Corporate Wellness Blog

Program evaluation may be The last step, but it should be planned at the onset of your efforts!  Assessment helps you identify what parts of the program are working well and what parts could use improvement.  Then, based on the evaluation data, adjustments can be made to fine-tune your wellness program.   Adjusting the program based on evaluation data is critical to its continued effectiveness.  

Reviewing your program need not be complicated.  However, it is important to plan how you will monitor your wellness efforts and determine success during the planning phase or Step 5.  Also remember to evaluate the program based on the goals/objectives you already established during your drafting process.  

In order to evaluate your program you must have a system to document specifics as you go along.  This can be as simple as maintaining file folders on programs that are available, or a computer document with a table or spreadsheet summarizing information collecting.  Consider:

• Program topic and numbers of staff members who participated
• The numbers of handouts taken by staff members or distributed and on what subject matters
• The number of participants in a behavior modification program and how many met their objectives as well as how many attended all of the sessions
• Numbers of employees who continued the healthy behavior modification following the program?
• Overall employee satisfaction with the program or each topic.  

Depending on your goals, gather desired data and compare it to previous data collected during the initial assessment to determine if the goals were met.  Such data might include

• Absentee rates
• Injury rates
• Health risk factors Insurance costs  

Summarize and Report Company Wellness Program Results

Once you have collected all of the assessment information it needs to be reviewed with the Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee and summarized.  You will probably have beneficial results and some areas where a change is necessitated or additional focus necessitated for continuous improvement.  This not-so beneficial information can be used to make any necessitated adjustments as well as to plan for next year and is valuable to include in your report.  

It is valuable to communicate the wellness program outcome to both upper management and staff members.  Consider how upper management usually receives reports on operations and productiveness concerns and include the annual wellness program report in the same format.  At some corporations the reports are made during upper management gatherings using presentation styles such as power point slides.  At other corporations, graphs and bar charts are the norm or a list of the objectives and the summary outcomes reported.  

No matter the format, it’s significant to convey the outcomes and successes achieved, including any anecdotal stories, as well as areas for improvement.  Be sure to link the outcomes to the organization mission and bottom line whenever possible.

Staff Members wish to receive the same information!  You might use the same communication channels used when informing staff members of the wellness program:

• Employer newsletters,
• Bulletin boards,
• E-mails  

Also consider celebrating successes and recognizing achievements by:

• Posting pictures from events
• Highlighting success stories
• Posting pictures of successes
• Hosting a celebration
• Recognizing champions  

Armed with data, Corporate Health Promotion Program topic preferences and objectives and goals – and a Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee rearing to get things done – it is now time to decide how best to take action.  This website supports tools to help you!  You can read about the various types of wellness programs provided by other companies to get an idea of what might work for your organization.  There are Statewide Resources listed as well as national non-profit groups offering resources, and specific examples of resources available on various wellness issues.  In addition, keep looking under Steps to an Effective Program for ideas to get you started!

If your planning phase was properly executed, you should simply have to follow through with the plans you have already made.  

Important Worksite Wellness Program considerations include:

1. Formally Introduce the Workplace Wellness Program and consider policy statements that state the effect of the wellness program.  Examples include a general policy concerning the commitment to employee health and safety as well as specific policies such as No Smoking, Healthy Eating and Physical Activity.
2. Communicate Your Program: The best planned program with great wellness programs will not be productive if your staff members don’t know about it or do not be aware of the options or how to participate.  Communicate your wellness program using a variety of methods to be sure the message and “how-to’s” are heard!

   Employee Health Promotion Program Communication Strategies could include:

   • Newsletter articles
   • Postings on the company’s intranet or internet
   • A designated Champion of the program
   • Formal or informal meeting to announce program, “the kick-off”
   • Flyers / pamphlets / brochures / table tents,
   • Bulletin boards / kiosk where all material is promoted or found,
   • Email / phone messages,
   • Mailings or distributions  

3. Use Employee Health Promotion Program Incentives:  You’ll be amazed to learn what most of us will do for a free T-shirt.  Incentives can both support and excite participation among staff members.  Consider both formal or company incentives and rewards and informal or program rewards/prizes from local resources to reinforce participation in Employee Health Promotion Programs. Either way, it’s valuable to support incentives and rewards that are attractive and meaningful to your staff members.

   Formal Company Wellness Program Incentives:

   • Savings on employee health care insurance premiums or co-pays, or contributions to 401K programs, employee stock options, or other mechanisms.  
   
   Click here for more information on health plan incentive ideas
   
   • fitness center/Fitness Center discounts or enrollment fee coverage
   • Public transportation vouchers
   • Flexible work time options
   • “Wellness Days” off work  

   Prizes or Informal Corporate Wellness Program Incentives:

   • Cash – a very effective incentive!
   • Prize incentives such as gift certificates to heart-healthy restaurants; media player to use while exercising, emergency kits, or any other prizes that would motivate your employees.
   • T-Shirts, water bottles, or other inexpensive rewards

4. Evaluate community resources available to offer some of the wellness services.  The local health department or your corporation health care provider may be able to support  you with this information.  There are also vendors throughout the State providing excellent wellness services for corporations.  They are available to help you strategize and find the best options available.

5. Start your program as planned documenting information and outcomes as you go such as numbers of participants, dates of activities, and any other special details you are tracking.

The Workplace Wellness Program Committee must set out a plan for the entire year that outlines accomplishing goals, as well as supports details for marketing and evaluating the program. The plan is the detailed map of what types of programs will be provided, when and where they will be scheduled, how they will be marketed and evaluated, and what the budget is.  It is valuable to plan your wellness activities based on your goals, as well as the budget since different strategies will provide different outcomes.  By way of example, if your intention is to increase awareness on a topic, then distributing handouts or scheduling a one-time education session may be appropriate.  However, if your goal is to change behavior, then different strategies may be necessary, such as ongoing weekly meetings and support groups.  Click here to link to Program Design Options for additional ideas.

Employee Health Promotion Program Marketing

This is the time to coordinate your marketing strategies!  How can you market the wellness program and ongoing activities?  No matter how you decide to, market often, keep it fresh, and remind employees again and again!  Consider having an overall kickoff activity to inform everyone of the wellness program.  Senior Leadership ought to provide the introduction or invitation so that all employees are aware of their reinforcement and leadership in the program.

Possible marketing methods:

• Sending email messages, including reminders
• Design flyers,
• Displaying bulletin board postings,
• Composing articles,
• Sending letters or
• Sending special invitations.  

Other Worksite Wellness Program Considerations:

• Is the Workplace Health Promotion Program promoted to all employees or to a specific target audience?
• Do you have a Workplace Health Promotion Program champion (someone who is coupled with different groups in the organization, and well respected) who can help in your promotion efforts?
• If your marketing efforts do not seem to be working, do you have a way to revisit and adjust your plan?
• How will you determine performance and evaluate your program?  And how will you gather the information needed to evaluate your program?  

Topics most often included in Workplace Wellness Programs:

• Nutrition
• Physical Activity/Exercise
• Tobacco Use Cessation
• Bone Health
• Heart Health
• The Spine
• Stress Reduction
• Chronic Disease Awareness & Prevention
• Self-care; Wise Healthcare Consumer
• Screening Services (BMI, Blood Pressure, bone density, blood lipids, glucose, posture, vision, and other…)
• Ergonomic Assessments
• Health Fairs
• Kids/family Events
• Others topics that employees have interest in  

The subject matters and type of Worksite Health Promotion Program planned hinge upon the needs and interest, central intention and resources available.  Program Design Options   include awareness programs such as pamphlets and/or education sessions, behavior change programs such as smoking cessation and weight loss classes, and environmental or organization support such as no smoking policies or healthy selections in snack machines.  

The programs planned also depend on the demographics of your workforce.  If you have a young, healthy workforce, you may want to focus the wellness attention on keeping workers healthy and not need to screen for disease.  Instead you might want to focus on healthy lifestyle behavior such as exercise and great nutrition to prevent the on-set of disease.  Click here for more information on strategies for keeping workers well, identifying disease early, or returning workers to work who already have a chronic disease.

It is also significant to consider, and plan how you will evaluate the performance of your wellness program.  The system needs to be established for tracking certain data and recording events depending on the program goals.  Step 7 discusses program assessment in more detail.   And Step 6 will launch your program!

A Company Wellness Program without goals/objectives 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 have arrived, or even whether or not you have arrived!  The trip may end up ok, or it may end up disastrously.  Yet, with a bit of thoughtful planning, you broaden your chances for a successful experience.  Clear goals/objectives are required to plan your wellness program in order to ensure success!

Wellness program goals are different from one business to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources.  Nevertheless, well thought out objectives based on your company’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful wellness program!

Employee Wellness Program Mission Statement

The first consideration is a mission statement for your Worksite Wellness Program. The mission statement is the overriding expression of what the Worksite Wellness Program Committee wants to accomplish by launching a wellness program.  It is significant to consider how your Worksite Wellness Program fits in with the corporation mission statement, contributes to the overriding mission and supports the corporation bottom line.  This will integrate your efforts throughout the corporation operations.  

Here are some examples of Employee Wellness Program mission statements:

“At XYZ Corporation, maintaining an environment that supports employee health and safety is our underlying value.  It is the mission of the Employee Wellness Program to help  in planning Employee Wellness Program services that fosters and upholds that value.”

“It is the mission of the XYZ Employee Wellness Program Committee to cultivate healthier lifestyle choices to cut health risk factors, better overriding wellbeing, and maintain a productive, active work force.”

Employee Health Promotion Program Goals

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

The intention(s) of XYZ Workplace Wellness Program in year XXXX is to:  (one or more of the following examples)

• Decrease absenteeism by one day per employee
• Lower musculoskeletal injuries by 10 percent
• Cut down on unnecessary emergency room visits
• Cut down on or contain medical care costs
• Improve dietary habits of employees
• Decrease health risk factors  

Company Health Promotion Program Objectives

Specific Employee Health Promotion Program objectives help meet your long-term objectives and goals.  Both short term and long term objectives ought to be developed as the stepping stones to accomplish the objectives and goals.  In addition to objectives for the expected colleague outcomes, process objectives ought to also be developed for the program process itself.  For example, process objectives may include how many workers you want to take part in the programs, how many sessions on a topic will be offered, the type of wellness sessions that will be implemented, etc.

Objectives must be easily measurable within a set time frame.  Try using the SMART formula to create both your long and short-term goals and objectives:

• Specific (one behavior or outcome)
• Measurable (one result that can be observed or evaluated),
• Attainable (but also challenging),
• Realistic (do you have the resources to achieve?), and
• Time specific (within 3 months – up to 5 years)  

This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method.  For example, an intention for a weight loss program that has an central intention of improving healthy eating and promoting a healthy weight is that:

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

Or:

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

An example of a goal for coaching staff members with elevated cholesterol might be:

To cut the total cholesterol (specific what) of high risk staff members with cholesterol over 240 mg/dl (specific who) to 200 mg/dl (measurable how much) through one-on-one counseling sessions provided at the worksite (where) by X date (ex, after 6 months) (attainable, realistic & time specific when) to cut the risk factor for heart disease (why).  

And one last example of a process goal for a tobacco cessation program with an overall intention to support  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 attendant will 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 have now completed Steps 1 through 4, including implementing your Corporate Wellness Program Committee.  It is now time to plan your wellness activities!

Prior to you start planning your Workplace Wellness Program you need to know where you are now and then decide where you want to go.  Attaining a thorough needs assessment is vital to the success of your wellness program for two reasons:  First it ensures that your Workplace Wellness Program activities will be targeted to meet your company’s specific needs so that outcomes can be achieved.  Secondly the needs assessment supports the information you will need to evaluate the effectiveness of your wellness program.

It is frequently tempting to rush the assessment – especially when time is short or those with experience already have an idea of needs.  Do not give in to this temptation!  It is critical that you know what your corporation needs are, what upper management expects, and what staff members want as well as expect, before you create a Worksite Wellness Program.  

Consider and collect data on:

• Employee Demographic Information
• Employee Health Risk Factors
• Health Claims
• Injury Rates & Causes
• Workers’ Compensation Claims
• Short and Long Term Disability Claims
• Rates of Absenteeism
• Business Culture Audits
• Employee perceived needs and health risks
• Senior Management’s expectations or desired outcomes

There are many ways to evaluate this information.  Although some of data gathering process may be time consuming, remember that it is nonetheless critical to plan programs that target specific problems.  This information will be vital to set objectives and for evaluating program performance.  How else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?

Options to help gather the information:

• Confidential Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) with a Corporation Group Summary Report
• Health Screenings such as cholesterol, Blood Pressure (BP) and blood sugar click here for additional information on health screenings.
• Employee Needs and Interest Surveys
• Suggestion boxes placed around the organization
• Focus Groups or hosting a luncheon meeting as a focus group
• Sending out a confidential email questionnaire
• Review records and databases including OSHA logs, first aid reports, insurance costs  

Once your needs assessment is complete, the Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee can review the outcome and start laying out and prioritizing program options.  Developing ought to be based upon objectives and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!

Organizing an active Worksite Wellness Program Committee provides opportunities for both senior staff and employee participation in the program.  The Wellness Committee ought to be a team of employees and managers who formally meet to plan activities to encourage healthier employee lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Company Wellness Program Committee:

• Analyzing needs & interests
• Brainstorming program ideas
• Creating activities
• Establishing communication plans
• Promoting programs to co-workers
• Serving as champions of the Corporate Health Promotion Programs
• Assisting with assessment  

Your Employee Health Promotion Program Committee must be representative of all echelons of the company.  Consider all sections of the workforce – multiple sites, shift staff members, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.   It’s also valuable to consider who will chair or co-chair the Employee Health Promotion Program Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a Employee Health Promotion Program manager or occupational health professional, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the benefits of a health professional.  

Depending on your organization size and resources, if you already have a organization Safety Committee you may want to consider making it the Safety & Workplace Wellness Program Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite workers to participate.  

The number of Company Wellness Program Committee participants is dependent upon the size of your business; however, you need a sufficient number of participants to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, usually a minimum of 4 participants and maximum of 12 to 15 participants.  It’s valuable to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those employees already living healthy lifestyles.  

Depending on your worksite, consider representatives from the following areas:

• Employee representatives from a cross section of different departments,
• Upper Management
• Health and safety professional(s),
• Human resources consultant(s),
• Employee benefits representative or someone from finance,
• Your EAP provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs
• Occupational health employee (if applicable).

Establish a strong Corporate Wellness Program Committee!  The Corporate Wellness Program Committee must meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Effective Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and goals.  Members must believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the organization and co-workers, and they are appreciated for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for examples of what other businesses have implemented.

As with any program, the two critical elements for the success of your wellness program are management support & employee involvement.  Senior Management determines the vision and supports the resources from which action plans flow.  Genuine support from senior personnel also brings credibility to the wellness initiative.  It is critical that management be visible supporters and role models for your Corporate Wellness Program.

workers need to be involved on several levels so that they feel ownership of the wellness program.  Staff Members are the program stakeholders!  All workers ought to have an opportunity to support input and feedback through needs & interest surveys and program evaluation tools.  The information gathered ought to be used to plan programs that target those needs and interests to ensure participation, buy-in, and backing.

There are several methods to identify employee needs and interests such as:

• Holding Employee Focus Groups
• Examining Wellness Interests During Department meetings
• Administering and Summarizing a Needs & Interest Survey
• (Including|Allowing for|Making sure to include} a Chance to Give Recommendations on Each Evaluation Tool  

Any one or combination of several techniques will be sure that the wellness program meets what employees want.

Step 3 supports additional information on determining wellness program needs.  But first, adopting a Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee can help you involve upper management & workers, determine need, and plan your wellness program.

A key to a successful Workplace Health Promotion Program requires management commitment and employee involvement.

Worksite Wellness Program Step 2: Create a Worksite Wellness Program Committee

An active Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee ensures employee involvement, supports buy-in, management backing, and maintains a team that is ready to take action to integrate wellness programs.

Corporate Wellness Program Step 3: Gather Data to Determine Key Needs and Expectations

The next vital component is to base the Corporate Health Promotion Program on the needs and interests of your corporation and its workers.

Company Health Promotion Program Step 4: Set Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives constitute the maps to guide you where your program needs to go.   These make up the foundation for planning and evaluating activities to ensure that your wellness program is going to meet your special needs.

Workplace Health Promotion Program Step 5: Organize a Detailed Action Plan

There is no such thing as over-planning!  The best of intentions can get lost, overstepped, or forgotten withoutadequate planning, and then it would be all for naught.

Company Health Promotion Program Step 6: Choose and Start a Plan

Armed with the needs assessment information, a Company Wellness Program Committee, goals/objectives it’s now time to implement your plan!

Corporate Health Promotion Program Step 7: Oversee and Assess Your Corporate Health Promotion Program

Assessment is an important step to keep a program focused, as well as to see that the program is reaching its goals or achieving the desired outcome.

In Summary

These Seven Steps outline considerations for a inclusive approach to establishing an effective wellness program.  Would you be able to start components of wellness activities without referring to these steps?  Yes, of course, but you may not have the sustainability or ability to bring about desired outcomes.  Following the Seven Steps does not have to be confusing or burdensome.  A very simple approach can achieve a successful wellness program!

Therefore, to ensure a successful wellness program remember the key components as you plan your program or improve your current program:

• Senior Management Support & Employee Involvement
• Active Worksite Wellness Program Committee
• Employee Wellness Program is Based on Employee Needs & Interests
• Worksite Health Promotion Program Goals and Objectives are Established
• Detailed Worksite Wellness Program Action Plan Based upon Resources & Budget
• Corporate Health Promotion Program Implementation & Internal Marketing
• Assessment of Company Wellness Program Outcomes

The program design options hinge upon the objectives and desired outcomes of your program.  If your intention is to help staff members change behavior, decrease risk factors, or save medical care money then your wellness program would be designed to accomplish those outcomes and a budget would be crucial to support that design.  

Wellness program design options vary, depending on desired outcomes and budgets.  Each level has advantages and disadvantages.  The intentions or results are quite different, are not interchangeable in terms of obtaining the same results, and therefore ought not be confused.  For example, scheduling activities such as an employee health and wellness fair or lunchtime education sessions, or having pamphlets available do not usually result in behavior change, but may expand awareness on a topic.  If the intention is behavior change then a different design is necessary, such as Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs and Business Support.  The outline below outlines the wellness design levels with a brief explanation.

Awareness Programs:  At this level a employer makes health information available and accessible to employees.  This type of program frequently includes handouts on a variety of topics, wellness articles in newsletters, bulletin board displays, e-mail health messages, etc.   Also, most health & wellness fairs are designed as awareness programs with vendors providing information and providing health screenings to employees.  

Awareness programs are cheap and do not require extensive employee or corporation time commitments.  Nevertheless, these programs do not usually result in behavior change.  Growing awareness isn’t usually sufficient to generate lifestyle changes for most Americans, unless used to excite employees to register for a program being offered at the corporation or area on the topic.  An example of this would be providing information on the dangerous effects of smoking and inviting employees who smoke to register for a tobacco cessation class.

Education Programs:  Educational programs frequently provide more information on a topic and have the potential to also provide time for Q & A, but are similar to awareness programs.  An example is lunch-n-learn sessions on a health related topic.  These cost the company a little more than awareness programs; however, they are still inexpensive and do not require a whole lot of time for planning or attending a session.  Again, expanding awareness and offering information may not lead to the desired behavior modification unless ongoing backing or incentives/rewards are also planned.

Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs:  These programs are designed as 4 to 12 weekly sessions or seminars to offer wellbeing and health education, address barriers and offer opportunities to practice the desired skills.  Behavior change programs therefore require more organization resources, cost more, and also require more employee responsibility, time and effort.  The results are frequently the desired positive lifestyle change, which if sustained can lead to potential cost savings.  

Examples include tobacco cessation classes, weight loss and weight management meetings, or an ongoing physical activity program.

Environmental and Corporation Support:  Environmental reinforcement is often considered the highest and most valuable level to include when designing your wellness program in order to support and maintain healthy behaviors.  These types of design options include policy changes such as:

• Creating a tobacco-free workplace
• Designating a walking path,
• Establishing onsite fitness centers,
• Ensuring healthy vending machines choices,
• Offering healthy food choices in the cafeteria, and/or
• Securing flex-time policies.  

Other examples include subsidizing healthy snack machines or cafeteria choices; reimbursing fitness center or weight loss and weight management program memberships; or providing insurance rewards and incentives for healthy lifestyles.

Ideally, the wellness program design would include some of all of these options.  The more comprehensive the approach, the more successful the results will be.  For example, a corporation can have smoking cessation information available; can schedule a one hour awareness session on the harmful effects of smoking and how to quit; can start an worksite smoking cessation program, supply self quit smoking kits, or support workers to go to a area program; and/or on an environmental backing level can establish a tobacco-free workplace and grounds, offer decreased medical insurance for non-smokers, or provide pharmacological quit smoking aids for free.

Company Wellness Program: Components for Success

There are several critical elements that have to be considered to ensure the performance of your Corporate Health Promotion Program or Corporate Health Promotion Program.  These include:  

• Senior Leadership Backing & Employee Participation
• Active Corporate Wellness Program Committee
• Program is Based on Employee Needs & Interests
• Goals and Objectives are Determined
• Detailed Action Plan Based upon Resources & Budget
• Program Implementation & Internal Marketing
• Assessment of Outcomes and Program

Major benefits of healthy employees include:

• Lower Healthcare costs
• Diminished Injuries
• Reduced Absenteeism
• Boosted Morale and Loyalty
• Higher Productivity
• Lowered Use of Health Care Benefits
• Lowered Workers’ Comp/Disability
• Positive Image in Community
• Diminished Turnover
• Better recruitment for able employees

What is NOT Having a Company Wellness Program Costing Your Corporation?  

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

• 59% of Americans are overweight or obese
• Greater than 60% of American citizens do not get regular exercise
• More than 75% of American citizens do not get the minimum recommendations for fruits and vegetables
• Heart disease is the most common cause of death and the primary cause of death in smokers
• 26 percent of staff members stated they were frequently or very frequently burned out or stressed by their work  

Healthcare expenses are Growing:  Healthcare expenditures are at a record high of $1.7 trillion with no signs of holding steady, let alone decreasing.  The average cost of annual medical spending is over $5,000 per person and with dependents almost $10,000.  Recent data shows that medical related expenses now cost North Carolina companies thousands of dollars per employee, per year.

Most Illnesses Can Be Avoided:  Although it sounds unbelievable, experts indicate that avoidable illness makes up 60 percent – 70 percent of the entire burden of illness in the U.S..   In North Carolina, it is estimated that more than 53 percent of all deaths are avoidable, and that 2/3 of all avoidable deaths are due to tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition.

Stress Levels are Increasing:  As corporation resources dwindle and corporations adopt less-costly work practices, the effects of absenteeism and lost productivity have an increased influence.  In a new national poll, 78 percent of American citizens described their jobs as stressful, and most felt that stress levels have become worse over The previous ten years.  Furthermore, high levels of corporation stress can adversely affect a corporation by growing injuries, absenteeism, and medical costs while decreasing productivity.  Simple solutions such as stress management education, flexible work schedules, quality social interaction, and increased participation in corporation decision-making can better stress levels in the workplace.

What is the Upfront Cost and Time Investment for a Workplace Health Promotion Program?

The cost is dependent upon the type of Workplace Health Promotion Program implemented.  There are several options to promote employee health with advantages and disadvantages of each.  The program design is dependent upon the objectives of the wellness program, the company resources, and the area resources available.  

Enhancing nutrition, increasing physical activity levels, managing stress or discussing work life balance problems, and lowering/eliminating tobacco use, are primary strategies for preventing many of the most common avoidable chronic diseases. The possibilities of how your business addresses these problems are endless and can range from increasing employee awareness, which may include purchasing a few brochures on a variety of topics, and measuring walking distances around your facility, to establishing business backing such as funding a full-time occupational health consultant or building an worksite fitness center.  

When well-planned and based on your goals/objectives, any of these programs are able to help you succeed.  Refer below to Employee Wellness Program Design Options for additional ideas.