Corporate Wellness Blog

Wellness programs have been shown to lower rates of absenteeism, employee turnover rates, and healthcare costs. It is a key piece of a organization’s success.  The results of these wellness programs lead to higher productivity, which in the end leads to a more profitable business.

In order for these health promotion programs to run properly and produce results they must’ve a clear operating plan with an attainable and measurable goal.  The health promotion programs must also encourage all staff members to lead a healthy lifestyle while at work and at home.

Health promotion programs have been introduced to organizations all over the country in an effort to make workers healthier and in turn happier. Organizations which implement these health promotion programs do so to varying degrees. Some simply offer literature about how to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress while at work.

Some corporations offer biometric screenings and health risk assessments for free during the year to help personnel understand what is going on with their health and what they are able to do to improve it.

At the top of the list, there are the companies which offer free, on-site fitness clubs and aerobics programs to be used during lunchtime breaks or after work. No matter what is offered it’d be a waste not to take advantage of these health promotion programs.

It requires cautious planning and thought to start wellness programs. Once a wellness program is put into place it is very vital that you reassess and analyze it several times in order to reach the main goal –  healthier workforce.

All the wellness programs that are put in place should be investigated after a determined time frame to help the business understand what needs to be changed or kept in place to maintain corporate wellness.

Everyone knows today that working in corporate America may be a stressful situation. It seems that staff members are expected to work longer hours and spend more time away from home. Long commutes and large amounts of work are taking its toll on American office staff members. Something must be done; organization wellness is a good way to start to help all those stressed out staff members.

Starting company wellness programs can help develop a healthy culture. There ought to be an incentive program set up to drive interest to wanting to be more health conscious. Making good decisions that affect health now and in the future ought to be rewarded as individual’s goals are met.

There are a number of health promotion program ideas that a organization health promotion program can help plan for. Some ideas include giving out maps of walking or jogging trails located near the workplace. It is a good idea to post a steps collected map on the workplace wall where all workers can log their steps or miles.

Be certain to help encourage walkers, joggers,, and those who enjoy other forms of exercise to form workout groups to meet before work, during lunch, or after work.

In a corporation environment, relationship development is also an area where aligning cultural touch points are necessary. Be certain to work culture affects health practices.

Staff Members will either form personal relationships in a bad way, like smoking in the break room, or they will form relationships doing something more physical like going for a round of golf for relaxation and developing friendships with fellow employees. Be sure to work ought to be done to create healthful venues to create specialist friendships and relationships.

There are so many good benefits for a business choosing  to make business wellness a priority. Workers who take part in health promotion programs are more likely to be the best workers.

Coworker relationships in the workplace are vital that you building a healthy lifestyle culture that lasts.  As an added bonus, overall job satisfaction is better if staff are feeling well and healthy while doing their work.

Company health promotion is among the most vital investments which a organization will make. Companies that start health promotion programs are not just investing in the physical wellness, safety, and psychological health of the staff members, but are also taking preventive steps by developing a healthier atmosphere.

By beginning a wellness program, organizations can easily improve the overall productiveness and can easily save money on health care costs. All too often, organizations are concerned about the true wellness ROI but the fact is that by stimulating healthier lifestyles, organizations are building healthier workforce who’ll work more diligently and miss fewer days of work as a result of disease.

It is imperative that corporations not only supply company health promotion solutions for their staff, but that they also maintain ongoing understanding of safety and wellness techniques. Companys need to keep current on health statistics and stay aware about methods to encourage specific wellness challenges such as smoking cessation or losing weight.

It’s often ideal for a business to consult with doctors who participate in medical Continuing Medical Education to ensure they’re up to date with how they may assist their employees in maintaining wellness.

Likewise, when a organization maintains an onsite health and fitness center, it’s necessary that the organization employs person who have gotten the appropriate training and certification, which makes up the health and fitness center management, to assist workforce with exercising safely.

Although companies may establish a comprehensive health promotion program with a lot of choices, an incentive health promotion program is often necessary in order to encourage personnel to actually participate in the programs.

Regardless of whether one is creating a corporate wellness Chicago or a corporate wellness small-town Nebraska program, the issue that companies often have in common, is the lack of motivation of personnel to actually participate. Providing incentives for personnel, like a free lunch or gift cards, might  be simple enough rewards to encourage personnel to take part in corporate wellness.

Do you know the fastest-growing reason for employee assistance program use since 2003?  

It isn’t for substance abuse or depression. Actually, it’s financial in nature. Over the last five years, there’s been a reported 69% jump in employee EAP use related to personal financial concerns.

The trend isn’t all that surprising in this era of salary freezes, high deductibles and cost-sharing of benefits premiums.

Statistics show that, for the first time since the Excellent Depression, the typical American has negative savings – in other words, debt exceeds income – in a typical month.

Many workers are racking up high credit card debt, make the problem worse.

Troubling trends

Here are some ominous numbers from a recent employee survey –

• 27 percent of respondents said they were “one major setback away from financial disaster”

• 22% say they were “worse off than last year, with less take-home income and more debt”

• 40% say their corporation is “insensitive to their employees’ financial needs,” and

• only 6 percent said they felt comfortable with their current financial situation and ability to manage their debts.

The majority of personal-finance related employee assistance program (EAP) use arises from concerns over debt management, household refinancing and/or failed investments.

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Authorizing workforce to bring camera phones to work can carry hidden legal risks.  

But should you tackle this issue aggressively or trust your workforce to do the right thing?  Every business wants to create an environment where workforce feel trusted by management. But there’s also the need to stay protected legally, and it isn’t always easy to balance the two.

The cell phone issue is particularly delicate since most personnel carry them nowadays, and improper use at work is a non-issue for the vast majority. But there are always several bad apples in every bunch.

Growing number of complaints

There has been an explosion of lawsuits – and complaints to senior management – about workers taking inappropriate photos at work with their cell phone cameras.

Most cases revolve around embarassing or expliclit photos of colleagues (sometimes but not always posted on the Internet or e-mailed to others in the office). Nonetheless, a handful of lawsuits have arisen from staff taking photos of confidential documents or other internal information.

As most benefits and HR veterans would tell you, the most valuable benefit an organization can offer its staff is a worksite where they feel trusted and valued. On the other hand, it only takes one “joke” gone too far to stir up a hornet’s nest of trouble.  And no business is immune from this risk.

Three options

One step every business ought to take is circulating a memo or having a face-to-face meeting with workers about the need to restrict camera phone use at work, says labor lawyer William Hannum.

This is the time to answer questions and make clear that the policy is a matter of a legal concern, not a case of Big Brother watching over employees’ shoulders. for added legal protection, you may want to develop a formal camera phone policy to be written worker handbooks.

Some companys have gone so far as to take the step of banning camera phone (or personal cell phone) use at work and prohibiting individuals  from posting personal photos or videos from company computers.

Notwithstanding, these policies are challenging to enforce and run the risk of alienating the majority of staff who use the devices responsibly.

As an alternative, a few firms that have not banned camera phones have had personnel sign a policy that gives managers permission to review photos or videos on the phone when there’s a complaint. When you go down either of these routes, remember –

• The policy must be enforced consistently

• your policy must detail specific steps for filing and investigating  a complaint, and

• The policy should obviously describe the disciplinary steps for violations.

The enforcement aspect is particularly tricky. In cases where the phones are business property, companys obviously have the right to control non-work use – which includes requiring personnel to turn over the contents stored on the phone in cases of suspected abuse. Employees have no legal expectation of privacy in such cases.  

Nonetheless, there’s a slippery slope when the phone is an employee’s property.  As a rule of thumb, employers typically have the right to inspect the contents as they pertain to alleged inappropriate behavior within the workplace.

Where it gets tricky is dealing with behavior that takes places on the employee’s private time, but overlaps with the worksite (e.g., workforce go out socializing at a bar after work, and potentially embarassing camera phone photos get spread around the worksite). Legal experts caution employers to tread very carefully in these cases.

Where does your company stand?

Does your business have – or is considering a policy on worker camera phones? Do you think such policies are workable or even appropriate?

In my conversations with attendees at the SHRM conference in Chicago, HR and benefits managers appear to be divided on the issue.

In a value-based plan, the idea is to reward staff for seeking treatments that promote wellness.

The more clinically viable the treatment, the less an worker compensates out of pocket for it.

Example –  Women over 40 and younger workforce with a family history of breast cancer pay less for a each year mammogram than workforce for whom the test isn’t as necessary.

Value-based plans often work better than high-deductible plans when used in combination with standard wellness program features such as health risk assessments.

Five target areas

According to the May 2008 issue of Simply Well, there are four quality-of-care criteria that have emerged as key benchmarks of the quality of care – health care management, preventive screenings and treatments, member service and access to care.

Areas of care that are of particular concern –

• Employees’ dependents receiving appropriate and timely childhood/adolescent immunizations

• Breast cancer screenings for female medical plan enrollees, ages 52 to 64

• Diabetic personnel receiving hemoglobin A1C and LDL-C testing

• Members receiving proper referrals and treatment for mental health issues (e.g., main care physician refers a patient to a specialist to ensure proper prescription and management of an anti-depressant medication)

• Pregnant staff receivig time and appropriate prenatal and postpartum care, and avoidance of antibiotic treatment in adults with acute bronchitis.

The quality of care for many of the aforementioned issues can suffer when personnel foot too much of the bill out of their own pockets.

The hope for value-based plans is that staff members get some cost relief and obtain treatments that will reduce costs in the long run.

As scary as they seem at first glance, complying with HIPAA’s privacy rules may be relatively painless.

Contrary to common belief, the rules – with a few key exceptions – apply only to a fraction of the medical information Benefits handles.

As long as the organization remains legally “hands off” of employee’s private health information, you can dodge most of the HIPAA bullet.

For HIPAA privacy purposes, your firm is considered “hands off” even when you obtain de-identified personal information, aggregate claims data and routine enrollment info.

Bottom line – If your organization’s heath plans are fully insured and the claims administered through a TPA, the insurance company – not your firm – bears the brunt of the HIPAA privacy compliance responsibility.

One major exception –  medical cafeteria plans. In most cases, you’ve two compliance options –

• Process reimbursement requests first through your TPA, with the TPA making sure the claim qualifies under the terms of the cafeteria plan before your firm reimburses it, or

• Create a written cafeteria plan privacy policy, issue a notice to workforce, appoint a privacy officer and amend your plan documents.

Rarely affects FMLA

Many people  - including health care providers – misunderstand how health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) affects medical certifications for FMLA leave.  The key – health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) only applies to personal information that filters through your health plan, not certifications obtained from a doctor.

Under FMLA, you’re allowed to obtain the minimum information you need to approve and administer leave. In like fashion, HIPAA doesn’t apply to most workers’ comp, return-to-work notices or disability claims.

Even so, it pays to be cautious how you ask for and use the information. Other state and federal privacy laws often protect the same types of info people  assume falls under health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA).

Following procedures

The health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) privacy rules are heavy on paperwork and procedure.

But as long as your firm follows  the info-gathering process spelled out in your health plan documents, the HIPAA privacy rules should present few major obstacles.

A lot of firms are still missing an opportunity to trim some medical plan expenditures.

Generic versions of high-cholesterol drug Zocor have been on market for two years now, but a fair share of business pharmacy plans have yet to make the switch.

When your PBM gives generic Zocor favored status on the formulary, now’s a good time to remind employees –

• most individuals  on cholesterol-control meds will get the same therapeutic value from generic Zocor as from the label brand and the more potent – and still patented – Lipitor

•  they can save $10 to $50 (or more, depending on your drug plan design) on their co-payment by switching, but

•  they ought to ask their physician first. People  with cholesterol levels over 200 and/or family histories of  ultra-high cholesterol might  be better off staying on Lipitor.

Reason –  It takes four times the amount of a Zocor-type medication  to equal one dose of Lipitor.

When it comes to health-coverage laws, there’s often a domino effect.

As individual states require insurers – and in some cases, employers – to cover or offer coverage of specific individuals  and procedures, similar laws can spread quickly to other states.

The effect on plan sponsors –  Some mandates can increase your costs by 20 percent to 45 percent.

Small firms targeted, too

States are no longer targeting  just the Wal-Marts and other giant businesses anymore.  The pressure has increased on companys of all sizes.

That’s namely true for the new “universal coverage” laws passed in Massachusetts and Vermont.

The Massachusetts law requires every firm with 11 or more workforce either to cover or contribute toward everyone’s health coverage, or else pay an annual fee of $295 per staff member to a state fund.

Vermont’s similar version sets the annually fee at $365 per full-time equivalent worker.  The Vermont law also requires all uninsured, low-income hourly workers to have access to a state-subsidized plan (called Catamount Health) sold through private insurance businesses.

It’s up to businesss to deduct the monthly premiums – $60 to $135, depending on the person’s wages – and send it to the state.

There are rumblings in at least 10 states about lawmakers pushing for universal-coverage laws. A few have formed committees to study the Massachusetts law and see if a version may be adapted to their state.

Here are three proactive steps to consider now. These could potentially save money, time and compliance headaches later –

• look into offering mini-med or similar lower-cost programs to satisfy minimum coverage requirements for uninsured staff members. Monthly premiums range from about $25 to $200

• educate low-income workforce about the earned income-tax (EIT) credit the federal government offers. This could make a mini-med plan free or nearly free to eligible workforce, and

• use flexible spending accounts to develop a tax savings on premiums for other employees and your firm.

Required procedures

The universal-coverage laws draw national headlines, but far more businesss are currently affected by state laws requiring coverage for certain types of procedures. Three of the biggies –

• diabetes self-management. Nineteen states require your health plan to cover all the steps workers with diabetes take to control their condition, including nutritional therapy (if prescribed by a doctor)

• in vitro fertilization. This big ticket service adds 3 percent to 5 percent to your premiums, and is now a required benefit in 15 states, and

• cervical cancer screenings. In the last year, four more states have required all business plans to cover yearly cervical cancer screenings for all covered female staff, spouses and dependents age 18 and older. That brings the total to 24 states.

The good news about the diabetes management and cervical cancer mandates is they can reduce your  long-term costs, even if they increase them in the short-term.

Here’s a good resource  for keeping abreast of mandatory coverage trends around the United States.  The site also features  state-by-state breakdowns of changes in insurance laws  mandating the coverage of different treatments and conditions.

For  instance, this report from 2006 is the most comprehensive coverage-mandate study that I’ve ever seen.

Who worries more about healthcare costs –  lower-paid or higher paid employees?

Answer –  Both groups worry equally about their out-of-pocket medical costs, according to a PNC Services Group survey of 1,485 staff members. Nearly 52% of all respondents – regardless of income -cited the unpredictability of medical expenses as their No. 1 financial-planning concern.

Other common financial-planning fears that affect workforce of all salary levels –

• eldercare. Over half the respondents with children were afraid their offspring could be forced to pay for the parents’ long-term care, and

• financial stability. 47% of mid- to high-salary staff members said they were concerned about sustaining or increasing wealth.