Posts from — June 2010

Wellness is a great concept. It brings happiness into health and encourages a in fact holistic approach to life. Wikipedia defines wellness as a healthful balance of the mind-body and spirit that causes an overall feeling of wellness.

It sounds like exactly what every one is looking for. But when you start to talk about corporate wellness, or corporate wellness, all life goes out of the concept. Total solutions, disease management (DM) and biometric testing don’t inspire visions of enjoying life and living it to the full.

They start from the assumption that sickness is here to stay and needs to be discovered, managed and controlled but can never be healed.

The wellness industry is growing phenomenally fast. Wellness guru, Paul Zane Pilzer, has labeled it the next trillion dollar industry. But wellness has two different faces.

On the one hand there are the small corporations – individuals  working from home or in small centers selling all kinds of wellness products and services at a speed of growth that is escalating rapidly.

On the other hand corporate wellness is also exploding but in a very different direction.

The baby boomers who are driving the popular wellness revolution have been described as the first generation to refuse to accept the inevitability of death.

They’re actively looking for ways to prevent aging, stay healthful into old age and enjoy themselves more than ever before after retirement. This is a radical departure from current notions of old age, which are often dominated by pictures of sickness, frailty and suffering.

The corporations have been largely forced to take on wellness. This is partly through legislative pressure, with many countries introducing laws to make corporations liable for stress-related ailment in their workers.

It is also financially motivated, as research has repeatedly shown the huge costs of absenteeism (and increasingly of presenteeism as well).

Whereas the baby boomers are actively looking for new solutions and new lifestyles the companies are struggling to organize largely traditional and mainstream health systems, such as physicians, nurses, insurance and screening systems.

The problem is that the traditional health system does not have solutions for the problems that individuals  are handling.

Nobody ever went to see a doctor to get happy, because a doctor does not have any clue how to make people  happy. and many stress-related health problems are described as chronic diseases, which means that they last for a very long time – or maybe for the rest of your life – because there is no medical cure.

Counseling is a common offering in companies for emotional problems, but whilst it may provide a useful pressure valve it isn’t a powerful treatment for stress, unhappiness or depression.

Imagine walking into a company where the workers are happy, healthful, full of inspiration, fit, love working, have meaningful family lives, active social lives, and enjoyable relationships at work and in their community.

That kind of business would be a pleasure to work in and bound to be successful because people  would be working to their optimum capacity.

So can we develop a system of true wellness that will serve the development of the corporations and their employees and will pay for itself because of the benefits that both sides will gain?

First of all we have to face the fact that we cannot place all the responsibility into the hands of the current health system. Absenteeism, stress, depression, the very roots of the wellness revolution, have not been solved by the current system.

When they had been we wouldn’t have this revolution, we would all be much more well. So we need to look elsewhere for solutions.

We also cannot rely on makeshift feel-good wellness offerings, like the on-site massage team which visits the office once a month or the wellness day that raises awareness for a little while but leaves most people  unaffected. They are easy to organize but have little or no real effect on worker wellness.

Corporate needs are different than individual needs and many of the new small wellness corporations that are springing up simply do not have the capacity to serve the corporate market.

Notwithstanding it is in the best interest of both companies and workers to find and develop systems of wellness that really work – that benefit people  to be happy, handle stress, love working, and to have enough energy to go home after the day and enjoy their family and social life.

So far the corporate world has hijacked the theory of wellness and turned it into a modern version of occupational health. It’s time to raise the vision and find out how to make in fact healthful, happy workplaces where people  thrive.

High rates of employee turnover and the costs of sick days are increasingly taking bites into corporate profits. the high cost of recruitment programs only adds to the challenges that these problems in total cost the typical business.

A lot of businesses are locating the solution to these challenges by increasing job satisfaction, team building, and the implementation of programs that yield a reduction in these costs.

It’s become increasingly clear to most managers that a well designed wellness/fitness program with a strong nutritional and fitness lifestyle emphasis will directly meet this need.

Management’s goals for a productive wellness program ought to be viewed through the perspective of increased staff member productivity, lowered absenteeism due to health related causes, improved staff member morale, lowered utilisation of company subsidised health benefits, enhanced team cohesion and effectiveness and a decrease in turnover due to lack of job satisfaction.

It is apparent that an betterment in any of these areas will have a positive impact on the financial status of any organisation.

The benefits from an workers point of view may be seen in improved health, increased energy levels, reduced body fat, a more youthful fit body, an increased ability to handle job related stress, greater feelings of confidence and morale and more social connections at work contributing to greater feelings of satisfaction with their work and workplace.

To be most productive a wellness program needs to achieve both managements and staff members goals, and this may be accomplished through a program that’ll provide the individual employee with an awareness of their current physical condition and attitudes to fitness and wellness, and the advantages of attaining a fitter, healthier lifestyle, and a plan that’ll allow them to achieve the necessary changes to their physical condition that may be applied of their life and work.

The Bottom Line – Wellness Programs

Decreased Absenteeism – Dupont reduced absenteeism by 47.5 percent over six years for the participants of their corporate fitness program, (Health Behaviour, March 1992).

Lowered Health Care Costs – Steel case showed a reduction in medical claim costs of 55 percent for corporate fitness program participants over non-participants over a six year period – an average of $478.61 for participants vs. non-participants who averaged $868.88, (The Am. Journal of Wellness, Sept/Oct, 1991).

Reduced Turnover – Turnover among fitness program participants at the Canadian Life Assurance Corporation was 32.4% lower over a seven year period compared with non-participants (Canadian Journal of Public Health, Jan/Feb, 1988).

Positive Return on Investment – Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Indiana found that its corporate fitness program had a 250 percent return on investment; $2.51 for every $1 invested over a five year period (American Journal of Wellness, March, April, 1991).

The Partnership for Avoidance was formed to encourage Fortune 1000 businesses to consider making workforce health a CEO issue and adopt strategies to promote avoidance and wellness.

After several years of double-digit rate increases for health insurance, businesses are realizing that among the best ways to slow the cost increases is to have employees take more responsibility for both costs and health options.

A majority of corporations surveyed feel that the best way for decreasing costs is financial incentives to encourage staff members to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Nearly 100% of businesss surveyed say that health care costs will be a critical or meaningful concern over the next five years, according to a recent survey by United Benefit Advisors.

More companys are adopting higher deductible health plans with HRA’s or HSA’S, wellness programs, and broader disease management programs in order to control ever-increasing health care costs.

Failure to deal with these issues could be disastrous for an corporation. Wayne Sensor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alegent Health recently stated, “I think that we’ve built a health care machinery we cannot afford. I think we’re choking the economic engine of America.”

In his October 2005 newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil stated, “I think rising health- care costs are becoming the major economic issue in our nation”. Obesity costs California corporations billions of dollars each year.

Projected costs for 2005 may reach 28 billion dollars for direct and indirect healthcare costs, employee’s compensation, and lost productivity. California has experienced among the fastest growing rates of obesity of any state.

As reported by California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe, “The obesity epidemic is more than a public health crisis, it is an economic crisis.” What is frightening is that most individuals  do not even realize that they are obese, which is defined as only 20 percent above normal weight.

There’s a great need for more education on weight and resulting illnesses, and the workplace is an ideal venue. Wellness education and programs can lead to a meaningful return on investment and, if structured properly, can produce results in a very short period of time.

Although many employers have attempted some form of wellness program in the past, results from those efforts have been disappointing.

In many cases, the healthier staff members participated for incentives, like health club memberships, but those who needed it most didn’t take benefit of the program in a meaningful way.

Businesses are looking at ways to encourage more employees to buy into the wellness movement.

A recent webinar hosted by Human Resource Executive Magazine and presented by Carlson Marketing Group titled, “Healthier Employees; Healthier Bottom Line –  Engaging Employees is the Missing Link in Managing Health Care Costs,” drove this point home.

This session provided actionable advice on how businesses are achieving higher impact with their wellness investments by focusing on staff member engagement. It also highlighted how you can create an Economic Engagement Model to forecast the potential impact for your organization.

Companys can simply no longer ignore the issue of their employee’s unhealthful lifestyles and must act to engage them in a meaningful wellness program to reduce healthcare costs, absenteeism and lost productivity.

Employees also benefit as they derive better health and greater satisfaction in both their personal and specialist lives. the alternative is being caught in a non-competitive position and severely impacting the bottom-line of the business.

A listing of potential wellness topics and ideas not previously mentioned follows. Take some time to “think tank and brainstorm” new ideas with your own internal employee Wellness Committee.

Nutrition Category

• Low-fat campaign/food groups

• Team salad bars

• Vending machine changes

• Diet analysis by a nutritionist

• Produce on parade

• Consuming disorder support group

• Restaurant education

Exercise/Exercise Category

• “Elevoiders” – stair climbing

• Poker walk

• Mall walking program

• Facilities – showers, bicycle lockers, exercise space, etc.

• Team treks

• Walk-a-block trails

• Recreational tournaments

• How-to-select equipment talks

• Running maps

• Biking maps

• Deskercises (mini stretches for desk jockeys)

• Fit-over-forty club

• Tennis shoe Tuesday

• Walk 100 miles in 100 days

• Walking “buddies”

• NW Trek!

Miscellaneous Category

• House calls

• Meet your benefits providers

• Dental health

• Fire safety

• Ergonomic assessments

• Self-help learning

• CPR/first aid course

• Hearing test

• Hand washing campaign

• Cancer screenings

• Back class

• Passports to health

• Vision screenings

Stress Management Category

• Comedy hour

• Stress Pest

• Humor newsletter

• Money management seminars

• Time management seminars

• Relaxation class

• Better sleep campaign

• Relaxation room

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of employee safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other HR, employee motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which could  be coordinated together.

• Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains –  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. Many medical insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on –

• Warm up stretches before beginning work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Give training to work groups so they may begin a stretching program. These groups can then continue on their own.

• the wellness committee might consider contracting a fitness expert to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for employee groups throughout the year.

• Offer body mechanics training on an annual basis or more frequently when possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, in addition to feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

• Partner with your company’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which may help workers work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

• Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Be certain to encourage staff members to report safety and/or injury concerns. Be certain to help management to establish policy to recognize and reward staff members who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

• A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

• Partner with management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

• the ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

• Offer ergonomic training opportunities to interested workers volunteers. These person can then assist other workers to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

• It is often more effective to have an observer evaluate staff members for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it’s for individuals to assess themselves.

• One suggestion is to have employees remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

• Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make large comfort changes.

• Partner with the employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to provide staff member training.

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a strategy commonly used to develop interest and participation. Notwithstanding, be aware that offering holiday activities in the workplace can develop issues.

Your workplace may have policies and guidelines already in place about issues like appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Be sure to check with management regarding all guidelines and policies.

Don’t forget to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It is normally safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that aren’t specific to one culture, as others may feel left out.

In truth, acknowledging diverse holidays, when done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups.

A few topical ideas for holiday themes include –

• Wellness committee members distribute “healthful heart valentines” to each employee for Valentine’s Day.

• Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Workers who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a free turkey (can be purchased at the local grocery store or donated).

• Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up worksite introductory tai chi class offering.

• Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Members of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions.

Each person can say several words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food doesn’t have to be low fat or in particular healthful, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain could be a large health challenge. This wellness activity is fun, low-key, and assists workers monitor their weight during the holiday season.

• Participants weigh-in with a “trusted” confident prior to Thanksgiving. the weigh-ins might  be conducted on the honor system, but weight ought to be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You might invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.

• Employees set an individual goal of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

• Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.

• Provide weekly weight control hints. These ought to be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or provided in  flyer form.

• Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthful recipe choices.

• Remind workers of the necessity to continue physical activity during the busy holiday season.

• Weigh everybody the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.

• Employees who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.

• Staff Members who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. Many of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which may either be downloaded for free or purchased inexpensively.

Monthly health themes, week Iong events, and nationally recognized days of the year are also good ways to have fun while participating in bigger events. Health observances are tied to almost every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider –

• National observances present opportunities to work with other community agencies and organizations to coordinate bigger events and celebrations.

• A wellness message is more likely to stick with individuals  if the information is presented at work, in local grocery stores, and on television.

• National Staff Member Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to begin.

• A word of advice –  don’t go overboard in trying to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Select one to three events per year and stick with these.

Develop and promote events well ensuring that workers will come to expect and anticipate these programs each year. It is best to do a few wellnesss well than many promotions poorly.

A lot of staff members enjoy team related activities. These activities normally take place on an employee’s time away from work and participation is totally voluntary in nature.

Even though the sports team is not part of an employee’s regular work duties, if the team or activity is associated with the company, the company could be held liable in the event of an staff member injury.

If the activity brings with it a risk of injury, it is necessary to address the possible risk and liability issues with the correct company department. Additionally speak with your corporation’s workers’ compensation carrier and/or legal counsel.

• Organize summer softball or volleyball teams, a winter ski outing, fall and winter smoke free bowling teams, a spring golf tournament, summer walks, etc.

• Provide  handouts and catalogs from area Parks and Recreation departments and county park organizations so staff can take benefit of community leagues, trips and offerings.

• Invite an official from one of the above organizations to speak at a corporation brown bag event, or invite an area Parks and Recreation instructor to provide a demonstration of a new class offering.

Family Friendly Activities

Periodically offer activities which could be taken home and shared with the entire family. Ideas for these include –

• TV Free Week (usually in April) –  Create a chart for the children to use to record their TV-free participation.

• Offer a certificate to anybody who’s TV-free for a week.

• When possible, offer a few prizes (but not video rental certificates, video games or other TV-related items) for related categories, such as less than 5 hours of TV, no video games for a week, etc.

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help workers understand the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and productivity. It is necessary to help workers understand simple stress management strategies for reducing stress levels.

• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for staff member use during a scheduled break time. Consider providing relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.

• Offer a stress management brown bag event at which staff members can attempt different kinds stress management tools.

• Make certain to encourage staff members to take 10-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.

• Provide a comfortable worker break area.

• Designate a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.

• Make sure to work with Management to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the workplace. Supervisors are often the first step in assisting workers find different ways of managing work related stressors.

• Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.

• Offer stress management self-assessments to interested staff members. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every wellness program should incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health issues.

Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for workers. Hence, it is important to provide information in a selection of ways, worksite presentations being just one possibility.

For example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to provide useful information in a private establishing that doesn’t embarrass anyone. Other considerations include –

• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will ensure potential participants will not be put off by the name.

For  instance, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent Univ.” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.

• Be certain to allot enough time when hosting EAP/mental health workshops for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions.

Always remind participants that individual help is available through the employee assistance program and also through their health benefits. Give written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.

• the Worker Assistance Program (EAP) is an great partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. the EAP can help find ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related issues.

Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Smoking is often a challenging habit to overcome. Corporate wellness activities to support “tobacco-free” living include –

• Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There’s also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.

• Reward person who have successfully quit tobacco use for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some kind of incentive gift.

• Offer “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Great American Smokeout.

• Start a “quitting or thinking about it” support group to assist and encourage individuals attempting to stop tobacco use.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

If a substance abuse policy is not in place in your workplace, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Wellness Committee member be included in the policy development process.

If such a policy is already in place be certain Wellness Committee members are aware of the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind workers of wellness resources and programs available.

• Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a business building and/or publicize community meetings.

• Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and make certain food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.

• Give easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the community. Put this information in an area where it may be viewed without embarrassment.

• When conducting wellness programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight management, nutrition, fitness, use of tobacco, and accident prevention.

• Issues like co-dependence and the difficulty of assisting a substance abuser can also be addressed. Offer this information as part of the wellness program by providing informational materials, brown bag sessions, employee assistance program (EAP) information, etc.

• the Worker Assistance Program provider is an great resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or staff member assistance.

• Other addictions, such as problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., could be problematic and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Offer information, video review, or worker assistance sessions addressing these topics.

• A Wellness Committee member may gain personal information regarding an employee problem. Don’t forget to keep all employee information totally confidential.