Employee Wellness SurveyEmployee Wellness Programs – Corporate Wellness Programs

Is It Necessary to Incent Organizations to Initiate Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Wellness incentive rewards may seem like an effective way to get employees excited about Employee Health Promotion Program – but is it wise?

This helps and encourages businesses to understand the importance of maintaining a healthy workforce, not only for the welfare of its employees, but as well as the welfare of the corporate bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary.

Tax Breaks as Wellness incentive rewards

In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage businesses to keep employees healthy and prevent disease. The senators believed that having a country focused on “well care” versus “sick care” would decrease the overall costs of medical care for everyone. They decided to start with America’s workforce.

The legislation, introduced by Oregon Senator Gordon Smith and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, states that businesses would receive a Wellness incentive reward – a fifty percent tax credit – if they offer to their employees a Employee Health Promotion Program that meets the following criteria:

 1) A health awareness and education component, which could include Health risk assessments and Health Screenings.
 2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower employees to lead healthier lifestyles.
 3) A supportive environment component – including providing meaningful incentive rewards to participating employees, such as a reduction in medical premiums or allowing employees to engage in walking Employee Health Promotion Programs during the workday.
 4) The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would tailor the Employee Health Promotion Program to the needs of the workforce at a particular business.

If this law gets passed, many businesses will be scrambling to offer Employee Health Promotion Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness incentive rewards.

Worksite Obesity: The Facts

Worksite obesity has become one of the fastest growing medical care problems in America. It is well known that America is considered one of the, if not “the”, heaviest countries in the world. This is largely in part due to fast food, un-healthy snacks and a very sedentary lifestyle. However, what many people are not aware of is that the rate of obesity in our country has doubled in the last 30 years and this weighs heavily on a organization’s bottom line.

According to a new report from The Conference Board, Weights and Measures: What organizations Should Know about Obesity, obese employees cost private businesses an estimated $45 billion annually. Here are some of the report’s findings:

Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on medical care, more than smoking or problem drinking.
34% of adult United States citizens fit the definition of “obese”
Obesity related health problems are costing United States businesses millions of dollars annually in medical expenditures and work loss.

Worksite Obesity: How businesses Can Help

With the increase in obesity and organization costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to establish a way to assist employees with their healthy living choices. Employee Health Promotion Programs can help businesses help their employees. By providing assistance with Health Screening, Health risk assessments and by conducting Employee Health Promotion Program surveys; Employee Health Promotion Programs allow the organization non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their staff member’s health.

We suggest establishing a Walking Employee Health Promotion Program to assist your employees in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your employees away from their desk and get them outside for a little exercise. Keep it fun by having contests, setting up weight-loss teams and having organized healthy picnics.

What is a Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal?

You probably have seen the term many times and wondered what exactly does it mean. A Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness consultant that makes suggestions for what type of Employee Health Promotion Programs you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s wellness goals, and costs associated with it.

Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Employee Health Promotion Program. It will offer necessary stats and trends, background information, and costs that will enable the HR Department to fully present their case. Upper management will appreciate the preparedness and the research that has gone into your wellness request.

Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals Lead to Better Employee Health Promotion Programs

A well thought out Employee Health Promotion Program Proposal can lead to a better Employee Health Promotion Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Employee Health Promotion Program Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper Employee Health Promotion Program established. Employee Health Promotion Programs can vary greatly, but when your employees ask, you can tell them that they generally include the following:

 Walking programs which offers employees with incentive rewards to take their walking breaks at their worksite.
 Company teams, onsite yoga classes and massage therapists at the worksite.
 Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Employee Health Promotion Program resources column in the staff member newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
 Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health.

Wellness Challenges Are Popping Up Everywhere

Wellness Challenges are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Challenges are usually about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams, these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and just making better life and health choices overall.

The best part about Wellness Challenges is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner.

Wellness Challenges offers incentive reward to Get Healthy

Establishing a Wellness Challenges in your office is a great way to get employees to participate in your established Employee Health Promotion Program. Have employees form teams and receive points for everything from attending a corporate Health and Wellness Fair to getting a health risk assessment to starting an exercise regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated.

Wellness Challenges Improve Corporate Health

Not only will Wellness Challenges improve the health of your employees, it will improve the overall health of the corporation by providing benefits such as reduced injuries, reduced frequency of worker’s comp, reduced medical care costs, better staff member attendance, and better corporate morale.

Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Challenges!

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Employee Health Promotion Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Health Promotion Programs

The report states that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are Effective Tools

The report states that Employee Health Promotion Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Health Promotion Programs will improve the health of employees, improve the corporate image, improve staff member morale, reduce staff member absences and sick leave, increase staff member productivity, and reduce corporate medical care costs.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Health Promotion Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health risk assessments and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Employee Health Promotion Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Employee Health Promotion Program developed meets the proper needs of the employees. Staff Members should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Employee Health Promotion Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Employee Health Promotion Programs … do they offer a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever organization’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Employee Health Promotion Program ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Employee Health Promotion Program ROI is not an easy thing to do for businesses because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the businesses that have taken the time to determine the Employee Health Promotion Program ROI of their Employee Health Promotion Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of staff member health and the slowing of the rate of their staff member medical care costs.

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI Alliance

Employee Health Promotion Program ROI is such an important part of today’s corporate culture, that several large businesses have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

The alliance, formed by BMW of North America, Henry Ford Health System, Kraft Foods Global, Schlumberger Limited and MasterCare Worldwide, strongly believes in showing the value of Employee Health Promotion Programs and want to develop a standard for how Employee Health Promotion Programs are measured.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-provided staff member Employee Health Promotion Program:

 Employee assistance Programs (EAPs)
 Disease Management Program
 Fitness and exercise Programs
 Health risk assessments
 Onsite medical care Programs
 Personal wellness profiles
 Preventive Health Screenings and immunizations
 Smoking-cessation Programs
 Telephone based Employee Health Promotion Programs
 Weight Management and Weight Loss Programs
 Self-Care Programs.

Wellness During the Summer

Wellness is important year-round; however if your employees haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon, then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal time of year to get back into shape and improve overall Wellness.  The weather is beautiful, employees can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage.  Fitness, or lack of fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to starting a Employee Health Promotion Program in the Summer.  Employees are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they are in the cooler months of the fall and winter.  The summer months are also a great time to establish a Wellness challenge with your employees and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a participant picnic or cookout.  Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Employee Health Promotion Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps when starting a Employee Health Promotion Program in your office.

 Pick a wellness coordinator for the Employee Health Promotion Program who is willing and able to see it through.
 Ensure that you have the support of corporate leadership.
 Create a Wellness committee
 Use a Employee Health Promotion Program survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your Employee Health Promotion Program
 Provide Health risk assessments
 Analyze the Employee Health Promotion Program and changes as needed
 Do not forget to stress that the Employee Health Promotion Program is for the workers.  Employee Health Promotion Programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension.  participating in a Employee Health Promotion Program that offers all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the employees.

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Health Care Costs

Employee Health Promotion Programs are more important now than ever.  According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of organization offered medical care keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article states that during the year 2008, United States businesses can expect to see an increase of 10% in medical care costs.

This increase in medical care costs is causing some small businesses to reduce their staff member health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Employee Health Promotion Programs for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Health Promotion Programs do offer an option for small businesses.  The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the provided Employee Health Promotion Program.  Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the employees, the lower the overall medical care costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ medical care budget.

Employee Health Promotion Programs and Your Bottom Line

Employee Health Promotion Programs offer many advantages to a organization’s bottom-line. Employee Health Promotion Program Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Employee Health Promotion Program compared to an expense of $574 per staff member that wasn’t enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less medical care costs overall.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are an intelligient investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee business their committed investment in their staff member’s wellness.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are part of business Culture

The Employee Health Promotion Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The business has three full-time employees dedicated to the Employee Health Promotion Program and the wellness of the employees, who receive on-site massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the rules of the Employee Health Promotion Program, which employees are not required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility.  Based on these health assessments, the employees are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive a business-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain fitness levels and be a non-smoker.  Smoking cessation classes are part of the Employee Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Bring a Big Savings

The Employee Health Promotion Program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having healthier employees, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in medical care costs per year.  The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Employee Health Promotion Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Are Becoming Increasingly Popular

Employee Health Promotion Programs are Are Becoming Increasingly popular outside the worksite, showing the ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management.  Private insurance businesses, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run.  They are finding that mini-Worksite Employee Health Promotion Programs are definitely the way to go.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Help with Early Intervention

According to an article that recently appeared in The Indianapolis Star, businesses, insurers and government agencies are turning to “early intervention to change the behavior of those struggling with common but dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The strategies that they incorporated to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that were suggested by their medical care provider.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Provide Quality Benefits

There are more benefits to a Employee Health Promotion Program than just the savings that an organization or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient.  The patient is going to get the motivation and the incentive reward to get better or to manage their health by having to answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness staff member at their business or a nurse affiliated with their insurance business.