Posts from — January 2009

Health Screening:
• Blood pressure
• Breast cancer Screening
• Skin cancer Screening
• Diabetes Screening
• Cholesterol Screening
• Eye exams
• Body-fat Screening
• Influenza (Flu) shots
• Posture screening, spinal assessment
• Workplace child immunizations
• Prostate cancer screenings
• Fitness Screening
• Depression Screening

Physical Fitness Activities:
• Workplace fitness center or exercise room
• Walking and/or running club (during lunch hour or breaks)
• Workplace bike rake
• Mind/body classes (yoga, tai chi) initiatives
• Team sports (basketball, volleyball softball)
• Host an exercise equipment swap

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

Prevention and Safety Strategies:
• Back-injury training and prevention
• Education about Ergonomics
• Hand-tool safety initiatives
• Fire safety initiatives

Health Education, Awareness, and Support Strategies:
• Lunch & Learn or brown-bag wellness seminars (see your EAP for a list)
• Nutrition and diet information, plus make available healthy food alternatives in your vending machines and cafeteria, and make available food storage and preparation facilities to encourage healthier eating
• Prenatal care initiatives
• Work-Life Balance initiatives
• Elder care initiatives
• Cancer support groups
• Financial education

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

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

Employee Health Services
• worksite medical services
• workplace medical examinations
• health risk screening and counselling:
• blood pressure screening,
• blood cholesterol screening,
• blood glucose screening clinics,
• thyroid screening,
• bone density screening,
• prostrate cancer screening
• encourage self-exams – breasts, testicles
• medical surveillance Strategies
• immunizations and flu vaccinations
• Disability Management
• Active rehabilitation
• Return to work Strategies
• Self-care Strategies
• Disease management information and presentations:
• diabetes,
• stomach disorder,
• arthritis,
• asthma,
• allergy,
• foot and back care Strategies,
• chronic tiredness,
• migraines
• Online health education with continuous learning/reminders/tips
• Daily/weekly/monthly email tips or news bulletins
• Fitness appraisals
• Safety and health fairs
• Hand-washing tips and reminders
• Visiting your doctor guide – tips to efficiency
• links and information on help lines

clearly communicated vision and mission
• clear and accurate job descriptions
• supportive appraisal system
• staff member empowerment through decision-making, pace of work and connection to organization goals, (on-line tools that connect to goals such as Baxter Healthcare)
• two-way communication training
• ‘no lunch hour’ meeting rules unless it is a lunch ‘n’ learn
• absenteeism and attendance program
• career tracking, (on-line tools like Pfizer)
• continuing education
• job rotation, special project assignments
• time management
• innovative ideas program
• change and complaint process
• email guidelines
• technology courses and assistance
• vacation useage
• shift work rotations and breaks
• conflict management skills
• handling negative attitudes workshops

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Management Training

• scheduling
• incentive and recognition Strategies
• workload impact
• communication and feedback skills
• conflict management skills and support skills
• priority setting
• all of which are apart of the four employment relationship factors (trust, commitment, influence, and communication – from Canadian Policy Research Network)

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Remuneration and Benefits

• massage – try an worksite massage therapist or seated massage breaks
• orthotics
• orthodontics
• gym membership subsidies
• education subsidies
• tobacco cessation and weight control partial reimbursement incentives
• safety shoe reimbursement
• out-of-country coverage
• vision care
• alternative therapy coverage

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Building Support
• exercise  breaks and stretches
• team challenges
• organization sport teams such as soccer, volleyball, and hockey
• use workers who are in-house experts e.g., gardening, yoga, construction
• celebrate birthdays, anniversaries – other significant dates and achievements
• 5 minute catch-up at beginning of work week
• pot lucks and food for meetings
• green room for time outs and regrouping self
• encouraging face to face communications
• learn names

**The creation of health or harm within an business depends on how work is managed.  Workplace Culture Strategies must address high demand/low control, high effort/low reward, fairness, purpose and trust.

• childcare Strategies and information
• family planning information
• parenting classes
• Elder care Strategies and information
• retirement planning
• individual responsibility leave
• alternative work arrangements such as telecommuting, job sharing
• work-family-life transition support
• anger management and family violence
• family counselling initiatives
• budgeting and financial counselling
• understanding credit reports
• money safety tips – ATMS, credit cards
• advertising and promotion of community support groups
• cafeteria take-out program
• tax preparation initiatives
• will, power of attorney, and estate experts
• vacation planning and safe travel
• interpersonal relationship presenters
• motivational presenters
• bereavement information
• shift work and lifestyle Strategies
• limit overtime
• family wellness days – bike rodeos, BBQ, picnics
• swimming pool safety
• charity information – United Way, MADD
• other information sessions on:
• chemical free lawn and garden care,
• menopause,
• infertility,
• poisoning,
• fire safety initiatives
• seat belts and booster seats,
• playground safety,
• internet safety,
• home safety and energy efficiency

• violence in the workplace
• equity in the workplace initiatives
• harassment policy and training
• literacy/numeracy Strategies
• professional development and skill enhancing training
• air quality and sick building testing
• smoke-free workplace
• fire safety initiatives
• hazard control and WHIMS Training
• injury prevention, CPR/First Aid, emergency response Strategies
• improved signage
• installing guard rails
• work station design, ergonomic and repetitive strain reduction training
• stretching initiatives
• safety and health written and implemented policies
• Safety Audits
• access to bike racks, showers and change areas
• make stairs attractive and post signs to encourage their use
• proper lighting
• monitoring noise levels
• shift work strategies related to lighting, noise, air, breaks etc.

• Offer Stress Management Programs and mental health Strategies
• Offer substance use and abuse Strategies
• Offer tobacco cessation and control
• Offer nutrition counselling
• Offer weight control Strategies and counselling
• Offer encourage use of food logs
• Offer posting BMI charts
• Offer juice dispensing machines
• Offer water coolers
• Offer snack machines with low-calorie snack choices
• Offer snack machines with fruit, vegetable and calcium choices
• Posting nutritional information on snack machines
• Offer color-coded cafeteria choices
• Encourage breakfast – suggest choices to start the day
• healthy packed lunch ideas for adults and kids
• partnering with local restaurants for healthy lunch choices
• healthy recipes on-line
• healthy or low-cost cooking Strategies
• healthy shopping instruction
• naturopaths, homeopaths, herbal remedies and vitamins
• Offer information sessions on fad diets
• Offer disease prevention information
• STD’s
• active living and fitness Strategies such as a aerobics, walking or cycling clubs
• Offer self-defense training
• Offer relaxation training
• chiropractors
• relaxation and energy specialists
• Offer stretching classes such as yoga, tai chi
• Offer active living challenges
• walking challenges with pedometers
• stair climbing challenge
• sleep and sleep disorders e.g. snoring
• napping information and sleep rooms
• alertness and driving sessions
• encouraging light breaks
• create a wellness Yellow Pages
• information sessions on
• insect bites,
• memory enhancement,
• motion sickness,
• nose bleeds,
• healthy skin,
• frost bite,
• gingivitis and mouth care,
• hair loss,
• ear infections,
• fever,
• psoriasis,
• TMJ,
• varicose veins,
• shingles,
• defensive driving,
• sun safety,
• avoiding home and vehicle theft,
• food safety
• handwashing

**Healthy Living Strategies should assist in the development of self-efficacy which means that the individual has a senses that they can influence the course of events in their normal daily life, that they can deal with their normal consequences, that they feel confident and sure of themselves.

Why Complete a Company Health Promotion Initiative Environment Assessment?

The purpose of completing the assessment is to establish your jobsite’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The assessment will lead your workgroup to recommend actions for changes to make the worksite more supportive of healthy behaviors (i.e. healthy food choices in snack machines, policies to enforce no tobacco use on worksite grounds or encouraging walking during break times). You may find some of the actions for supporting healthy behaviors are easy to do and others may not be feasible or efficient in your worksite.  The assessment results can also be used as a baseline measure for evaluation.  The initial assessment can later be compared with a follow-up assessment several months later to note progress.

Who should do the Company Health Promotion Initiative Environment Assessment?

Establish a workgroup (at least 4-5 employees) who will be accountable for completing the assessment.  This may be a subset of your wellness workgroup.  Forming a diverse group from all areas and levels of your business is important for meaningful assessment and successful planning and implementation. Suggested members include: human resources, workers from various departments, administrators, supervisors, staff member or wellness staff.

When should the Company Health Promotion Initiative Environment Assessment be Done?

Use the assessment as a starting point for your Employee Wellness Program. Once you have completed the assessment, determine which areas the workgroup will focus on (i.e. healthy eating, physical activity, general health, etc.). Begin a time for the workgroup to meet and monitor the progress. Also determine a schedule for annual assessments, so that the assessment can serve as a tool for continuous improvement and accountability over time.

Part 1 – Company Health Promotion Initiative Assessment Checklist

Complete a Worksite Wellness Assessment Checklist to determine what wellness components you currently have at your worksite.   This can be done with the full workgroup or you may want a few key personnel (such as the Human Resources lead, Wellness Coordinator or Workgroup Coordinator) to do a preliminary scan based on information they gather and then let the full workgroup react to their findings. Ask your broker for a sample wellness assessment checklist or create your own.

Completion of the checklist provides a reference point of the wellness functions that are currently in place or in process and it provides an overview of some of the items that should be considered for a comprehensive Employee Wellness Program.

Company Health Promotion Initiative Checklist Components:

Categories.  There are six major categories (General, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Health Screening, Tobacco Use and Emergency Response Plan).  Each category has several questions that address what you currently have in place at your worksite.

Current Status.  Initially, list whether you have the component (Yes), are in the process of instituting the component or you are planning for the component (In Process) or don’t have the component at all (No).  At the end of each category, sub-total the number in each column and then total all of the categories at the end of the checklist to get an overview of where your worksite Company Health Promotion Initiative currently rates. You should also use this baseline measure as a benchmark for later evaluation.  By evaluating where your worksite is on each wellness component, you will be able to get a general idea of your status across each category and all 57 items.

Potential Priorities.  After you have completed the assessment and the employee interest survey, you can use the potential priority column to indicate what components you might want to focus on that are either currently in process or don’t exist.  This can serve as a first screening of possible areas to focus on as you develop your action plan.

Part 2: staff member Input

Why would we want to do an employee survey?

You should conduct an employee survey to get a better understanding of your target audience (your business’s workers) and get an initial idea of their current health habits and interest areas.  The survey can be tailored to your worksite and can be done in paper form or through the use of survey instruments on the internet or that can be purchased.   You can create your own employee survey or ask your broker for a Workplace Wellness Needs and Interest Survey.

As was the case with the worksite environmental assessment, the employee survey results can also be used as a baseline measure for later evaluation.  The initial survey results can later be compared with a follow-up survey several months later to note progress.

You should also consider engaging workers in focus groups or informal interviews to gather information on their wants and needs.  This can be done either before or after the survey, or if you don’t have the resources to survey workers, you could use this method to gather information in place of the survey.

No matter what method you use to gather information, make it as easy as possible for workers to complete and submit the information so you get a high return rate.  Consider offering an incentive or prize for employees who complete the survey.

Once you start a Company Health Promotion Initiative you will have a range of staff member members.  Some will already be very engaged in being active and eating well and your program will only reinforce and enhance their health.  On the other end of the spectrum will be employees who may not engage no matter what you do.  The remaining group is probably the largest group in most corporations: employees who are at various stages of readiness to improve their health given the right type of programming and motivation.   Summarized below are some tips you may want to employ once your program is up and running.

Key Factors in Company Health Promotion Initiative

In today’s society there are many key factors that influence people’s health behaviors.  Consider the following list in maintaining participation in your program:

1.    TIME.  Workers are busy, so the more you can work activity and healthy eating into their existing schedules, the better your chances for success.  Example: A walk at lunch doesn’t take away from existing time, it just uses it differently.  Also look at the time of the day and length of any activity you might be promoting, since both time components may be factors.
2.    ACCESS.   How accessible is your Employee Wellness Program.  Is it onsite or at a nearby site?  Do you offer access at breaks or outside of normal work hours?
3.    KNOWLEDGE.  Workers need to know “Why” they are taking part in (the benefits) and also will need information about the “How to” in areas that are not commonly known.
4.    COST.  Make sure that you can provide no cost or reduced cost Employee Wellness Initiatives will help participation rates.  Coupled with incentives for participation, rates of participation will likely increase dramatically.
5.    INCENTIVES.  Some employees need incentives to get started in a Employee Wellness Program.  A full list of Company Health Promotion Initiative incentive options can be on the website.

Key Time Periods in Company Health Promotion Initiative

Good habits are frequently difficult to develop.  There tends to be some critical times when employees drop out or fall off of a physical activity or diet program.   The first key time zone seems to be around 6 weeks.   If employees can start and stay consistent with a program through the first 6 weeks, they have made a fairly serious commitment to incorporate the habits into their lifestyle.  The second key time is at about 6 months.  Those who made it past 6 weeks may get bored and/or distracted from their program after several months.  If employees can get past 6 months and sustain behavior through a full set of weather seasons, they have a very good chance of making the changes permanent.

Consider these time periods and think about how you can “boost” your workers to get them past these critical time markers.  Promoting individual or group “challenges”, using incentives, or increased publicity/marketing are a few of the things you can do to help get your workers through these key time periods

Goal Setting for Company Health Promotion Initiative

Setting goals has been shown to lead to better participation and more employees making a strong commitment.  Whether it be a team goal of walking the equivalent of once around your state or an individual goal of so many miles or minutes of activity, the fact that there is something concrete to shoot for increases the likelihood employees will stick with the program.

Buddy Systems or Team Goals for Company Health Promotion Initiative

The social aspects of improving one’s health cannot be underestimated.  Many research studies point to tight social groups being the backbone for a successful campaign because each individual has a commitment to something bigger than themselves and besides, it’s just more fun for most employees. Build your program around some type of teams or partners and see what happens.

Team “Campaigns” for Company Health Promotion Initiative

Some employees like competition and others don’t.  Nevertheless, a worksite wide campaign has the advantage of keeping the message more visible and alive.  Encourage campaign participation, but make it voluntary so that those who prefer that type of motivation can join while others can take part in their own way and at their own pace.  If the idea of a campaign seems like too much work, consider tapping into existing campaigns where someone else provides resources for you.

Incentives for Company Health Promotion Initiative

Incentives are frequently helpful in maintaining or raising interest.  Significant incentives such as cash or health insurance rebates have proven to be very strong motivators for staff member participation.  However, even smaller incentives can be beneficial.  Listed below are some sample incentives:
• Achievement awards. Verbal praise and a pat on the back are motivational to some, but a token of recognition of achievement may offer more. A colorful certificate to congratulate an staff member for achieving a health-related goal is one example.
• Public recognition.  Announced recognition at campaign mid-point or wrap-up festivities.
• Food.  Include some healthy foods to kick-off, revitalize or wrap up a wellness campaign.
• Entertainment.  Events serve a purpose in jump-starting, reenergizing or wrapping up a campaign.  Having entertainment of any kind can boost morale.
• Merchandise.  There is a long list of merchandise incentives, including sports equipment and small gift certificates to use at local merchants.
• Monetary incentives.  Nothing says incentive better than cash.  Worksites that have used cash or rebates as an incentive have shown much higher participation rates.
• Time off.  Maybe the next best incentive to cash, or for some employees even better.  This type of incentive makes good business sense if the number of absences drops significantly and attendance is used as one of the criteria.

There are a number of reasons why Employee Wellness Initiatives are beneficial.

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result of your health promotion efforts, you and your workers may actually start to see and feel a new level of energy within the business.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any comprehensive health promotion program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the organization’s most valuable resource — its workers.
2. Reduced Turnover – As we all know, staff member replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new staff member can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high staff member turnover pose, many corporations are looking to health promotion programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent workers from jumping ship.
3. Improved Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, corporations are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Wellness can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.
4. Reduced Absenteeism – When an staff member misses work in a business setting, the entire organization is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.  Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, health promotion programs can play an important role in reducing absenteeism.
5. Medical Cost Containment – Most corporations don’t start a health promotion program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many corporations.
6. Improved staff member Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Employee Health and Wellness Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Employee Wellness Initiatives can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, and more.

1.    Have a current policy outlining the requirements and functions of a comprehensive Employee Wellness Program.
2.    Have a wellness plan in place that addresses the purpose, nature, duration, resources necessary, members in, and expected results of a Employee Wellness Program.
3.    Orient workers to the Company Health Promotion Initiative and give them copies of the physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use policies.
4.    Promote and encourage staff member participation in the physical activity/fitness and nutrition education/weight management program.
5.    Offer health education information to workers.
6.    Have a Employee Wellness Initiatives committee that meets at least once a month to oversee the Employee Wellness Program.
7.    Offer regular health education presentations on various physical activity, nutrition, and wellness-related topics. Ask voluntary health associations, health care providers, and/or public health agencies to offer on-site 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 workers such as diabetics and nursing mothers.
10.    Conduct preventive health and wellness screenings for blood pressure, body composition, blood cholesterol, and diabetes.
11.    Offer confidential Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals.
12.    Offer on-site weight management/maintenance initiatives for workers.
13.    Offer weight management/maintenance, nutrition, and physical activity counseling as a member benefit in health insurance contracts.