work for your workers or come up with others and start your initiative to foster a better state of health.

Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that comprehensive Worksite Health Promotion Programs, or Worksite Health Promotion Programs, are able to decrease health care and insurance costs, decrease absenteeism, and improve effectiveness and productiveness. Other advantages demonstrated in research studies include improved ability to attract and retain key personnel, greater employee allegiance, and improved public conception of the organization.

Medical Care and Insurance expenses

A number of studies provide evidence of decreased medical and insurance expenditures for participants in Worksite Health Promotion Programs, especially wellness programs involving exercise.

For $30 per person, the Bank of America started a Company 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 published a decrease in medical|medical|medical care|healthcare} claims with an exercise program alone, saving $500 per employee per year for the workers (60%) who joined their HealthWorks physical activity program. Prudential Insurance Corporation reports that the corporation’s major medical costs dropped from $574 to $312 for each colleague in its wellness program.

Decreased Absenteeism

Absenteeism has been demonstrated 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 diminished absent days .8 percent to save $2 million in one year. FitWorks members also invested 3.3 days less on short-term disability for an additional savings of $4.7 million.

Focusing Worksite Health Promotion Program efforts on elevated-risk workers is able to lead a better outcome. A national manufacturing business reports a decline of 12.2 percent in illness days for these workers.

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

Enhanced Performance, Productivity and Morale

A number of employers with Worksite Wellness Programs report documented improvement in job attitude, work effectiveness, energy level, and/or overall morale among program participants–all critical factors in enhancing productiveness.

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

In a Canadian government study, the Canada Life Assurance Employer experimental group realized a 4 percent growth in work rate after starting a organization physical activity program, compared to the control group. Further, 47 percent of program participants published that they felt more alert, had better rapport with their co-workers, and generally enjoyed their work more.

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

The Bottom Line

The following sample of Corporate Wellness Programs wellness program results have been stated by individual employers:

Employer: 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 strong evidence that a large portion of the billions of dollars now being invested by employers on health-related expenditures is preventable by means of Employee Health Promotion Programs. Well-planned, accross the board Employee Health Promotion Programs (Employee Health Promotion Programs and Employee Health Promotion Programs) have been demonstrated to be cost-effective, particularly when the Employee Health Promotion Programs is matched to the health concerns of the specific employee.

Free Company Health Promotion Programs and Low Cost Health Management Alternatives

Design a no cost Workplace Wellness Program or run a successful health management program in the office for little or no cost to your business. The benefits 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 employers 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 a low cost or no cost wellness program for your business, learn more about what employees want. Survey employees to learn more about their wellness concerns. Keep the survey confidential to safeguard employees’ identities. Typically the most popular workplace wellness issues are tobacco cessation, weight loss concerns and heart and blood lipid health.

Look for Worksite Wellness Program Freebies

Discover who will come in for no cost to talk to staff members and look into partnerships with outside agents involved with workplace wellness. For example, contact a local branch of a well-known weight loss business and ask if someone is able to come in and talk to staff members. Find agencies that are willing to come in and talk about subject matters related to wellness at no expenditure to staff members, in exchange for something from you.

Find Worksite Wellness Program Partnerships

Working with a weight loss business to set up a speaking engagement for staff members is the perfect opportunity to explore a potential wellness partnership. The weight loss business may say that if ten staff members join the program, they will have weekly meetings at business headquarters for the people who joined. The weight loss group also might offer business 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 employer 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 employer might offer to organize an MS walk (in keeping with employer health management objectives and goals, right?), or an auction with employee and employer-donated items where the proceeds go to MS. The people at the nonprofit agencies would be glad to open a dialog with your employer and to talk about what they would want in return for a speaking engagement. In a myriad of cases, they won’t need anything at all for a first meeting.

Collecting Data and Analyzing Employee Health Promotion Program Results

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

Small employer wellness programs are catching on. A well-designed wellness program can boost productiveness, boost morale and vitality, cut stress, decrease absenteeism, and control preventable medical care costs within a employer. The beauty of it is that you’re simply assisting workers to make smart choices so the costs of launching a wellness program are minimal in comparison to the benefits.

Employee health is a big issue for small company owners. In a small company, even a few sick workers have the potential to disrupt the flow of the workplace and bring the operation to a standstill.

Instead of sitting back and hoping for the best, some small business owners are taking the matter of employee health into their own hands by starting Company Health Promotion 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 labor force and to help individual workers overcome specific health-related hurdles. These programs are able to be provided in a variety of formats: In mandatory employee training meetings, as voluntary courses, or through an outside provider offering a wide-range of EAPs.

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

Why offer Worksite Health Promotion Programs?

Apart from the obvious problem for the health of your employees, there are several other reasons why Worksite Health Promotion Programs make sense for small employers. From the get-go, your organization will profit from the diminished level of absenteeism that goes hand in hand with a healthy workforce.

Employee Wellness Programs will also lower 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 big impact on a small business, a more reliable workforce will finally translate into a smoother work cycle and a more robust bottom line.

Worksite Health Promotion Program Features

Workplace Health Promotion Programs are able to cover a broad range of health-related subject matters. Based on your workers’ needs, it’s entirely up to you to determine the kind of programming you wish to offer. Nevertheless, most Workplace 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 employees about meal options and equip them to make healthy dietary choices.
• Physical Fitness. In addition to diet, exercise is an important factor in a healthy lifestyle. Worksite Health Promotion Programs commonly offer staff members with opportunities to incorporate exercise into their daily lives.
• Smoking Cessation. Statistics prove that smokers tend to fall ill more generally than their non-smoking peers. Since sick staff members disrupt the workplace, tobacco cessation programs are a no-brainer for both employers and staff members.
• Physiological Testing. Many employers offer physiological as a regular part of their wellness programs. Cholesterol tests, Blood Pressure (BP) screenings, and other simple exams can offer early warning signs for more genuine concerns.
• Stress Management. Stress itself takes a toll on workers. Nonetheless, stress is also linked to other health issues such as depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Corporate Health Promotion Programs that help workers deal with stress improve not only the psychological health of your workers, but their physical health, too.

Design a Corporation Employee Wellness Program for Your Staff Members Today

The benefits to starting a workplace health and wellness program are many.

A few corporate health and wellness tips to get staff members started on the path to a healthier lifestyle:

1. Look around, and determine if workers lead a healthy lifestyle before starting an Employee Health Promotion Program. How many workers run outside at lunchtime for a smoke break? Would a smoking cessation program help? How often do the junk food-laden snack machines really should be replenished? Is anyone exercising or taking advantage of local walking trails as part of their healthy living objectives? The answers to these questions will give corporations a better idea of the Employee Health Promotion Program that’s right for them.

2. Survey employees to evaluate their healthy lifestyle habits. Are they exercising 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 organizations because employees don’t have the time or energy to stay on top of wellness and health concerns at work or when they leave the office to go home.

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

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. Encourage humankind’s innate competitive nature by offering prizes for health and wellness employee “winners.” And, advocate a healthier lifestyle by sponsoring staff members who desire to enter a local 5K for charity race, run a marathon or play a sport.

Introduction to Employee Health Promotion Programs

The previous ten years has brought major changes in company attitudes toward Employee Wellness Programs. Interest in self-help and self-care programs has increased as growth in medical expenditures have encroached substantially into profits. Changes in the company structures of medical facilities, in particular the growth of the for-profit medical sector, and the need to contain expenditures are changing the ways in which purchasers of medical plans are viewing their own efforts toward provision of worksite medical programs and facilities. Projections for the next decade indicate that worksite health programs will continue to become important factors in the provision of medical, including prevention activities, for both government and private industry. In businesses with existing Employee Wellness 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 cited range from improved health and productivity to lowering medical expenditures.

Demographics of the American Workforce
• 110 million Americans were in the civilian labor force in 1981; by the year 2000 the civilian labor force is predicted 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 rise to 32 years by 2030.
• 57.9 percent of all workers work in employers with between 2 and 500 workers; 45 percent work in employers with fewer than 100 workers. An additional 7.5 million Americans are self-employed and 3 million are farmers.
• 18% of all wage and salaried workers in 1985 were union members.
• 45 percent of all workers are employed in offices.

Prevalence of Employee Wellness Programs Activities

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

Activity

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

Job Site size is the strongest indicator of program prevalence.

Most workers believe the advantages of their Corporate Wellness Programs activities outweigh the expenditures, even though few formal evaluations exist.

The most frequently cited reason for starting programs and perceived advance from programs is improved employee health.

At most worksites with activities (85.4%), all workers are eligible to participate. 30% of worksites with activities offer them to business 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 concerns cost United States employers $26 billion per year in lost productivity and $7 to $8 billion in smoking-related medical costs.

Staff Members who use tobacco are 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized than people that do not use tobacco, have 2 times as many job-related accidents as people that do not use tobacco and have absenteeism rates approximately 50 percent higher than people that do not use tobacco.

People who smoked an average of one or more packs of cigarettes per day had 118% 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 employers ought to restrict smoking to certain areas.

In 1985, 65 percent of smokers, 85 percent of nonsmokers and 78 percent of former smokers, felt that smokers should refrain from smoking in the presence of nonsmokers.

In 1986, 17 states had laws regulating tobacco use in offices or workplaces either in government-controlled offices or offices of private workers.

Examples of tobacco cessation intervention program used by employers include:

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

Physical Fitness Programs

An active 55-year-old man is able to lead as vigorous a lifestyle as a sedentary 35-year-old.

Differences in work-related exercise has been shown to yield a two- to three-fold difference in cardiovascular deaths between active workers and their more sedentary counterparts.

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

93 million workdays in the United States are lost each year as the result of back concerns.

Research findings support the notion that workplace exercise programs better fitness and help cut other health risks, although results related to improved productivity are weak due to lack of methods for accurately quantifying productivity.

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

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

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

Job Site exercise program may reduce expenditures to employers by lowering employee healthcare claims and expenditures.

Participants whose weekly physical activity was equivalent to climbing less than five flights of stairs or walking less than a half mile, spent 114 percent more on health claims than those who ascended at least 15 flights of stairs or walked 1 1/2 miles weekly.

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

Nutrition and Weight Control

One-third of the U.S. population is obese to the extent of decreasing their life expectancy.

Improvements in eating habits can lower the risk of serious health problems 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 diet education; support and effect of co-staff members and upper management, availability of a daily eating situation, and opportunities for follow-up and monitoring.

Job Site diet programs have the potential 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 topics.

Men are less likely to take part in weight-loss programs than are female staff members.

Stress Management

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

Company pays many of the expenditures related to employee stress, both directly in the form of medical care expenditures and in lower work rate.

Job factors which are associated with stress include:

• not allowing employees to participate 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-workers 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.

Worksite stress management programs are often delivered in one of three formats:

• workshops 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 worksite 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 U.S. business.

Motor vehicle accidents account for 27 percent of all work-related deaths and 45 million days of lost work annually.

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

Workers 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 kind of disability.

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

In work 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 percent to 90 percent 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 workplace safety belt programs include:

• active responsibility on the part of upper management;
• clearly defined and well enforced policy of necessitated belt use on the job;
• beneficial incentives/rewards; and
• ongoing education and training programs.

Case Studies of Worksite Wellness Programs

Based on an extensive assessment of its all-inclusive employee Company Wellness Program, LIVE FOR LIFE, Johnson & Johnson published the break-even point for the program occurs in year 3 and by year 5 they have a net benefit of $316 per employee. Their year 9 projected benefit is $677 per employee.

staff members at four Johnson & Johnson employers who were exposed to the Employee Wellness Program increased their daily energy expenditure in vigorous activity by 104% compared to a growth of 33% among staff members at employers that were offered only an yearly health screen.

Participants in the United Methodist Publishing House’s Company Wellness 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 expenditures for 1985 ($902,116 projected with actual expenditures $142,884) to the Worksite Health Promotion Program although the results are not conclusive.

In 1985, the Adolph Coors Business 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 Employee Health Promotion Program 4 years earlier. The sample of 495 employees was stratified to match the organization profile in terms of age, sex and job description. The survey reported that 65% of respondents started working out in The last 4 years, 37% had improved their diets, 20% were regular users of the wellness center, 9% had stopped smoking as the result of the organization’s tobacco 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 Corporation also saw a cost savings from a cardiac rehabilitation program that was begun in 1981. In 1980 workers 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.

Corporation Physical Activity Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

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

Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs

• A company expenditure of $100-$150 per employee each year to take part in an Employee Health Promotion Program can save employers $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings have the potential to take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in reduced health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 spent on a Employee Wellness Program for small organizations.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, corporations who instituted Worksite Wellness Programs realized a 30% reduction in health care and absenteeism costs in less than 4 years.

A successful Worksite Wellness Program begins with Upper Management. Corporation owners ought to lead by example, taking part in their organization’s fitness program and working closely with a wellness coach. Upper Management ought to make sure staff members are well alert to their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or smoking cessation results on organization intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Employee Health Promotion Programs that Truly Work

• Urge staff members to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical must include information about blood sugar, blood lipids levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related problems in a corporate fitness program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription drug abuse ought to be at the forefront of an Worksite Health Promotion Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct employees on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward employees for being active in organization wellness plans. Let employees accrue health and wellness points that they are able to redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a no cost massage, personal training session with the organization’s wellness coach or health diet gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee wellbeing and health leaders in corporation newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the corporation intranet.

Employee Wellness Programs Give Big Results

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

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

Five reasons to have a wellness program

1.   America spends more dollars on medical than any other country 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 Americans

2.   Much of the illness in The United States is preventable
   • Tobacco and alcohol are leading causes of death
   • As much as 70% of the expenditure of healthcare is driven by preventable illness

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

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

5.   Research validates that Worksite Wellness Programs have the potential to improve health, save money, and even produce a return on investment.
   • Aldana,S.G. (1998). Financial impact of Employee Wellness 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 Corporate Health Promotion Programs on health related outcomes: An update. The American Journal of health promotion. Vol 10, Number 6.
   • Wilson, M.G. (1996). A accross the board review of the effects of Workplace Health Promotion 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 Corporate Health Promotion Program

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

Sample Physical Worksite Health Promotion Programs / Workshops
• Annual health screening
• Regular physical activity
• Smart safety habits

Emotional Wellness - Focuses on all aspects of mental fitness

Sample Emotional Worksite Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Stress management classes
• Accepting aging
• Addictive behaviors
• Parenting

Financial Wellness - Focuses on improving the quality of life of staff members by facilitating families and individuals in becoming fiscally stable

Sample Financial Company Wellness 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 Worksite Wellness Programs / Workshops
• Encourage daily devotional readings
• Provide regular service opportunities
• Offer a daily/weekly/monthly chapel (meditation) time during work hours

Nutritional Wellness - Will meet the needs of the workers through group and individual nutritional services

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