Posts from — November 2010

25% Jump in Company Interest in Staff Member Wellness

Company health promotion for their workers, businesss are discovering, is good for the health of their corporations as well. Health promotion programs help to cut the costs associated with poor staff member health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality.

A recent Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 United States corporations indicated a meaningful paradigm shift in how corporations view health benefits for their workforce.

Of those surveyed this year, 88 percent are committed to instituting long-term health care assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their staff members, with the goal of improveing the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25 percent increase in interest in wellness programs over 2007.

A strong offering of health promotion programs to meet the demand has resulted. Health assistance providers have broadened their health promotion programs with tools that address general lifestyle factors, physical, social and psychological health factors.

Programs look to predict chronic illness in their workforce and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Businesses also demand a way to measure the effectiveness of their healthcare spending.

Self-care is our motive, says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellness provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving staff members tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving individuals  resources to reach out for help is the key to successful lifestyle change.

Companies are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver wellness programs.  The type of wellness program we have developed over years delivers the highest health care return on investment.”

Combining company health promotion promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online health information, telephone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a wide variety of health experts, is behind the success of the Exan health promotion program. “Having online statistics about employees’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier.

Businesses are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of health care benefits to develop holistic wellness programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their worker populations, drive worker behavior modification and eliminate barriers to health care, says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice.

Notwithstanding, in a separate survey of 30,000 workers, 74 percent said that, although they felt their corporation had an obligation to help them understand how to use their health benefits program, only 12 percent felt the corporation had any right to tell them how to be healthy.

Based on these results, corporations need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their staff as well as the business. It’s a win-win situation.

Employers and personnel did find common ground when it came to future healthcare. Both surveys indicate that 95% of personnel understand that their taking care of their health today will impact future healthcare payments.

A similar percentage also understand the important of early detection and prevention when it comes to saving on health care costs.

Cost is important for most corporations as well. Over 80 percent of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those cuts did not involve shifting responsibility for health care onto personnel.

Although 64% of companies have shifted costs to their staff, only 17% plan to do so in the next 3-5 years. Likewise with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% plan to use them in 2008.

These survey causesdicate organizations are getting more proactive in helping their personnel to change behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is clearly good for the well-being of personnel, but also for the well-being of the organizations they work for.

Almost half the companies surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to increased productivity and lower absentee rates. Over 60% plan to institute wellness programs that help staff change and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle.

Almost of these companies will also use data and measurements to ensure their healthcare strategies meet their healthcare objectives?

It’s clear to virtually every American (namely those of us in business) that healthcare costs are skyrocketing out of control.

No one doubts that either the market will solve the problem OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective.

Organizations have reached the point where the cost of providing health insurance is nearly as burdensome as government regulation. It is time for some new thinking on healthcare and its impact on business and vice versa.

Company wellness as an operational perspective instead of merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising healthcare costs.

The Insurance Problem

The first step in correcting the problem is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting employers to provide unlimited medical insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable.

It’s time for businesss (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in providing health insurance coverage. Instead of providing complete coverage for all staff through group plans, businesses should begin to shift the burden of health coverage to those covered.

Here’s the approach. Give catastrophic medical insurance as a group benefit to all staff members with a big enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the cost inexpensive for the business.

Then, allow staff to buy their own health insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings.

There are numerous insurance businesses that sell individual plans on this basis. Everyone wins. Staff Members can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Businesses win by stopping the endless cycle of rising costs and ever-changing plans.

And when person become responsible for the cost of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health.

Besides, when an staff member is interested in working for you ONLY because your organization offers excellent insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they are going to cost you more money in the future?

Develop a “Health Promotion Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the health care crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By ailment culture, I mean our focus on medical problems in lieu of on having a healthful workplace and performance culture.

Now, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, in lieu of paid sick days, employees might  be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus.

Staff Members would be reimbursed for successful completion of use of tobacco cessation and weight-loss programs. Corporations would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can participate.

Employees would be offered in-house wellness programs on a variety of issues ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Lastly, organizations would commit to hiring and retaining healthful workers.

Simply put, healthful employees cost less and are more productive than unhealthful ones. Applicants must be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productivity and increase the likelihood of future expense.

While this might seem harsh, it rewards those workers whose personal lifestyle and habits ensure the best Return on Investment by the corporation committing to hire, train and pay them.

Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches

Studies published in major medical journals reveal that individuals who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are ordinarily healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the average American.

Since these person look for ways to stay healthy without drugs and surgery, they end up being a net benefit respecting attendance and productivity. Old prejudices in this area should be discarded in order for businesses to improve productivity and increase profitability

Conclusion

Healthcare costs are increasing at a staggering pace. Managed care is an terrible failure. Corporations are buckling beneath the pressure of providing health coverage to their staff members.

American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for amazing solutions. It’s time for American companies to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the healthcare crisis.

Company wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options should be considered while we still have a chance.

Research spanning more than a decade has consistently shown wellness programs to be financially effective and that every dollar invested on a wellness program can return $2.30 and $10.10 by decreasing absenteeism, sick day usage and by lowering insurance costs.

Also it’s noted that there are marked improvements in worker performance and productivity in organizations that start a health promotion program.

Healthful businesses enjoy increased staff member morale and an improved ability to attract and retain key people . Likewise, staff are more alert and productive.

For example, Coca Cola reports that they save close to $500 a year per employee once they implemented a workout program in which 60 percent of their workforce participate.

Coors Brewing Company reported that staff who participated in their wellness programs lowered their absentee rate by 18 percent.

Staff Members enjoy their share of benefits from wellness programs too. A healthy lifestyle affects every part of a person’s life, including their work environment.

Health promotion programs lead to fewer injuries, less human error and a work environment that is more harmonious and relaxed. Also, workers who work at a organization that starts a health promotion program know that their organization is concerned about their wellness.

Workers often report a reduction in their stress levels because of wellness programs.

As personnel feel better, more relaxed, more valued and more human to their company; they enjoy an increase in productivity. This increase in productivity, while advantageous to the corporation, is also essential to the staff member as it increases their own sense of self worth and confidence levels.

Employees who feel successful and who feel that they accomplish objectives are overall happier and in a better frame of mind.

The benefits of wellness programs, both tangible and intangible, are evident. It is a wise move for a company to start a wellness program, in particular when they incorporate some form of mental health aspect into it.

This also has social benefits as domestic violence and child abuse is shown to be reduced in areas where wellness programs are implemented. These days, an organization can almost not afford to have some sort of wellness program to offer to their personnel.

Some of the top wellness programs currently in use today include -

Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)

Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a top wellness program currently in use globally. Organizations that implement it determine the safety and health concerns of employees by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the employees.

It can, for instance, guide the business into deciding how the air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem.  An Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) can also evaluate the level of exposure employees have to certain dangerous or dangerous materials and practices.

Immunizations

This isn’t always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. However, it’s also become an important component of the top staff member health promotion programs in many organizations in North America.

Immunization shots, such as those used to combat flu, for instance, are offered to personnel for free.

Employee Assistance Programs

Employee Assistance Programs consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to workers regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many corporations, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

In-house diet and nutrition drives

This is another wellness program that companies use, particularly those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer options for a healthier diet, generally in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.

In-house wellness newsletter and campaign drives

One of the top health promotion programs that organizations can begin is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign.

The campaign may  be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, such as tobacco use hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the workplace, etc.

The newsletter in itself may be an effective means to deliver information to workforce or members of an organization but it is far from perfect.

Some staff, for instance, may not peruse the newsletter entirely or even pay attention to it. When the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it’ll be easier to maximize positive results.

Exercise and Physical Activity

Another top wellness program for corporations is one that involves physical activities. Corporations often sponsor exercise-related events like marathons and business sports programs to encourage staff to remain fit or lose excess weight.

In mid- to large-sized companies, companies might even pay for health club memberships or in-house exercise facilities.

Wellness Incentives

Some of the top wellness programs implemented by businesses involve incentive rewards. This involves company-sponsored wellness programs that reward workers for achieving specific wellness-related goals.

Participation in health campaigns and signing up for health promotion programs are two of the most widely rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to over time acquired points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In a few cases, cash might also be used.

However, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top choices among organizations who are willing to modify it in order to fit their unique needs.

Coworker Pressure

In many corporations, corporations take benefit of coworker pressure to encourage staff members to take part in health promotion programs. This is currently among the favorite worker health promotion programs currently in use today and growing in popularity.

Peer pressure is usually leveraged to help promote competitions referring to company health promotion and to persuade workforce to be active in company-sponsored health fairs.

Wellness is a great concept. It brings happiness into health and encourages a truly holistic approach to life. Wikipedia defines wellness as a healthful balance of the mind-body and spirit that causes an overall feeling of wellness.

It sounds like exactly what every one is looking for. But when you start to talk about corporate health promotion, or corporate health promotion, all life goes out of the concept. Total solutions, disease management and medical screening do not inspire visions of enjoying life and living it to the full.

They start from the assumption that ailment is here to stay and needs to be discovered, managed and controlled but can never be healed.

The wellness industry is growing phenomenally fast. Wellness guru, Paul Zane Pilzer, has labeled it the next trillion dollar industry. But wellness has two different faces.

On the one hand there are the small corporations – individuals  working from home or in small centers selling all types of wellness products and services at a speed of growth that is escalating rapidly.

On the other hand corporate wellness is also exploding but in a very different direction.

The baby boomers who are driving the popular wellness revolution have been described as the first generation to refuse to accept the inevitability of death.

They’re actively looking for ways to prevent aging, stay healthy into old age and enjoy themselves more than ever before after retirement. This is a radical departure from current notions of old age, which are often dominated by pictures of sickness, frailty and suffering.

The organizations have been largely forced to take on wellness. This is partly through legislative pressure, with many countries introducing laws to make organizations liable for stress-related illness in their employees.

It’s also financially motivated, as research has repeatedly shown the immense costs of absenteeism (and increasingly of presenteeism as well).

Whereas the baby boomers are actively looking for new solutions and new life choices the organizations are struggling to organize largely traditional and mainstream health systems, like physicians, nurses, insurance and screening systems.

The problem is that the traditional health system doesn’t have solutions for the problems that individuals  are handling.

Nobody ever went to see a doctor to get happy, because a doctor doesn’t have any clue how to make people  happy.  And many stress-related health problems are described as chronic conditions, which means that they last for a very long time – or maybe for the rest of your life – because there is no medical cure.

Counseling is a common offering in companies for emotional problems, but whilst it may provide a useful pressure valve it isn’t a powerful treatment for stress, unhappiness or depression.

Imagine walking into a business where the workforce are happy, healthy, full of inspiration, fit, love working, have meaningful family lives, active social lives, and enjoyable relationships at work and in their community.

That type of company would be a pleasure to work in and bound to be successful because individuals  would be working to their optimum capacity.

So can we create a system of true wellness that will serve the development of the organizations and their personnel and will pay for itself because of the benefits that both sides will gain?

First of all we have to face the fact that we can’t place all the responsibility into the hands of the current health system. Absenteeism, stress, depression, the very roots of the wellness revolution, have not been solved by the current system.

If they had been we wouldn’t have this revolution, we’d all be much more well. So we need to look elsewhere for solutions.

We also cannot rely on makeshift feel-good wellness offerings, like the on-site massage team which visits the office once a month or the wellness day that raises awareness for a little while but leaves most people  unaffected. They are easy to organize but have little or no real effect on worker health promotion.

Corporate needs are different than individual needs and many of the new small wellness organizations that are springing up simply do not have the capacity to serve the corporate market.

Nonetheless it’s in the best interest of both organizations and staff to find and create systems of wellness that really work – that benefit individuals  to be happy, handle stress, love working, and to have enough energy to go home after the day and enjoy their family and social life.

So far the corporate world has hijacked the concept of wellness and turned it into a modern version of occupational health. It is time to elevate the vision and figure out how to make in fact healthful, happy worksites where people  thrive.

High rates of employee turnover and the costs of sick days are increasingly taking bites into corporate profits.  The high cost of recruitment programs only adds to the challenges that these problems in sum cost the average business.

Many corporations are finding the solution to these challenges by increasing job satisfaction, team building, and the implementation of health promotion programs that yield a reduction in these costs.

It has become increasingly clear to most managers that a well designed wellness program with a strong nutritional and fitness lifestyle emphasis will directly meet this need.

Management’s goals for a productive health promotion program ought to be viewed through the perspective of increased employee productivity, decreased absenteeism due to health related causes, improved employee morale, decreased utilisation of company subsidised health benefits, enhanced team cohesion and effectiveness and a decrease in turnover due to lack of job satisfaction.

It’s obvious that an betterment in any of these areas will have a positive impact on the financial status of any organisation.

The benefits from an personnel point of view can be seen in improved health, increased energy levels, reduced body fat, a more youthful fit body, an increased ability to handle job related stress, greater feelings of confidence and morale and more social connections at work contributing to greater feelings of satisfaction with their work and worksite.

To be most productive a wellness program needs to achieve both managements and personnel goals, and this can be accomplished through a wellness program that will provide the individual employee with an awareness of their current physical condition and attitudes to fitness and well-being, and the advantages of attaining a fitter, healthier lifestyle, and a plan that will allow them to achieve the necessary changes to their physical condition that can be applied for their life and work.

The Bottom Line – Health Promotion Programs

Lowered Absenteeism – Dupont decreased absenteeism by 47.5% over six years for the participants of their employee fitness program, (Health Behaviour, March 1992).

Lowered Health Care Costs – Steel case showed a reduction in medical claim costs of 55 percent for employee fitness program participants over non-participants over a six year period – an average of $478.61 for participants vs. non-participants who averaged $868.88, (The Am. Journal of Wellness, Sept/Oct, 1991).

Decreased Turnover – Turnover among fitness program participants at the Canadian Life Assurance Company was 32.4% lower over a seven year period compared with non-participants (Canadian Journal of Public Health, Jan/Feb, 1988).

Positive Return on Investment – Blue Cross Blue Shield  of Indiana found that its staff fitness program had a 250 percent return on investment; $2.51 for every $1 invested over a five year period (American Journal of Wellness, March, April, 1991).

The Partnership for Prevention was formed to encourage Fortune 1000 businesses to consider making workforce health a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) issue and adopt strategies to promote avoidance and wellness.

After a few years of double-digit rate increases for medical insurance, organizations are realizing that among the best ways to slow the cost increases is to have workers take more responsibility for both costs and health options.

A majority of businesses surveyed feel that the best way for lowering costs is financial incentives to encourage personnel to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Almost 100 percent of corporations surveyed say that health care costs are going to be a crucial or significant concern over the next five years, according to a recent survey by United Benefit Advisors.

More corporations are adopting higher deductible health care programs with HRA’s or HSA’S, health promotion programs, and expanded disease management (DM) programs to control ever-increasing health care costs.

Failure to deal with these issues could be disastrous for an company. Wayne Sensor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alegent Health recently stated, “I think that we’ve built a health care machinery we can’t afford. I think we’re choking the economic engine of America.”

In his October 2005 newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil stated, “I think rising health- care costs are becoming the major economic issue in our nation”. Obesity costs California corporations billions of dollars each year.

Projected costs for 2005 may reach 28 billion dollars for direct and indirect health care costs, employee’s compensation, and lost productivity. California has experienced one of the fastest growing rates of obesity of any state.

According to California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe, “The obesity epidemic is more than a public health crisis, it is an economic crisis.” What is frightening is that most people don’t even realize that they are obese, which is defined as only 20% above normal weight.

There is a great need for more education on weight and resulting illnesses, and the workplace is an ideal venue. Wellness education and programs can result in a meaningful return on investment and, when structured properly, can produce causes a very short period of time.

Despite the fact that many employers have attempted some form of health promotion program in the past, results from those efforts have been disappointing.

In many cases, the healthier workforce participated for incentives, like fitness club memberships, but those who needed it most did not take benefit of the wellness program in a meaningful way.

Businesses are looking at ways to encourage more workers to buy into the wellness movement.

A recent webinar hosted by Human Resource Executive Magazine and presented by Carlson Advertising and Marketing Group titled, “Healthier Employees; Healthier Bottom Line –  Engaging Workers is the Missing Link in Managing Health Care Costs,” drove this point home.

This session provided actionable advice on how corporations are achieving higher impact with their wellness investments by focusing on worker engagement. It also highlighted how you can create an Economic Engagement Model to forecast the potential impact for your company.

Corporations can simply no longer ignore the issue of their staff member’s unhealthy life choices and must take action to engage them in a meaningful health promotion program to reduce medical costs, absenteeism and lost productivity.

Employees also benefit as they derive better health and greater satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives.  The alternative is being caught in a non-competitive position and severely impacting the bottom-line of the corporation.

A listing of potential wellness topics and ideas not previously mentioned follows. Take some time to “think tank and brainstorm” new ideas with your own internal staff member Health Promotion Committee.

Nutrition Category

o  Low-fat campaign/food groups

o  Team salad bars

o  Vending machine changes

o  Diet analysis by a nutritionist

o  Produce on parade

o  Consuming disorder support group

o  Restaurant education

Physical Activity/Exercise Category

o  ”Elevoiders” – stair climbing

o  Poker walk

o  Mall walking program

o  Facilities â.” showers, bike lockers, exercise space, etc.

o  Team treks

o  Walk-a-block trails

o  Recreational tournaments

o  How-to-select equipment talks

o  Running maps

o  Bicycling maps

o  Deskercises (mini stretches for desk jockeys)

o  Fit-over-forty club

o  Tennis shoe Tuesday

o  Walk 100 miles in 100 days

o  Walking “buddies”

o  NW Trek!

Miscellaneous Category

o  House calls

o  Meet your benefits providers

o  Dental health

o  Fire safety

o  Ergonomic assessments

o  Self-help learning

o  CPR/first aid course

o  Hearing test

o  Hand washing campaign

o  Cancer screenings

o  Back class

o  Passports to health

o  Vision screenings

Stress Management Category

o  Comedy hour

o  Stress Pest

o  Humor newsletter

o  Money management seminars

o  Time management seminars

o  Relaxation class

o  Better sleep campaign

o  Relaxation room

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of staff member safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other HR, staff member motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which might  be coordinated together.

o  Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains –  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. A lot of health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on -

o  Warm up stretches before beginning work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Give training to work groups so they might begin a stretching program. These groups can then continue their own.

o  The wellness committee may consider contracting a fitness specialist to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for worker groups throughout the year.

o  Provide body mechanics training each year or more frequently when possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, in addition to feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

o  Partner with your company’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which can help staff members work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

o  Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Be certain to encourage staff to report safety and/or injury concerns. Be certain to help upper management to establish policy to recognize and reward staff who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

o  A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

o  Partner with upper-level management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

o  The ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

o  Offer ergonomic training opportunities to interested employees volunteers. These person can then assist other employees to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

o  It is often more effective to have an observer evaluate staff for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it’s for individuals to assess themselves.

o  One suggestion is to have workforce remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

o  Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make big comfort changes.

o  Partner with the corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to provide employee training.

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a strategy widely used to develop interest and participation. Nonetheless, be aware that offering holiday activities in the workplace can develop issues.

Your workplace might have policies and guidelines already in place about issues like appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Make sure to check with upper-level management regarding all guidelines and policies.

Remember to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It is generally safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that are not specific to one culture, as others might feel left out.

In fact, acknowledging diverse holidays, when done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups.

A few topical ideas for holiday themes include -

o  Wellness committee members distribute “healthy heart valentines” to each employee for Valentine’s Day.

o  Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Employees who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a free turkey (can be purchased at the local supermarket or donated).

o  Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up worksite introductory tai chi class offering.

o  Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Members of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions.

Each individuals can say several words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food doesn’t have to be low fat or specifically healthful, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain could be a large health challenge. This wellness activity is fun, low-key, and assists employees monitor their weight during the holiday season.

o  Participants weigh-in with a “trusted” confident before Thanksgiving.  The weigh-ins might  be conducted on the honor system, but weight must be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You might invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.

o  Employees set an individual goal of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

o  Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.

o  Give weekly weight control hints. These should be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or provided in flyer form.

o  Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthful recipe options.

o  Remind personnel of the necessity to continue exercise during the busy holiday season.

o  Weigh everyone the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.

o  Employees who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.

o  Workers who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.