Posts from — October 2008

Why have Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives?

Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives take your organization’s priorities for employee health improvement and make them specific and measurable. Well-defined Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives provide direction for determining Strategies and a basis for which to measure progress.

Writing Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives

Writing Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives is not complicated or difficult. It does require some thought, about your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative vision for a culture of wellness and they should be:

Specific Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals
Measurable Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals
Attainable Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals
Realistic Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals
Timely Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals

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

Measurable Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 employees to be physically active” is much less measurable than “implement a daily 15-minute walking break into the schedule of all employees.” “Increase the number of employees who want to quit smoking” is less measurable than “increase enrollments in the stop-using tobacco program to 120 employees per year.”

Attainable Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals: Set objectives that challenge your organization to change and that will demonstrate a real commitment to employee health. 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 Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 employees who use tobacco from 20 percent to 10 percent” is much less of a challenge than “By the end of 2010, reduce the percent of employees who use tobacco from 20 percent to 15 percent”.

If your organization is interested in measuring the impact of your Company Health Promotion Initiative efforts in future years, you’ll want to gather relevant baseline data on the health and health behaviors of your employee population.

Company Health Promotion Initiative Data on your employee population

Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

Some health plans offer employers free internet-based Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals, complete with summary aggregate reports. If your health plan does not offer a free HRA, you could pay for an HRA either through your health plan or through a third party vendor.

To encourage taking part in an HRA, assure employees of confidentiality and consider providing incentives for completing the assessment. The higher the participation rate, the more likely that the aggregate data will accurately represent the behaviors and risks of your employee population.

Company Health Promotion Initiative Health Surveys

You can get a general sense of employees’ health-related attitudes and behaviors using a “lowtech” paper survey. As with a health risk assessment, employees will be more likely to respond to a survey if there is an incentive and if they are confident that their responses are confidential. Remember that without widespread participation you’ll only get a “feel” for employee behaviors rather than a statistically accurate picture.

Company Health Promotion Initiative Focus Groups and Informational Interviews

The information you can collect from focus groups or informational interviews with employees is an important supplement to the anonymous survey or HRA data. Listening to employees discuss their attitudes, values, receptivity and obstacles related to health provides a wealth of information on which to base decisions on how to improve your organization’s Employee Wellness Program. Company Health Promotion Initiative focus groups are especially useful for securing information from hard-to-reach employee populations, such as those for whom English is a learned language.

Keep Company Health Promotion Initiative focus groups small (8-19 employees, ideally all of a similar job class). If possible, offer incentives such as movie tickets or lunch, to recruit participants. Develop a list of open-ended questions in advance and allow 60-90 minutes for the discussion.

Informational interviews are an alternative to Company Health Promotion Initiative focus groups. The Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator of your health improvement Strategies or selected members of the Health and Wellness Committee can conduct one-on-one interviews with employees in a variety of positions to better understand their attitudes, interests and obstacles related to a) health behaviors and b) the workplace policies, settings and practices.

Population data

If data on the employee population are not available, you can use state or national data to estimate the prevalence of risk behaviors among employees.

In addition to looking at the health behaviors of employees, take a good look at your organization. The following questions can help you establish opportunities for your organization to support and encourage healthy behaviors among employees.

A strong foundation for employee health improvement

1. To what extent does the senior management in your organization actively and visibly support the Employee Wellness Program?

__ No support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative
__ Support, but not at senior level
__ Support at senior level, but not visible to employees
__ Strong and visible Company Health Promotion Initiative support
Comments:

2. Is the Company Health Promotion Initiative tied to your organization’s mission statement?

__ No
__ Yes, the Company Health Promotion Initiative is tied to business plan OR mission statement
__ Yes, the Company Health Promotion Initiative is tied to both business plan and mission statement
Comments:

3. Is there an employee within your organization whose job responsibilities include Company Health Promotion Initiative coordination?

__ No
__ Yes, but has little time available to dedicate to Company Health Promotion Initiative
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to Company Health Promotion Initiative
__ Yes, and has at least one full-time position dedicated to Company Health Promotion Initiative
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to wellness AND has a background that includes Company Health Promotion Initiative qualifications
__ Yes, our organization has at least one full-time position dedicated to health improvement AND the employee’s background includes Company Health Promotion Initiative qualifications
Comments:

4. Does your organization have an active wellness committee with diverse representation?

__ No (does not have a Health and Wellness Committee, or has a committee that doesn’t meet)
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee, but with limited representation
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee with widespread representation
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee with widespread representation AND committee involvement is part of each representative’s job responsibilities
Comments:

5. Does your organization have an annual budget for Company Health Promotion Initiative expenses? (Employee Health and Wellness Program expenses may be associated with providing a health assessment, paying for behavior change programs/coaching programs, covering incentives that encourage healthy behaviors, subsidizing healthy food options, communications and activities around specific health topics, fitness centers/walking paths, etc).

__ No
__ Yes, but funds are earmarked for Employee Wellness Initiatives (e.g. only for Weight Watchers or fitness discounts) and do not meet all existing Company Health Promotion Initiative needs
__ Yes, funds are available to meet current Company Health Promotion Initiative needs
Comments:

6. Does your organization have a plan for engaging employees in the Employee Wellness Program?

__ No
__ Yes, we have a communications plan for our Company Health Promotion Initiative
__ Yes, we have a communication plan AND we offer meaningful incentives or rewards (such as premium discounts or debit cards) for the Company Health Promotion Initiative to engage in healthy behaviors.
Comments:

A data-based approach to the Company Health Promotion Initiative

7. Does your organization have clearly stated Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives and priorities for employee health improvement?

__ No
__ Yes
__ Yes, data (e.g. HRA, claims, productivity) are the basis for defining Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data AND evidence-based best practices are a basis for defining Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data and best practices are basis for defining Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives or priorities as well as measuring Company Health Promotion Initiative progress (assessment)
Comments:

8. Has your organization completed a Health Risk Assessment?

__ No
__ Yes, but more than 2 years ago
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a participation rate of less than 50 percent
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a 50 percent – 79 percent participation rate
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved an 80 percent or greater participation rate
Comments:

A workplace setting that supports healthy behaviors

9. Does your organization’s tobacco reduction strategy reflect best practices?

(Check all that apply)
__ A no-tobacco use policy that includes both buildings AND grounds
__ 100 percent coverage for the cost of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy
__ Employee access to – and strong promotion of — a tailored stop-smoking program
Comments:

10. Does your organization provide opportunities (time and places) for physical activity during the work day?

__ No
__ Yes, indoor places for physical activity (on-site fitness center) OR outdoor places for physical activity (walking paths)
__ Yes, both indoor AND outdoor places for physical activity
__ Yes, indoor and outdoor opportunities AND workers can use work time for physical activity
Comments:

11. Does your organization promote healthy eating by providing access to fruits and vegetables?

__ No
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available at the workplace (in vending machines, break areas, or cafeterias)
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available and discounted at the workplace
Comments:

Benefits that support employee health improvement

12. Does your organization provide employees with self-care resources?

(Check all that apply)
__ Distribution of self-care books
__ internet-based access to health information
__ Nurse advice line
Comments:

13. Which of the following preventive services are covered at 100 percent by your organization’s health benefits?

(Check all that apply)
__ Vision screening
__ Hearing
__ Immunizations (per CDC/ACIP recommendations)
__ Radiology
__ Laboratory services
__ STD screening
__ Preventive medical examination for adults
__ Cancer screen (includes: colon, cervical, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers)
__ Contraceptive management
Comments:

14. Which of the following are included in your organization’s pharmacy benefit?

(Check all that apply)
__ Mail order or other 90-day supply option for medications
__ Specialty pharmacy network
__ Incentive-based tiered formulary design
Comments:

15. Do your organization’s health benefits provide coverage for behavioral health (such as depression, mental illness, counseling, stress management, and chemical dependency)?

__ Yes, at the same level as medical benefits
__ Yes, but at a lower level (less coverage) than medical benefits
__ No coverage for mental or behavioral health
Comments:

Why it’s important and how to do it

The Company Health Promotion Initiative Vision

A Company Health Promotion Initiative vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the purpose and objectives of your organization’s commitment to creating a Employee Wellness Program. Taking the time to clarify and describe your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 organization’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and effective Company Health Promotion Initiative vision for your organization’s culture of wellness:

• What do you want your Company Health Promotion Initiative to accomplish?
• How do you plan to accomplish it?
• How does this Company Health Promotion Initiative mission support or further the organization’s mission?

A sample Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 (organization’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 Company Health Promotion Initiative Brand

In the same way that your organization’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your Strategies toward creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative will benefit from being easily recognizable to employees:

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

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

Option 1: Have a Company Health Promotion Initiative contest

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

If, for example, your corporation, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial construction business, you might receive the following Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 Health and Wellness Committee determines that it likes the name “Premier Elements” and the subtitle “Building health builds wealth”. Your committee awards the “name the Company Health Promotion Initiative 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. Choose a Company Health Promotion Initiative logo to go with the name.

The Company Health Promotion Initiative logo is an important piece of the branding

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

Option 2: Health and Wellness Committee determines the name and brand

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

A representative Health and Wellness Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Employee Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the organization.

Membership of your Health and Wellness Committee

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

Here are some additional considerations:

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

Role of your Health and Wellness Committee

In some organizations the Health and Wellness Committee is accountable for the implementation of the Employee Wellness Program. In other organizations, the Health and Wellness Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

• Attend regular meetings of the Health and Wellness Committee.
• Help develop a vision and name for the organization’s Employee Wellness Program.
• Represent their peer group by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies, policies, and programs.
• Provide feedback on the possible obstacles to proposed Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies and offer suggestions for addressing those obstacles (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of employees?).
• Suggest effective Company Health Promotion Initiative 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 leadership?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of wellness, carrying the message from the Health and Wellness Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Health and Wellness Committee

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

Communicate. Set up regular channels of communication with Health and Wellness 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 Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, evaluate how effectively the Health and Wellness Committee is functioning. Is the Health and Wellness 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 Company Health Promotion Initiative roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?

Starting a Company Health Promotion Initiative need not be costly, but will require the commitment of some financial resources. If possible, include the Company Health Promotion Initiative in your organization’s annual business plan and budget as you do for other efforts important to your organization’s success.

How much to budget for the Employee Wellness Program?

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative that results in improved employee health. Organizations differ in how much money they need and how much they can make available for the Employee Wellness Program. Consider the following common expenses in developing an adequate Company Health Promotion Initiative budget:

• Company Health Promotion Initiative staffing costs (either internal salaries or consultant fees)
• Company Health Promotion Initiative data collection costs (including health risk assessment costs, if relevant)
• Company Health Promotion Initiative incentives for healthy behaviors (such as discounts on premiums for non-smokers)
• Costs of Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies to be implemented (such as costs of covering tobacco quit medications or costs of subsidizing healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines)
• Company Health Promotion Initiative administrative and communications expenses

In times of tight finances, be prepared to justify your requested Company Health Promotion Initiative budget. Arm yourself with data on potential short- and long-term outcomes of the proposed Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies. Itemize the Company Health Promotion Initiative expenses of past initiatives and share projected expenses for initiatives planned for the upcoming year.

Sustaining Company Health Promotion Initiative Financing

A dedicated Company Health Promotion Initiative line item in your organization’s budget makes it more likely to be regarded as a need, rather than as a “nice-to-have” amenity that could be cut when funds run low.

One of the best Strategies for ensuring continued financial support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative is frequent communication to leadership, including:

• How many employees have you reached through the Employee Wellness Program? Has morale increased? Have health risks decreased, e.g., fewer employees using tobacco, more employees active?
• How well are you managing the Company Health Promotion Initiative resources you’ve been given? Where and how has your budget been spent? Keep track of the staff time necessary for each initiative and be able to present the numbers at any time.
• Anecdotal Company Health Promotion Initiative success stories from employees. Don’t underestimate the power of a good story to put a human face on your success.

Supplemental sources of Company Health Promotion Initiative Financing

If necessary, have the individuals accountable for creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative look for ways to supplement available internal funds. Are there grants or other funding available that can help support your Company Health Promotion Initiative ? What community Company Health Promotion Initiative resources could you use to meet some of your needs?

Locating an individual to lead your organization in creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative

Without a qualified Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator to lead and manage your organization’s creation of a culture of wellness, efforts can be scattered and momentum can stall. While it’s essential that the creation of a culture of wellness be someone’s priority, not all organizations need a full-time coordinator.  There are a number of ways to gain the time of a qualified coordinator.

Be careful not to confuse Company Health Promotion Initiative skills with fitness skills. You are not looking for a personal trainer or a nutritionist to run your Employee Wellness Program. The following are good indications that an individual may be qualified to be a Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator:

• knowledge of community health, population health and worksite Employee Wellness Initiatives
• experience working with and understanding aggregate data, preferably Company Health Promotion Initiative data
• experience managing projects, including developing timelines and facilitating meetings
• experience in strategic planning, including defining goals and related objectives
• ability to understand, and use the findings of, journal articles on effective Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies.

What will a Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator do?

The Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator is accountable for guiding a process that establishes workplace facilities, policies and practices that promote health. The individual may do some of all of the following for your Employee Wellness Program:

• act as a liaison between leadership and the Company Health Promotion Initiative employee advisory workgroup
• interpret health-related data on your Company Health Promotion Initiative
• establishe and manage work plans and budgets for implementation of selected Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies
• facilitate Health and Wellness Committee meetings
• lead your organization in determining measurable objectives for the Company Health Promotion Initiative
• recommend effective Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies, using the evidence in the health behavior literature and national and/or recommended best practices
• document and report short-term and long-term progress on Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies and objectives.

Where can we find a qualified Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator?

Explore the following when looking for a Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator:

• Existing staff: Are there individuals on staff who have the background, or are interested in gaining the skills, to support as a Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator? Is it possible to dedicate a portion of someone’s time (e.g., .5 FTE) to the position of coordinating your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies? If possible, budget enough to cover not only salary but also continued learning, journal subscriptions and membership fees for this Company Health Promotion Initiative position.
• New staff – Can you hire an individual to be your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator? Would it need to be a full-time position, or would part-time be sufficient?
• Company Health Promotion Initiative Consultation – Various organizations (e.g., health plans, benefit consultants and public health departments) provide Company Health Promotion Initiative consultation on building a culture of wellness within a workplace.

An outside Company Health Promotion Initiative consultant can advise an internal Company Health Promotion Initiative coordinator and your Health and Wellness Committee on determining priorities and determining Strategies. Or, you can contract with a Company Health Promotion Initiative consultant to be your coordinator. If you choose the latter approach, you’ll want to contract with the individual for sufficient hours to carry out all of the responsibilities associated with coordinating an effective strategy.

Strong and visible leadership support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative encourages health and is essential to securing necessary Company Health Promotion Initiative resources (staff, time, and money) and implementing recommended changes.

1. Establish a Company Health Promotion Initiative champion

In a small organization, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Employee Wellness Program. In a larger organization, look for an executive with the authority to influence others in the uppermost levels of the organization regarding the Employee Wellness Program. The Company Health Promotion Initiative champion need not be the fittest member of leadership. Rather, look for a Company Health Promotion Initiative leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of workplace policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Company Health Promotion Initiative champion at each site.

2. Find existing Company Health Promotion Initiative allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your organization who recognize the value of a Employee Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your organization; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Company Health Promotion Initiative ally. Obtain their stated support for the Employee Wellness Program. Company Health Promotion Initiative support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the workplace that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Company Health Promotion Initiative

There is a reason that more and more employers are finding a way to promote employee health via a Company Health Promotion Initiative and policies: A Company Health Promotion Initiative makes good business sense. workers with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower health care costs than employees with less healthy behaviors.2,3  As a result it would be foolish not to have a Employee Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Company Health Promotion Initiative use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your organization

Every organization is different. Build leadership support for the Company Health Promotion Initiative in the way that makes the most sense for your organization. Think about the following as you plan how to approach leadership for Company Health Promotion Initiative support:

• What are the current priorities and pressures facing executives? How could a Company Health Promotion Initiative and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do the leaders prefer to receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What types of Company Health Promotion Initiative information are likely to influence decisions? Do they want data and Company Health Promotion Initiative statistics specific to your organization, or are state or national data sufficient? Are the leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would the leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Company Health Promotion Initiative information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions get made in your organization? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you improve the odds that the Company Health Promotion Initiative will become a reality.

5. Maintain Company Health Promotion Initiative support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Company Health Promotion Initiative support, ensure that you maintain it by regularly updating the leaders on employee health and progress toward creating a culture that encourages health. Ask upper management how frequently they want to receive Company Health Promotion Initiative progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.

The workplace setting is a effective, but frequently overlooked, element in managing employee health.  Here we will establish some of the best-practices in creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative that supports your organization’s employee health strategy and allows employees to take charge of their own health.  For example, a Company Health Promotion Initiative that includes a smoke-free workplace policy increases the likelihood that employees will try to quit tobacco use and will quit using tobacco successfully. Similarly, a Company Health Promotion Initiative that includes discounting healthy foods in your cafeteria and vending machines helps increase employees’ consumption of healthy foods which supports your investment in disease management programs for employees with diabetes, heart disease or hypertension. The following will guide you through the ten key steps in creating a Company Health Promotion Initiative and workplace setting that encourages employee health.

In an era of increasing health care costs and fierce competition, employers have a vested interest in the health of their employees.  Research studies have found that, on average, employees with healthy behaviors (such as not using tobacco or being active for 30 minutes a day) incur lower health care expenses, are absent from work less frequently, and are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism) than employees with unhealthy behaviors.

Employee Wellness Program: Obtaining Leadership Support

Company Health Promotion Initiative support from the uppermost level of leadership is essential to your success in creating a culture of wellness within your workplace. Look for Company Health Promotion Initiative support from a leader who is respected by and can influence other leaders. (It’s not necessary that he or she be the fittest executive within your organization just that they directly support the Employee Wellness Program.) You will be relying on this culture-of-health champion to advocate for changes that you recommend and to ensure the organization allocates adequate Company Health Promotion Initiative resources (staff, time, and money) to maintain and enhance the workplace policies, physical setting, and social norms.

Obtain Company Health Promotion Initiative Staff and Budget

The creation and maintenance of a Company Health Promotion Initiative within your organization needs to be someone’s priority. However, unless your organization is quite large, you likely don’t need to hire a full-time staff person for the Employee Wellness Program.  There are a number of ways to find an individual with the necessary skills to guide and support your organization’s Employee Wellness Program.

Starting facilities and Company Health Promotion Initiative policies, such as those allowing employees to be physically active during the workday, does not need to be costly, but it does require adequate and sustained funding.  If possible, include the creation of a workplace setting that supports the Company Health Promotion Initiative as a permanent component of the operating budget; that helps to ensure it’s an ongoing priority for your organization.

Employee Involvement in the Company Health Promotion Initiative

Developing a representative group of workers to advise your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative ensures that improvements in workplace facilities, policies and practices address the true needs and obstacles of all groups of workers.   In addition, these employees can support as the front-line Company Health Promotion Initiative supporters of policies and practices with their peers.

Develop a Company Health Promotion Initiative “Brand” and Vision

A Company Health Promotion Initiative vision and a brand are effective first steps in moving a Company Health Promotion Initiative from an idea to a reality. What would you like your workplace environment to look like five years from now? A succinct Company Health Promotion Initiative vision statement summarizes for all (employees and leaders alike) the reasons for creating a Employee Wellness Program. It also reminds everyone of the link between employee health and your organization’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Branding your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative conveys to employees that the organization’s commitment and support of healthy behaviors is important and is here to stay. Choose a Company Health Promotion Initiative name and logo that resonate with employees. Then use that brand on all Company Health Promotion Initiative communications with employees about the policies, facilities and programs your organization offers to promote healthy behaviors.

Assess Your Current Company Health Promotion Initiative Situation

Exactly how your organization establishes a Company Health Promotion Initiative that encourages healthy eating, physical activity, and reduces tobacco use will depend on the unique characteristics of your organization and employee population.

Assess how the current workplace facilities, policies, and unwritten norms support — or discourage — healthy behaviors.

Gather information on the health and health-related behaviors of your employee population.  The most common method is by using a validated health risk assessment. If you don’t have data specific to your employees, you can estimate the prevalence of different health risks and behaviors within your employee population using state or national data.  Note: Information on workers’ health interests alone is not sufficient; but can be a useful supplement to health risk data and might help you set priorities.

Set Company Health Promotion Initiative Goals and Priorities

Use what you’ve discovered about employee health and about your current workplace setting to determine your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative priorities. From those Company Health Promotion Initiative priorities, define clear and measurable Company Health Promotion Initiative objectives for improving employee health and your organization’s culture. Well written objectives will provide the basis for planning and for measuring your progress.

Choose Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies

Focus your organization’s Company Health Promotion Initiative resources (time, energy and money) on procedures that are most likely to produce results:  an increase in healthy eating, an increase in physical activity, and a reduction in tobacco use. There’s no need to guess at what might work. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reviewed thousands of research studies and has identified the Company Health Promotion Initiative approaches most likely to result in significant, lasting, and widespread improvements in health behaviors. Those Company Health Promotion Initiative procedures are included in the physical activity, tobacco, and healthy eating sections of this website.

The formula for Company Health Promotion Initiative success is to make the healthier choices the easier choices.

Implement Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies

Once you’ve chosen your Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies, it can be useful to arrange the work on a timeline.  The “right” amount of time for implementing each Company Health Promotion Initiative strategy depends on the staff time, budget, and business demands of your organization.  Work plans maintain your efforts moving and help to ensure that plans to create a Company Health Promotion Initiative stay on track even if there are changes in staffing or other challenges.

Educate and Communicate About the Company Health Promotion Initiative

Ensure employees are aware of the Company Health Promotion Initiative opportunities you’ve provided.   Planning your Company Health Promotion Initiative communications allows you to communicate regularly with employees without overwhelming them at any one time.

Monitor and Report Your Company Health Promotion Initiative Results

At the same time that you plan your Company Health Promotion Initiative Strategies, think about how you’ll measure success.  It’s much easier to gather information – or to create systems for collecting information — before you start a Company Health Promotion Initiative strategy rather than as an afterthought.   Keep in mind that you’re likely to see improvements in employee morale and/or behaviors before you see decreases in rates of absenteeism or health care claims.

Report both your Company Health Promotion Initiative successes in building a healthy workplace environment (such as complete implementation of a policy that provides employees time for walking during the workday), and Company Health Promotion Initiative successes in getting workers to take charge of their health (an increase in the number of employees who contacted the stop-smoking program, or an increase in the number of fruit-cups purchased from the cafeteria following a promotion and price-cut).