Archive for September, 2010

A Wellness Program without goals and goals is somewhat akin to taking a family trip without any planning; you won’t know where you’re going, how to get there, what you want to do once you’ve arrived, or even whether or not you’ve arrived!

The trip might end up ok, or it might end up disastrously.  Yet, with a little thoughtful planning, you increase your chances for a successful experience.  Clear goals and goals are needed to plan your health promotion program in order to ensure success!

Wellness program goals and goals are different from one organization to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources. Notwithstanding, well thought out goals based on your corporation’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful health promotion program!

Wellness Program Mission Statement

The first consideration is a mission statement for your Health Promotion Program.  The mission statement is the overall expression of what the Health Promotion Committee wants to accomplish by starting a health promotion program.

It’s crucial to consider how your Health Promotion Program fits in with the business mission statement, contributes to the overall mission and supports the business bottom line.  This will integrate your efforts throughout the business operations.

Here are some examples of Wellness Program mission statements -

At XYZ Business, maintaining an environment that supports staff member health and safety is our underlying value. It’s the mission of the Wellness Program to assist in developing wellness services that fosters and upholds that value.

It is the mission of the XYZ Wellness Committee to foster healthier lifestyle options to reduce health risk factors, improve overall wellness, and maintain a productive, active work force.

Wellness Program Goals

The objectives and objectives further define your mission and are based on your needs assessment.  Depending on the needs assessment, upper-level management expectations and employee interests, examples of objectives can include -

The goal(s) of XYZ Wellness Program in year XXXX is to –   (one or more of the following examples)

o  Reduce absenteeism by one day per staff member

o  Lower musculoskeletal injuries by 10%

o  Decrease unnecessary emergency room visits

o  Decrease or contain health care costs

o  Improve dietary habits of employees

o  Reduce health risk factors

Wellness Program Objectives

Specific Wellness Program objectives help meet your long-term objectives and vision.  Both short term and long term objectives should be created as the stepping stones to accomplish the objectives and mission.

In addition to goals for the expected participant outcomes, process goals should also be developed for the wellness program process itself.  For  instance, process goals might include how many staff members you want to take part in the wellness programs, how many sessions on a topic are going to be offered, the type of wellness sessions that will be implemented, etc.

Goals need to be easily measurable within a set time frame. Try using the SMART formula to develop both your long and short-term objectives and objectives -

o  Specific (one behavior or outcome)

o  Measurable (one result that could be observed or assessed),

o  Attainable (but also challenging),

o  Realistic (do you have the resources to achieve?), and

o  Time specific (within 3 months â.” up to 5 years)

This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method.  For  instance, an objective for a weight loss program that has an overall goal of bettering healthy eating and promoting a healthy weight is that -

Participants (who) will lose an average of .5 â.” 1 lbs per week (specific what that is measurable) after the 12 week lunchtime program (time specific what, when and where) for a minimum of 6 lbs weight reduction per participant (attainable and realistic).

Or -

Participants (who) will attend 11 of the 12 sessions (specific what that is measurable) and name at least one healthier consuming change at the end of the program (specific what, when, where)

An example of an objective for coaching staff with elevated cholesterol may  be -

To reduce the sum cholesterol (specific what) of high risk workforce with cholesterol over 240 mg/dl (specific who) to 200 mg/dl (measurable how much) through one-on-one counseling sessions offered at the worksite (where) by X date (ex, after 6 months) (attainable, realistic and time specific when) to lower the risk factor for heart illness (why).

And one last example of a process objective for a use of tobacco cessation program with an overall goal to assist participants in committing to quit for life -

By the end of the 4-week smoking cessation program, 10% of the participants will have quit smoking.  Each participant are going to be contacted at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from the program’s end to determine quit status (process objective) and 10% of those who quit will still be smoke free after one year.

You’ve now completed Steps 1 through 4, including establishing your Health Promotion Committee. It is now time to plan your wellness activities!

Establishing an active Health Promotion Committee provides opportunities for both senior level management and worker involvement in the wellness program.  The Committee ought to be a team of employees and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier worker lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Wellness Committee -

o  Assessing needs and interests

o  Brainstorming health promotion program ideas

o  Developing activities

o  Developing communication plans

o  Promoting health promotion programs to coworkers

o  Serving as champions of the Health Promotion Programs

o  Assisting with examination

Your Health Promotion Committee ought to be representative of all levels of the company.  Consider all areas of the workforce â.” multiple sites, shift workers, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.

It’s also important to consider who’ll chair or co-chair the Health Promotion Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health expert, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the benefits of a health expert.

Depending on your business size and resources, if you already have a business Safety Committee you may want to consider making it the Safety and Health Promotion Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite staff to participate.

The number of Health Promotion Committee members depends on the size of your company; notwithstanding, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, normally a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.

It’s imperative that you include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those staff members already practicing healthy life choices.

Depending on your workplace, consider representatives from the following areas -

o  Staff Member representatives from a cross section of different departments,

o  Senior management ,

o  Health and safety expert(s),

o  Human resources (HR) specialist(s),

o  Benefits staff or someone from finance,

o  Your staff member assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs

o  Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Health Promotion Committee!  the Health Promotion Committee ought to meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Health Promotion Committees have a shared mission, vision and objectives.

Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the business and peers, and they are recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for instances of what other organizations have implemented.

Wellness Program Step 1 – Be certain to set the Foundation -

Build Support Among All Levels of the Organization

A key to a successful Wellness Program requires management commitment and worker involvement.

Health Promotion Program Step 2 –  Form a Health Promotion Committee

An active Health Promotion Committee ensures worker involvement, provides buy-in, upper-level management support, and maintains a crew that is ready to take action to integrate wellness programs.

Wellness Program Step 3 –  Gather Data to Identify Key Needs and Expectations

The next critical component is to base the Health Promotion Program on the needs and interests of your organization and its workers.

Wellness Program Step 4 –  Establish Objectives and Goals

Objectives and objectives are the road maps to guide you where your program needs to go.   These are the foundation for planning and investigating  activities to ensure that your wellness program is going to meet your unique needs.

Wellness Program Step 5 – Develop a Detailed Action Plan

There is no such thing as over planning!  the best of intentions can get lost, overstepped, or forgotten without adequate planning, and then it would be all for naught.

Health Promotion Program Step 6 – Pick and Implement a Plan

Armed with the needs assessment information, a Health Promotion Committee, and objectives and objectives, it’s now time to put your plan into action!

Health Promotion Program Step 7 –  Monitor and Evaluate Your Health Promotion Program

Analysis is a necessary step to keep a wellness program on target, as well as to ensure that the wellness program is reaching its goals or achieving the desired results.

Summary

These Seven Steps outline considerations for a extensive approach to establish an effective health promotion program. Can you implement components of wellness activities without following these steps?

Definitely, but you may not have the sustainability or ability to obtain desired outcomes.  Following the Seven Steps does not have to be complicated or burdensome.  A very simple approach can achieve a successful health promotion program!

Accordingly, to ensure a successful health promotion program consider the key components as you plan your health promotion program or improve your current health promotion program -

o  Upper-Level Management Support and Employee Involvement

o  Active Wellness Committee

o  Wellness Program is Based on Employee Needs and Interests

o  Objectives and Goals are Established

o  Detailed Action Plan Based on Resources and Budget

o  Wellness Program Implementation and Internal Advertising

o  Investigation of Health Promotion Program Outcomes

Major advantages of healthy workers include -

o  Lower Healthcare Costs

o  Decreased Injuries

o  Lowered Absenteeism

o  Enhanced Morale and Loyalty

o  Higher Productivity

o  Decreased Use of Healthcare Benefits

o  Lowered Workers’ Compensation / Disability

o  Positive Perception in Community

o  Decreased Turnover

o  Enhanced recruitment for skilled employees

What’s NOT having a Health Promotion Program costing your company?

Consider the health risk factors that are increasing chronic diseases for adults -

o  59 percent of adults are overweight or obese

o  More than 60% of American adults don’t exercise regularly

o  More than 75% of adults do not consume the minimum recommendations for fruits and vegetables

o  Heart disease is the most common cause of death and the leading cause of death in smokers

o  26% of staff members reported they were often or very often burned out or stressed by their work

Health Care Costs are Increasing –  Health Care costs are at a record high of $1.7 trillion with no signs of holding steady let alone decreasing.  The typical cost of annual health care spending is over $5,000 per individuals and with dependents nearly $10,000.

Current data shows that health care related expenditures now cost North Carolina businesses thousands of dollars per worker, each year.

Most Diseases can be Prevented –  While it sounds unbelievable, professionals indicate that preventable disease makes up 60% – 70% of the entire burden of disease in the United States

In North Carolina, it’s estimated that more than 53 percent of all deaths are preventable, and that 2/3 of all avoidable deaths are because of tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.

Stress Levels are Increasing –   as organization resources become less and corporations adopt leaner work practices, the effects of absenteeism and productivity lost have a greater impact.

In a recent national poll, 78 percent of American Citizens described their jobs as stressful, and the majority felt that stress levels have become worse over the last 10 years. Furthermore, high levels of organizational stress can adversely affect a company by increasing injuries, absenteeism, and medical costs while lowering productivity.

Simple solutions like stress management education, flexible work schedules, quality social interaction, and increased participation in business decision-making can improve stress levels in the worksite.

What is the Upfront Cost and Time Investment for a Wellness Program?

The fee depends on the type of Wellness Program implemented.  There are several choices to promote employee health with advantages and disadvantages of each.  The health promotion program design depends on the objectives of the health promotion program, the organization resources, and the community resources available.

Improving dietary practices, increasing physical activity levels, managing stress or addressing work life balance issues, and reducing/eliminating tobacco use, are primary strategies for preventing many of the most common preventable chronic illnesss.

The possibilities of how your company addresses these issues are endless and can range from increasing staff member awareness, which can include purchasing a few pamphlets on a variety of topics, and measuring walking distances around your facility.

Other possibilities include establishing organizational support such as funding a fulltime occupational health professional or building an on-site health and fitness center.

When well planned and based on your goals, any of these wellness programs can help you succeed.  Refer below to Wellness Program Design Choices for more ideas.