Employee Health and Wellness

Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages still aren’t self-evident to some executives, even though the research, real-world evidence and cost-benefit analyses are demonstrative. With careful planning, almost every organization can reap Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages.

Part of the problem is that some executives erroneously believe that the Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages are mostly on the employee side. The truth is that Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages both the employer and employee – and according to Employee Health Promotion Program statistics , the employer stands to gain $2.30 to $10.10 in cost savings per dollar spent. Employee physical fitness saves businesses money.

At the same time, medical care and insurance costs continue to skyrocket. Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages are one of the only ways to cut those costs while helping staff members at the same time. As Karen Roberts, senior vice president with Aon Consulting, said about Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages in her address at the 2006 WorldAtWork Total Rewards Conference & Exhibition, “If you can’t afford to invest in wellness this year, you’re never going to afford it.”

Employee Health Promotion Program Advantages include helping to prevent cancer, obesity, heart disease and hypertension. It’s rare that companies can cut costs and assist struggling staff members, support families and even arguably save lives. Isn’t that a good thing?

Maintaining Employee Health Promotion Program during Cold Season can be a challenge for any organization. The average adult can get up to four colds in one year, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized every year for flu complications. From December to March, there are more staff members out of the office due to illness, and others who barely made it to the office and can hardly think over their constant coughing and sneezing.

Employee Health Promotion Program: Prevention is the Key

Prevention is the key to maintaining good health in the worksite and increasing overall Employee Health Promotion Program. Fighting infection after the cold and flu epidemics hit is a losing battle and can best be combated with early action, such as implementing a Employee Health Promotion Program Program in the office for good health year-round.

Keeping the Office Germ-free During Cold Season

The typical office is the perfect breeding grounds for influenza or the cold virus. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that there are higher chances for the spread of infection during winter because people spend more time indoors. In an office, this risk is increased by cubicles, bringing many people into a close space. Workplace Health Screening and Biometric Testings conducted regularly as part of an overall health management program will increase the chances of Employee Health Promotion Program year round, and especially during Cold Season.

Education Can Increase Employee Health Promotion Program During Cold Season

Educating staff members about various ways to stay healthy during Cold Season may help prevent the spread of any sickness to the entire office. Hand washing is a crucial component in maximizing Employee Health Promotion Program, as bacteria collects on keyboards, mouses, around the water cooler and next to the community coffee pot. As staff members shake hands, infection may be passed, multiplying the chance of getting a cold or coming down with the flu. Hand washing and anti-bacterial cleaners for surfaces can help reduce the spread of sickness.

Employee Health Promotion Program is possible during Cold Season. With Employee Health Promotion Program, your office can reach one step closer to immunity from sickness during Cold Season.

What is a Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal?

You probably have seen the term many times and wondered what exactly does it mean. A Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness consultant that makes suggestions for what type of Employee Health Promotion Programs you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s wellness goals, and costs associated with it.

Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Employee Health Promotion Program. It will provide necessary stats and trends, background information, and costs that will enable the HR Department to fully present their case. Upper management will appreciate the preparedness and the research that has gone into your wellness request.

Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals Lead to Better Employee Health Promotion Programs

A well thought out Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal can lead to a better Employee Health Promotion Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper Employee Health Promotion Program established. Employee Health Promotion Programs can vary greatly, but when your staff members ask, you can tell them that they generally include the following:

 Walking programs which provides staff members with rewards to take their walking breaks at their worksite.
 Company teams, onsite yoga classes and massage therapists at the worksite.
 Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Employee Health Promotion Program resources column in the employee newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
 Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health.

Wellness Challenges Are Popping Up Everywhere

Wellness Challenges are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Challenges are usually about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams, these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and just making better life and health choices overall.

The best part about Wellness Challenges is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner.

Wellness Challenges provides reward to Get Healthy

Establishing a Wellness Challenges in your office is a great way to get staff members to participate in your established Employee Health Promotion Program. Have staff members form teams and receive points for everything from attending a corporate Health and Wellness Fair to getting a health risk assessment to beginning an exercise regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated.

Wellness Challenges Enhance Corporate Health

Not only will Wellness Challenges improve the health of your staff members, it will improve the overall health of the corporation by providing benefits such as reduced injuries, reduced frequency of worker’s comp, reduced medical care costs, better employee attendance, and better corporate morale.

Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Challenges!

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Employee Health Promotion Programs … do they provide a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever company’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Employee Health Promotion Program ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Employee Health Promotion Program ROI is not an easy thing to do for companies because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the businesses that have taken the time to determine the Employee Health Promotion Program ROI of their Employee Health Promotion Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of employee health and the slowing of the rate of their employee medical care expenses.

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI Alliance

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI is such an important part of today’s corporate culture, that several large businesses have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

The alliance, formed by Henry Ford Health Systems, BMW of North America, Kraft Foods Global, Schlumberger Limited and MasterCare Worldwide, strongly believes in showing the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs and want to develop a standard for how Employee Health Promotion Programs are measured.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-provided employee Employee Health Promotion Program:

 Employee assistance Programs
 Disease Management Programs (DM)
 Fitness and exercise Programs
 Health Risk Appraisals
 Workplace medical care Programs
 Individual wellness profiles
 Preventive Health Screening and Biometric Testings and immunizations
 Smoking-cessation Programs
 Telephone based Employee Health Promotion Programs
 Weight loss and weight management Programs
 Self-Care Programs.

Companies are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their medical insurance programs, and most businesses have been cost shifting, asking employees to cover more of their medical care costs. Health insurance costs continue to climb (10 percent or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation rate. With nowhere else to turn, corporations are – more than ever – looking to get employees engaged in Employee Health Promotion Programs as a means of slowing medical care costs and improving productivity.

For example, last year 53 percent of large corporations offered health risk assessments (HRAs) for their staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Employee Health Promotion Programs a win-win solution for both corporations and employees.
Here are other Employee Health Promotion Program trends organizations are implementing:

More businesses are integrating Employee Health Promotion Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Employee Health Promotion Program and meeting minimum goals.

More businesses are providing onsite weight loss programs as a component of the Employee Health Promotion Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight employees and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight employees.

Companies are providing more Employee Health Promotion Programs designed to assist employees with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Companies are providing more web-based Employee Health Promotion Program interventions and health information resources

More businesses are providing regular onsite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Employee Health Promotion Program. Some Employee Health Promotion Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many businesses are providing fitness programs, either in the community or onsite, as a component of their Employee Health Promotion Program.

Corporations are providing more rewards, prizes and incentives getting engaged in Employee Health Promotion Program activities

Some businesses are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop smoking; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping employees stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.

Companies are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Employee Health Promotion Program return on investment (ROI).

Wellness businesses are providing great resources for employers’ employees over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, web-based points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, web-based wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Companies who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future medical care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their complete Employee Health Promotion Program over the next 5 years!

Employee Health Promotion Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health promotion is more fun and less expensive than treating disease. 

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.

Employee Health Promotion Programs begin and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources required to assist and motivate individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one component of beginning employee Employee Health Promotion Programs. Below you’ll find some things to assist you in your efforts to develop a healthy atmosphere for you and your coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Begin an Employee Health Promotion Program

This is the first step in beginning a Employee Health Promotion Program. In recent times more and more corporations are beginning to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their employees. Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″ (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an excellent resource containing information on:
 • Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs
 • Suggestions on where to begin
 • Tools like surveys and assessment forms

These resources are for both corporations and employees to lead the development and assess the effectiveness of their new Employee Health Promotion Program. Offer it to your employer as a place to begin or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Taking Part in Employee Health Promotion Programs

Once you have an employee Employee Health Promotion Program established, participating fully in all aspects of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Employee Health Promotion Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so. These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an employee Employee Health Promotion Program:
 • Examine the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
 • Schedule time to go to the presentation or service.
 • Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
 • Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Employee Health Promotion Programs that might be available to you at work:
 • ergonomic evaluations and training classes
 • lactation rooms and classes
 • prenatal education program
 • quiet rooms for relaxation
 • stress management programs
 • onsite fitness centers
 • chair massage
 • nutritional information
 • onsite primary medical care services
 • child care facility or resources and referral service
 • smoking cessation programs parenting classes
 • elder care resource and referral service
 • cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
 • flu vaccination
 • weight management programs
 • medical care consumerism programs
 • work/life programs
 • lifestyle coaching
 • mobile mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs

There are a number of reasons why a Employee Health Promotion Program is beneficial.

1. Enhanced Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Employee Health Promotion Program, you and your employees may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the employer.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any complete Employee Health Promotion Program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the employer’s most valuable resource — its employees.

2. Decreased Turnover – As we all know, employee replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high employee turnover pose, many businesses are looking to Employee Health Promotion Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent employees from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, businesses are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Employee Health Promotion Programs can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

4. Decreased Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a business setting, the entire employer is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.

 Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, Employee Health Promotion Programs can play an important role in lowering absenteeism.

5. Healthcare Cost Containment – Most businesses don’t create a Employee Health Promotion Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many businesses.

6. Enhanced Staff Member Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Employee Health Promotion Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Employee Health Promotion Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as smoking, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

Why it’s important and how to do it

The Employee Health Promotion Program Vision

A Employee Health Promotion Program vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the purpose and goals of your employer’s commitment to beginning a Employee Health Promotion Program. Taking the time to clarify and describe your employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program vision can provide a focus and a consistent direction for your Strategies for years to come. The vision statement reminds leaders and employees of the link between employee health and the employer’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and powerful Employee Health Promotion Program vision for your employer’s culture of wellness:

 • What do you want your Employee Health Promotion Program to accomplish?
 • How do you plan to accomplish it?
 • How does this Employee Health Promotion Program mission support or further the employer’s mission?

A sample Employee Health Promotion Program vision statement might be . . .

 To have employees who perform at their best and who enable XYZ Corporation to be an industry leader in printing quality and customer service (employer’s mission), XYZ Corporation is committed to providing opportunities for healthy behaviors during the workday (how) in order to encourage employees not to smoke, to be active, and to eat healthfully (what).

The Employee Health Promotion Program Brand

In the same way that your employer’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your Strategies toward beginning a Employee Health Promotion Program will benefit from being easily recognizable to employees:

 • A consistently used Employee Health Promotion Program brand on all communications sends a message to employees that the commitment to a culture of wellness is here to stay.
 • A Employee Health Promotion Program brand institutionalizes the culture and makes it more likely to withstand changes in staff and budget.

Do what you can to engage employees in beginning the identity (brand) for your employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program. Not only are they more likely to accept the name, it’s also a great way to announce to employees the employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program commitment. Here are two possible approaches to involving employees:

Option 1: Have a Employee Health Promotion Program contest

 1. Announce the Employee Health Promotion Program contest guidelines and deadline.
 2. Have the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee review the ideas submitted, and pick a name.

  If, for example, your business, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial construction business, you might receive the following Employee Health Promotion Program ideas from employees:

  • Cornerstone: Feeling well is what it’s all about
  • Premier Elements: Building healthier employees
  • Custom Build: Building health builds wealth
  • Building Health: Designing better employee health

  After reviewing the entries, your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee determines that it likes the name “Premier Elements” and the subtitle “Building health builds wealth”. Your committee awards the “name the Employee Health Promotion Program contest” prize to the two employees, those who submitted the pieces of the name that represent the final product.

 Premier Elements: Building health builds wealth

 3. Select a Employee Health Promotion Program logo to go with the name.

  The Employee Health Promotion Program logo is an important piece of the branding

  • Review any ideas submitted for Employee Health Promotion Program logos.
  • If you’re fortunate to have a graphic design professional at your business, enlist her or his help with developing the Employee Health Promotion Program logo!
  • As an alternative, pick a piece of clip-art that fits with the Employee Health Promotion Program name you’ve selected. For example, the business referenced above might look for a symbol that conveys building, health and wealth.

Option 2: Employee Health Promotion Program Committee determines the name and brand

 1. Have your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee brainstorm Employee Health Promotion Program names.
  • To get ideas flowing, ask members to write down all health-related words and words associated with your employer or industry.
  • Try clustering words together as in the construction business example above.
 2. Once your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee has narrowed down the possibilities to about three ideas, have committee members vote to select a name for your culture of wellness.
 3. Select a Employee Health Promotion Program logo to go with the winning name.
 4. Announce the employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program and the corresponding Employee Health Promotion Program name. Explain that staff members on the advisory committee chose the name.

A representative Employee Health Promotion Program Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Employee Health Promotion Program, regardless of the size of the employer.

Membership of your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your employer’s size). Your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time employees, managers and front-line staff, salary and hourly employees, union representation, HR, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).

Here are some additional considerations:

 • Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members can be selected by leadership or can be selected from among volunteers.
 • Determine in advance how long Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members will support and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program.
 • It’s not necessary, or even desirable, to have your healthiest employees on the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee. Ideal Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members are those who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Employee Health Promotion Program.
 • Consider providing an incentive or recognition to Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some employers that have started stipends have generated enough employee interest that the selection of Employee Health Promotion Program Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Employee Health Promotion Program Committee responsibilities become a formal component of the member’s job accountabilities.

Role of your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee

In some employers the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Employee Health Promotion Program. In other employers, the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

 • Attend regular meetings of the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee.
 • Help establish a vision and name for the employer’s Employee Health Promotion Program.
 • Represent their peers by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Employee Health Promotion Program Strategies, policies, and programs.
 • Offer feedback on the possible barriers to proposed Employee Health Promotion Program Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those barriers (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of employees?).
 • Suggest effective Employee Health Promotion Program communication Strategies and solutions to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with employees who work the third shift? How will employees react to a proposed message from upper management?
 • Be a voice of support for a culture of wellness, carrying the message from the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee

Meet. Schedule regular Employee Health Promotion Program Committee meetings on paid work time. Your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee may want to meet frequently at first, then slightly less frequently as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and their interests.

Communicate. Set up frequent channels of communication with Employee Health Promotion Program Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is frequently the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Employee Health Promotion Program coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, assess how effectively the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee is functioning. Is the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee serving its original purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference? Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing initiatives? Do they understand their expected Employee Health Promotion Program roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?