Archive for November, 2010

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of employee safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other HR, employee motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which may  be coordinated together.

o  Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains –  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. Many health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Health Promotion and safety efforts can focus on -

o  Warm up stretches before starting work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Give training to work groups so they may start a stretching program. These groups can then continue their own.

o  The wellness committee might consider contracting a fitness professional to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for worker groups throughout the year.

o  Give body mechanics training on an annual basis or more frequently if possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, in addition to feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

o  Partner with your corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which could help staff members work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

o  Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Make sure to encourage staff members to report safety and/or injury concerns. Make sure to help executive management to establish policy to recognize and reward staff members who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

o  A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

o  Partner with senior management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

o  The ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

o  Make available ergonomic training opportunities to interested staff members volunteers. These individuals can then assist other staff members to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

o  It is often more effective to have an observer evaluate workers for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it’s for individuals to assess themselves.

o  One suggestion is to have employees remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

o  Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make large comfort changes.

o  Partner with the business’s workers’ compensation carrier to help create ergonomic policies and practices and to provide staff member training.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. A lot of of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which could either be downloaded for free or purchased inexpensively.

Monthly health themes, week Iong events, and nationally recognized days of the year are also good ways to have fun while participating in larger events. Health observances are tied to nearly every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider -

o  National observances present opportunities to work with other community agencies and businesses to coordinate larger events and celebrations.

o  A wellness message is more likely to stick with people if the information is presented at work, in local supermarkets, and on TV.

o  National Worker Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to start.

o  A word of advice – don’t go overboard in attempting to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Select one to three events annually and stick with these.

Develop and promote events well ensuring that personnel will come to expect and anticipate these health promotion programs each year. It is best to do several wellnesss well than many promotions poorly.

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help staff understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It is necessary to help staff understand simple stress management strategies for reducing stress levels.

o  Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider providing relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.

o  Provide a stress management brown bag event at which staff members can try different kinds stress management tools.

o  Make sure to encourage workforce to take 10-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.

o  Give a comfortable worker break area.

o  Designate a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, when possible.

o  Make certain to work with Management to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the workplace. Supervisors are often the first step in helping workers find different ways of managing work related stressors.

o  Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.

o  Give stress management self-assessments to interested personnel. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Wellness

Emotions and psychological health greatly affect overall health and well-being. Every health promotion program should incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address psychological health issues.

Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for personnel. Thus, it’s vital that you provide information in a selection of ways, workplace presentations being just one possibility.

For example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to provide useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include -

o  When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will ensure potential participants won’t be put off by the name.

For  instance, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.

o  Make certain to allot enough time when hosting EAP/psychological health seminars for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions.

Always remind participants that individual help is available through the employee assistance program and also through their health benefits. Provide written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.

o  The Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) is an excellent partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas.  The employee assistance program can help find ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related issues.

Interest in increasing exercise ranks nearly as high as weight control in staff member interest and need. Ideas for increasing staff member awareness and participation in physical activities follow -

o  Fitness courses in the worksite – On-Site exercise can be much more convenient for personnel. Nonetheless, onsite courses require logistical planning and coordination with attention to details.

On-Site courses are usually more feasible for bigger corporations.  As part of the steps in planning and assessment, consult with other wellness programs offering workplace classes. Ask what their experience has been like.

Speak to potential providers in the area as well. Find out what it’d take to offer an onsite fitness class. YMCA’s, gyms, and community recreation programs are good resources for this type of discussion.

It’s also feasible to offer a “mini” introductory workplace class series. A mini series might consist of an introduction to a new physical activity area. Staff Members are then expected to make the transition to home or community based wellness programs.

o  Nerf Olympics –  Nerf games are fun (and entertaining) activities that encourage movement, flexibility, stress reduction, and normally are a good laugh. When planning such an activity consider setting up a “challenge” stations with various activities.

Ideas for activities include hula hoop contests, Nerf basketball free throws, Nerf football tosses, Frisbee “golf”, jump rope, etc.  The Health Promotion Team will lay out the course.

Each participant goes through the stations and gets a “gold” medal (you can purchase these at party stores and toy stores inexpensively) for completing all the stations (no matter how badly they perform).

Begin each participant at intervals allowing for smooth running, but expect high difficulty stations to be backed up. This delay can add to the fun and creates a “keystone cops” scenario.

Nerf Olympics is a good activity to do with an audience, so encourage cheering colleagues.

o  Offer incentives to employees who engage in aerobic exercise like walking, running and biking on their own time (see goal setting health promotion program, offer points toward prizes, etc.).

o  Distribute maps of walking/jogging trails located near the worksite. Mark distances in steps and miles. Be sure to encourage workers to walk during lunchtime and/or break times.

Post a steps collected map on a workplace wall where workforce can log their steps or miles.

o  Be sure to encourage joggers, walkers, and those who enjoying other forms of exercise to form fitness groups to meet before work, at lunch, or after work.

o  Promote the use of stairs in lieu of elevators. Place bulletin boards, art contests, etc., in stairwells.

o  Sponsor “Bike-to-Work” or Walk-to-Be sure to work week.

o  Schedule five-minute desk stretching at the worksite. This can relieve repetitive motion problems in addition to eye and back strain.

o  Sponsor an individual challenge activity like “Climb a Mountain” or “Swim a Sea”. This is an honor system health promotion program in which participating staff are awarded minutes, steps, or miles credit for cardiovascular exercise (swimming, walking, running, skiing, bicycling, stair stepping, group exercise, etc.).

The object of this kind of challenge is to accumulate the equivalent mileage it would take to reach the top of a famous mountain, span a body of water (swim the Columbia River), or reach a distant city/county.

Try personalizing the challenge as much as possible to individual interests and/or area geographical matches close to the worksite.

o  Collect a selection of exercise video or DVD tapes. Workers can either check out a tape for home use, or offer a group activity video class.

o  When it isn’t possible for staff to leave the building to exercise or workout at lunch, attempt establishing an in-house aerobic walking track for employee use in an unused part of the worksite for lunch, break or after hours use.

An example of how this issue may  be solved is the use of stationary bicycles and other small exercise equipment provided for staff by some 911 call centers.

o  Sponsor a “Personal Best” Challenge”. Workers run, walk, bike, etc.  Their own personal best time. Repeat the personal best challenge each quarter to six months. Each time an worker improves, offer recognition and an appropriate award.

Also, recognize those workers who maintain their personal best in the same way. Make sure to encourage non-participating workers to get involved.

Assist these person in picking  an activity that is comfortable and of interest for them, and one in which they are able to succeed and progress.

o  When you offer an introductory or other onsite exercise class or activity, be certain the instructor can relate to the audience, and the audience can relate to the instructor.

Have a Health Promotion Committee member attend a current class by the selected instructor class prior to the instructor conducting a class at worksite. Additionally, consider the personnel who might  be potentially attending the class.

Sometimes larger and/or older exercise instructors are often better accepted by audiences who are similarly sized and aged.

o  Sponsor a themed “virtual” trek. Calculate the mileage for the proposed “trip” ahead of time. Be sure that the distance is appropriate for the number of expected participants and time for the event (six to eight weeks) works well.

For longer events, small teams can accumulate their mileage for the trip. Establish a reporting network. Post a map to track the trip. Chart the progress with stick pins, a magic marker, or a highlighter.

Give a brief humorous fictional narrative of the trip, posting a new one each week. Include as many participants’ names as possible. Alternate posting humorous texts with health tips along the way. Give an incentive at the end of the trip.

Ideas for Physical Activity Themes -

o  Swim the Mississippi to the Mardi gras.

o  Take a tour to all Oregon counties.

o  Take a tour of Oregon from Enterprise to Brookings.

o  Run or walk around the world (25,000 miles).

o  Tour de France (take all summer)

o  Tour de France on a stationary bicycle (take all winter)

o  Indianapolis 500

o  Climb Mount Everest (stairs or stair climbers). Target Sir Edmund Hilary’s birthday or the anniversary of the first conquest as a completion date.

o  Climb Mount Washington or Mt. Hood. Target President’s Day as a completion date.

o  Climb any significant mountain and tie it to any remotely related event.

o  Use time in exercise as a measurement for the contest rather than distance. This authorizes you to treat all forms of aerobic activity more equitably.