Employee Wellness Program: Maintaining Motivation and Interest
Once you start a Employee Wellness Plan you will have a range of staff member
members. Some will already be very engaged in being active and eating well and
your program will only reinforce and enhance their health. On the other end
of the spectrum will be employees who may not engage no matter what you do.
The remaining group is probably the largest group in most organizations: employees
who are at various stages of readiness to improve their health given the right
type of programming and motivation. Summarized below are some tips you may want
to employ once your program is up and running.
Key Factors in Employee Wellness Plan
In today’s society there are many key factors that influence people’s
health behaviors. Consider the following list in maintaining participation in
your program:
- TIME. People are busy, so the more you can work activity
and healthy eating into their existing schedules, the better your chances
for success. Example: A walk at lunch doesn’t take away from existing
time, it just uses it differently. Also review the time of the day and length
of any activity you might be promoting, since both time components may be
factors. - ACCESS. How accessible is your Employee Wellness Program.
Is it onsite or at a nearby site? Do you offer access at breaks or outside
of normal work hours? - KNOWLEDGE. People need to know “Why” they are
participating (the benefits) and also will need information about the “How
to” in areas that are not commonly known. - COST. Make certain that you can provide no cost or decreased
cost Employee Wellness Programs will help participation rates. Coupled with
incentives for participation, rates of participation will likely increase
dramatically. - INCENTIVES. Some employees need incentives to get started
in a Employee Wellness Program. A full list of Employee Wellness Plan incentive
options can be on the website.
Key Time Periods in Employee Wellness Plan
Good habits are often difficult to develop. There tends to be some critical
times when employees drop out or fall off of a physical activity or diet program.
The first key time zone seems to be around 6 weeks. If employees can start and
stay consistent with a program through the first 6 weeks, they have made a fairly
serious commitment to incorporate the habits into their lifestyle. The second
key time is at about 6 months. Those who made it past 6 weeks may get bored
and/or distracted from their program after several months. If employees can
get past 6 months and sustain behavior through a full set of weather seasons,
they have a very good chance of making the changes permanent.
Consider these time periods and think about how you can “boost”
your employees to get them past these critical time markers. Promoting individual
or group “challenges”, using incentives, or raised publicity/marketing
are a few of the things you can do to help get your employees through these
key time periods
Goal Setting for Employee Wellness Plan
Setting goals has been shown to lead to better participation and more employees
making a strong commitment. Whether it be a team goal of walking the equivalent
of once around your state or an individual goal of so many miles or minutes
of activity, the fact that there is something concrete to shoot for increases
the likelihood employees will stick with the program.
Buddy Systems or Team Goals for Employee Wellness Plan
The social aspects of improving one’s health cannot be underestimated.
Many research studies point to tight social groups being the backbone for a
successful campaign because each individual has a commitment to something bigger
than themselves and besides, it’s just more fun for most employees. Build
your program around some type of teams or partners and see what happens.
Team “Campaigns” for Employee Wellness Plan
Some employees like competition and others don’t. Nevertheless, a worksite
wide campaign has the advantage of keeping the message more visible and alive.
Encourage campaign participation, but make it voluntary so that those who prefer
that type of motivation can join while others can take part in their own way
and at their own pace. If the idea of a campaign seems like too much work, consider
tapping into existing campaigns where someone else provides resources for you.
Incentives for Employee Wellness Plan
Incentives are often helpful in maintaining or raising interest. Significant
incentives such as cash or medical insurance rebates have proven to be very
strong motivators for staff member participation. However, even smaller incentives
can be beneficial. Listed below are some sample incentives:
- Achievement awards. Verbal praise and a pat on the back
are motivational to some, but a token of recognition of achievement may offer
more. A colorful certificate to congratulate an staff member for achieving
a health-related goal is one example. - Public recognition. Announced recognition at campaign
mid-point or wrap-up festivities. - Food. Include some healthy foods to kick-off, revitalize
or wrap up a wellness campaign. - Entertainment. Events serve a purpose in jump-starting,
reenergizing or wrapping up a campaign. Having entertainment of any kind can
boost morale. - Merchandise. There is a long list of merchandise incentives,
including sports equipment and small gift certificates to use at local merchants. - Monetary incentives. Nothing says incentive better than
cash. Businesses that have used cash or rebates as an incentive have shown
much higher participation rates. - Time off. Maybe the next best incentive to cash, or for
some employees even better. This type of incentive makes good business sense
if the number of absences drops significantly and attendance is used as one
of the criteria.
Benefits of Employee Wellness Programs
Employee Wellness Programs are crucial to improving the health of our nations.
Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making
it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational
culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to
be put to use as a method of assisting employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Benefits to Employee Wellness Programs include:
- Weight reduction
- Enhanced physical fitness
- Improved stamina
- Lower levels of stress
- Improved well-being, self-image and self-esteem
Employers can also benefit from Employee Wellness Programs. According
to recent research, employers’ benefits are:
- Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
- Lowered health care costs
- Decreased rates of illness and injuries
- Lowered staff member rates of absence
- Enhanced staff member relations and morale
- Enhanced productivity
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that
at worksites with physical activity initiatives as components of their Employee
Wellness Programs have:
- Lowered health care costs by 20 to 55 percent
- Lowered short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
- Improved productivity by two to 52 percent
Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for Americans has continually improved.
How much we enjoy these additional years, however, depends greatly on how we
have lived our lives. If our quality of life is to remain high so that we can
fully enjoy these extra years, we must practice good eating habits, be active
and refrain from using tobacco products.
Employee Wellness Program: Organizations Save Millions Through Employee Wellness Programs
Employee Wellness Plan Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness
Employee Wellness Plan was shown to be a huge economic boon for businesses
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 Employee Wellness Plan
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 Employee Wellness Plan A “Huge Expense”
The United States Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease
accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly staff member health care costs
in the United States, which constitutes a huge expense for businesses. 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.
Employee Wellness Programs the Answer
A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits
alone. Workplace commitments to Employee Wellness Plan are also crucial. Companies
are advised to start worksite Health Screening and Biometric 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.
Employee Wellness Programs: Rewards and Incentives
Employee Wellness Programs - Employee Engagement Strategies
Employee Wellness Programs without employee engagement are useless to a business.
How do you get workers to enroll in Employee Wellness Programs - and stay engaged
in the programs?
The handouts for these programs discuss the benefits to workers and organizations.
Employee Wellness Plan statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a
business for offering such programs. Employee 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
business, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing
gift rewards to workers who participate in Employee Wellness Programs. The wellness
reward 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 rewards in Employee Wellness Programs?
Undoubtably businesses that don’t work in the rewards industry will be
tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program
enrollments. Not every business can throw that kind of money at health management
resources - and not every business has the built-in savings as a business that
specializes in providing reward programs.
For certain rich rewards 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 Employee
Wellness Programs. So where does that leave organizations who are unwilling
or unable to offer rewards for health management program enrollment?
Successful Employee Wellness Programs motivate workers - before and after signup
Employee Wellness Plan administrators should keep the long-term view in mind
when trying to get workers to take that vitally important first step. Even the
best rewards can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed
Employee Wellness Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness
surveys before you build your Employee Wellness Programs so staff member input
and needs are being met by your Employee Wellness Programs. The goal is positive
outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.
Employee 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 corporation and your co-workers.
Good Employee Wellness Programs: Personal Wellness
Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Employee 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 Personal
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.
Employee Wellness Programs: Always on Your Mind
Your Employee Wellness Plan coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing”
as part of their job description. In other words, you don’t want a Employee
Wellness Plan to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate
Personal health and wellness with your Employee Wellness Programs.
This benefits your Employee Wellness Programs in two ways:
- it reduces the chance that the staff member will come back to the office
feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Employee Wellness Programs;
and - it shows that their corporation is just as invested in their Personal health
and wellness as they are
Like a marathon, Personal 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 Personal
performance. It’s easier to stick to an exercise 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 Employee Wellness Plan when you
know your corporation is supporting you and wishing you the best.
Don’t Dictate Personal Health
Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Employee Wellness
Program, it’s vitally important 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 Personal health and wellness responsibility
is to offer good health risk assessment baselines so workers can proceed safely
on the road to better fitness.
Employee Wellness Programs: Keeping the Resolution
Employee 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 Employee Wellness Program,
which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to
get a physical, which showed high levels of a prostate-specific antigen (PSA
that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening
illness just in time.
Thanks Employee Wellness Program.
So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Employee 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 Employee Wellness Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for organizations.
They do it to lower health care costs, and there’s no doubt that Employee
Wellness Programs do just that. Employee Wellness Plan Statistics show that
Employee 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 Employee Wellness Plan savings aren’t just in the Health Insurance
department. Human resource departments report that Employee Wellness Programs
also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.
Still, businesses 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 organizations have made
worksite Health Screening and Biometric Testings - like the one that saved Shirk’s
life - available to their workers.
Wellness rewards
Is It Necessary to Incent Organizations to Initiate Employee Wellness Programs?
Wellness rewards may seem like an effective way to get workers excited about
Employee Wellness Plan - but is it wise?
This helps and encourages organizations to understand the importance of maintaining
a healthy employees, not only for the welfare of its workers, but as well as
the welfare of the business bottom line … then, yes, it could be necessary.
Tax Breaks as Wellness rewards
In 2007, two senators decided to band together to create the “Healthy
Workforce Act.” This act is designed to encourage organizations 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 health care for everyone. They decided to start with America’s
employees.
The legislation, introduced by Oregon Senator Gordon Smith and Iowa Senator
Tom Harkin, notes that businesses would receive a Wellness reward - a fifty
percent tax credit - if they offer to their workers a Employee Wellness Plan
that meets the following criteria:
- A health education and awareness component, which could include Health
risk assessments and Health Screening and Biometric Testings. - A behavioral change component – such as counseling, seminars, or
self-help materials to empower workers to lead healthier lifestyles. - A supportive environment component – including providing meaningful
rewards to participating workers, such as a reduction in health premiums or
allowing workers to engage in walking Employee Wellness Programs during the
workday. - The creation of an staff member engagement committee – which would
tailor the Employee Wellness Plan to the needs of the employees at a particular
business.
If this legislation gets passed, many organizations will be scrambling to offer
Employee Wellness Programs in hopes of receiving the Wellness rewards.
Worksite Obesity is a Major Cost to Organizations
Worksite Obesity: The Facts
Worksite obesity has become one of the fastest growing health care 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 corporations Should Know about Obesity, obese workers cost private organizations
an estimated $45 billion annually. Here are some of the report’s findings:
Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on health care, more
than smoking or problem drinking.
34% of adult Americans fit the definition of “obese”
Obesity related health problems are costing United States businesses millions
of dollars annually in medical expenditures and work loss.
Worksite Obesity: How organizations Can Help
With the increase in obesity and corporation costs associated with it, it is
more and more imperative to create a way to assist workers with their healthy
living choices. Employee Wellness Programs can help organizations help their
workers. By providing assistance with Health Screening and Biometric Testing,
Health risk assessments and by conducting Employee Wellness Plan surveys; Employee
Wellness Programs allow the corporation non-invasive ways to communicate their
concerns about their staff member’s health.
We suggest establishing a Walking Employee Wellness Plan 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.
Employee Wellness Plan Proposals
What is a Employee Wellness Plan Proposal?
You probably have seen the term many times and wondered what exactly does it
mean. A Employee Wellness Plan Proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness
consultant that makes suggestions for what type of Employee Wellness Programs
you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s
wellness goals, and costs associated with it.
Employee Wellness Plan Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments
A Employee Wellness Plan Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR
Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Employee 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.
Employee Wellness Plan Proposals Lead to Better Employee Wellness Programs
A well thought out Employee Wellness Plan Proposal can lead to a better Employee
Wellness Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Employee
Wellness Plan Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper
Employee Wellness Plan established. Employee 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 rewards to take their walking
breaks at their workplace. - Company teams, workplace yoga classes and massage therapists at the workplace.
- Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management
sessions, and either a Employee Wellness Plan resources column in the staff
member newsletter or a wellness newsletter. - Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health.
Wellness Challenges Encourage Employee Wellness Plan Participation
Wellness Challenges Are Popping Up Everywhere
Wellness Challenges are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more
and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school
or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited
by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Challenges are usually
about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams,
these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and
just making better life and health choices overall.
The best part about Wellness Challenges is even though there really is only
way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is
a life winner.
Wellness Challenges offers reward to Get Healthy
Establishing a Wellness Challenges in your office is a great way to get workers
to participate in your established Employee Wellness Program. Have workers form
teams and receive points for everything from attending a business Wellness Fair
to getting a health risk assessment to starting an exercise regimen. At the
end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they
have accumulated.
Wellness Challenges Improve Corporate Health
Not only will Wellness Challenges improve the health of your workers, it will
improve the overall health of the corporation by providing benefits such as
reduced injuries, reduced frequency of worker’s comp, reduced health care
costs, better staff member attendance, and better business morale.
Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Challenges!
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