Wellness Program A to Z

Wellness Fair activities put the spotlight on Workplace Wellness Programs

A Wellness Fair is a brilliant way to shake your workers out of the doldrums and into better awareness of their health and wellness. A Wellness Fair brings your organization together to discuss Workplace Wellness Programs, examine Health Insurance and “cafeteria” plans, explore health savings accounts, publicize Workplace Wellness Program Programs and share success stories and challenges.

Some common Wellness Fair desired outcomes include:

better awareness of the health services and resources available to workers, both from their business and from local, state, regional and national health services;
increased motivation for improving health behavior
increased participation in Workplace Wellness Programs, commuter and carshare programs and health savings accounts
better awareness of individual health status through Health Testings, Wellness Fair activities, displays, handouts, and demonstrations, and
better information on what workers are seeking from their business’s health management initiatives, and which workers are interested in participating.

Planning a Wellness Fair

Planning a Wellness Fair is a lot like beginning an Workplace Wellness Program on a smaller scale. Just like an Workplace Wellness Program, your Wellness Fair will need publicity, logistical planning, programming, targeted goals, in-house marketing and of course, executive approval. Festive touches like free food, kid-friendly activities, live music, art displays, talent shows and other community-minded fun will help cement the appeal of your Wellness Fair and ensure that the Wellness Fair becomes a welcomed, annual event.

You can find some Wellness Fair planning tips at the Family and Consumer Sciences site of Texas A&M University. These Wellness Fair tips are aimed more at community and non-profit organizers, but you can discover many useful Wellness Fair ideas at the site.

Wellness Fairs and Workplace Wellness Program Recruitment

Many Workplace Wellness Program planners find that Wellness Fairs are the primary reason why workers sign up for walking Workplace Wellness Programs, health savings accounts and other pro-Workplace Wellness Programs.

Don’t forget - not only do workers value these programs highly, but the increased energy and decreased sick leave associated with Workplace Wellness Programs also saves your corporation money. The Workplace Wellness Program Statistics are clear - healthier companies work harder and pay less in Health Insurance premiums.

Workplace Wellness Programs: The Grand Slam

Workplace Wellness Programs are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to most researchers and Workplace Wellness Program experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the time and expense of beginning an Workplace Wellness Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t employee Workplace Wellness Programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Workplace Wellness Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive

Fortunately, employee Workplace Wellness Programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other corporate project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of Workplace Wellness Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, Workplace Wellness Programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Workplace Wellness Program Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Workplace Wellness Program machinery.

Workplace Wellness Program statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, Workplace Wellness Programs actually add to employee satisfaction - but they also reduce Health Insurance premiums and employee absenteeism.

What are some common Workplace Wellness Programs?

Workplace Wellness Programs run the gamut, depending on your workplace demographic, from exercise for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Following are some examples of Workplace Wellness Programs:

ergonomic safety
cardiovascular disease education and testing
employee safety
Health risk assessments
walking Workplace Wellness Programs
drug testing

Maintaining Workplace Wellness Program during Flu Season can be a challenge for any corporation. The average adult can get up to four colds in one year, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized every year for flu complications. From December to March, there are more workers out of the office due to illness, and others who barely made it to the office and can hardly think over their constant coughing and sneezing.

Workplace Wellness Program: Prevention is the Key

Prevention is the key to maintaining good health in the workplace and increasing overall Workplace Wellness Program. Fighting infection after the cold and flu epidemics hit is a losing battle and can best be combated with early action, such as implementing a Workplace Wellness Program Program in the workplace for good health all year long.

Keeping the Office Germ-free During Flu Season

The typical office is the perfect breeding grounds for influenza or the cold virus. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that there are higher chances for the spread of infection during winter because people spend more time indoors. In an office, this risk is increased by cubicles, bringing many people into a close space. Workplace Health Testings conducted regularly as part of an overall health management program will increase the chances of Workplace Wellness Program year round, and especially during Flu Season.

Education Can Increase Workplace Wellness Program During Flu Season

Educating workers about various ways to stay healthy during Flu Season may help prevent the spread of any sickness to the entire office. Hand washing is a crucial component in maximizing Workplace Wellness Program, as bacteria collects on keyboards, mouses, around the water cooler and next to the community coffee pot. As workers shake hands, infection may be passed, multiplying the chance of getting a cold or coming down with the flu. Hand washing and anti-bacterial cleaners for surfaces can help reduce the spread of sickness.

Workplace Wellness Program is possible during Flu Season. With Workplace Wellness Program, your office can reach one step closer to immunity from sickness during Flu Season.

Workplace Wellness Program Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness

Workplace Wellness Program was shown to be a huge economic boon for companies in a recently-released joint report by  the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly three million productive workers in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Workplace Wellness Program study estimates that China will lose $558 billion, India $237 billion, and Russia $303 billion in national income from 2005 to 2015 due to only three chronic diseases: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Lack of Workplace Wellness Program A “Huge Expense”

The United States Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly employee healthcare costs in the United States, which constitutes a huge expense for companies. And the Public Health Foundation of India estimates that its country will lose 18 million potentially productive years of life by 2030, a statistic no nation can afford, let alone a developing one.

Workplace Wellness Programs the Answer

A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits alone. Workplace commitments to Workplace Wellness Program are also crucial. Companies are advised to implement onsite Health Testings for their workers, as well as look into a comprehensive health management program. These and other precautions are good secret weapons against the economic pitfall of unhealthy workers.

Workplace Wellness Programs - Staff Engagement Strategies

Workplace Wellness Programs without employee engagement are of little use to a corporation. How do you get workers to enroll in Workplace Wellness Programs - and stay engaged in the programs?

The materials for these programs discuss the benefits to workers and corporations. Workplace Wellness Program statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a corporation for offering such programs. Workplace Wellness Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive corporation, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by offering gift rewards to workers who participate in Workplace Wellness Programs. The wellness incentive program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment incentives in Workplace Wellness Programs?

Undoubtably companies that don’t work in the incentives industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every corporation can throw that kind of money at health management resources - and not every corporation has the built-in savings as a business that specializes in offering incentive programs.

For certain rich incentives like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many workers’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many workers uncomfortable with health management and exercise, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Workplace Wellness Programs. So where does that leave corporations who are unwilling or unable to offer incentives for health management program enrollment?

Successful Workplace Wellness Programs motivate workers - before and after signup

Workplace Wellness Program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get workers to take that critical first step. Even the best incentives can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Workplace Wellness Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness surveys before you build your Workplace Wellness Programs so employee input and needs are being met by your Workplace Wellness Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Workplace Wellness Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, workers will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your business and your co-workers.

Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Workplace Wellness Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does workplace wellness stop when your workers leave the office?

Wellness Continuity

If workers don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Individual level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage workers to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood.

Workplace Wellness Programs: Always on Your Mind

Your Workplace Wellness Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job description. In other words, you don’t want a Workplace Wellness Program to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate Individual health and wellness with your Workplace Wellness Programs.

This benefits your Workplace Wellness Programs in two ways:

it lowers the chance that the employee will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Workplace Wellness Programs; and
it shows that their business is just as invested in their Individual health and wellness as they are

Like a marathon, Individual health and wellness is a long-term venture and it’s difficult for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your health when you know others are depending on you and watching your Individual performance. It’s easier to stick to an physical activity program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights.

Similarly, it’s easier to stick to your Workplace Wellness Program when you know your business is supporting you and wishing you the best.

Don’t Dictate Individual Health

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Workplace Wellness Program, it’s critical that you involve workers in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that workers are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, offer resources and information.

Of course, don’t forget that part of Individual health and wellness responsibility is to offer good health risk assessment baselines so workers can proceed safely on the road to better fitness.

Workplace Wellness Programs: An Attainable Goal

Was Wellness on your company’s new year’s resolutions list? Here we are a little over midway into the third month of 2008, the time when resolutions start to falter if they haven’t lost momentum completely. Has your Worksite’s wellness resolution fallen by the wayside? If so, there are still ways to get back on track.

One Wellness tip comes to us from the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, reported from the Jersey Shore. Rod Shirk, the YMCA’s chief financial officer, participated in the organization’s first executive Workplace Wellness Program, which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to get a physical, which showed high levels of a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening illness just in time.

Thanks Workplace Wellness Program.

So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Workplace Wellness Programs. He says, “For us here at the YMCA, if we are telling people to be healthy, we had better set a good example for our workers.”

Wellness Decreases Health Care Costs

Though cases like Shirk’s dramatic cancer save are the most desirable effect of Workplace Wellness Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for corporations. They do it to reduce healthcare costs, and there’s no doubt that Workplace Wellness Programs do just that. Workplace Wellness Program Statistics show that Workplace Wellness Programs return anywhere from $2.30 to $10.10 per dollar spent on wellness. “Health care costs should go down as people think about changing their diets and getting more active,” Shirk says.

The Workplace Wellness Program savings aren’t just in the Health Insurance department. Human resource departments report that Workplace Wellness Programs also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

Still, companies have been loath to invest that elusive Wellness dollar despite the well-documented returns. A Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive survey found that only 10% of small- to medium-size corporations have made onsite Health Testings - like the one that saved Shirk’s life - available to their workers.

Is It Necessary to Incent Companies to Initiate Workplace Wellness Programs?

Wellness incentives may seem like an effective way to get workers excited about Workplace Wellness Program - but is it wise?

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

Tax Breaks as Wellness incentives

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

The legislation, introduced by Oregon Senator Gordon Smith and Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, states that companies would receive a Wellness incentive - a fifty percent tax credit - if they offer to their workers a Workplace Wellness Program that meets the following criteria:

1) A health education and awareness component, which could include Health risk assessments and Health Testings.
2) A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or self-help materials to empower workers to lead healthier lifestyles.
3) A supportive environment component – including offering meaningful incentives to taking part in workers, such as a reduction in health premiums or allowing workers to engage in walking Workplace Wellness Programs during the workday.
4) The creation of an employee engagement committee – which would tailor the Workplace Wellness Program to the needs of the workers at a particular corporation.

If this law gets passed, many corporations will be scrambling to offer Workplace Wellness Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness incentives.

Workplace Obesity: The Facts

Workplace obesity has become one of the fastest growing healthcare 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 company’s bottom line.

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

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

Workplace Obesity: How corporations Can Help

With the increase in obesity and business costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to establish a way to assist workers with their healthy living choices. Workplace Wellness Programs can help corporations help their workers. By providing assistance with Health Testing, Health risk assessments and by conducting Workplace Wellness Program surveys; Workplace Wellness Programs allow the business non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their employee’s health.

We suggest establishing a Walking Workplace Wellness Program to assist your workers in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your workers 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 Workplace Wellness Program Proposal?

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

Workplace Wellness Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A Workplace Wellness Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Workplace Wellness 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.

Workplace Wellness Program Proposals Lead to Better Workplace Wellness Programs

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

Walking programs which offers workers with incentives to take their walking breaks at their workplace.
Company teams, onsite yoga classes and massage therapists at the workplace.
Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Workplace Wellness Program resources column in the employee newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can enhance health.