Employee Health Promotion Programs in a Depressed Economy

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 04-01-2009

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 Result in a Healthier Bottom-lines

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 03-01-2009

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.

Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 02-01-2009

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.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: The Bottom-Line Booster

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 01-01-2009

Employee Health Promotion Programs are proven to improve productivity and decrease medical care costs.  For a business, that makes a difference in the bottom-line. Today, more than 81% of America’s businesses with 50 or more staff members have some form of Employee Health Promotion Program with the most popular being exercise, tobaccos cessation classes, back care programs, and stress management. Most employers offer Employee Health Promotion Programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in health insurance premiums and medical care costs.

For many businesses, health costs can consume half of corporate profits or more. Some employer’s look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or incentives. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Employee Health Promotion Programs stand out as the long-term answer for keeping staff members well in the first place.

Employee Health Promotion Programs are an example of medical care reform that works. Results from America’s finest businesses, summarized here, are reason enough to consider providing Employee Health Promotion Programs.  This investment in your most important asset – your staff members – can have a positive impact on your bottom-line.

Employee Health Promotion Program Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the Wellness Councils of America, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3 million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Employee Health Promotion Program. By providing financial incentives ($250 – $325) to staff members who meet specific organizational and staff member health initiatives the Employee Health Promotion Program continues to meet cost containment expectations in the area of medical care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and self-care practices. 

During the first 4 years of the Employee Health Promotion Program there was a 28% average reduction in medical care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a control group. 

Du Pont saw that each dollar invested in their Employee Health Promotion Program returned $1.42 over two years in reduced absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well worksite Gold in Delaware). Absences from illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar employees dropped 14% at 41 industrial sites where the Employee Health Promotion Program was offered, compared with a 5.8% decline at 19 sites where it was not. 

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for every dollar invested Employee Health Promotion Programs, yielding total corporate savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was reduced 19% during the four-year study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000 staff members and retirees by decreasing poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a similar but smaller study, members of a Travelers fitness center Employee Health Promotion Program were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members. 

The Employee Health Promotion Program at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, based in Las Vegas, cost $76.24 per staff member during the two years it has been in operation. Over half of the 1,600 staff members participated in the Employee Health Promotion Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21% lower lifestyle-related claim costs than non-participant. Resulting savings: $127.89 per participant in the Employee Health Promotion Program with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1. 

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes impressive results to the success of the corporation’s complete Employee Health Promotion Program. Superior showed 22% fewer admissions to a hospital, 29% shorter hospital stays, and 42% lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 staff members with costs for other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40%. 

With health costs per staff member at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad introduced their Employee Health Promotion Program to its 28,000 staff members, mostly union and blue collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest health self-care initiative at an annual cost of $50 per person, the Employee Health Promotion Program achieved a net savings of $1.26 million. In addition, a voluntary Employee Health Promotion Program to help staff members lower health risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Staff Members in a treatment group lowered their risk of high blood pressure (45%) and high cholesterol (34%); others moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30%); and 21% stopped using tobacco. 

Average health costs of high-risk Steelcase staff members- those whose lifestyles include two to four health risks such as tobacco use, little exercise, overweight- are 75% higher than those of low-risk staff members. But high-risk staff members at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing corporation who improved their health habits through the company’s Employee Health Promotion Program and became low risk cut their average health claims in half thus lowering their health insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk staff members (20% of the total staff member population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years. 

Staff Members at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing corporation in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care techniques and lowered their corporation’s medical care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide, the 938 staff members and their family members made smart health decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and dependent a nearly 18% reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and emergency room use, the corporation saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3% decrease in costs over the previous year. 

A health claims-based study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts found a reduced demand for health services among those with access to Employee Health Promotion Programs and self-care programs. Reductions in health services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education materials. 

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Employee Health Promotion Program delivered an average savings of $5,000 per birth by providing expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and regular prenatal care. And 80% of participants had normal births without complications compared with 50% for non-participant. 

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Staff Members’ Retirement System sent its 55,000 retirees a health rist assessment followed, in some cases, with individualized reports and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and at the same time reduce the medical care claim costs. In another study, Bank of America retirees in California who chose the full Employee Health Promotion Program and demand reduction program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11% compared with a rise of 6.3% for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire. 

With reduced medical care claims, health costs decreased 16% for employees in the City of Mesa (Arizona) who participated in the complete Employee Health Promotion Program. The city realized a return of $3.60 for every dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city employees. 

To prevent back injuries among its employees, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar employees, offered classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant rise in staff member morale, reduced worker’s comp claims, health costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Benefits

Employee Health Promotion Programs offer Long-Term Benefits

Employee Health Promotion Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two varieties:  Employee Health Promotion Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to lower costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really offer long-term medical benefits for your employees and lower costs over the years.

Employee Health Promotion Programs offer Help

Insurance-based products offer employees the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an internet-based health assessment, visiting their medical provider, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the staff member during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a individual’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a individual’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to lower health costs in the future.

Employee Health Promotion Programs offer convenient health risk assessments and health screening for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article states, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and employees are more likely to stay active in an onsite staff member Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Get Results

Finally, the article states that businesses with an effective Employee Health Promotion Program can expect to see “500 percent lower absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent lower medical care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

Employee Health Promotion Program Tends

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 31-12-2008

Corporations are no longer able to trim extra savings out of their health insurance programs, and most businesses have been cost shifting, asking staff members to cover more of their medical care costs. Health insurance costs continue to climb (10% or more per year) at 2-3 times the general inflation rate. With nowhere else to turn, employers are – more than ever – looking to get staff members engaged in Employee Health Promotion Programs as a means of slowing medical care costs and improving productivity.

For example, last year 53% of large employers offered health risk assessments (HRAs) for their staff, up from 35% just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Employee Health Promotion Programs a win-win solution for both employers and staff members.
Here are other Employee Health Promotion Program trends organizations are implementing:

More businesses are integrating Employee Health Promotion Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Employee Health Promotion Program and meeting minimum objectives.

More businesses are providing onsite weight loss programs as a component of the Employee Health Promotion Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight staff members and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight staff members.

Corporations are providing more Employee Health Promotion Programs designed to assist staff members with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Corporations are providing more internet-based Employee Health Promotion Program interventions and health information resources

More businesses are providing regular onsite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a part of their Employee Health Promotion Program. Some Employee Health Promotion Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many businesses are providing fitness programs, either in the community or onsite, as a part of their Employee Health Promotion Program.

Corporations are providing more incentives, prizes and rewards getting engaged in Employee Health Promotion Program activities

Some businesses are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop tobacco; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping staff members stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.

Corporations are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Employee Health Promotion Program ROI.

Wellness businesses are providing great resources for businesss’ staff members over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, internet-based points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, internet-based wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Corporations who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future medical care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their complete Employee Health Promotion Program over the next 5 years!

Employee Health Promotion Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health promotion is more fun and costs less than treating disease. 

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.

Beginninging a Employee Health Promotion Program

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 30-12-2008

Employee Health Promotion Programs start and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources required to assist and motivate individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one part of beginning staff member Employee Health Promotion Programs. Below you’ll find some things to assist you in your efforts to establish a healthy atmosphere for you and your coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Start an Employee Health Promotion Program

This is the first step in beginning a Employee Health Promotion Program. In recent times more and more employers are beginning to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their staff members. Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″ (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an excellent resource containing information on:
 • Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs
 • Suggestions on where to start
 • Tools like surveys and assessment forms

These resources are for both employers and staff members to lead the development and assess the effectiveness of their new Employee Health Promotion Program. Make available it to your employer as a place to start or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Participating in Employee Health Promotion Programs

Once you have an staff member Employee Health Promotion Program established, taking part fully in all aspects of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Employee Health Promotion Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so. These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an staff member Employee Health Promotion Program:
 • Review the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
 • Schedule time to go to the seminar or service.
 • Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
 • Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Employee Health Promotion Programs that might be available to you at work:
 • ergonomic evaluations and ergonomic training classes
 • lactation rooms and classes
 • prenatal education
 • quiet rooms for relaxation
 • stress management programs
 • onsite fitness centers
 • massage therapy
 • healthy eating education
 • onsite primary medical care services
 • child care facility or resources and referral service
 • tobacco cessation programs parenting classes
 • elder care resources and referral service
 • cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
 • flu vaccination
 • weight management and / or weight loss programs
 • medical care consumerism programs
 • work/life programs
 • health coaching
 • mobile mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Employee Health Promotion Programs

Employee Health Promotion Programs for Small Businesses

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 29-12-2008

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Employee Health Promotion Programs, a corporation saves $3 to $5 in health and safety costs. Corporations that invest in Employee Health Promotion Programs reap the financial rewards through savings on medical care costs, disability pay, absenteeism, turnover and safety problems.

worksites have already proven to be a great place to promote wellness. After all, people spend more time at work than doing anything else. Eighty-two percent of the U.S. population is linked in some way to a worksite. Therefore, providing Employee Health Promotion Programs is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Employee Health Promotion Programs in Small Businesses

Unlike large businesses, small businesses often lack the resources to provide Employee Health Promotion Programs to their staff members. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by health insurance costs and have the highest rates of substance abuse. Staff Member well-being and physical or mental illness can also be more disruptive in a small business environment. Employee Health Promotion Programs in small businesses also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Employee Health Promotion Programs can pay. Statistically, even if there are only 100 people in a corporation:

• 60 sit all day to do their work
• 50 don’t wear their safety belts regularly
• 50 feel they’re under moderate stress
• 35 are overweight by 20% or more
• 30 smoke
• 27 have cardiovascular disease
• 25 or more have high cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl)
• 10 are heavy drinkers
• 10 have high blood pressure
• 5 have diagnosed diabetes and another 5 have undiagnosed diabetes
• 7 use marijuana
• 1 uses cocaine

Bottom Line Employee Health Promotion Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the medical care costs incurred by working adults can be attributed to modifiable health risks (e.g., diet, exercise, tobacco use, etc.) Fortunately, there is a way to hold back the trend. Growing research links an individual’s lifestyle behaviors to their health risk.

The good news is Employee Health Promotion Programs can:

• Decrease medical care costs
• Decrease workers’ compensation claims
• Decrease staff member absenteeism
• Increase worker productivity
• Improve staff member morale

The bottom line is that Employee Health Promotion Programs can benefit any size business — small or large.

Why Have a Employee Health Promotion Program?

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 28-12-2008

There are a number of reasons why a Employee Health Promotion Program is beneficial.

1. Enhanced Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Employee Health Promotion Program, you and your staff members may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the business.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious objectives of any complete Employee Health Promotion Program is to attempt to sway the attitudes and actions of the business’s most valuable resource — its staff members.

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 employee can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high staff member turnover pose, many businesses are looking to Employee Health Promotion Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent staff members from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, businesses are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Employee Health Promotion Programs can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

4. Reduced Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a business environment, the entire business 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, Employee Health Promotion Programs can play an important role in decreasing absenteeism.

5. Health Care Cost Containment – Most businesses don’t start a Employee Health Promotion Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many businesses.

6. Enhanced Staff Member Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Employee Health Promotion Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Employee Health Promotion Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

Assessment of Employee Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 28-12-2008

Assessment of Employee Health Promotion Programs

It is important to assess the effectiveness of all Employee Health Promotion Programs. There are several very simple ways to assess Employee Health Promotion Programs:

How many attended the corporate health and Employee Health Promotion Program, and was there participation or a visible level of interest?

Use a short and simple pen and paper assessment that people fill out at the end of the Employee Health Promotion Program /seminar. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:
 • The value of the Employee Health Promotion Programs to the individual
 • The style of the presenter
 • The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
 • The level of knowledge gained by the staff member
 • Other areas that would be of interest for future Employee Health Promotion Programs

Examples of Questions about Employee Health Promotion Programs
 • This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.
 • The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.
 • There was adequate time for questions.
 • The methods used to present the information were effective.

Open-ended questions about Employee Health Promotion Programs may include:
 • The best part of this Employee Health Promotion Program was…
 • The part that needed improvement was….
 • I would attend another Employee Health Promotion Program by this speaker…
 • Topics I would like to see included in other seminars or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process assessment that reviews how well the Employee Health Promotion Programs were started. It is also important to look at health outcomes and cost outcomes of Employee Health Promotion Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Employee Health Promotion Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Employee Health Promotion Programs concerning medical care claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Employee Health Promotion Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to look at the impact of Employee Health Promotion Programs on family members. For example, tobacco by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or health plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Employee Health Promotion Programs.

You can also compare the cost per staff member of running the Employee Health Promotion Programs to the savings per staff member. One assessment of Employee Health Promotion Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 staff members at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the corporation invested in Employee Health Promotion Programs. The findings were based on a study of health costs and absenteeism.1

An ongoing assessment of your Employee Health Promotion Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Employee Health Promotion Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc assessment of your Employee Health Promotion Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a corporation might want to assess its flu shot program.

Employee Health Promotion Programs Improve Retention

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Posted by Employee Wellness | Posted in Employee Wellness Survey | Posted on 26-12-2008

Employee retention is a challenge. Employee Health Promotion Programs can help. providing perks such as incentives to exercise, healthy food, and stress management and weight loss programs at work is a way to maintain your staff members satisfied.

Attracting new employees are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other staff members is to your advantage. Remember, salary isn’t everything. Often, the possibility of flex hours or a discount at the local gym may be the deciding factor for a future staff member. Once again, Employee Health Promotion Programs to the rescue!

How Are Employee Health Promotion Programs Administered?

Whether running small Employee Health Promotion Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness businesses to oversee the whole thing, program promotion is of utmost importance. You may have a great speaker come in to talk about a very “hot topic,” but if no one knew about it, it was a waste of the speaker’s time and your money.

Corporate Employee Health Promotion Program setup and promotion go hand and hand. Depending on the size of your corporation, it may be handled by one person or an entire corporate wellness team. You may even have an staff member who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational wellness seminars and activities.

Other staff members may have areas of interest and would be willing to set up some educational programs. Especially for smaller employers, once you have chosen your events and activities, it is best to set up a calendar with a schedule of events. Then publish the entire calendar as well as announcing each individual event as it comes up.

Access to Employee Health Promotion Programs

To make access easy, offer a wide range of Employee Health Promotion Programs and activities that can fit into everyone’s schedule. For example, some staff members may find it difficult to get to a seminar at work or make a commitment for 8 weeks of the Weight Watchers at Work program. However, they will take advantage of a reduced rate at the gym and will borrow tapes from the health and wellness library.

If you have shifts, don’t forget to schedule events for the after 5:00 group. Nothing will undermine Employee Health Promotion Programs more quickly than promoting great activities that are only convenient for first shift staff members.