Posts from — December 2008

Why use small steps toward health behavior change?

Small steps give members immediate feedback on the changes they make towards better health. Measuring these small steps is also an excellent way to collect interim Company Health Promotion Initiative effectiveness information.

Company Health Promotion Initiative small steps make a big difference

Small steps for Company Health Promotion Initiative members
• Walk to work.
• Use fat free milk instead of whole milk.
• Each day think of two things you are grateful for.
• Do sit-ups while you watch TV.
• Drink water before a meal.
• Take 10 deep breaths to relieve tension.
• Eat half your dessert.
• Skip second helpings and buffets.

Measuring small Company Health Promotion Initiative steps
• Use short pre- and mid-point surveys to ask:
• How many glasses of water do you drink a day?
• How frequently you do eat fast food?
• How frequently do you skip a meal?
• How frequently do you engage in physical activity?
• How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat each day?

Use the results to show members how their health behaviors are changing for the better.

• Ask members to rate their health status and/or stress levels before and after an intervention.
• Add up individual (or team) steps and mark the progress on a map towards a far away destination.
• Be innovative! Do not rely only on weight loss, BMI, or cholesterol tests as health status progress indicators or health behavior change feedback.

Wise words for taking small Company Health Promotion Initiative steps

• The first wealth is health. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle)
• The victory is not always to the swift, but to those who keep moving. (CDC)
• There are 1440 minutes in every day…schedule 30 of them for physical activity. (CDC)

Why Company Health Promotion Initiative follow up?

Getting feedback from Company Health Promotion Initiative members serves two purposes: to obtain information that quantifies a Wellness Program’s impact, and to find ways to improve a Employee Wellness Program.

Building follow up into your Company Health Promotion Initiative

Make it Simple
• Keep follow up to information you absolutely require. A three-question survey is more likely to get a response than one with 20 questions.
• Use email or phone for follow-up. Use personal and business email addresses; use cell phone and unit phone numbers.
• Go to the Employees: go to the unit or somewhere else they will all be gathered, and get follow up information there.
• Give members a stamped envelope addressed to you, with a printed form listing the information you will need.

Keep it structured
• Tell members right from the beginning that you will be doing follow up after the Company Health Promotion Initiative is finished. Be specific about the information you will collect.
• If you need to do hands-on measurements, find out if members will be coming back to your location for another reason (like another clinic appointment). Ask them to stop by while they are in the building – or, better yet, go to where they will be.
• Ask members where they will be the next time you will be collecting information. They may already know their next duty station if they will be PCSing soon.
• Plan ahead for follow up and put it on the schedule. Planning to do follow up “when you have time” usually means follow up will never get done.

Keep it catchy
• Give members something to go along with the request for information. For example, if you send an email to ask for information, send along a yummy recipe or a timely excercise tip.
• Schedule a ‘reunion’ day to collect follow up information. Invite members to come back and share successes and challenges. Have some (healthy) munchies available.
• Have a silly contest – the team with the most follow up information wins something, like having their photos posted on a prominently-placed bulletin board or an eggplant trophy, or some other fun thing.

Why bother to market your Employee Wellness Programs?
Because of the transient nature of the many staff member populations, you must market your Employee Wellness Initiatives all the time. Your goal should be to keep your Employee Wellness Initiatives as visible as possible.

Innovative marketing can increase awareness of your Company Health Promotion Initiative for:
• Potential Company Health Promotion Initiative members
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Innovative Company Health Promotion Initiative marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Company Health Promotion Initiative as frequently as possible.
• For example: invite Upper Management to judge a Company Health Promotion Initiative logo contest.

Link your Employee Wellness Initiatives to national advertising campaigns
• …like the Great American Smokeout and the Dairy Council’s Milk Mustache campaign.

Collaborate closely with personnel in the home office.
• Submit articles about your Employee Wellness Initiatives that coincide with National Health Observances. For example: highlight your Asthma Program in May, which is National Asthma Awareness Month.
• Let the home office know you can always provide an article to them when they run short on material. (Then make sure you always follow through.)
Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement for your Company Health Promotion Initiative
• Use real employees in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Company Health Promotion Initiative members or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Create “buzz” by incorporating an element of competition: which ‘team’ had the most steps over the past week? Which department engaged most frequently in physical activity?
Take advantage of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t simply market your Company Health Promotion Initiative to potential members, but market the opportunities for others to be involved, as well.
• For example: does the Red Cross know you can always use a volunteer? Do other departments/clinics know that you can always use personnel with some temporary down time?
Don’t be “old news”
• If you put advertising materials up, be sure to take them down in a timely manner.
• Update marketing logos and themes as appropriate.

What is Company Health Promotion Initiative data?

Company Health Promotion Initiative data is information that is collected about your Employee Wellness Program. All Employee Wellness Initiatives should include data as an integral part of the Company Health Promotion Initiative plan.

Why should you care about Company Health Promotion Initiative data?

Data tells the Wellness story. Data is the tangible evidence of a Wellness Program’s impact.

Building data into Employee Wellness Initiatives

Why bother with Company Health Promotion Initiative Data?

You need Company Health Promotion Initiative data to:
• Evaluate whether or not your Company Health Promotion Initiative is working.
• Answer the ‘so what?’ about the need for a Employee Wellness Program.
• Offer information to Upper Management about the impact of the Employee Wellness Program.
• Write a budget justification so you can secure Company Health Promotion Initiative resources.
• Use Company Health Promotion Initiative resources efficiently and market your Company Health Promotion Initiative more effectively.

Where to start collecting Company Health Promotion Initiative data:
• MAKE A PLAN to collect the data: decide what, when, and how information will be collected.
• Find out what information is ALREADY BEING COLLECTED.
o For example: use dairy sales information in the dining center to measure the impact of a milk marketing/dairy month campaign.
• Begin collecting JUST A FEW small pieces of information. Be innovative!
o For example: BMI, APFT scores (before & after), tobacco quit rates

IT’S NEVER TO LATE TO START collecting Company Health Promotion Initiative data.

Innovative Company Health Promotion Initiative data strategies
• Use local college/graduate students to help collect, input, and analyze Company Health Promotion Initiative information.
• If your business has an internship program, get to know the Internship Director. Take advantage of intern resources – including having the Director and/or interns start the data collection plan for your Employee Wellness Program.
• Use information to let senior management know about the Employee Wellness Initiatives affect on the workers.

Present this information at their monthly/quarterly meetings.
• Use innovative follow-up strategies to get information. Phone calls can be effective, but also consider email, mailed surveys with return postage provided, and going to the units in person to collect the information.
• Make data collection ‘fun’ for Company Health Promotion Initiative members.
o For example: use a team approach – the team with the ‘best’ overall results gets some sort of award or recognition.
• ALWAYS relate the impact of your Company Health Promotion Initiative to readiness.

Collaboration and Effective Employee Wellness Initiatives

Why should you collaborate?

Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Company Health Promotion Initiative resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.

How can you build collaboration into a Employee Wellness Program?

Get Ready…
• Brainstorm a list of every potential Wellness partner you can think of. Be innovative!
• Be a politician: introduce yourself to everyone BEFORE you need their help.
• Develop a plan to get Upper Management support from as high up the chain as possible. Ensure that to include specific ways that your Company Health Promotion Initiative will impact force readiness.
• Determine how YOU can help your organizations (not just what they can do for you).

Be Steady…
• Solicit input from everyone that your Company Health Promotion Initiative will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the employees closest to Company Health Promotion Initiative implementation (those with “boots on the ground”).
• Your most frequently asked questions should be: “What would you suggest?” and “How do you think this would work best?”
• Find someone who has done the same type of Company Health Promotion Initiative before and ask their advice. (Hint: the Company Health Promotion Initiative has a list of many Wellness POCs.)
• Plan NOW to show Company Health Promotion Initiative effectiveness. Establish who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Company Health Promotion Initiative is working.

Get Set…
• Step back and look at your Company Health Promotion Initiative from a potential partner’s point of view.
• Brainstorm questions your collaborators might have, and have the answers ready.
• Be ready to frame your “selling points” in terms that are important to each specific partner.
• Put the Company Health Promotion Initiative benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
• Emphasize to potential partners how this Company Health Promotion Initiative will provide benefit to them.

And Go…
• Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you start a Employee Wellness Program.
• Make your partnerships a two-way street: always let your collaborators know what you can do for them – then follow-up and do what you say you would do.
• Maintain Upper Management support by providing a regular flow of information. Invite Upper Management participation in the Company Health Promotion Initiative and special events whenever possible. (Hint: they make great judges if you have a contest.)
• Offer regular feedback to your collaborators.
• Don’t hog the spotlight: let your collaborators share in the visibility of the Employee Wellness Program.

Employee Wellness Initiatives at the organization level are beneficial, right? Wellness statistics clearly show that such Employee Wellness Initiatives are not only cost-effective to the organization but can assist the staff member in developing a healthier lifestyle. With the rising cost of health care, Employee Wellness Initiatives simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let’s examine the topic from both perspectives.

Employee Wellness Programs: The Good
• A sampling of ROI for Employee Wellness Programs: Bank of America: 600%; General Motors:370%; Pepsico: 300%; Citibank: 465%; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560%. (Campbell,J., Wellness Improvement Experts, www.wellnessimprovementexperts.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
• Companies with Employee Wellness Initiatives have realized a 28 percent reduction in sick leave, a 26 percent reduction in adjunctive health care costs and a 30 percent reduction in disability and workers compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)
• The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada realized a $15.60 ROI for every dollar spent due to a 20 percent reduction in absenteeism. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top Of The Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
• Employee Wellness Initiatives provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many individuals need in order to make lifestyle changes.
• Employees also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology business, gave workers who filled out a health risk assessment a significant discount on their health insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, The New York Times, July 22, 2007.)

Employee Wellness Programs: The Bad
The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our employer to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? Some corporations are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
• Three hundred corporations have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more aggressive Employee Wellness Programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will start reducing staff member paychecks by $10.00 for every staff member who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 29.9 because not enough workers were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective employer, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the business’s antitobacco use policy violated his civil rights. The business has a policy against hiring workers who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, The New York Times,July 22,2007.)
• staff member advocates are concerned that health discrimination may not be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

Penalizing workers by hitting them hardest where it hurts the most, in their pocketbook, does not appear to be a favorable approach to molding human behavior.
Such tactics may result in raised resentments and retaliation, primarily in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based initiatives, such as the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results. A positive attitude on the part of management along with an opportunity for workers to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and staff member.The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.

To effectively manage your Company Health Promotion Initiative resources, first determine the resources you need and the resources you have. Then develop a plan to fill the resource gaps.

What Company Health Promotion Initiative resources do you need?
• Create a list of employees, materials, equipment, space, and logistical support.
• Be as specific as possible.
• Include partnerships that will be needed to make the Company Health Promotion Initiative happen.

Establish available Company Health Promotion Initiative resources.
• Use materials that exist or are already on hand. Resist the temptation to start from scratch!
• Find out what other departments already have.
• Know where to borrow or get free materials.
• Use local or internal resources whenever possible.
• Look for opportunities to cut and/or share costs.

Develop a strategy to fill Company Health Promotion Initiative resource gaps.
• Partner with as many employees and corporations as you can. Emphasize what’s in it for them.
o Example: use a Physical Therapist to teach a back health class.
• Take advantage of community organizations and coalitions.
• Use volunteers as frequently as possible.
o Red Cross volunteers, medical interns or nursing students can supplement your manpower.

Former Company Health Promotion Initiative members make good guest presenters.
• Keep a list of subject matter experts who will provide input for free so you can avoid the expense of an outside contractor or consultant.

Look for innovative Company Health Promotion Initiative opportunities.
• Other funding opportunities may exist at your facility.
o Example: if there is a book fair, see if you can apply to receive some of the proceeds.
• Ask the unit to contribute resources to Employee Wellness Initiatives directly implemented at the unit level.
• Get to know the contracting person at your company. They frequently know the least expensive places to obtain many different types of materials.
• Look for “recycling” possibilities.
o Example: You may be able to give you old computer workstations for use with electronic health assessments.

Good communication will help you find more partners and volunteers.
• Get the word out to the community about your Employee Wellness Programs.
• Describe what you are doing and how you are doing it.
• Presentation is everything. Keep information current and use lots of visual aids.

All Employee Wellness Initiatives require resources. Some resources you will already have. Some resources you will have to find. Sometimes you will have to make something out of very little. Smart strategies can maximize your Wellness resources.

Staff members breathe life and value into your business.  Within the modern worksite there are increasing instances of stress, anxiety, obesity, depression, and heart disease.  The modern worksite has become increasingly exercise-free.

Technological advances have lessened the need to “walk” at work.  Moving a mouse has the same level of physical exertion as pressing the buttons on a remote control.  Emails, the fax, and the internet have meant that it is possible to run a business without having to leave the chair.  The “advances” affect physical and mental health in a disastrous manner ultimately affecting your business’s profit.

A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for disaster – heart disease, chronic back pain, repetitive stress disorder, and low employee self-esteem are symptomatic of a work environment in which the only exercise available is surfing the net.  Organization morale will invariably suffer if an exercise policy is not endorsed and put in place.

Regular exercise can significantly improve workplace health.  Instances of absenteeism and staff turnover, low staff morale and reduced productivity can be alleviated with a Company Health Promotion Initiative that energizes and motivates tired workers.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and workplace tiredness can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

Studies show, workers who are physically active on a regular basis record less sick days annually and are more energetic, dynamic, and industrious.  Investing in the health of your staff pays dividends through raised productivity and goodwill.  Physically active workers are happy workers.

• Reducing health insurance and compensation costs through reduced need for medical services
• Increasing productivity
• Reducing absenteeism
• Increasing morale
• Reducing stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a comprehensive Company Health Promotion Initiative shows your workers you care about their well-being.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Initiatives is committed to creating a healthy, active workforce, providing employers with training incentives for workers at our state-of-the-art facilities. Golds Gym Employee Wellness also provides training services and facility design at your office location.

Incorporating all aspects of fitness training (strength, core, cardiovascular, flexibility), performing comprehensive fitness assessments, designing personalized fitness initiatives, and dynamic group training initiatives.  We take pride in our talented, professional workers who provide innovative and effective Employee Wellness Initiatives for diverse workforces.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Program’s workers reach beyond the walls of the excercise center to motivate, educate, and encourage workers to embrace and maintain healthy active lifestyles.  Applying practical experience the Golds Gym Company Health Promotion Initiative delivers dynamic cost-effective Company Health Promotion Initiative that help workers work happier, harder, and healthier.

To motivate your workers to exercise, eat better, and lose weight, you could invest heavily in facilities, equipment, and staffing to develop worksite Employee Wellness Initiatives for workers, thereby hopefully creating a healthier, more productive workforce.  However, the problem with organization excercise facilities is that workers spend one quarter of their lives at work and typically are not motivated enough to come in early or stay late to do an exercise program.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Initiatives provides attractive discounts for corporations to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your business becomes a member of our Employee Wellness Program, your workers are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of business you keep, we have a Company Health Promotion Initiative to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

• Coca Cola reported saving $500 per staff member every year after implementing a Company Health Promotion Initiative with only 60 percent of their workers taking part.
• Pacific Bell found that overall absenteeism decreased after implementing a Employee Wellness Program.
• Coors Brewing Company found that for every dollar spent on their Company Health Promotion Initiative they saw a $5.50 return and the workers who participated reduced their absentee rate by 18%.
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for workers taking part in their program were $312 as opposed to $574 for non-members (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 2004).

To learn more about Gold’s Gym Employee Wellness Initiatives contact us at (336) 725-8624.

For well over a decade, research studies have been showing the effectiveness of Employee Wellness Programs. For every dollar spent on Employee Wellness Programs, the returns have been cost savings of between $2.30 and $10.10 in the areas of decreased absenteeism, fewer sick days, reduced WSIB/WCB claims, lowered health and insurance costs, and improvements to staff member performance and productivity.

Statistics do show that Employee Wellness Initiatives increase staff member morale, improve the ability to attract and retain key employees, all while having more alert and productive workers. Some Company Health Promotion Initiative ROI statistics of note:

• Canada Life Insurance reported a return of $3.43 on Employee Wellness Program, and an overall Company Health Promotion Initiative ROI of $6.85 on each organization dollar invested on reduced turnover (32.4 percent lower), productivity gains and decreased medical claims,
• DuPont’s Company Health Promotion Initiative pilot sites saw a saving of 11,726 disability days and a return of United States $2.05 for every dollar invested by the end of the second year,
• The Canadian government’s Company Health Promotion Initiative ROI was $1.95-$3.75 per staff member per dollar spent (as found by Dr. Roy Shephard),
• Municipal workers in Toronto, missed 3.35 fewer days in the first six months of their Company Health Promotion Initiative than workers not enrolled in the program,
• British Columbia Hydro workers enrolled in a Company Health Promotion Initiative had a turnover rate of just 3.5 percent compared with a Organization average of 10.3 percent,
• Johnson & Johnson estimated an average saving of United States $224.66 per staff member per year for the four years examined after the program introduction, with the bulk of the savings being in the third and fourth years,
• Pacific Bell found that overall absenteeism decreased after implementing a Employee Wellness Program,
• Coca Cola report saving $500 every year per staff member after implementing a Employee Wellness Program, with only 60 percent of their workers taking part,
• Coors Brewing Co. found that for every dollar spent on their Company Health Promotion Initiative they saw a $5.50 return, and the workers who participated reduced their absentee rate by 18 percent, and
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for workers taking part in their program were $312, as opposed to $574 for non-members

Flu Shot Facts & Myths

Myth: The flu isn’t a serious disease.
Fact: Influenza (flu) is a serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Annually about 200,000 employees in the United States are hospitalized and about 36,000 employees die because of the flu. Most who die are 65 years and older. But small children less than 2 years old are as likely as those over 65 to have to go to the hospital because of the flu.

Myth: The flu shot can cause the flu.
Fact: The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some employees get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot. It goes away in a day or two. Serious problems from the flu shot are very rare.

Myth: The flu shot does not work.
Fact: Most of the time the flu shot will prevent the flu. In scientific studies, the effectiveness of the flu shot has ranged from 70 percent to 90 percent when there is a good match between circulating viruses and those in the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is your best protection against this disease.

Myth: The side effects are worse than the flu.
Fact: The worst side effect you’re likely to get from a flu shot is a sore arm. The nasal mist flu vaccine might cause nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and cough. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is less than 1 in 4 million.

Myth: Only older employees need a flu vaccine.
Fact: Children and adults with conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease need to get a flu shot. Doctors also recommend children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year until their 5th birthday.

Myth: You must get the flu vaccine before December.
Fact: Flu vaccine can be given before or during the flu season. The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. But you can get vaccinated in December or later.

For more information, ask your health care provider or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).  You can also get more information about flu vaccinations by visiting the following Website: www.cdc.gov/flu

Source: The Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention