A Health and Wellness Program is an organized program to help workers in establishing healthier lifestyles.  This can include enhancing employee awareness on health topics, providing behavior change initiatives, and/or establishing business policies that support health-related goals.  Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy food selections are a few examples.

What are the Dimensions of Wellness?

Wellness means more than just being physical fit.  The Dimensions of Wellness may include:

• Spiritual Dimension of Wellness,
• Emotional Dimension of Wellness,
• Social Dimension of Wellness
• Intellectual Dimension of Wellness and
• Physical Dimension of Wellness.

The dimensions of wellness are sometimes shown as a “wellness wheel” with examples of wellness components that include physical fitness, nutrition life purpose, financial planning, support systems & social connections, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and continued learning.   The key to individual wellness is maintaining a balanced “wellness wheel”.  A comprehensive Wellness Program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions of wellness.

Why Provide a Health and Wellness Program?

Workers spend a great deal of time working, and research show that our traditional work-week is getting longer.  In fact, the typical American now works almost 47 hours per week.  Plus, modern technology such as laptops, cell phones, email and voice have blurred the boundary between work-life and home-life.  These realities lower the amount of time that the average American is able to devote to health and wellness activities, and yet workers are expected to be at peak performance when on the job.

A study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that Workplace Health Promotion Programs are successful in helping workers make positive health changes due to several factors such as environmental support, convenience and social or co-worker acceptance.

What is the Connection between Health and Wellness and the Workplace?

Workplace Health Promotion Programs and Policies that promote healthy behaviors can make a significant impact on employee wellness AND have an impact on the company’s bottom line.  Research indicates that for every dollar invested by companies in health and wellness programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with the average wellness program ROI being $3.14*.

In businesses terms, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum wellness ROI – a number that is difficult to ignore, and a best practice that should garner serious consideration from companies.  In fact, a Health and Wellness Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found:

• 19 research studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick leave
• 16 research studies demonstrated a 5.6:1 return on investment
• 23 demonstrated a 26.1% reduction in health care costs
• 4 demonstrated a 30% reduction in direct health care and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a Health and Wellness Program targeted to meet a company’s specific needs can save money by decreasing absenteeism, decreasing medical costs, decreasing employee turnover, and enhancing productivity.

For help in starting a Health and Wellness Program or to get a free wellness proposal you can visit www.WellnessProposals.com or www.InfiniteWellnessSolutions.com

* US Department of Health & Human Services, 2003

• Blood pressure
• Breast cancer Testing
• Skin cancer Testing
• Diabetes Testing
• Cholesterol Testing
• Eye exams
• Body-fat Testing
• Flu shots
• Posture screening, spinal analysis
• On-site child immunizations
• Prostate cancer screenings
• Fitness Testing
• Depression Testing

Physical Fitness Activities:

• On-site fitness center or exercise room
• Walking and/or running club (during lunch hour or breaks)
• Bike rack on premises (so employees can ride to work or during lunch)
• Mind/body classes (yoga, tai chi) programs
• Team sports (volleyball, basketball, softball)
• Host an exercise equipment swap

Lifestyle Change or Behavior Change Initiatives:

• Tobacco cessation
• Weight management programs
• Substance abuse programs
• Physical Fitness activity
• Stress management programs

Prevention and Safety Initiatives:

• Back-injury prevention and training
• Ergonomic education
• Hand-tool safety programs
• Fire safety programs

Awareness, Health Education, and Support Initiatives:

• Lunch-and-learn or brown-bag wellness seminars (see your EAP for a list)
• Nutrition and diet information, plus provide healthy food alternatives in your vending machines and cafeteria, and provide food storage and preparation facilities to encourage healthier eating
• Prenatal care programs
• Work / Life Balance programs
• Elder care programs
• Cancer survivor support groups
• Financial education

Stress-Reliever Initiatives:

• Laughter bulletin board where employees can post jokes and cartoons (in good taste)
• Visiting massage therapist
• Stretch breaks
• Group lunches or celebrations

Disease Management Initiatives:

• Back pain
• Asthma
• Diabetes
• Depression
• Cancer
• Obesity
• Hypertension

• access to an EAP
• on-site medical services
• worksite medical examinations
• health risk testing and counseling:
• blood pressure,
• blood cholesterol ,
• blood glucose clinics,
• thyroid.
• bone density testing,
• prostrate
• promote self-exams – breasts, testicles
• medical surveillance Initiatives
• immunizations and flu shots
• disability case management
• active rehabilitation
• return to work Initiatives
• self-care education (see health living Initiatives)
• disease management information and presentations:
• diabetes,
• stomach disorder,
• arthritis,
• asthma,
• allergy,
• pain control,
• foot and back care Initiatives,
• chronic fatigue,
• migraines
• health on-line with continuous learning/reminders/tips
• daily/weekly/monthly email tips or news bulletins
• fitness appraisals
• safety and health fairs
• hand-washing tips and reminders
• visiting your doctor guide – tips to efficiency
• links and information on help lines

Healthy Work Environment Initiatives: Management Training

• scheduling
• incentive and recognition Initiatives
• workload impact
• communication and feedback skills
• conflict management skills and support skills
• priority setting
• all of which are apart of the four employment relationship factors (trust, commitment, influence, and communication – from Canadian Policy Research Network)

Healthy Work Environment Initiatives: Remuneration and Benefits

• massage – try an on-site massage therapist or seated massage breaks
• orthotics
• orthodontics
• fitness subsidies
• education subsidies
• cessation and weight control partial reimbursement incentives
• safety shoe reimbursement
• out-of-country coverage
• vision care
• alternative therapy coverage

Healthy Work Environment Initiatives: Support Building

• fitness breaks and stretches
• team challenges
• corporate sport teams such as soccer, volleyball, and hockey
• use staff members who are in-house experts e.g., gardening, yoga, construction
• celebrate birthdays, anniversaries – other significant dates and achievements
• 5 minute catch-up at beginning of work week
• pot lucks and food for meetings
• green room for time outs and regrouping self
• encouraging face to face communications
• learn names

**The creation of health or harm within an business depends on how work is managed. Workplace Culture Strategies must address high demand/low control, high effort/low reward, fairness, purpose and trust.

• childcare Initiatives and information
• family planning information
• parenting classes
• elder care Initiatives and information
• retirement planning
• personal responsibility leave
• alternative work arrangements such as telecommuting, job sharing
• work-family-life transition support
• anger management and family violence
• family counseling programs
• budgeting and financial counseling
• understanding credit reports
• money safety tips – ATMS, credit cards
• advertising and promotion of community support groups
• cafeteria take-out program
• tax preparation programs
• will, power of attorney, and estate experts
• vacation planning and safe travel
• interpersonal relationship presenters
• motivational presenters
• bereavement information
• shift work and lifestyle Initiatives
• limit overtime
• balance on-line suggestions such as SC Johnson
• family days – bike rodeos, BBQ, picnics
• swimming pool safety
• charity information – United Way, MADD
• other information sessions on:
• chemical free lawn and garden care,
• menopause,
• infertility,
• lice prevention,
• poisoning,
• fire safety programs
• seat belts and booster seats,
• playground safety,
• internet safety,
• home safety and energy efficiency

• violence in the worksite
• equity in the worksite programs
• harassment policy and training
• literacy/numeracy Initiatives
• professional development and skill enhancing training
• air quality and sick building testing
• smoke-free worksite
• fire safety programs
• hazard control and WHIMS Training
• injury prevention, CPR/First Aid, emergency response Initiatives
• improved signage
• installing guard rails
• work station design, ergonomic and repetitive strain reduction training
• stretching programs
• safety and health written and implemented policies
• Safety Audits
• access to bike racks, showers and change areas
• make stairs attractive and post signs to promote their use
• proper lighting
• monitoring noise levels
• shift work strategies related to lighting, noise, air, breaks etc.

• Add Stress Management Programs and mental health Initiatives
• Add substance use and abuse Initiatives
• Add smoking cessation and control
• Add nutrition counseling
• Add weight control Initiatives and counseling
• Add promote use of food logs
• Add posting BMI charts
• Add juice dispensing machines
• Add water coolers
• Add vending machines with low-calorie snack choices
• Add vending machines with fruit, vegetable and calcium choices
• Posting nutritional information on vending machines
• Add color-coded cafeteria choices
• Encourage breakfast – suggest choices to start the day
• healthy packed lunch ideas for adults and kids
• partnering with local restaurants for healthy lunch choices
• healthy recipes on-line
• healthy or low-cost cooking Initiatives
• healthy shopping instruction
• naturopaths, homeopaths, herbal remedies and vitamins
• Add information sessions on fad diets
• Add disease prevention information
• STD’s
• active living and fitness Initiatives such as a aerobics, walking or cycling clubs
• Add self-defense training
• Add relaxation training
• chiropractors
• relaxation and energy specialists
• Add stretching classes such as yoga, tai chi
• Add active living challenges
• walking challenges with pedometers
• stair climbing challenge
• sleep and sleep disorders e.g. snoring
• napping information and sleep rooms
• alertness and driving sessions
• encouraging light breaks
• create a wellness Yellow Pages
• information sessions on

• insect bites,
• memory enhancement,
• motion sickness,
• nose bleeds,
• healthy skin,
• frost bite,
• gingivitis and mouth care,
• hair loss,
• ear infections,
• fever,
• psoriasis,
• TMJ,
• varicose veins,
• shingles,
• defensive driving,
• sun safety,
• avoiding home and vehicle theft,
• food safety
• handwashing

**Healthy Living Initiatives should assist in the development of self-efficacy which means that the individual has a senses that they can influence the course of events in their normal daily life, that they can deal with their normal consequences, that they feel confident and sure of themselves.

Why Complete a Corporate Health and Wellness Program Environment Assessment?

The purpose of completing the assessment is to identify your worksite’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The assessment will lead your workgroup to recommend actions for changes to make the worksite more supportive of healthy behaviors (i.e. healthy food choices in vending machines, policies to enforce no tobacco use on worksite grounds or encouraging walking during break times). You may find some of the actions for supporting healthy behaviors are easy to do and others may not be feasible or efficient in your worksite.  The assessment results can also be used as a baseline measure for evaluation.  The initial assessment can later be compared with a follow-up assessment several months later to note progress.

Who should do the Corporate Health and Wellness Program Environment Assessment?

Identify a workgroup (at least 4-5 workers) who will be responsible for completing the assessment.  This may be a subset of your wellness workgroup.  Forming a diverse group from all areas and levels of your business is important for meaningful assessment and successful planning and implementation. Suggested participants include: human resources, staff members from various departments, administrators, supervisors, employee or wellness staff.

When should the Corporate Health and Wellness Program Environment Assessment be Done?

Use the assessment as a starting point for your wellness initiative. Once you have completed the assessment, determine which areas the workgroup will focus on (i.e. healthy eating, physical activity, general health, etc.). Establish a time for the workgroup to meet and monitor the progress. Also determine a schedule for annual assessments, so that the assessment can serve as a tool for continuous improvement and accountability over time.

Part 1 – Wellness Assessment Checklist

Complete a Worksite Wellness Assessment Checklist to determine what wellness components you currently have at your worksite.   This can be done with the full workgroup or you may want a few key personnel (such as the Human Resources lead, Wellness Coordinator or Workgroup Coordinator) to do a preliminary scan based on information they gather and then let the full workgroup react to their findings. Ask your broker for a sample wellness assessment checklist or create your own.

Completion of the checklist provides a reference point of the wellness functions that are currently in place or in process and it provides an overview of some of the items that should be considered for a broad-based Corporate Health and Wellness Program.

Checklist Components:

Categories.  There are six major categories (General, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Health Screening, Tobacco Use and Emergency Response Plan).  Each category has several questions that address what you currently have in place at your worksite.

Current Status.  Initially, list whether you have the component (Yes), are in the process of instituting the component or you are planning for the component (In Process) or don’t have the component at all (No).  At the end of each category, sub-total the number in each column and then total all of the categories at the end of the checklist to get an overview of where your worksite Corporate Health and Wellness Program currently rates. You should also use this baseline measure as a benchmark for later evaluation.  By evaluating where your worksite is on each wellness component, you will be able to get a general idea of your status across each category and all 57 items.

Potential Priorities.  After you have completed the assessment and the employee interest survey, you can use the potential priority column to indicate what components you might want to focus on that are either currently in process or don’t exist.  This can serve as a first testing of possible areas to focus on as you develop your action plan.

Part 2: employee Input

Why would we want to do an employee survey?

You should conduct an employee survey to get a better understanding of your target audience (your business’s staff members) and get an initial idea of their current health habits and interest areas.  The survey can be tailored to your worksite and can be done in paper form or through the use of survey instruments on the internet or that can be purchased.   You can create your own employee survey or ask your broker for a Workplace Wellness Needs and Interest Survey.

As was the case with the worksite environmental assessment, the employee survey results can also be used as a baseline measure for later evaluation.  The initial survey results can later be compared with a follow-up survey several months later to note progress.

You should also consider engaging staff members in focus groups or informal interviews to gather information on their wants and needs.  This can be done either before or after the survey, or if you don’t have the resources to survey staff members, you could use this method to gather information in place of the survey.

Whatever method you use to gather information, make it as easy as possible for staff members to complete and submit the information so you get a high return rate.  Look at offering an incentive or prize for workers who complete the survey.

Once you start a program you will have a range of employee participants.  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 workers who may not engage no matter what you do.  The remaining group is probably the largest group in most employers: workers 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 Corporate Health and Wellness Program

In today’s society there are many primary factors that influence people’s health behaviors.  Look at the following list in maintaining participation in your program:

1. 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.
2. ACCESS.   How accessible is your Corporate Health and Wellness Program.  Is it onsite or at a nearby site?  Do you offer access at breaks or outside of normal work hours?
3. 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.
4. COST.  Make certain that you can provide no cost or decreased cost Corporate Health and Wellness Programs will help participation rates.  Coupled with incentives for participation, rates of participation will likely increase dramatically.
5. INCENTIVES.  Some workers need incentives to get started in a Corporate Health and Wellness Program.  A full list of Corporate Health and Wellness Program incentive options can be on the website.

Key Time Periods in Corporate Health and Wellness Program

Good habits are frequently difficult to develop.  There tends to be some critical times when workers drop out or fall off of a physical activity or diet program.   The first key time zone seems to be around 6 weeks.   If workers 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 workers 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.

Look at these time periods and think about how you can “boost” your staff members to get them past these critical time markers.  Promoting individual or group “challenges”, using incentives, or increased publicity/marketing are a few of the things you can do to help get your staff members through these key time periods

Goal Setting for Corporate Health and Wellness Program

Setting goals has been shown to lead to better participation and more workers 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 workers will stick with the program.

Buddy Systems or Team Goals for Corporate Health and Wellness Program

The social aspects of improving one’s health cannot be underestimated.  Many 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 workers. Build your program around some type of teams or partners and see what happens.

Team “Campaigns” for Corporate Health and Wellness Program

Some workers 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 participate 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 Corporate Health and Wellness Program

Incentives are frequently helpful in maintaining or raising interest.  Significant incentives such as cash or medical insurance rebates have proven to be very strong motivators for employee 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 employee 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 rewards. Nothing says incentive better than cash. Worksites 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 workers 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.

There are a number of reasons why Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are beneficial.

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result of your health promotion efforts, you and your staff members may actually start to see and feel a new level of energy within the business. Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any broad-based health promotion program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the organization’s most valuable resource – its staff members.
2. Reduced Turnover – As we all know, employee replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business. The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a serious burden on any business. In light of the challenges that high employee turnover pose, many employers are looking to health promotion programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent staff members from jumping ship.
3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, employers are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent. In some instances, health promotion can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.
4. Reduced Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a business setting, the entire organization is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities. Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build. Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation. By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, health promotion programs can play an important role in lowering rates of absence.
5. Health Care Cost Containment – Most employers don’t start a health promotion program with cost containment in mind. However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many employers.
6. Improved employee Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed health promotion initiative is the promise of improved health. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed health promotion initiatives can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, and more.