Employee Health and Wellness

Employee Wellness Programs: The Grand Slam

Employee Wellness Programs are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to most researchers and Employee Wellness experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the time and expense of beginning an Employee Wellness Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t employee Health Promotion Programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Employee Wellness Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive

Fortunately, employee Health Promotion Programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other corporate project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of employee Health Promotion Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, employee Health Promotion Programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Employee Health Promotion Health and Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Employee Wellness Program machinery.

Employee Health Promotion statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, employee Health Promotion Programs actually add to employee satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and employee absenteeism.

What are some common employee Health Promotion Programs?

Employee Wellness Programs run the gamut, depending on your worksite demographic, from physical activity for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Following are some examples of employee Health Promotion Programs:

ergonomic safety
cardiovascular disease education and testing
employee safety
health risk assessments
walking wellness programs
drug testing

Employee Health Promotion Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness

Employee Health Promotion was shown to be a huge economic boon for businesses in a recently-released joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Nearly three million productive employees in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Employee Health Promotion study estimates that China will lose $558 billion, India $237 billion, and Russia $303 billion in national income from 2005 to 2015 due to only three chronic diseases: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Lack of Employee Health Promotion A “Huge Expense”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly employee health care costs in the U.S., which constitutes a huge expense for businesses. And the Public Health Foundation of India estimates that its country will lose 18 million potentially productive years of life by 2030, a statistic no nation can afford, let alone a developing one.

Employee Wellness Programs the Answer

A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits alone. Workplace commitments to Employee Health Promotion are also crucial. Companies are advised to implement workplace health screenings for their employees, as well as look into a comprehensive health management program. These and other precautions are good secret weapons against the economic pitfall of unhealthy employees.

Employee Wellness Programs – With Perks

Employee Wellness Programs don’t always stir the blood of employees, even though they’re designed to do just that. How do you get employees to enroll in Employee Wellness Programs – and stay enrolled?

The brochures for these programs tout the benefits to employees and companies. Employee Health Promotion statistics show that there are tangible benefits. Employee Wellness Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive organization, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by offering gift rewards to employees who participate in Employee Wellness Programs. The gift reward program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment incentives in Employee Wellness Programs?

Undoubtably businesses that don’t work in the incentives industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every organization can throw that kind of money at health management resources – and not every organization has the built-in cost savings as a business that specializes in offering incentive programs.

For certain rich incentives like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many employees’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many employees uncomfortable with health management and physical activity, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Employee Wellness Programs. So where does that leave companies who are unwilling or unable to offer incentives for health management program enrollment?

Successful Employee Wellness Programs motivate employees – before and after signup

Health management program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get employees to take that critical first step. Even the best incentives can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Employee Wellness Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Employee Wellness surveys before you build your Employee Wellness Programs so employee input and needs are being met by your Employee Wellness Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Employee Wellness Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, employees will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Employee Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your employer and your co-workers.

<h2>Employee Wellness Programs in Prevention of NCD’s</h2>

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Employee Wellness Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

<h3>Importance of Employee Wellness Programs</h3>

The report states that NCD related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of NCD’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Unhealthy diets, excessive caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of NCD’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs are Effective Tools</h3>

The report states that Employee Wellness Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Wellness Programs will improve the health of employees, improve the corporate image, improve employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate health care costs.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Monitoring</h3>

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through health risk assessments and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Employee Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Employee Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the employees. Staff Members should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Employee Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

<h2>Employee Wellness Programs  Bring Healthier Bottom-lines</h2>

Employee Wellness Programs are a healthy investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee organization located in Lincoln, Nebraska and their serious and committed investment in their employee’s wellness.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs are part of organization Culture</h3>

The Employee Wellness Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln industries, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The organization has three full-time employees dedicated to the Employee Wellness Program and the wellness of the employees, who receive workplace massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Assessed</h3>

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Employee Wellness Program, which employees are not required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility.  Based on these health assessments, the employees are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive a organization-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain fitness levels and be a non-smoker.  Smoking cessation classes are part of the Employee Wellness Program.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Bring Big Savings</h3>

The Employee Wellness Program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having healthier employees, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in health care costs per year.  The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Employee Wellness Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

<h2>Employee Wellness Programs Becoming Popular</h2>

Employee Wellness Programs are becoming popular outside the worksite, showing the ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management.  Private insurance businesses, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run.  They are finding that mini-Employee Wellness Programs are definitely the way to go.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Help with Early Intervention</h3>

According to an article that appeared in The Indianapolis Star, companies, insurers and government agencies are turning to “early intervention to change the behavior of those struggling with common but dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The tactics that they incorporate to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that were suggested by their health care provider.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Offer Quality Benefits</h3>

There are more benefits to a Employee Wellness Program than just the cost savings that an employer or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient.  The patient is going to get the motivation and the incentive to get better or to manage their health and their health risks by having to answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness employee at their organization or a nurse affiliated with their insurance organization.

<h2>Employee Wellness Programs offer Long-Term Savings</h2>

Employee Wellness Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two varieties:  Employee Wellness Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to reduce costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really offer long-term health benefits for your employees and reduce costs over the years.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs offer Assistance</h3>

Insurance-based products offer employees the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an online health assessment, visiting their medical provider, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the employee during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a individual’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a individual’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to reduce health costs in the future.

Employee Wellness Programs offer convenient health risk assessments and screening tests for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article states, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and employees are more likely to stay active in an worksite employee Wellness Program.

<h3>Employee Wellness Programs Get Results</h3>

Finally, the article states that businesses with an effective Employee Wellness Program can expect to see “500 percent reduce absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent reduce health care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

<h2>Employee Health Screening means better heath risk assessment baselines and better security</h2>

“Employee Health Screening” is a hot phrase these days, but it can help your staff members with health management, too. When the pundits talk about Employee Health Screening, they’re usually referring to retinal scanners, fingerprint readers, and other high-tech security measures. However, if you trace the phrase “Employee Health Screening” back to its roots, it refers to the measurement of unique human physical and behavioral characteristics.

Both security and Employee Health Promotion are of critical importance to the modern business. As a result, Employee Health Screening should be one of the tools in the arsenal of a forward-thinking organization.

Workplace health screenings aren’t just a “feel-good” measure for your employees. Assessments of employee health help your workers to prioritize their well-being, which results in happier, more productive employees. Health risk assessments also build your database of employee biometric data. Employee Health Screening, when handled workplace by our experienced professionals, is hassle-free and smoothly organized. The biometric data we collect then can be stored digitally for years or even decades, helping you and your staff members build better health risk assessment baselines that you can use to analyze staff members fitness and the efficacy of your organization’s Health and Productivity Programs. Collected biometric data can even allow an employee’s doctor to assess that individual’s health over many years, helping him or her spot trends and diagnose disease.

Our Employee Health Screening extends to a wide variety of health risk tests, including measurements of blood pressure, blood type, body fat, substance abuse, and susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. You or your corporate security department may find it useful to coordinate our Employee Health Screening and health screenings with your own biometric security procedures. Collecting biometric data for security purposes – like fingerprints, facial recognition imprints, or hand geometry – can be dovetailed with our health tests to minimize workflow disruption.