Wellness Assessments

Introduction to Workplace Wellness Programs 

Risky health behaviors by staff members cost a company. Changing those behaviors can save the employer money and increase the staff member’s productivity. 

Because work gives an staff member a stable setting and support system, Workplace Wellness Programs can have a great impact on decreasing high-risk behaviors. This impact results in decrease health claims cost, less absenteeism, and less short-term disability. 

Workplace Wellness Programs can include: 

Awareness Rasing Activities: Health and wellness newsletters, health topics covered in payroll stuffers, healthy emails. 

Health Risk Assessment: Employee health screenings, health fairs, health risk appraisals. 

Educational Programs: Lunchtime wellness presentations, guest speakers at staff meetings. 

Skill Building: Healthy cooking demostrations, activity challenges, CPR instruction opportunites, stress management classes, weight management classes. 

Interventions: Massage, smoking cessation, and skills to help you get the most out of your doctor visit. 

Physical setting: Healthy items in the vending machines and cafeterias, clean air practices, ergonomics, bike racks, flex time, welllit stairways. 

Assessment: Worker needs assessment, baseline Workplace Wellness Program assessment measures, ongoing Workplace Wellness Program assessment of overall effectiveness. 

Why Make available Workplace Wellness Programs 

The typical employer spends about $8,000 a year on an employee’s medical care. This includes medical insurance, disability and worker’s compensation. As these costs climb, medical insurance is expected to rise at least 10% per year. 

A 1999 study showed that companies using Workplace Wellness Programs had a return on investment (ROI) from $1.49 – $13 in benefits per dollar spent. The amount depended on the nature of the Workplace Wellness Programs used. (S. Aldana, American Journal of Wellness, 2001; 15:296-320) 

One study showed that a “stop smoking” element to Workplace Wellness Programs can save between $404 -$40,829 per employee, depending on the age and sex of the staff member. 

The Workplace Wellness Programs at Traveler’s Company included a self-care book, a newsletter, single-topic brochures, and videotapes. The Workplace Wellness Programs saved the company $7.8 million in employee benefi t costs, decreased doctor visits, and it reduced absenteeism by 1.2 days per staff member per year. The estimated Workplace Wellness Programs ROI was $3.40 per dollar spent. 

In 1998, the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) reported a study of 46,026 staff members from six large employers for three years. Employees with an inactive lifestyle had 10% higher costs; staff members with depression had 70% higher costs. 

Benefits of Workplace Wellness Programs 

Increased Productivity – The Canada Life Assurance Company realized a 4% increase in productivity after beginning an employee fitness program. 

Increased Job Satisfaction – According to employee opinion surveys conducted by the Silverstone Group about thier Workplace Wellness Programs, staff members’ morale increased, which helped support a more creative work setting. 

Improved Recruitment & Retention – In the midst of a tight labor market, Workplace Wellness Programs could be a vital tool to draw new recruits. 

Decreased Absenteeism – Canada Life Assurance Company’s absenteeism dropped 42% among staff members in the Workplace Wellness Programs. 

Decreased Workers Comp & Disability – In one year, Boeing Company’s number of back injuries decreased by 34%. Six million dollars was saved by tracking injuries as they occurred. 

Managed Healthcare Costs – Golden, Colorado Adolf Coors Company’s Workplace Wellness Programs returned $6.19 for every dollar spent.

Why have Workplace Wellness Program objectives? 

Workplace Wellness Program objectives take your organization’s priorities for employee health improvement and make them specific and measurable. Well-defined Workplace Wellness Program objectives provide direction for selecting Strategies and a basis for which to measure progress. 

Writing Workplace Wellness Program objectives 

Writing Workplace Wellness Program objectives is not complicated or difficult. It does require some thought, about your organization’s Workplace Wellness Program vision for a culture of health and they should be:     

 

      Specific Workplace Wellness Program Goals

      Measurable Workplace Wellness Program Goals

      Attainable Workplace Wellness Program Goals

      Realistic Workplace Wellness Program Goals

      Timely Workplace Wellness Program Goals

Specific Workplace Wellness Program Goals: What is the specific outcome your organization is looking for? “Reduce smoking among staff members” is more specific than “Improve the health of staff members.” You may wish to write some objectives about specific outcomes (reducing smoking among staff members) and other objectives about specific progress (implementing a tobacco-free campus policy or decreasing the price of fresh fruit in the cafeteria to 25 cents a piece). 

Measurable Workplace Wellness Program Goals: Making your objectives measurable provides a means of evaluating your progress and success. There is a saying: “what gets measured, gets done.” Goals which are measurable can be effective motivators for your organization. “Provide more time for staff members to be physically active” is much less measurable than “implement a daily 15-minute walking break into the schedule of all staff members.” “Increase the number of staff members who want to quit smoking” is less measurable than “increase enrollments in the stop-using tobacco program to 120 staff members per year.” 

Attainable Workplace Wellness Program Goals: Establish objectives that challenge your organization to change and that will demonstrate a real commitment to the health of the employees. At the same time, set objectives that are achievable. Goals that are set too far out of reach can be overwhelming and may become a barrier rather than a motivator. 

Realistic Workplace Wellness Program Goals: Write objectives that are do-able, given the skills, time, finances and overall strategy of the organization. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them. 

Timely Workplace Wellness Program Goals: When do you hope to achieve the goal? Next week? Next year? Without a timeframe, the goal is still not clear and is much less likely to galvanize resources and energy within your organization. 

“Reduce the percent of staff members who use tobacco from 20% to 10%” is much less of a challenge than “By the end of 2010, reduce the percent of staff members who use tobacco from 20% to 15%”.

Health Testing:
• Blood checks
• Breast cancer Testing
• Skin cancer Testing
• Diabetes Testing
• Cholesterol Testing
• Eye exams
• Body-fat Testing
• Flu shots
• Posture screening, spinal analysis
• On-site child immunizations
• Prostate cancer screenings
• Fitness Testing
• Depression Testing

Physical Fitness Ideas:
• On-site fitness center or exercise room
• Walking and/or running club (during lunch hour or breaks)
• Bike rack on premises (so employees can ride to work or during lunch)
• Mind/body classes (yoga, tai chi) programs
• Team sports (volleyball, basketball, softball)
• Host an exercise equipment swap

Lifestyle Change or Behavior Change Initiatives:
• Tobacco cessation
• Weight management programs
• Substance abuse programs
• Physical Fitness activity
• Stress management programs

Prevention and Safety Initiatives:
• Back-injury prevention and training
• Ergonomic education
• Tool safety programs
• Fire safety programs

Health Education, Awareness, and Support Initiatives:
• Lunch-and-learn or brown-bag wellness seminars (see your EAP for a list)
• Diet and Nutrition information, plus provide healthy food alternatives in your vending machines and cafeteria, and provide food storage and preparation facilities to encourage healthier eating
• Prenatal care programs
• Work / Life Balance programs
• Elder care programs
• Cancer survivor support groups
• Financial education

Stress-Reliever Initiatives:
• Laughter bulletin board where employees can post jokes and cartoons (in good taste)
• Visiting massage therapist
• Stretch breaks
• Group lunches or celebrations

Disease Management Initiatives:
• Back pain
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Cancer
• Obesity
• Hypertension