Who needs Corporate Health and Wellness Programs? If you work in an office or a worksite or are a member of an business who spends a considerable amount of time at work, you will benefit from a well-designed worker Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Employees spend a minimum of about 200 hours a month at work – a considerable amount of time.

Furthermore, stress, distractions and the pressures of the job can take its toll on the employee, which makes it important that a Corporate Health and Wellness Program is implemented. Today, all across America, Canada, Europe and Asia, top Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are being used to help improve employee conditions at work and reduce the cost of worker health care.

Some of the top Corporate Health and Wellness Programs currently in use today include:

Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)

Health Risk Assessment is a top Corporate Health and Wellness Program currently in use globally. Organizations that implement it determine the safety and health concerns of workers by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the staff members.

It can, by way of example, guide the business into determining how much air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem. An HRA can also evaluate the level of exposure workers have to certain hazardous or dangerous materials and practices.

Immunizations

This isn’t always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. However, it has also become an important component of the top Corporate Health and Wellness Programs in many employers in North America.

Immunization, flu shots, such as those used to combat flu, by way of example, are offered to workers for free.

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to staff members regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many employers, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

Weight Management Programs

This is another Corporate Health and Wellness Program that employers use, particularly those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer options for a healthier diet, usually in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.

Employee Wellness Newsletters – Health Education Programs

One of the top Corporate Health and Wellness Programs that employers can implement is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign. The campaign may be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, such as tobacco use hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the worksite, etc.

The newsletter in itself can be an effective means to deliver information to staff members or members of an business but it is far from perfect. Some staff members, by way of example, may not read the newsletter in its entirety or even pay attention to it. If the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it will be easier to maximize positive results.

Physical Fitness and Exercise Programs

Another top health promotion program for employers is one that involves physical activities. Companies frequently sponsor physical fitness-related events such as marathons and business sports programs to promote staff members to remain fit or lose excess weight. In mid- to large-sized employers, employers may even pay for gym memberships or in-house physical fitness facilities.

Corporate Health and Wellness Program Incentives

Some of the top Corporate Health and Wellness Programs implemented by employers involve incentive rewards. This involves business-sponsored programs that reward staff members for achieving specific wellness goals. Participation in health campaigns and signing up for Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are two of the most commonly rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In a few cases, cash may also be used.

However, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top choices among employers who are willing to modify it in order to fit their unique needs.

Group Activities

In many employers, employers take advantage of peer pressure in order to encourage workers to participate in Corporate Health and Wellness Programs. This is currently one of the favorite worker Corporate Health and Wellness Programs currently in use today and growing in popularity. Peer pressure is frequently leveraged to help promote competitions and to persuade staff members to be active in business-sponsored health fairs.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to most researchers and Corporate Health and Wellness Program experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the time and expense of beginning an Corporate Health and Wellness Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t worker Corporate Health and Wellness Programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive

Fortunately, worker Corporate Health and Wellness Programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other corporate project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Corporate Health and Wellness Program Health and Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Corporate Health and Wellness Program machinery.

Corporate Health and Wellness Program statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs actually add to worker satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and worker absenteeism.

What are some common Corporate Health and Wellness Programs?

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs run the gamut, depending on your workplace demographic, from physical activity for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Here are some examples of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs:

• ergonomic safety
• cardiovascular disease education and testing
• worker safety
• Health Risk Appraisals
• walking Corporate Health and Wellness Programs
• drug testing

For many organizations, medical costs can consume half of corporate profits or more. Some employer’s look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or rewards. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Corporate Health and Wellness Programs stand out as the long-term answer for keeping workers well in the first place.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are an example of medical care reform that works. Results from America’s finest organizations, summarized here, are reason enough to consider offering Corporate Health and Wellness Programs.  This investment in your most important asset – your workers – can have a positive impact on your bottom-line.

Corporate Health and Wellness Program Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the WELCOA, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3 million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Corporate Health and Wellness Program. By offering financial rewards ($250 – $325) to workers who meet specific organizational and worker health initiatives the Corporate Health and Wellness Program continues to meet cost containment expectations in the area of medical care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and self-care practices. 

During the first 4 years of the Corporate Health and Wellness Program there was a 28 percent average reduction in medical care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a control group. 

Du Pont saw that each dollar invested in their Corporate Health and Wellness Program yielded $1.42 over two years in reduced rates of absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well workplace Gold in Delaware). Absences from illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar staff members dropped 14 percent at 41 industrial sites where the Corporate Health and Wellness Program was provided, compared with a 5.8 percent decline at 19 sites where it was not. 

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for every dollar invested Corporate Health and Wellness Programs, yielding total corporate savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was reduced 19 percent during the four-year study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000 workers and retirees by lowering poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a similar but smaller study, members of a Travelers fitness center Corporate Health and Wellness Program were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members. 

The Corporate Health and Wellness Program at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, based in Las Vegas, cost $76.24 per worker during the two years it has been in operation. Over half of the 1,600 workers participated in the Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21 percent lower lifestyle-related claim costs than non-participant. Resulting savings: $127.89 per participant in the Corporate Health and Wellness Program with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1. 

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes impressive results to the success of the business’s comprehensive Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Superior showed 22 percent fewer admissions to a hospital, 29 percent shorter hospital stays, and 42 percent lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 workers with costs for other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40 percent. 

With medical costs per worker at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad introduced their Corporate Health and Wellness Program to its 28,000 workers, mostly union and blue collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest medical self-care initiative at an annual cost of $50 per person, the Corporate Health and Wellness Program achieved a net savings of $1.26 million. In addition, a voluntary Corporate Health and Wellness Program to help workers reduce health risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Employees in a treatment group reduceed their risk of high blood pressure (45 percent) and high cholesterol (34 percent); others moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30 percent); and 21 percent stopped using tobacco. 

Average medical costs of high-risk Steelcase workers- those whose lifestyles include two to four health risks such as tobacco use, little exercise, overweight- are 75 percent higher than those of low-risk workers. But high-risk workers at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing business who improved their health habits through the company’s Corporate Health and Wellness Program and became low risk cut their average medical claims in half thus lowering their medical insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk workers (20 percent of the total worker population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years. 

Employees at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing business in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care techniques and reduceed their business’s medical care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide, the 938 workers and their family members made smart medical decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and dependent a nearly 18 percent reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and emergency room use, the business saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3 percent decrease in costs over the previous year. 

A medical claims-based study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts found a reduced demand for medical services among those with access to Corporate Health and Wellness Programs and self-care programs. Reductions in medical services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education materials. 

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Corporate Health and Wellness Program delivered an average savings of $5,000 per birth by providing expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and regular prenatal care. And 80 percent of participants had normal births without complications compared with 50 percent for non-participant. 

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System sent its 55,000 retirees a health rist assessment followed, in some cases, with individualized reports and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and at the same time reduce the medical care claim costs. In another study, Bank of America retirees in California who chose the full Corporate Health and Wellness Program and demand reduction program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11 percent compared with a rise of 6.3 percent for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire. 

With reduced medical care claims, medical costs decreased 16 percent for workers in the City of Mesa (Arizona) who participated in the comprehensive Corporate Health and Wellness Program. The city realized a return of $3.60 for every dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city workers. 

To prevent back injuries among its workers, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar staff members, provided classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant increase in worker morale, reduced worker’s comp claims, medical costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs: Benefits

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs offer Long-Term Benefits

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices:  Corporate Health and Wellness Programs or Medical Insurance products that aim to reduce costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are good, but only one will really offer long-term health benefits for your workers and reduce costs over the years.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs offer Help

Insurance-based products offer workers the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an internet-based health assessment, visiting their medical provider, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the worker during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a individual’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a individual’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to reduce health costs in the future.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs offer convenient health risk assessments and screening tests for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure.  As the article states, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and workers are more likely to stay active in an worksite worker Wellness Program.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs Get Results

Finally, the article states that corporations with an effective Corporate Health and Wellness Program can expect to see “500 percent reduce absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent reduce medical care costs.”  These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.

For example, last year 53 percent of large companies provided health risk assessments (HRAs) for their staff, up from 35 percent just two years earlier, according to a Mercer survey. Change is being driven by cost, but Corporate Health and Wellness Programs a win-win solution for both companies and workers.

Here are other Corporate Health and Wellness Program trends organizations are implementing:

More organizations are integrating Corporate Health and Wellness Programs into their benefits plans. If they want the best plans or the lowest personal costs, they need to participate in the Corporate Health and Wellness Program and meeting minimum objectives.

More organizations are offering worksite weight loss programs as a component of the Corporate Health and Wellness Program, especially after Duke University’s new research showing the high cost of overweight workers and increased cost for worker’s compensation for sedentary and overweight workers.

Companies are offering more Corporate Health and Wellness Programs designed to assist workers with chronic health conditions: health coaches, nurse advice lines, telephone counseling, and self-study guides

Companies are providing more internet-based Corporate Health and Wellness Program interventions and health information resources

More organizations are providing regular worksite employee health screenings including cholesterol, glucose, A1c, blood pressure, weigh-ins, and other checks as a component of their Corporate Health and Wellness Program. Some Corporate Health and Wellness Programs even include bone-density checks and skin cancer screenings.

Many organizations are providing fitness programs, either in the community or worksite, as a component of their Corporate Health and Wellness Program.

Corporations are providing more incentives, prizes and rewards getting engaged in Corporate Health and Wellness Program activities

Some organizations are adding emphasis to maintaining health. It’s one thing to lose weight or stop smoking; it’s another to maintain these changes. Helping workers stay engaged and maintain their health changes is important for long-term success.

Companies are putting more emphasis on keeping healthy people healthy rather than just working primarily with high-risk individuals. Research shows this approach results in a greater Corporate Health and Wellness Program ROI.

Wellness organizations are providing great resources for organizations’ workers over the Internet – online wellness centers, monthly health and wellness newsetters, wellness challenges, internet-based points tracking systems, virtual fitness programs, internet-based wellness coaching or interventions, interactive health calculators, healthy recipes, even downloadable health tips for your iPod.

Companies who are becoming more proactive are making a big impact on their future medical care expenses and productivity. Ohio State University announced that they expect to save $30 million dollars with their comprehensive Corporate Health and Wellness Program over the next 5 years!

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs and prevention are sound ideas whose time has come. Health promotion is more fun and less expensive than treating disease. 

References: TIME in partnership with CNN, “Businesses Help Workers Lose Weight.” Website accessed July 2007.

workplaces have already proven to be a great place to promote wellness. After all, people spend more time at work than doing anything else. Eighty-two percent of the U.S. population is linked in some way to a worksite. Therefore, providing Corporate Health and Wellness Programs is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs in Small Businesses

Unlike large organizations, small organizations frequently lack the resources to provide Corporate Health and Wellness Programs to their workers. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by medical insurance costs and have the highest rates of substance abuse. Worker well-being and physical or mental illness can also be more disruptive in a small business environment. Corporate Health and Wellness Programs in small organizations also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can pay. Statistically, even if there are only 100 people in a business:

•         60 sit all day to do their work

•         50 don’t wear their safety belts regularly

•         50 feel they’re under moderate stress

•         35 are overweight by 20 percent or more

•         30 smoke

•         27 have cardiovascular disease

•         25 or more have high cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl)

•         10 are heavy drinkers

•         10 have high blood pressure

•         5 have diagnosed diabetes and another 5 have undiagnosed diabetes

•         7 use marijuana

•         1 uses cocaine

Bottom Line Corporate Health and Wellness Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the medical care costs incurred by working adults can be attributed to modifiable health risks (e.g., diet, exercise, tobacco use, etc.) Fortunately, there is a way to hold back the trend. Growing research links an individual’s lifestyle behaviors to their health risk.

The good news is Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can:

•         Decrease medical care costs

•         Decrease workers’ compensation claims

•         Decrease worker rates of absenteeism

•         Improve worker productivity

•         Improve worker morale

The bottom line is that Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can benefit any size business — small or large.

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Corporate Health and Wellness Program, you and your workers may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the organization.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious objectives of any comprehensive Corporate Health and Wellness Program is to attempt to sway the attitudes and actions of the organization’s most valuable resource — its workers.

1. Lowered Turnover – As we all know, worker 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 worker turnover pose, many organizations are looking to Corporate Health and Wellness Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent workers from jumping ship.

1. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, organizations are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

1. Lowered Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a business environment, 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, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can play an important role in lowering rates of absenteeism.

1. Health Care Cost Containment – Most organizations don’t create a Corporate Health and Wellness Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many organizations.

1. Improved Worker Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Corporate Health and Wellness Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

How many attended the corporate health and Corporate Health and Wellness Program, and was there participation or a visible level of interest?

Use a short and simple pen and paper evaluation that people fill out at the end of the Corporate Health and Wellness Program /seminar. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:

•         The value of the Corporate Health and Wellness Programs to the individual

•         The style of the presenter

•         The presenter’s knowledge of the topic

•         The level of knowledge gained by the worker

•         Other areas that would be of interest for future Corporate Health and Wellness Programs

Examples of Questions about Corporate Health and Wellness Programs

•         This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.

•         The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.

•         There was adequate time for questions.

•         The methods used to present the information were effective.

•         Open-ended questions about Corporate Health and Wellness Programs may include:

•         The best component of this Corporate Health and Wellness Program was…

•         The component that needed improvement was….

•         I would attend another Corporate Health and Wellness Program by this speaker…

•         Topics I would like to see included in other seminars or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process evaluation that reviews how well the Corporate Health and Wellness Programs were implemented. It is also important to look at health outcomes and cost outcomes of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Corporate Health and Wellness Programs concerning medical care claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to look at the impact of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs on family members. For example, smoking by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or health plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Corporate Health and Wellness Programs.

You can also compare the cost per worker of running the Corporate Health and Wellness Programs to the savings per worker. One evaluation of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 workers at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the business invested in Corporate Health and Wellness Programs. The findings were based on a study of medical costs and rates of absenteeism.1

An ongoing evaluation of your Corporate Health and Wellness Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc evaluation of your Corporate Health and Wellness Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a business might want to evaluate its flu shot program.

Attracting new workers are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other workers is to your advantage. Remember, salary isn’t everything. Often, the possibility of flex hours or a discount at the local gym may be the deciding factor for a future worker. Once again, Corporate Health and Wellness Programs to the rescue!

How Are Corporate Health and Wellness Programs Administered?

Whether running small Corporate Health and Wellness Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness organizations to oversee the whole thing, program promotion is vital. You may have a great speaker come in to talk about a very “hot topic,” but if no one knew about it, it was a waste of the speaker’s time and your money.

Corporate Corporate Health and Wellness Program setup and promotion go hand and hand. Depending on the size of your business, it may be handled by one person or an entire corporate wellness team. You may even have an worker who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational wellness seminars and activities.

Other workers may have areas of interest and would be willing to set up some educational programs. Especially for smaller companies, once you have chosen your events and activities, it is best to set up a calendar with a schedule of events. Then publish the entire calendar as well as announcing each individual event as it comes up.

Access to Corporate Health and Wellness Programs

To make access easy, offer a wide range of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs and activities that can fit into everyone’s schedule. For example, some workers may find it difficult to get to a seminar at work or make a commitment for 8 weeks of the Weight Watchers at Work program. However, they will take advantage of a reduced rate at the gym and will borrow tapes from the health and wellness library.

If you have shifts, remember to schedule events for the after 5:00 group. Nothing will undermine Corporate Health and Wellness Programs more quickly than promoting great activities that are only convenient for first shift workers.

A company had a number of workers with cancer, as well as a number of workers with family members with cancer. Their HR staff had received numerous questions about what to say to a coworker with cancer, as well as hearing about how difficult it was for the caregivers to manage work and home demands. They thought that it would be a great idea to initiate a lunchtime monthly “discussion/support group” to talk about the struggles, frustrations, and fears that people were facing. This activity was included under the umbrella of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs that the company provided.

The group was facilitated by a rep from the Employee Assistance Program, but it was not a therapy group, nor was it promoted as such. It was informal and workers came as they could fit it into their schedules.

Did it solve all their problems? Of course not, but it did give them a place to vent, talk, and get some information and support. It was a powerful statement from the employer saying, “We care about you and we’d like to help you with this,” and the workers were very grateful. Effective Corporate Health and Wellness Programs clearly convey this type of message to their workers.

Another employer had an worker who was autistic and frequently exhibited some odd or unusual behaviors. He had some significant difficulties and had to be out of work for a number of months. As time came for him to return, coworkers became anxious about what to expect.

The employer had someone come in to talk about autism and how best to deal with a person with the disease. It was a general discussion, and there was no discussion of the worker’s personal information. However, coworkers felt much more prepared to handle his return.

An worker with epilepsy told her coworkers about her condition in case she had a seizure. The employer then had someone from an epilepsy advocacy group come in and educate workers about the illness and what to do.

You may believe taking steps like this are not the responsibility of the employer, that it is not your business. But physical and mental illnesses affect just about everyone and are natural elements of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs.

Employees who are preoccupied and worried about someone having a seizure or catching HIV from a coworker are not focused and productive. When you spend time informing and supporting workers, you not only have productive workers, you also have their respect.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are designed to promote and support employee health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that workers benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As companies become more aware of the importance of employee health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Corporate Health and Wellness Programs can rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, improved attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Corporate Health and Wellness Programs

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs: Lunch & Learn Wellness Presentations

The easiest Corporate Health and Wellness Programs are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly seminars during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may provide these. This type of corporate health and Corporate Health and Wellness Program is usually arranged through HR, the medical department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before determining topics for wellness seminars, it is a good idea to do some type of worker polling to see what topics people are interested in. This can be as simple as an e-mail to all staff asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design a complete corporate health and Corporate Health and Wellness Program.

Corporate Health and Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments

]]> http://health-and-wellness-companies.com/wellness-library/corporate-health-and-wellness-programs/feed/ 0