Corporate Wellness Blog

Corporate Health Promotion Programs first became popular during the economic boom of the late 1980s and early 90s. Programs featured on-Site fitness centers and massages, and were used as recruitment tools for young staff members searching for nontraditional work environments. Nonetheless, when the tech bubble burst, so too did the willingness to spend money on perceived perks, and corporations returned to a more antiquated benefit structure focused on managed medical care.

In recent years, as Health Care costs have spiraled out of control, companies have explored the potential of Corporate Health Promotion Programs as a cost-saving strategy. Corporations such as Johnson and Johnson, General Motors, Motorola and Union Pacifi c Railroad have all seen a signifi cant return on investments in employee health (See Case Studies, p.20). Corporate Health Promotion Programs can help decrease the costs associated with:

Health Care premiums – The expense a organization pays for healthcare insurance: According to a 2005 study by Hewitt, the Health Care expense per employee in the American in 2006 will average $8,046, with employers absorbing nearly two-thirds of that expense.

Prescription Drug costs – The price of a drug plan: According to a 2005 study by Mercer, the average annual drug costs for large corporations grew 11.5 percent, making it nearly a decade straight of double-digit rises in cost.

Short-term disability (STD) – The price of offering short-term disability insurance to staff members: According to a 2004 study by insurance provider Cigna, the average short-term disability claim results in $13,094 in direct disability payments and medical costs. The report also found that 26% of claims related to healthcare events were a result of chronic conditions that could likely be mediated through Company Health Promotion Programs, and that these cases amount for 56% of the STD-related medical costs.

Absenteeism – The cost of missed work: Absenteeism cost organizations $660 per employee in 2004, with nearly one-third of organizations characterizing the trend as a genuine problem.

Presenteeism – The price associated with staff members who work at decreased productiveness levels: Sixty% of the total cost of employee illnesses come from presenteeism, according to a 2004 study by the Institute for Health and Productivity Studies at Cornell University.

The evidence is clear that strategically designed Corporate Wellness Programs can reduce both direct and indirect Healthcare costs. A 2004 review of Corporate Wellness Programs revealed that, in total, an investment of $1 by a company in Wellness Programming returned a median cost savings of $2.05 to $4.64.

Employee Engagement is the level at which employees are aligned with and working toward corporation goals. Employee Engagement is effected by a wide range of factors that cover internal discussions, corporation structure, benefits and recognition.

Employers that have high levels of employee engagement profit from greater work rate, retention and performance than peers with disengaged employees.  Levels of engagement among employees in America have been declining over the past decade as individuals have become disillusioned with the treatment of employees by businesses. The inability to engage employees is one of the reasons why, despite steady increases in hours worked, America lags behind several other nations in terms of employee productivity per hours worked.

Workplace Health Promotion Programs may increase employee program engagement in several ways. First, when communicated properly, they show to employees that the corporation cares about their wellbeing. This can improve retention and turnover as well as provide a greater discretionary effort from employees. During a period of significant downsizing, Motorola found a greater interest in its Workplace Health Promotion Programs as managers recognized the value of providing for the health and wellbeing of employees.

In addition, the health improvements will decrease presenteeism and absenteeism (when workers continue to work despite decreased productivity), allowing for more time invested at full productivity. Lastly, healthier workers are more likely to have increased morale, which translates into a more enjoyable and more effective work environment.

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports defines wellness as “a multidimensional state of being describing the existence of positive health in an individual as exemplified by quality of life and a sense of wellbeing.” Wellness looks beyond the current template of treating disease and focuses on preventive conduct and healthier lifestyles. Company Wellness Programs, also usually referred to as Company Wellness Programs, serve as a complement to existing insurance-based health benefit programs and can take many forms and address a myriad different potential health conditions. They are a powerful strategy to promote positive lifestyle changes that can result in significant cost savings for companies.

Examples of potential components of a Company Wellness Program cover:

Health Risk Assessments / Employee Wellness Screenings – Health Risk Assessments (aka Health Risk Appraisals), evaluate the most prevalent lifestyle-related risks of an individual. HRAs frequently include screenings for Blood Pressure (BP), cholesterol, glucose levels and other health indicators. These analyses provide important benchmarking measures that ideally will allow staff members to prevent or lower their risk of diseases. Finding Wealth Through Wellness, As noted by Kathryn Krivy, director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Wellness Institute in Chicago, “Medically based Health Risk Assessments are a necessity because in order to affect transformation in your employer, you need to know what the concerns are, and you just do not know until you get the data.”

Physical Activity and Weight Management – One of the most popular Workplace Health Promotion Programs is for organizations to supply access to a fitness center, frequently on-Site. Other potential measures include offering healthier vending machines and cafeteria options, weight management support groups and fitness challenge programs. Some organizations, like hospital group Baptist Health South Florida, will even pay for workers to go to weight-loss sessions such as Weight Watchers.

Awareness and Education Programs – Most  corporations hold events approaching the benefits of nutrition, safety or physical fitness, among other topics. Other options are to host a wellness and health fair or lead a disease-awareness campaign.

Behavior Modification – This covers issues like smoking, wearing seat belts, and alcohol use. While many companies will supply assistance for employees looking to change behavior, some companies, like healthcare benefits administrator Weyco, Inc., mandate transformation, such as stopping smoking, as a condition of employment.

Alternative Treatments – Other Workplace Health Promotion Programs can comprise of absorbing some or all of the costs for massages, stress-reduction activities like yoga or even herbal medicines.

A more modern and systemic solution may involve organizations beginning Employee Health Promotion Programs, which allow organizations to be proactive in preventing disease and promoting healthier lifestyles for staff members. When implemented effectively, this approach can lead to lower direct costs from claims, a reduction in Medical Care premiums and increased employee productiveness.

Yet while Employee Wellness Programs potentially offer companies tremendous cost savings, the success of the program is dependent upon the ability to engage staff members in them. Additionally, companies must navigate the legal and cultural challenges posed by Employee Wellness Programs: Corporations must be careful that initiatives respect protected classes and the privacy of staff members. Additionally, companies must battle resistance from staff members wary of their business regulating off-the-clock actions.

Over the next 6-12 posts we’ll layout the case for Corporate Wellness Programs in today’s employment environment, arguing that the cost savings and raised employee engagement outweigh potential restrictions. We will examine the considerations a corporation must make before beginning a Corporate Wellness Program and the communication necessary to create successful engagement from workers. Finally, we will discuss several successful Corporate Wellness Programs and support a list of resources that companies can use for guidance.

During the past several years medical insurance costs have climbed steadily. This is taking a toll on the bottom-line of corporations, cutting into profits, limiting growth and forcing a reevaluation of the employee benefit system. According to a projection by McKinsey & Co., at the present rate, by 2008 health benefits will eclipse profits at the average Fortune 500 organization.

Businesses, through private health care insurance companies, are the leading provider of healthcare services in America. In 2004, 59.8 percent of American citizens were covered by a company-based health care insurance program, accounting for 88 percent of all private health care insurance. Yet the increasing costs of Medical Care, ever-growing prescription drug prices and a steady rise in chronic illnesses have brought the corporate society to a breaking point.

For many organizations the growing burden has become too difficult to carry. Over the past five years healthcare insurance premiums have raised an average of 11.6% annually, more than four times the average rate of inflation and employee earnings over that time.3 Not surprisingly, this growth in premiums has caused the number of organizations offering Health Care services during that time to drop from 69% to 60%.4 In addition, in 2005,  healthcare insurance premiums jumped 9.2%, more than three times the rate of inflation – and that was the lowest increase in the past five years.

In this environment corporations need to find innovative ways to stem the increasing costs of Healthcare coverage. Seemingly, the easiest strategies to accomplish this goal would be to cut benefits coverage or pass on arising burden to workers and retirees. More than 80 percent of corporations have chosen one or both of these cost saving measures in the past few years and almost half of all large corporations are likely to increase the amount workers pay in 2007.5

However, these methods do nothing to address the primary causes of rising costs, one of which is a population that requires increased healthcare. To make a lasting and substantial effect on costs and central health, businesses need to look beyond a old-school reactive-based approach.

Structuring corporation fitness and Employee Health Promotion Programs is not about establishing a grand scheme that is so complicated it is underutilized.

Company Wellness Programs are about beginning an environment that encourages fitness and healthy living. The program should be accessible and make sense to the people it is directed at throughout the day.

The results will be a plan that provides plenty of opportunity for exercise, teaches proper diet and stays current on health topics beneficial to the staff members.

The results will be a plan that gives plenty of opportunity for exercise, teaches proper nutrition and stays current on health problems beneficial to the staff members.

Structuring Company Physical Activity Programs and Workplace Health Promotion Programs – Making a Proposition

Structuring company fitness and Workplace Wellness Programs means understanding there are many directions the program can take. For starters, it must be of interest to staff members at all echelons.

The company’s proposal to the employee is this: you take better care of yourselves and we will help you accomplish your intention. To be effective, the Worksite Health Promotion Program must be pervasive.

In other words, it must address the needs of the top executives as well as the warehouse staff members. The variety of jobs within a business usually indicate wide differences in stress and strain levels on the body and differences in mental and emotional stress.

The program must also take into account employee habits at work and at home. A company with a company fitness and Corporate Wellness Program in place sends the message to its staff members and customers is that the company takes health seriously.

Planning organization fitness and Workplace Health Promotion Programs involves determining the types of activities that will be most effective for the circumstance.

Every business will need a different plan. A business fitness plan can comprise of a lot more than just an exercise program and dietary planning.

It can provide real opportunity to enhance the entire corporation environment. A Employee Health Promotion Program can comprise of the following:
• Health intervention for existing health ailments
• Recreational programs that engage employees and their families
• Ergonomics to lower work strain and resulting injuries
• Specialized programs that target employees with physical conditions interfering with routine performance
• Approaching health and fitness concerns related to an aging work force
• Creating physical activity programs specifically designed to increase employee work-specific strength

The benefits of carefully coordinating organization fitness and Corporate Wellness Programs are obvious. Employees get access to the physical activity program either worksite or through organization membership at the gym.

Designing business fitness and Workplace Wellness Programs means including those components critical to great health.
• Meal planning and healthy food choices
• Courses instructing on the food pyramid and how the body processes nutrients
• Instruction on exercising safely
• Weight loss and weight management

The advantages for the corporation are endless.
• Savings on Health Care costs
• Fewer employee sick days
• Staff Members with a sense of health fitness
• Lowerincidences of chronic ailments
• Attracts new workers dedicated to fitness

Designing Corporation Fitness Programs and Worksite Wellness Programs – Closing the Deal

Starting and coordinating corporation fitness and Worksite Wellness Programs nets big benefits for employees and the corporation.
employees are happier, feel better, are more satisfied with their work, are healthier and have more vitality.
Stress is lowerd which positively effects the attitudes of staff members, lowers injuries and makes staff members more constructive.
Closing the deal on a exercise program means the employer and staff members sign on the dotted line of health. Don’t let Medical Care care costs continue to rise. Start now designing employer fitness and Corporate Wellness Programs.

Worksite Health Promotion Program proposals must be designed so that they meet company intention.

Company Wellness Programs for workers are the newest attack on employee unhealthy lifestyles that are equating to exorbitant medical care expenditures.

Workplace Health Promotion Program Proposals for starting a program must take into consideration the type of company, the budget and the makeup of the employee population.

Employee Health Promotion Programs for office employee will be different than programs for construction employees

The goal will be same, but the approach to reaching those goal will be different. For a program to be considered successful, outcomes must be measurable.

• employees achieve better overriding conditioning
• Health Care claims lower
• Productiveness increases
• workers experience less sick days
• Number of injuries declines
• Physical ailments like high Blood Pressure are lowerd
In general, Workplace Wellness Program proposals must target the fitness topics at the employer and offer plans for improvement.

Company Health Promotion Program Proposals – Going the Distance

There are many different kinds of wellness proposals.

• One-one-one employee assessments by a  professional health care provider
• Outside specialist assistance for program design and implementation only
• Ongoing program monitoring by a personal trainer
• In-house program design
• fitness center memberships
• Employee Wellness Programs
• Comprehensive Employee Wellness Programs including nutrition and fitness
• Programs that address a specific topic like injury at the worksite

These are just a few forms Employee Health Promotion Program proposals can take. A Wellness program can be very basic or elaborate depending on the employer budget. A program can include up to 4 components.

• Education on health concerns
• Assessment programs with follow-up screening
• Company culture of health change

• Fitness and diet programs – supervised and unsupervised programs can include a myriad of health and fitness information and activities. The rewards for beginning a Worksite Wellness Program are unlimited.

Employee Wellness Program proposals provide a way for management to invest in their staff members with a promise of returns in the form of productivity and cost savings.

Wellness Proposals – Healthy Alternatives

Corporate Health Promotion Program proposals offer workers alternatives to specific health problems. Proposals can address particular concerns in addition to central fitness.

These problems include stopping smoking, growing flexibility for job execution, preventing back injuries, preventing repetitive motion strain, improving loss of functionality due to age and prenatal programs.

Worksite Health Promotion Program proposals ought to have objective that comprise of improving employee morale, growing productivity, reducing absenteeism, growing employee vitality and netting Healthcare savings to the corporation.

Company Health Promotion Program costs can significantly vary and many cover cost sharing between the employee and the business to cover gym fees. The bottom line is that a business can design a Company Health Promotion Program proposal that suits the business budget, employee lifestyles, and employee and business objective.

In any of the Workplace Health Promotion Program proposals, healthy alternatives to current company topics must be spelled out. Employee health is a top priority for any company that cares about its success.

Research online the different Company Wellness Program proposals that are available for companies. Then find the one that works as if your employees’ lives depended on it, because that very well may be the case.

Employee Health Promotion Programs has become a critical component of businesses. It has become apparent in a service oriented economy that workers are living more sedentary lives than ever before.

As a outcome, a myriad of healthcare ailments plague the workforce costing the employee quality of life, while the company faces more Medical Care costs.

It is a situation in which no one wins. Waiting until the problem occurs is self-defeating for both the employer and the employee. Worksite Health Promotion Programs only makes great sense by discussing the topic before it happens.

Employee Wellness Program – Cease and Desist Order

Company Health Promotion Programs are like cease and desist orders. These particular orders are instructions on why workers must cease living unhealthy lives and desist from eating junk food.

Let’s face it – employee frequently eat unhealthy food throughout the day. Office employees, line employees, sales associates, and executives – they all fall prey to the temptations of donuts, vending machines food, office party snacks and so on.

The bad habits continue at home. Food that is bad for your health is staples in a lot of diets. These foods include too much white bread, cakes, alcohol, fast food picked up on the way home and unhealthy snacks like buttered popcorn and sugar rich soda drinks.

Poor diet and little or no exercise outcomes in weighty chronic sickness eventually including heart disease and strokes.

Waiting until the ailments occur is expensive. Rising health care costs are taking a weighty financial toll on organizations. Every dime that is invested on illness recovery could have been invested on a employer preventive health and Company Health Promotion Program.

Prevention means beginning conditions such that illness and injury are minimized through diet and exercise and an awareness of what is a good fitness plan.

• employees are screened for potential for serious chronic diseases such as diabetes
• staff members are taught the value of great diet and how to develop a dietary plan
• Individual job stress levels are evaluated
• Fitness Programs are made easily accessible to encourage participation
• Frequent courses are helpful on relevant subject matters of health and Corporate Health Promotion Programs
• Corporation provides incentive programs to maximize participation

Most employees do not be aware of the long-term consequences of living a life with little or no exercise. Workplace Wellness Programs bring the information to the employees so they can make informed decisions.

The reduction in sick days, less injuries and reduced stress boosts manufacturing and decreases costs.

Employee Wellness Program – Resuming New Health

Workplace Wellness Programs can be elaborate menus of choices or simple plans that show staff members how to improve their quality of life.

The programs can cover all the concerns that confront staff members during their work day also. These kinds of topics include preventing injury, fitting exercise into a hectic schedule, making sound fast food choices or decreasing work related stress.

No matter what form the organization preventive health and exercise program takes the benefits will be rapidly incurred. It only takes a couple of weeks for workers to begin to feel the results of a more active life.

A physical activity program instructs on diet and provides the opportunity for exercises that tone, strengthen and enhance flexibility.

Company Health Promotion Programs only make sense. It produces a organization culture that speaks volumes about the significance of a healthy lifestyle.

Once employees stop their old sedentary habits, they are left with the choice of resuming new healthy attitudes and practices.

Company Health Promotion Programs are here to stay.

Business health and fitness are not just words to be spouted so people think the employer cares about its staff members. Health and fitness are important concepts that are just as essential to a employer as finance and sales.

That’s because the health of its staff members is one of the primary determinants of the health of the business. Business staff members work long and hard hours and occasionally the price they pay becomes an unhealthy lifestyle.

A responsible employer does not want its workers to be worried with countless serious health problems. A Employee Wellness Program is a alliance of an workers desire to fit exercise into a full schedule and a company’s desire for a active work force.

It’s a takeover of poor health affecting company production.

Workplace Wellness Programs – Benefits

Bearer bonds are owned by whoever has them in hand. Their value to the person who carries them is realized by ownership. Health operates under the same concept.

An employee and the company must take ownership of the Employee Wellness Program concept. A company has many options as to how it starts a health and Employee Wellness Programs.

• A professional business writes a business specific fitness plan
• A Company Health Promotion Program professional and the company jointly create a fitness plan
• An internet based fitness consultant can be utilized
• A personal trainer at a health club develops a employer program
• Organization can create its own plan without assistance from outside professionals.

A Corporate Wellness Program may center around a program at a fitness center. It can also be based at the worksite itself, making it easily accessible to workers.

Utilizing a consultant provides means the corporation gets knowledge based assistance in evaluating employees. Each employee gets an evaluation of basic health status. Customized fitness plans are instituted and progress is monitored.

A qualified consultant can be available at the fitness center, or visit worksite as schedules. Some organizations hire a certified fitness trainer to work directly with staff members on an ongoing basis at the workplace. Other organizations pay for the services of a trainer at the nearest fitness center.

The employer health and Employee Health Promotion Programs vary. A employer may institute a fitness plan that includes staff members and their families by paying for family membership at the fitness center.

The benefits of this plan is that the whole family can use the health club, which encourages participation. Many  businesses pay for the entire cost of the Employee Health Promotion Program at a health club.

Some corporations pay a portion while the employee must pay the difference. Others only pay part and the employee pays the balance. Some business fitness plans are multi-layered and offer a wide range of exercise classes and seminars on nutrition.

There are group movements and daily tips for bettering health. Some plans are very simple in that most of the internal Worksite Wellness Program is mostly information. All exercise is done outside the corporation at the fitness center.

It doesn’t matter what form the plan takes. The point is that a Corporate Health Promotion Program is significant for the success of the business and the health of the workers. Taking care of its most significant assets, the workers, only makes sense.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs – Like Stock Options?

Corporations provide stock options, whereby workers can buy stock in the business. It is another form of ownership. Employees have many options when it comes to fitness.

Their health needs, genetics, work environment and current physical condition all play into the structure of the Corporate Health Promotion Program. It is up to the corporation to provide a program that involves all workers so that maximum rewards are realized on both sides.

In other words, workers have plenty of choices and the company realizes real dollar savings through a healthier workforce.

Organization Exercise Program – Group Effort

Businesses are expected to be socially responsible in today’s society. It used to be employees had few amenities, because the business didn’t see any benefit to the business.

Times have changed drastically. Businesses now understand that the health of its employee workforce is indicative of the health of the corporation itself. The corporation fitness program was introduced to encourage active employee lifestyles, even while on the job.

Half The Time

Stress is a huge factor in how we control a heavy workload. Stress impacts our physical and mental wellness. It even produces a chemical that is processed into fat by our bodies. A employer physical activity program uses exercise and health information to train employees how to stay personally fit.

When in-shape, the body and mind is much better able to handle stress. Stress has much side effects. It can cause inattention, sickness and high Blood Pressure (BP). These effects in turn cost the organization much money in absenteeism, poor productiveness and higher health care costs.

A corporation physical activity program makes fitness a priority in the corporation among its workers. In return, a physical activity program provides many rewards to the corporation.

• Greater work rate because of changes in health
• Increased employee concentration due to minimization of stress effects
• General better morale
• Declined absenteeism

You commonly hear people who are under an abundance of stress say, “I don’t know why I did that” when they make a mistake. The truth is they probably really don’t know that their concentration is misdirected because of stress.

I Want to Participate

A organization exercise program can take many forms.

• Physical Activity Program can be set up at the corporation’s facility and managed by an employee
• Employer exercise program  can have a corporation membership with a nearby fitness club
• Exercise Program can be under contract with a certified fitness trainer who comes to the employer’s facility and coordinates the program, including employee evaluations
• Fitness Program can be managed by an employee onsite using the services of a web based exercise program

A organization exercise program can be modified in almost any way necessary to accommodate the organization and its workers.

Usually, in any program, seminars are provided periodically also to inform staff members of current health topics and trends. As a minimum, a company program normally will provide the following:

• Aerobics for cardiovascular conditioning
• Abdomen strength building
• General muscle toning
• Exercises for improved flexibility

More elaborate programs will offer employee sessions, classes and fitness center equipment. Business programs can be adapted to any business and any budget.

Why Will This Work

We spend much time at our place of employment. It’s simple for workers to skip exercising, blaming it on lack of time. Using professional fitness services like those found here takes away the excuses that are costing the organization money.