Wellness Assessments

Workplace Wellness Programs: The Grand Slam 

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

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

Workplace Wellness Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive 

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

Workplace Wellness Program statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, Workplace Wellness Programs actually add to staff member satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and staff member absenteeism. 

What are some common Workplace Wellness Programs? 

Workplace Wellness Programs run the gamut, depending on your workplace 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. 

Here are some examples of Workplace Wellness Programs: 

      ergonomic safety

      cardiovascular disease education and testing

      staff member safety

      Health risk assessments

      walking Workplace Wellness Programs

      drug testing 

Maintaining Workplace Wellness 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.

Workplace Wellness Program: Prevention is the Key

Prevention is the key to maintaining good health in the workplace and increasing overall Workplace Wellness 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 Workplace Wellness Program Program in the office for good health all year long.

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. Worksite Health Screenings conducted regularly as part of an overall health management program will increase the chances of Workplace Wellness Program year round, and especially during Cold Season.

Education Can Increase Workplace Wellness 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 Workplace Wellness 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.

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

Workplace Wellness Program Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness 

Workplace Wellness Program was shown to be a huge economic boon for companies in a recently-released joint report by  the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly three million productive staff members in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Workplace Wellness Program 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 Workplace Wellness Program A “Huge Expense” 

The United States Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly staff member medical care costs in the United States, which constitutes a huge expense for companies. 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. 

Workplace Wellness Programs the Answer 

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

Workplace Wellness Programs – Staff Engagement Strategies 

Workplace Wellness Programs without employee engagement are of no use to a organization. How do you get staff members to enroll in Workplace Wellness Programs – and stay engaged in the programs? 

The materials for these programs discuss the benefits to staff members and companies. Workplace Wellness Program statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a organization for offering such programs. Workplace Wellness Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more. 

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive organization, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing gift rewards to staff members who participate in Workplace Wellness Programs. The wellness 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 rewards in Workplace Wellness Programs? 

Undoubtably companies that don’t work in the rewards 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 savings as a business that specializes in providing reward programs.

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

Successful Workplace Wellness Programs motivate staff members – before and after signup 

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

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

Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Workplace Wellness Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does workplace wellness stop when your staff members leave the office?

Wellness Continuity

If staff members don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Individual level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage staff members to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood.

Workplace Wellness Programs: Always on Your Mind

Your Workplace Wellness Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job scope. In other words, you don’t want a Workplace Wellness Program to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate Individual health and wellness with your Workplace Wellness Programs.

This will benefit the Workplace Wellness Programs in a couple of ways:

it lowers the chance that the staff member will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Workplace Wellness Programs; and
it shows that their company is just as invested in their Individual health and wellness as they are

Like a marathon, Individual health and wellness is a long-term venture and it’s difficult for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your health when you know others are depending on you and watching your Individual performance. It’s easier to stick to an fitness program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights.

Similarly, it’s easier to stick to your Workplace Wellness Program when you know your company is supporting you and wishing you the best.

Don’t Dictate Individual Health

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Workplace Wellness Program, it’s imperative that you involve staff members in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that staff members are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, provide resources and information.

Of course, don’t forget that part of Individual health and wellness responsibility is to provide good health risk assessment baselines so staff members can proceed safely on the road to better physical fitness.

Workplace Wellness Programs: An Attainable Goal 

Was Wellness on your organization’s new year’s resolutions list? Here we are a little over midway into the third month of 2008, the time when resolutions start to falter if they haven’t lost momentum completely. Has your Worksite’s wellness resolution fallen by the wayside? If so, there are still ways to get back on track. 

One Wellness tip comes to us from the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, reported from the Jersey Shore. Rod Shirk, the YMCA’s chief financial officer, participated in the organization’s first executive Workplace Wellness Program, which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to get a physical, which showed high levels of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening illness just in time. 

Thanks Workplace Wellness Program. 

So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Workplace Wellness Programs. He says, “For us here at the YMCA, if we are telling people to be healthy, we had better set a good example for our staff members.” 

Wellness Decreases Health Care Costs 

Though cases like Shirk’s dramatic cancer save are the most desirable effect of Workplace Wellness Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for companies. They do it to lower medical care costs, and there’s no doubt that Workplace Wellness Programs do just that. Workplace Wellness Program Statistics show that Workplace Wellness Programs return anywhere from $2.30 to $10.10 per dollar spent on wellness. “Health care costs should go down as people think about changing their diets and getting more active,” Shirk says. 

The Workplace Wellness Program savings aren’t just in the Medical Insurance department. Human resource departments report that Workplace Wellness Programs also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. 

Still, companies have been loath to invest that elusive Wellness dollar despite the well-documented returns. A Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive survey found that only 10% of small- to medium-size companies have made worksite Health Screenings – like the one that saved Shirk’s life – available to their staff members.

Is It Necessary to Incent Companies to Initiate Workplace Wellness Programs? 

Wellness rewards may seem like an effective way to get staff members excited about Workplace Wellness Program – but is it wise? 

This helps and encourages companies to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy employees, not only for the welfare of its staff members, but as well as the welfare of the corporate bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary. 

Tax Breaks as Wellness rewards 

In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage companies to keep staff members healthy and prevent disease. The senators believed that having a country focused on “well care” versus “sick care” would decrease the overall costs of medical care for everyone. They decided to start with America’s employees. 

The legislation, introduced by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Oregon Senator Gordon Smith, states that companies would receive a Wellness reward – a fifty percent tax credit – if they provide to their staff members a Workplace Wellness Program that meets the following criteria: 

      1) A health education and awareness component, which could include Health risk assessments and Health Screenings.

      2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower staff members to lead healthier lifestyles.

      3) A supportive environment component – including providing meaningful rewards to participating staff members, such as a reduction in medical premiums or allowing staff members to engage in walking Workplace Wellness Programs during the workday.

      4) The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would tailor the Workplace Wellness Program to the needs of the employees at a particular organization. 

If this legislation gets passed, many companies will be scrambling to provide Workplace Wellness Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness rewards. 

Workplace Obesity: The Facts

Workplace obesity has become one of the fastest growing medical care problems in America. It is well known that America is considered one of the, if not “the”, heaviest countries in the world. This is largely in part due to fast food, un-healthy snacks and a very sedentary lifestyle. However, what many people are not aware of is that the rate of obesity in our country has doubled in the last 30 years and this weighs heavily on a organization’s bottom line. 

According to a new report from The Conference Board, Weights and Measures: What companys Should Know about Obesity, obese staff members cost private companies an estimated $45 billion annually. Here are some of the report’s findings: 

Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on medical care, more than smoking or problem drinking.

34% of adult U.S citizens fit the definition of “obese”

Obesity related health problems are costing United States companies millions of dollars annually in medical expenditures and work loss. 

Workplace Obesity: How companies Can Help 

With the increase in obesity and company costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to establish a way to assist staff members with their healthy living choices. Workplace Wellness Programs can help companies help their staff members. By providing assistance with Health Screening, Health risk assessments and by conducting Workplace Wellness Program surveys; Workplace Wellness Programs allow the company non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their staff member’s health. 

We suggest establishing a Walking Workplace Wellness Program to assist your staff members in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your staff members away from their desk and get them outside for a little physical activity. Keep it fun by having contests, setting up weight-loss teams and having organized healthy picnics.

What is a Workplace Wellness Program Proposal? 

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

Workplace Wellness Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments 

A Workplace Wellness Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Workplace Wellness 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. 

Workplace Wellness Program Proposals Lead to Better Workplace Wellness Programs 

A well thought out Workplace Wellness Program Proposal can lead to a better Workplace Wellness Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Workplace Wellness Program Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper Workplace Wellness Program established. Workplace Wellness 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 workplace.

      Company teams, onsite yoga classes and massage therapists at the workplace.

      Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Workplace Wellness Program resources column in the staff member newsletter or a wellness newsletter.

      Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health. 

Wellness Competitions Are Popping Up Everywhere 

Wellness Competitions 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 Competitions 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 Competitions is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner. 

Wellness Competitions provides reward to Get Healthy 

Establishing a Wellness Competitions in your office is a great way to get staff members to participate in your established Workplace Wellness 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 starting an physical activity regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated. 

Wellness Competitions Improve Corporate Health 

Not only will Wellness Competitions 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 staff member attendance, and better corporate morale. 

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