Category — Employee Wellness

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.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. Many of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which could either be downloaded for free or purchased inexpensively.

Monthly health themes, week Iong events, and nationally recognized days of the year are also good ways to have fun while participating in bigger events. Health observances are tied to nearly every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider -

o  National observances present opportunities to work with other community agencies and businesses to coordinate bigger events and celebrations.

o  A wellness message is more likely to stick with individuals when the information is presented at work, in local supermarkets, and on television.

o  National Worker Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to start.

o  A word of advice – don’t go overboard in attempting to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Select one to three events annually and stick with these.

Develop and promote events well ensuring that staff will come to expect and anticipate these wellness programs each year. It is best to do several wellnesss well than many promotions poorly.

A lot of personnel enjoy team related activities. These activities ordinarily take place on an staff member’s time away from work and participation is totally voluntary in nature.

Even though the sports team is not part of an staff member’s regular work duties, if the team or activity is associated with the corporation, the corporation may be held liable in the event of an staff member injury.

If the activity brings with it a risk of injury, it’s necessary to address the possible risk and liability issues with the correct company department. Additionally consult with your corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier and/or legal counsel.

o  Organize summer softball or volleyball teams, a winter ski outing, fall and winter smoke free bowling teams, a spring golf tournament, summer walks, etc.

o  Give brochures and catalogs from area Parks and Recreation departments and county park companies so staff can take advantage of community leagues, trips and offerings.

o  Invite an official from one of the above companies to speak at a company brown bag event, or invite an area Parks and Recreation instructor to provide a demonstration of a new class offering.

Family Friendly Activities

Periodically offer activities which may be taken home and shared with the entire family. Ideas for these include -

o  TV Free Week (usually in April) – Develop a chart for the children to use to record their TV-free participation.

o  Provide a certificate to whoever who is TV-free for a week.

o  When possible, offer several prizes (but not video rental certificates, video games or other TV-related items) for related categories, such as less than 5 hours of Television, no video games for a week, etc.

Stress Management

A lot of simple wellness activities and practices can help personnel understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It is necessary to help personnel understand simple stress management strategies for decling stress levels.

o  Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider providing relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.

o  Make available a stress management brown bag event at which personnel can attempt different kinds stress management tools.

o  Be certain to encourage staff to take 10-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.

o  Give a comfortable worker break area.

o  Designate a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.

o  Be sure to work with Management to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the worksite. Supervisors are often the first step in helping employees find different ways of managing work related stressors.

o  Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a selection of stress management information and self-assessments.

o  Provide stress management self-assessments to interested workforce. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every wellness program should incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health issues.

Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for workforce. Hence, it is vital that you provide information in a selection of ways, workplace presentations being just one possibility.

For  instance, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to provide useful information in a private establishing that does not embarrass whoever. Other considerations include -

o  When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will ensure potential participants won’t be put off by the name.

For  instance, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.

o  Be certain to allot enough time when hosting EAP/psychological health workshops for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions.

Always remind participants that individual help is available through the employee assistance program (EAP) and through their health benefits. Give written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.

o  The Worker Assistance Program (EAP) is an great partner and resource for health promotion programming in these areas.  The employee assistance program (EAP) can help find ways to address psychological health, stress, coping, and other related issues.

Tobacco use Cessation

Tobacco use cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Tobacco use is often a difficult habit to overcome. Employee wellness activities to support “smoke-free” living include -

o  Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There’s also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.

o  Reward individuals who’ve successfully quit tobacco use for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some kind of incentive gift.

o  Make available “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Excellent American Smokeout.

o  Begin a “quitting or thinking about it” support group to assist and encourage person attempting to stop tobacco use.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

When a substance abuse policy is not in place in your worksite, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Wellness Committee member be included in the policy development process.

If such a policy is already in place be sure Wellness Committee members are cognizant of the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind workforce of wellness resources and programs available.

o  Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a organization building and/or publicize community meetings.

o  Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and be sure food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.

o  Give easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the community. Put this information in an area where it could be viewed without embarrassment.

o  When conducting health promotion programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight control, nutrition, fitness, use of tobacco, and accident prevention.

o  Issues such as co-dependence and the difficulty of helping a substance abuser can also be addressed. Make available this information as part of the health promotion program by providing informational materials, brown bag sessions, EAP information, etc.

o  The Employee Assistance Program provider is an excellent resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or staff member assistance.

o  Other addictions, like problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., can be problematic and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Make available information, video review, or employee assistance sessions addressing these topics.

o  A Wellness Committee member may gain personal information regarding an worker problem. Don’t forget to keep all worker information totally confidential.

Interest in increasing physical activity ranks nearly as high as weight management in staff member interest and need. Ideas for increasing staff member awareness and participation in physical activities follow -

o  Fitness classes in the workplace – On-Site exercise may be much more convenient for workforce. Nevertheless, on-site classes require logistical planning and coordination with attention to details.

Onsite courses are usually more feasible for larger businesss.  As part of the steps in planning and assessment, talk with other health promotion programs offering worksite classes. Ask what their experience has been like.

Talk to potential providers in the area as well. Find out what it’d take to offer an on-site fitness class. YMCA’s, health clubs, and community recreation programs are excellent resources for this kind of discussion.

It is also feasible to offer a “mini” introductory workplace class series. A mini series might consist of an introduction to a new physical activity area. Workers are then expected to make the transition to home or community based health promotion programs.

o  Nerf Olympics –  Nerf games are fun (and entertaining) activities that encourage movement, flexibility, stress reduction, and usually are a good laugh. When planning such an activity consider setting up a “challenge” stations with various activities.

Ideas for activities include hula hoop contests, Nerf basketball free throws, Nerf football tosses, Frisbee “golf”, jump rope, etc.  The Health Promotion Team will lay out the course.

Each participant goes through the stations and gets a “gold” medal (you can buy these at party stores and toy stores inexpensively) for completing all of the stations (no matter how badly they perform).

Begin each participant at intervals permitting for smooth running, but expect high difficulty stations to be backed up. This delay can add to the fun and creates a “keystone cops” scenario.

Nerf Olympics is a good activity to do with an audience, so encourage cheering peers.

o  Provide incentives to workforce who engage in aerobic activity like walking, running and bicycling on their own time (see goal setting health promotion program, offer points toward prizes, etc.).

o  Distribute maps of walking/jogging trails located near the worksite. Mark distances in steps and miles. Make certain to encourage employees to walk during lunch and/or break times.

Post a steps collected map on a worksite wall where workers can log their steps or miles.

o  Be certain to encourage joggers, walkers, and those who enjoying other forms of exercise to form exercise groups to meet before work, at lunch, or after work.

o  Promote the use of stairs in lieu of elevators. Place bulletin boards, art contests, etc., in stairwells.

o  Sponsor “Bicycle-to-Work” or Walk-to-Be certain to work week.

o  Schedule five-minute desk stretching at the workplace. This can relieve repetitive motion problems in addition to eye and back strain.

o  Sponsor an individual challenge activity such as “Climb a Mountain” or “Swim a Sea”. This is an honor system health promotion program in which participating workers are awarded minutes, steps, or miles credit for cardiovascular activity (swimming, walking, running, skiing, biking, stair stepping, group fitness, etc.).

The object of this type of challenge is to accumulate the equivalent mileage it would take to reach the top of a famous mountain, span a body of water (swim the Columbia River), or reach a distant city/county.

Attempt personalizing the challenge as much as possible to individual interests and/or area geographical matches close to the worksite.

o  Collect a selection of exercise video or DVD tapes. Staff Members can either review a tape for home use, or offer a group activity video class.

o  If it is not possible for staff to leave the building to exercise or workout at lunch, attempt establishing an in-house aerobic walking track for staff member use in an unused part of the workplace for lunch, break or after hours use.

An example of how this issue might  be solved is the use of stationary bikes and other small exercise equipment provided for staff by some 911 call centers.

o  Sponsor a “Personal Best” Challenge”. Workers run, walk, bicycle, etc.  Their own personal best time. Repeat the personal best challenge each quarter to six months. Each time an employee improves, offer recognition and an appropriate award.

Furthermore, recognize those employees who maintain their personal best in the same way. Make sure to encourage non-participating employees to get involved.

Assist these person in choosing  an activity that is comfortable and of interest for them, and one in which they are able to succeed and progress.

o  When you offer an introductory or other on-site exercise class or activity, make sure the instructor can relate to the audience, and the audience can relate to the instructor.

Have a Health Promotion Committee member attend a current class by the selected instructor class prior to the instructor conducting a class at worksite. Furthermore, consider the workers who could  be potentially attending the class.

Sometimes bigger and/or older exercise instructors are often better accepted by audiences who are similarly sized and aged.

o  Sponsor a themed “virtual” trek. Calculate the mileage for the proposed “trip” ahead of time. Make certain that the distance is appropriate for the number of expected participants and time for the event (six to eight weeks) works well.

For longer events, small teams can accumulate their mileage for the trip. Establish a reporting network. Post a map to track the trip. Chart the progress with stick pins, a magic marker, or a highlighter.

Provide a brief humorous fictional narrative of the trip, posting a new one each week. Include as many participants’ names as possible. Alternate posting humorous texts with health tips along the way. Provide an incentive at the end of the trip.

Ideas for Exercise Themes -

o  Swim the Mississippi to the Mardi gras.

o  Take a tour to all Oregon counties.

o  Take a tour of Oregon from Enterprise to Brookings.

o  Run or walk around the world (25,000 miles).

o  Tour de France (take all summer)

o  Tour de France on a stationary bicycle (take all winter)

o  Indianapolis 500

o  Climb Mount Everest (stairs or stair climbers). Target Sir Edmund Hilary’s birthday or the anniversary of the first conquest as a completion date.

o  Climb Mount Washington or Mt. Hood. Target President’s Day as a completion date.

o  Climb any meaningful mountain and tie it to any remotely related event.

o  Use time in exercise as a measurement for the contest rather than distance. This allows you to treat all forms of aerobic activity more equitably.