Archive for December, 2008

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

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

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

Regular exercise can significantly improve worksite health.  Instances of absenteeism and staff turnover, low staff morale and reduced productivity can be alleviated with a Workplace Wellness Program that energizes and motivates tired employees.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and worksite fatigue can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

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

• Lowering health insurance and compensation costs through reduced need for medical services
• Raising productivity
• Lowering rates of absence
• Raising morale
• Lowering stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a comprehensive Workplace Wellness Program shows your employees you care about their well-being.

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

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

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

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

Golds Gym Workplace Wellness Programs provides attractive discounts for employers to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your business becomes a member of our Workplace Wellness Program, your employees are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of business you keep, we have a Workplace Wellness Program to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

• Coca Cola reported saving $500 per worker every year after beginning a Workplace Wellness Program with only 60% of their employees participating.
• Pacific Bell found that overall rates of absence decreased after beginning a Workplace Wellness Program.
• Coors Brewing Company found that for each dollar spent on their Workplace Wellness Program they saw a $5.50 return and the employees who participated reduced their absentee rate by 18%.
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for employees participating in their program were $312 as opposed to $574 for non-participants (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 2004).

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

Advantages of Workplace Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Workplace Wellness Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve worker health, reduce health care costs and reduce rates of absence.

A report published in 2003 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for employers to incorporate Workplace Wellness Programs as part of their corporate strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on business, including lower productivity and higher health insurance costs.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on healthcare in 2003 and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these conditions is negligible.

In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, cancer testing and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Workplace Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of employees and employers alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the science of health management, data analysis and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per worker per year in Workplace Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment (ROI) of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per worker per year).  Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically realized until two to three years into the Workplace Wellness Program.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained health care system.

“As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping workers after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy workers healthy,” he says.

Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to employers that offer comprehensive programs to promote worker health and grants for small business.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

Implementing a Workplace Wellness Programs can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.

• Provide incentives for participation.
• Create a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, exercise and cholesterol.
• Create initiatives such as fitness, sleep diary, tobacco use cessation and injury prevention.
• Provide onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Change vending machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote worker participation in all Workplace Wellness Programs.

A successful Workplace Wellness Program can boost business morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and reduce the rate of worker turnover. The case for starting a Workplace Wellness Program is well worth the effort.

Worksites do not exist in a vacuum. They are part and parcel of the community in which they are located. Successful corporate administrators are cognizant of the need for positive community relations and should do what is necessary to promote good will. What better way to bridge relationships than by utilizing existing community Workplace Wellness Program services and initiatives whenever possible (e.g., voluntary, private and public health agencies) and providing health related services back to the community. Since the community is also the home of the worker, an effective mode of health promotion is through programming directed at the larger community. Sponsorship of community related health fairs is one example more are listed below.

• Encourages worker/employer involvement in the community
Blood drives
Sponsorship of fund raising for community schools and social services
Community recycling initiatives
Youth league sports sponsorship
Job training initiatives
• Public relations and media initiatives advertising a healthy business image
• business newsletters and press releases on health issues to local media
• Environmentally sound use of waste disposal and community resources

The environmental conditions of the worksite can be divided into both physical and psychosocial domains, both of which influence the climate and culture of a worksite. The cultural norms of a worksite have been identified as powerful determinants of worker health and behavior (Baum, 1995). Ultimately, workers benefit most from a healthy, supportive; eustressful worksite community was they feel valued and respected. Since adults spend approximately one third of their waking hours at work, one would hope that employees view work as less of a necessity and more of an enjoyable experience.

The climate of a worksite is also more conducive to enhancing health and human performance when the environment is safe, clean, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically engineered. While some occupations maybe inherently dangerous (e.g., fire fighter, military personnel) all comprehensive Workplace Wellness Programs should control exposure to unhealthy conditions including: hazardous chemicals, noise, temperature, radiation and other risky conditions. Program examples include:

• Workplace Wellness Programs grounded in supportive cultural change strategies
• Environmental and safety compliance measures
Lighting
Ventilation
Heating
Control of toxic substances
Noise
Universal precautions
• Ergonomically designed workstations
• Sanitary, clean, well maintained physical environment
• Recycling promoted initiatives
• worker & management training in emergency procedures