Posts from — October 2008

Sometimes, Employee Wellness Initiatives can take advantage of “special situations” that occur and which offer an excellent opportunity for employee education and support, at little or no expense to the employer. Not only do these situations help employees personally, but also they are an opportunity for the employer to be seen in a positive light. For example:

A company had several employees with cancer, as well as a number of employees with family members with cancer. Their Human Resources staff had received numerous questions about what to say to a coworker with cancer, as well as hearing about how difficult it was for the caregivers to manage work and home demands. They thought that it would be a great idea to initiate a lunchtime monthly “discussion/support group” to talk about the struggles, frustrations, and fears that people were facing. This activity was included under the umbrella of Employee Wellness Initiatives that the company offered.

The group was facilitated by a rep from the Employee Assistance Program, but it was not a therapy group, nor was it promoted as such. It was informal and employees came as they could fit it into their schedules.

Did it solve all their problems? Of course not, but it did give them a place to vent, talk, and get some information and support. It was a powerful statement from the employer saying, “We care about you and we’d like to help you with this,” and the employees were very grateful. Effective Employee Wellness Initiatives clearly convey this type of message to their employees.

Another employer had an employee who was autistic and frequently exhibited some odd or unusual behaviors. He had some significant difficulties and had to be out of work for several months. As time came for him to return, coworkers became anxious about what to expect.

The employer had someone come in to talk about autism and how best to deal with a person with the disease. It was a general discussion, and there was no discussion of the employee’s personal information. However, coworkers felt much more prepared to handle his return.

An employee with epilepsy told her coworkers about her condition in case she had a seizure. The employer then had someone from an epilepsy advocacy group come in and educate employees about the illness and what to do.

You may believe taking steps like this are not the responsibility of the employer, that it is not your business. But physical and mental illnesses affect just about everyone and are natural elements of Employee Wellness Programs.

Staff Members who are preoccupied and worried about someone having a seizure or catching HIV from a coworker are not focused and productive. When you spend time informing and supporting employees, you not only have productive employees, you also have their respect.

Employee Wellness Initiatives are also an effective way to educate employees/parents about substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, depression, mental illness, learning disabilities, and other issues that affect adults, children, and teens. Arming parents, other relatives, and concerned friends with information is a way to prevent problems in the future, for themselves and their children.

Staff Members may not be comfortable attending Employee Wellness Initiatives entitled “Substance Abuse and You” or “Dealing With Depression,” fearing they have “self-identified” just by their presence. However, when much of that same information is billed as “Teens and Substance Abuse” or “Recognizing the Signs of Depression in Teens,” there may be a full house for the seminar.

Once this occurs, the levels of awareness are raised. An employee who is concerned that he or she is actually depressed can attend and gain life-saving information. Using this type of approach in Employee Wellness Initiatives goes beyond raising awareness among parents whose children are struggling with personal problems.

Mental health topics are frequently difficult to introduce. There is still some stigma attached to being “mentally ill” or having alcohol problems. A benign way to bring information into the workplace is to use Employee Wellness Initiatives and the National Screening Day programs. These are dates that have been set aside annually to increase awareness about various problems. They include:

Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (April)
Anxiety Disorders (during Mental Health Month in May)
Depression (October)
Eating Disorders (February)

There is a wealth of information available internet-based that can be made available to your employees at no cost as part of your Employee Wellness Programs. All it takes start this into Employee Wellness Initiatives is some type of notification in the form of an e-mail with an introductory statement and some links.

Local mental health clinics, medical schools, and hospitals usually provide free employee health screenings on designated days so that anyone can come in, take a test, and get information and a referral for care if appropriate. You could arrange with a local provider for a block of time for your employees to participate in the screenings, or talk to them about coming into the workplace to provide them.

Sample Company Health Promotion Initiative meeting agendas and topics for discussion

Is your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative Health and Wellness Committee new?  Has it existed on paper but been inactive for a while?  In either case, some of the following may be appropriate agenda items for your first Company Health Promotion Initiative meetings.   You may also want to revisit these topics annually.

•    Clarify roles of Health and Wellness Committee members
­    Are members accountable for implementing changes or recommending changes?
­    How long are members’ terms on the Health and Wellness Committee?
­    How will new members be selected?

•    Determine Health and Wellness Committee meeting frequency and processes
­    Set dates, times, and locations.
­    Determine how agendas will be set.
­    Plan for recording and distributing meeting notes.

•    Plan Company Health Promotion Initiative communication with leadership
­    Does a leader sit on the group or does the coordinator report on progress (and to whom)?
­    How frequently do leaders want reports on Company Health Promotion Initiative progress?

•    Select a name and brand for your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative

•    Develop a vision statement for your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative

•    Establish existing allies Company Health Promotion Initiative for promoting employee health within your organization
­    Who do Health and Wellness Committee members know who could be relied on to support workplace changes necessary to develop a culture that encourages health?

•    Brainstorm challenges your organization may face in working to develop facilities, policies and Company Health Promotion Initiative practices that promote employee health
­    What do committee members regard as opportunities? How about potential Company Health Promotion Initiative obstacles?

•    History of past Company Health Promotion Initiative efforts
­    If relevant, summarize past Company Health Promotion Initiative efforts. Discuss what your organization learned from those efforts.
?    What has the organization tried over the last few years?
?    What has worked well?
?    What hasn’t worked well?
?    How, if at all, was success of previous Company Health Promotion Initiative efforts measured?

What Are Employee Wellness Programs?

Employee Wellness Initiatives are designed to promote and support worker health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that employees benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As employers become more aware of the importance of worker health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Employee Wellness Initiatives can rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, improved attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Employee Wellness Initiatives

Employee Wellness Programs: Lunch & Learn Wellness Seminars

The easiest Employee Wellness Initiatives are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly presentations during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may provide these. This type of corporate health and Company Health Promotion Initiative is usually arranged through Human Resources, the medical department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before determining topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of employee polling to see what topics people are interested in. This can be as simple as an e-mail to all staff asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design a complete corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

An employer can provide broad-based Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals for employees. Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, tobacco use, alcohol use, frequency of exercise, family history of disease and illness, etc.). This is usually done in conjunction with employee biometric testing for things like cholesterol and blood sugar screening.

Once the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are scored, the results are shared with employees along with suggestions for changes. The employer is able to get aggregate statistics that will show trends that he or she may want to address. For example, if a lot of people have high blood pressure, the employer may consider an educational seminar, biweekly onsite blood pressure readings, and low-salt, low-fat selections in the cafeteria or snack machines as interventions to include in the corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

If the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals show that there is a “trend” toward not wearing seatbelts, perhaps having the State police come in and give a seminar about what occurs in an accident when you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Employee Wellness Programs: tobacco Cessation

tobacco cessation programs are very popular elements of Employee Wellness Programs. Often, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association will come in to run a group. Another option is for employees to attend a tobacco cessation group in the community. Costs for the tobacco cessation group can be offset by the employer after employees complete the program.

Employee Wellness Programs: Stress Management

Stress is a major area of concern for employers. Stressed out staff members get sick more frequently, make more errors, and generally do not perform up to capacity. As a result, Employee Wellness Initiatives frequently take steps to address worker stress. There are many ways to address stress within your Employee Wellness Programs, and the beauty of these ideas is that everyone can benefit from them.

Certainly, stress management presentations are educational and informative and should be included in any corporate health and Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Work/Life Programs

Many employers offer a work/life program that offers assistance with things from finding day care for a child or elderly parent and information on obscure college scholarship funds to information on which PC to buy and where to find someone to walk your dog. These programs fit into Employee Wellness Initiatives because they help your employees handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing stress.

Employee Wellness Initiatives and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Employee Wellness Programs. By helping employees address individual/mental health problems and concerns, an Employee Assistance Program can go a long way toward improving overall health and productivity. Representatives from your Employee Assistance Program can also work closely with you to design Employee Wellness Initiatives that are integrated and effective.

Time Management and Employee Wellness Initiatives

Time is one of our most precious commodities, and anything you can do as an employer to help your employees manage their time is going to be welcome. Although not traditionally thought to be part of Employee Wellness Programs, providing flextime and telecommuting are two ways to decrease stress and increase productivity.

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all employees or all positions; however, in many workplaces, they are underused. Either your Human Resources manager or an outside consultant can help you design a program. If you belong to a business group or Chamber of Commerce, you may find assistance there. Also, talk to colleagues who are doing this in their companies to see how it is working.

The Culture of Wellness

Employee wellness has to be part of your company culture, not just something you throw in as an afterthought. It isn’t a Band-Aid, but rather a thoughtful piece of your business strategy. For example, if productivity is down due to tobacco breaks, providing tobacco cessation classes can help. But it’s also important to develop a no tobacco policy.

When employees feel valued, they are more loyal and tend to work harder. They take pride in their work and talk about what a great company they work for. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

Even the best and most innovative employers are experiencing the impact worker well-being on their organizations’ performance.  The bad news is that many of these employers are unaware of the extent to which less-than-optimal employee health and well-being is impacting workforce capacity and performance.  The goods news is that there is an increasing body of research and practice than can help employers mitigate this frequently unseen issue and develop significant opportunities for improved workforce attraction, retention and performance!  This article focuses on how organizational leaders can improve physical and financial employee wellness in the workplace.

The Problems of Chronic Disease

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 percent of deaths in 2005 could be attributed to chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes).1  The largest attributing factors to the chronic diseases include tobacco use, physical activity, and diet.2  The costs of these diseases are staggering.  For example, if there were a 10 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease and cancer, it could save the US $10.4 trillion annually.3  Further the WHO projects that over 80 percent of the US population will be either considered overweight or obese by the year 2015.

The Problems of Financial Distress and Dissatisfaction

As hard as it may be to fathom, a 2004 study found that 67 percent of United States Workers are dealing with Personal Financial Issues.4 In another study, it was found that these issues can exist in all segments of any workforce, regardless of income, education, or position level.5 Couple these facts with our workforce reality:

* The workforce is aging and demand for professionals in many industries continues to exceed the supply – and will for the foreseeable future.
* Due to the shortages of quality personnel the stress on our current workforce is increasing.
* With these workforce shortages, most employers cannot continue to pay spiraling market prices for professionals.
* Lastly, those personality attributes that make many professionals great caregivers or service-providers also tend to make them less apt to focus on matters of individual financial management.

The Return On Investment (ROI)

There are significant reasons why employers should employ Strategies to start Employee Wellness Initiatives for their employees:

* Improve Productivity including reductions in health care and workers compensation claims, rates of absenteeism, and presenteesism;
* Lower employer paid health care and re-insurance premiums; and
* Improve employee, physicians and patient satisfaction; and
* Improve employee retention and productivity.

A recent Towers Perrin case study6 found that a ten percentage point improvement on employee engagement was linked to a 4.6 percentage point improvement on customer satisfaction and revenue growth and labor cost improvements equal to a 2.8 percent impact on controllable margin.

What all this shows is that providing Employee Wellness Initiatives and incentives is more than just “the right thing to do.”  Rather, there is a profound business case.  As workforce capacity and engagement increase, a bottom-up cultural change takes place in your organization.  These changes drive improvements in customer satisfaction, productivity, rates of absenteeism, and presenteesism – all of which drive improvements in profitability.

The Course of Change

As an employer, you can have a tremendous impact on the health of the community.  Here are a few suggestions on how you can engage your employees (possibly include flowchart):

1. Define the Plan – Determine if you have the internal resource availability and knowledge to develop a formal Employee Wellness Program.  Many organizations, due to confidentiality legal and other reasons, pick to engage outside partners to manage these processes.
2. Communication – Once you have developed the plan, communicate the plan to all employees – using multiple media and approaches.
3. Lead by Example –Begin Employee Wellness Initiatives at the top (walk the walk).  Allow yourselves the opportunity to go through a health risk assessment and a financial assessment.  If you can, communicate your results and your action steps to staff.
4. Develop incentives for Staff Participation – Here are a couple of financial incentives you can provide staff that are low cost and optimally have a return on investment:

1. Pay employees to take a risk assessment
2. Lower employee contributions to medical plan for those with reduced risk of chronic disease and correspondingly increase employee contribution to medical plan for those with increased risk of chronic disease

5. Provide Personal Risk Assessment Counseling – Provide resources that can meet one on one with each employee to understand their health risks and opportunities
6. Eliminate Trans-Fat from Your Dietary Offerings – If you have onsite food facilities, and haven’t been mandated by legislative statute, you should eliminate trans-fatty oils from the employee and customer meals
7. Eliminate all Smoking Areas for Staff Members – More and more organizations, including large cities, are now banning tobacco use on their facilities.
8. Provide Proper Monitoring Programs – Probably the hardest component of the plan, the ongoing monitoring is critical.  Some organizations are large enough to own or build wellness centers – but even then, many employees feel uncomfortable in using them.  Typically the users of wellness centers are those least in need.  The good news is that there are many external and internet-based tools and options that are available today.
9. Encourage Other Local Businesses to Provide Employee Wellness Programs.  In some cases (e.g. hospitals), there are options where this can even generate revenue and/or deepen relationships with the communities you support.

Legal Issues

When thinking about a Employee Wellness Program, one must take into account certain requirements under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). All three laws were amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to provide for improved portability and continuity of health coverage. HIPAA also added Code section 9802, ERISA section 702 and PHSA section 2702, each of which prohibits discrimination in health coverage based on health status.

To be a bona fide Employee Wellness Program, the plan must satisfy the following requirements:

* An individual’s total reward must be limited. A limit of 10 percent to 20 percent of the total cost of employee-only coverage may be appropriate, according to the DOL.
* The program must be reasonably designed to promote good health or prevent disease.
* The reward must be available to all similarly situated individuals. The program must allow any individual for whom it is unreasonably difficult because of a medical condition to meet the Company Health Promotion Initiative standard (or for whom it is medically inadvisable to attempt to meet the Company Health Promotion Initiative standard) an opportunity to satisfy a reasonable alternative standard.

1 2005 Preventing chronic disease:  A vital investment. World Health Organization
2 2007 Working Towards Wellness:  Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease.  World Economic Forum
3 2007 The Value of Health and Longevity.  Kevin M. Murphy and Robert H. Topal, University of Chicago
4 2004 Employer/Employee Equation Research on Worker Types, Preferences and Engagement Issues – Concours Group, Age Wave and Harris Poll
5 1997 Neal E. Cutler, Ph.D
6 2003 Talent Report: New Realities in Today’s Workforce – Towers Perrin

Employee Wellness Initiatives that support employees and the setting that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Employee Wellness Initiatives can be extensive and sometimes costly. However, there are ways for small employers to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Employee Wellness Program: Weight Management/Physical Fitness Activities

1. Allow access to on- and off- worksite gyms and recreational activities before, during, and after work hours.
2. Provide and encourage participation in after work recreation or leagues.
3. Provide cash incentives or reduced insurance costs for participation in physical activity and/or weight management or maintenance activities.
4. Provide shower and/or changing facilities onsite.
5. Provide outdoor exercise areas such as fields and trails for employee use.
6. Provide bicycle racks in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.
7. Provide onsite fitness opportunities, such as group classes or personal training.
8. Provide an on-site exercise facility.
9. Set up programs that have strong social support systems and incentives, such as:
o Buddy or team physical activity objectives
o Programs that involve staff members and family
o Programs to encourage physical activity, such as pedometer walking challenges
o Explore discounted or subsidized memberships at local health clubs, recreation centers, or YMCAs
10. Provide flexible work hours to allow for physical activity during the day.
11. Support physical activity breaks during the workday, such as stretching or walking.
12. Host walk-and-talk meetings.
13. Map out onsite trails or nearby walking routes and destinations.
14. Have employees map out their own biking or walking route to and from work.
15. Post motivational signs at elevators and escalators to encourage stair usage.
16. Provide exercise/physical fitness messages and information to employees.
17. Provide or support recreation leagues and other physical activity events onsite or in the community.
18. Begin employee activity clubs such as walking or bicycling clubs.
19. Provide onsite child care facilities to facilitate physical activity.
20. Sponsor a bike to work day and reward employees who participate.
21. Set up a box and solicit fitness and health tips.

Employee Wellness Program: General Health Education Activities

1. Have a current policy outlining the requirements and functions of a comprehensive workplace Employee Wellness Program.
2. Have a wellness plan in place that addresses the purpose, nature, duration, resources necessary, participants in, and expected results of a workplace Employee Wellness Program.
3. Orient employees to the Company Health Promotion Initiative and give them copies of the physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use policies.
4. Promote and encourage employee participation in the physical activity/fitness and nutrition education/weight management program.
5. Provide health education information to employees.
6. Have a committee that meets at least once a month to oversee the Employee Wellness Program.
7. Provide regular health education seminars on various physical activity, nutrition, and wellness-related topics. Ask voluntary health associations, health care providers, and/or public health agencies to offer onsite education classes.
8. Host a health fair as a kick-off event or as a celebration for completion of a wellness campaign.
9. Designate specific areas to support employees such as diabetics and nursing mothers.
10. Conduct preventive wellness screenings for blood pressure, body composition, blood cholesterol, and diabetes.
11. Provide confidential health risk appraisals.
12. Provide onsite weight management/maintenance programs for employees.
13. Add weight management/maintenance, nutrition, and physical activity counseling as a member benefit in health insurance contracts.

Employee Wellness Program: Tobacco Cessation

1. Establish a company policy prohibiting tobacco use anywhere on the property.
2. Provide prompts/posters to support no tobacco use policy.
3. Policy supporting participation in tobacco cessation activities during duty time (flex-time).
4. Provide counseling through an individual, group, or telephone counseling program onsite.
5. Provide counseling through a health plan sponsored individual, group, or telephone counseling program.
6. Provide cessation medications through health insurance.

Employee Wellness Initiatives that support employees and the setting that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Employee Wellness Initiatives can be extensive and sometimes costly. However, there are ways for small employers to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Employee Wellness Program: Nutrition Activities

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

1. Provide healthy eating reminders and prompts to employees via multiple means (i.e. e-mail, posters, payroll stuffers, etc.).
2. Provide appealing, low-cost fruits and vegetables in vending machines and in the cafeteria.
3. Provide cookbooks, food preparation, and cooking classes for employees’ families.
4. Ensure onsite cafeterias follow healthy cooking practices and set nutritional standards for foods served that align with the United States Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
5. Provide healthy foods at meetings, conferences, and catered events.
6. Use point-of-decision prompts as a marketing technique to promote healthier choices.
7. Provide healthy cooking demonstrations that teach skills (i.e. fruit and vegetable selection and preparation).
8. Provide taste-testing opportunities at the workplace.
9. Provide employee-led campaigns, demonstrations or programs.
10. Provide local fruits and vegetables at the workplace (i.e. workplace farmer’s market or community-supported agriculture drop-off point).
11. Use competitive pricing (price non-nutritious foods in vending machines and cafeterias at higher prices).
12. Provide protected time and dedicated space away from the work area for breaks and lunch.
13. Make kitchen equipment available to employees.
14. Provide an opportunity for onsite gardening if possible.

Sweetened Beverage Consumption

1. Make water available throughout the day.
2. Provide appealing, low-cost healthful drink options in vending machines and the cafeteria.
3. Modify worksite vending contracts to increase the number of healthy options.
4. Price non-nutritious beverages at a higher cost.
5. Use point-of-decision prompts to promote healthier choices.

Portion Control

1. Label foods to show serving size and/or nutritional content.
2. Provide food models, food scales for weighing and pictures to help employees evaluate portion size.
3. Provide appropriate portion sizes at meetings, workplace events and in the cafeteria.

Breastfeeding

1. Support nursing mothers by providing them rooms for expressing milk in a secure and relaxed setting, a refrigerator for storage of breast milk, policies that support breast feeding, and lactation education programs.
2. Provide flexible scheduling and/or onsite or near-site child care to allow for milk expression during the workday.
3. Adopt alternative work options (i.e. teleworking, part-time, extended maternity) for breastfeeding mothers returning to work.
4. Educate personnel on the importance of supporting breastfeeding co-workers.

Television & Food Advertising

1. Place TVss in non-eating areas of the workplace.
2. Limit food advertising in the cafeteria (i.e. print and other media).

(Adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health Management)

Employee Lifestyles Impact Employee Health
•    Approximately 40 percent of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000 deaths annually) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include genetic predisposition (30 percent), social circumstances (15 percent), poor access to quality medical care (10 percent), and environmental  exposures (5 percent).
•    Unhealthy lifestyle is the primary factor to the six leading causes of death in the United States – heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes – which collectively account for over 70 percent of all deaths.
•    People with healthier lifestyles live an average of 6 to 9 years longer,  postpone disability by 9 years and compress disability into fewer years at the end of life.
•    The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults rose to 30 percent in 1999-2000, a 33 percent increase from a decade earlier,  and the prevalence of diabetes also rose by 33 percent during approximately the same period (1990 to 1998).
•    About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, 55 percent do not get enough physical activity,  26 percent are completely inactive,10 and only 25 percent eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables  If diet/physical activity patterns continue worsening at their current rate, these behaviors will soon surpass tobacco use as contributors to mortality.
•    Among young people, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled in the past 20 years to 16 percent,  daily participation in high school physical education classes has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003,  more than 60 percent eat too much saturated fat, and almost 80 percent do not eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.
•    Lifestyle diseases disproportionately affect women, ethnic and racial minorities, the poor and seniors:
•    The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70 percent higher than among white Americans, and the prevalence among Hispanics is nearly double that for white Americans.
•    Women comprise more than 50% of the people who die annually of cardiovascular disease.
•    Chronic conditions significantly limit daily activity for 35 percent of persons over 65 years of age.

Financial Impact of Lifestyle
•    It is estimated that lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for 70 percent of the nation’s medical care costs, which translates to over 11 percent of the entire United States gross domestic product.
•    Two comprehensive scientific reviews identified 83 peer-reviewed research studies reporting that people with unhealthy habits have higher medical costs.
•    Research conservatively estimates that high health risks (high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc) account for at least 25 percent of total medical costs.
•    Recent research indicates a direct relationship between modifiable lifestyle risks and lower worker productivity, and relevant data suggest that the costs to employers in lost productivity due to poor employee health may be substantially more than the direct medical and disability costs.
•    Unhealthy lifestyles frequently lead to chronic disease, many of which cannot be cured and require years or decades of costly treatments. Below are estimated annual costs of selected chronic diseases and unhealthy lifestyles including obesity,  tobacco use,  hypertension,  diabetes,  stress,  and inactivity.

Employee Wellness Initiatives Improve Health and Yield Major Savings
•    Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed research studies showing that Employee Wellness Initiatives improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
•    Research studies have demonstrated that lifestyle modification may frequently be more effective and cost-effective than medical intervention in reducing morbidity  and mortality.
•    Several scientific reviews indicate that Employee Wellness Initiatives reduce medical costs and rates of absenteeism and produce a positive return on investment.  The most definitive review of financial impact reported that:
•    18 research studies indicated that these Employee Wellness Initiatives reduce medical costs, and 14 research studies indicated that they decrease rates of absenteeism costs.
•    13 research studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these Employee Wellness Initiatives are much greater than their cost, with medical cost savings averaging $3.48 and the rates of absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the Employee Wellness Programs.
•    Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of United States gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent annually through 2015, when medical expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP:
•    Per capita medical costs in the United States are the highest in the world and more than double the median for OECD nations,  yet the United States ranks 26th in terms of healthy life expectancy.
•    Medicaid is the second largest item in most state budgets, and its portion of the total budgets is increasing annually.
•    Increasing medical costs for United States employers continue to outpace general inflation, averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years.   This trend is causing a tremendous financial hardship on United States employers.

1. Senior management involvement in the Employee Wellness Program- Evidence of enthusiastic commitment and involvement of senior management helps employees understand their employers’ serious commitment to health.  Staff Members need to perceive that their senior management, supervisors, and coworkers have positive attitudes toward health since these factors have all been associated with improved employee health status.   Management-related factors have been shown to contribute more to success than the content of the intervention.

2. Participatory planning – A Company Health Promotion Initiative should be undertaken in partnership with the workforce.  Staff Members from all levels of staff should be actively engaged in the health and management aspects of the project as well as all on-going processes of any Employee Wellness Program.  Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their commitment to the process.   Starting Company Health Promotion Initiative steering committees to lead interventions during the planning and delivery of workplace health promotion programming increases worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction. Employee committees can establish perceived employee interests regarding educational programming, determine work site-specific characteristics that may affect the intervention or influence participation, and suggest the best methods for promotion and delivery of Employee Wellness Initiatives and initiatives.  Ways to maximize employee input and involvement might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors.

3. Primary focus on employees’ needs – A Company Health Promotion Initiative should meet the needs of all employees, regardless of their current level of health and recognize the needs, preferences, and attitudes of different groups of participants. Program designers should consider the major health risks in the target population, the specific risks within the particular group of employees, and the organization’s needs.   In other words, interventions should be tailor-made to the characteristics and needs of the recipients.   This means that different programs must be offered at different levels.   Participation and commitment can be increased if a group of staff members has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable risk factor of their choice.

4. Optimal use of on-site resources – Planning and implementation of Employee Wellness Initiatives should optimize use of on-site personnel, physical resources, and organizational capabilities.   For example, whenever possible, initiatives should use on-site health and safety, management, work organization, communication, Human Resources, and other specialists.   Well-qualified external leadership may be introduced when in-house expertise is lacking.

5. Integration – An overall workplace health policy should be developed.  The policies governing employee health must align with the organization mission, vision, and values, supporting both short- and long-term objectives. These consistent policies must affirm the value of employee health and a commitment to engage employees in health enhancement.  Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies should be integrated into a company’s regular management practices and eventually should be formally incorporated into the company’s corporate plan  with adequate resources attached to them.

6. Recognition that a person’s health is determined by an interdependent set of factors – Any Company Health Promotion Initiative must address multiple components of an individual’s life:
•    the workplace physical and psychosocial setting;
•    their individual resources such as social support, sense of empowerment, etc.; and
•    their lifestyle practices influencing health.

7. Tailoring to the special features of each workplace setting  – Employee Wellness Initiatives must be responsive to the unique needs of each workplace’s procedures, organization and culture.   Integrating health behaviors and program participation into the existing organization culture will normalize program participation.

8. Company Health Promotion Initiative Evaluation – Project management should flow through needs assessment, determining priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and assessment.   Evaluation must include a clearly-defined range of process measures and outcomes  as well as mechanisms for monitoring the impact of non-intervention workplace changes such as plant closure, major workplace re-organization, and new technology on staff health.

9. Long-term commitment – To sustain the benefits of the Employee Wellness Program, the worksite must continue the initiative over time, reinforcing risk-reduction behaviours and adapting the programs to ongoing individual, social, economic, and workplace changes.

Introduction to Employee Wellness Initiatives

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

Because work gives an employee a stable setting and support system, Employee Wellness Initiatives can have a great impact on reducing high-risk behaviors. This impact results in decrease health claims cost, less rates of absenteeism, and less short-term disability.

Employee Wellness Initiatives can include:

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

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

Educational Programs: Lunch & Learn 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, tobacco 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.

Evaluation: Employee needs assessment, baseline Company Health Promotion Initiative assessment measures, ongoing Company Health Promotion Initiative assessment of overall effectiveness.

Why Provide Employee Wellness Initiatives

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

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

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

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

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

Benefits of Employee Wellness Initiatives

Raised Productivity – The Canada Life Assurance Company realized a 4 percent increase in productivity after creating an employee fitness program.

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

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

Decreased Absenteeism – Canada Life Assurance Company’s rates of absenteeism dropped 42 percent among employees in the Employee Wellness Programs.

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

Managed Health Care Costs – Golden, Colorado Adolf Coors Company’s Employee Wellness Initiatives returned $6.19 for every dollar spent.