Worksite Wellness ProgramsWorksite Wellness Programs

For well over a decade, research has been showing the effectiveness of Worksite Wellness Programs. For every dollar spent on Worksite Wellness Programs, the returns have been cost savings of between $2.30 and $10.10 in the areas of decreased absenteeism, fewer sick days, reduced WSIB/WCB claims, lowered health and insurance costs, and improvements to employee performance and productivity.

Statistics do show that Worksite Wellness Programs increase employee morale, improve the ability to attract and retain key workers, all while having more alert and productive workers. Some Worksite Wellness Program return on investment statistics of note:

• Canada Life Insurance reported a return of $3.43 on Worksite Wellness Program, and an overall Worksite Wellness Program return on investment of $6.85 on each corporate dollar invested on reduced turnover (32.4% lower), productivity gains and decreased medical claims,
• DuPont’s Worksite Wellness Program pilot sites saw a saving of 11,726 disability days and a return of U.S. $2.05 for every dollar invested by the end of the second year,
• The Canadian government’s Worksite Wellness Program return on investment was $1.95-$3.75 per employee per dollar spent (as found by Dr. Roy Shephard),
• Municipal workers in Toronto, missed 3.35 fewer days in the first six months of their Worksite Wellness Program than workers not enrolled in the program,
• British Columbia Hydro workers enrolled in a Worksite Wellness Program had a turnover rate of just 3.5% compared with a Business average of 10.3 percent,
• Johnson & Johnson estimated an average saving of U.S. $224.66 per employee per year for the four years examined after the program introduction, with the bulk of the savings being in the third and fourth years,
• Pacific Bell found that overall absenteeism decreased after starting a Worksite Wellness Program,
• Coca Cola report saving $500 every year per employee after starting a Worksite Wellness Program, with only 60% of their workers participating,
• Coors Brewing Co. found that for each dollar spent on their Worksite Wellness Program they saw a $5.50 return, and the workers who participated reduced their absentee rate by 18 percent, and
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for workers participating in their program were $312, as opposed to $574 for non-participants

Flu Shot Facts & Myths

Myth: The flu isn’t a serious disease.
Fact: Influenza (flu) is a serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Each year about 200,000 workers in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 workers die because of the flu. Most who die are 65 years and older. But small children less than 2 years old are as likely as those over 65 to have to go to the hospital because of the flu.

Myth: The flu shot can cause the flu.
Fact: The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some workers get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot. It goes away in a day or two. Serious problems from the flu shot are very rare.

Myth: The flu shot does not work.
Fact: Most of the time the flu shot will prevent the flu. In scientific studies, the effectiveness of the flu shot has ranged from 70% to 90% when there is a good match between circulating viruses and those in the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is your best protection against this disease.

Myth: The side effects are worse than the flu.
Fact: The worst side effect you’re likely to get from a flu shot is a sore arm. The nasal mist flu vaccine might cause nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and cough. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is less than 1 in 4 million.

Myth: Only older workers need a flu vaccine.
Fact: Adults and children with conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease need to get a flu shot. Doctors also recommend children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year until their 5th birthday.

Myth: You must get the flu vaccine before December.
Fact: Flu vaccine can be given before or during the flu season. The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. But you can get vaccinated in December or later.

For more information, ask your medical provider or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636). You can also get more information about flu shots by visiting the following Website: www.cdc.gov/flu

Source: The Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention

Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Worksite Wellness Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve employee health, lower medical costs and reduce absenteeism.

A report published in 2003 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for employers to incorporate Worksite Wellness Programs as part of their corporate strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on organization, including lower productivity and higher medical insurance costs.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on medical care in 2003 and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these conditions is negligible.

In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Worksite Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of workers and employers alike.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data analysis and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in Worksite Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per employee per year). Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically found until two to three years into the Worksite Wellness Program.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained medical system.

“As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping workers after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy workers healthy,” he says.

Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to organizations that offer comprehensive programs to promote employee health and grants for small organization.

Benefits of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

Implementing a Worksite Wellness Programs can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.

• Offer incentives for participation.
• Create a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Create programs such as fitness, sleep diary, smoking cessation and injury prevention.
• Offer onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Change snack machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote employee participation in all Worksite Wellness Programs.

A successful Worksite Wellness Program can boost organization morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and lower the rate of employee turnover. The case for starting a Worksite Wellness Program is well worth the effort.

Keeping Worksite Wellness Program data organized is essential in order to be able to determine Worksite Wellness Program impact and participant progress. Use the simple steps below to keep your data organized.

Manage Worksite Wellness Program data electronically.
• Storing Worksite Wellness Program outcomes data electronically is the best way to manage that information.
• An electronic system will enable you to review and analyze the data more efficiently.
• Scan old surveys and other Worksite Wellness Program information that exist only on paper into .pdf format for permanent storage.

Find the Worksite Wellness Program system that works best for you.
• Some workers are more comfortable with spreadsheet applications; others prefer to work with database applications.
• You will be more likely to use a Worksite Wellness Program that you are familiar and/or comfortable with.
• Standardize data collection and organization. Keep data columns/fields in the same order for all Worksite Wellness Programs.

Keep the Worksite Wellness Program as simple as possible.
• You do not have to be a Wellness Programming wizard or use complicated data entry interfaces in order to manage Worksite Wellness Program outcomes data.
• A simple spreadsheet is an excellent way to keep your data organized.

Store all Worksite Wellness Program data numerically.
• Using numbers (instead of words) will make the data much easier to enter and analyze. By way of example: use “1” for yes; “0” for no OR “1” for male; “2” for female.
• Number survey responses that contain strings of words. By way of example: instead of entering the responses: “patient education videos”, “news,” or “no TV,” number the responses so you only have to enter “1,” “2,” or “3.”

Label all Worksite Wellness Program data clearly.
• Ensure that all the data columns, rows, or fields are labeled. The data is worthless if you don’t know what data is in which column.
• The spreadsheet/database should include an explanation for column, row, field, and data abbreviations and a key for numbered responses.

Use consistent Worksite Wellness Program data units.
• Ensure that all data entered into a given column is expressed with the same unit of measure. By way of example, enter all heights as total inches, not as a combination of feet and inches.
Putting your data in order by using a simple system that works for you will enable you to track participant accomplishments. Keeping your data organized also makes it easier to communicate Worksite Wellness Program impact to leadership and make Worksite Wellness Program improvements as needed.

Technological and demographic transformations are changing the nature of work in our society. As these changes occur the comprehensive model of Worksite Wellness Programs described above will evolve and continue to develop. If current trends continue, the workers of tomorrow will be older, more racially and ethically diverse, increasingly female, and will often be located off-site. In the later case, technological advances are making it possible for more and more professionals to conduct their work from their homes. Thus the very character of the worksite will change and so must our efforts to deliver Worksite Wellness Programs. As an example, in the future it is likely that a great deal of health education programming will be delivered through personalized interactive multimedia formats, conveniently supplied to any number of workers through telecommunication systems.

As technological innovations increase in the workplace, Worksite Wellness Program professionals will face new health related challenges. In the past, some have assumed that technology would make workers more efficient, thereby allowing workers to work less, while being more productive. In reality, increases in technological innovation have simply allowed more of us to take our work with us where ever we go and feel guilty for not being increasingly productive.

This trend may absorb increasingly greater amounts of leisure time that is normally devoted to recreation and relaxation. Subsequent increases in stress and tiredness will ensure the continued need for effective Worksite Wellness Programs.

When considering the scope of Worksite Wellness Programs described in this article, many will think of substantial investments made by large organizations. The reality is that 60% of individuals working in the United States work for a organization of less than 100 workers (U. S. Bureau of Census, 1988). Due to economy of scale, it has been difficult and expensive for small organization owners to supply adequate medical insurance as well as prevention programming for workers.

Worksite Wellness Program professionals must understand this challenge and develop the way to overcome these obstacles. The evidence is clear that much more could be done to advance the health of our society through the workplace. As change agents, health educators must work to empower employers and workers through education of the benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs.

Technological and demographic transformations are changing the nature of work in our society. As these changes occur the comprehensive model of Worksite Wellness Programs described above will evolve and continue to develop. If current trends continue, the workers of tomorrow will be older, more racially and ethically diverse, increasingly female, and will often be located off-site. In the later case, technological advances are making it possible for more and more professionals to conduct their work from their homes. Thus the very character of the worksite will change and so must our efforts to deliver Worksite Wellness Programs. As an example, in the future it is likely that a great deal of health education programming will be delivered through personalized interactive multimedia formats, conveniently supplied to any number of workers through telecommunication systems.

As technological innovations increase in the workplace, Worksite Wellness Program professionals will face new health related challenges. In the past, some have assumed that technology would make workers more efficient, thereby allowing workers to work less, while being more productive. In reality, increases in technological innovation have simply allowed more of us to take our work with us where ever we go and feel guilty for not being increasingly productive.

This trend may absorb increasingly greater amounts of leisure time that is normally devoted to recreation and relaxation. Subsequent increases in stress and tiredness will ensure the continued need for effective Worksite Wellness Programs.

When considering the scope of Worksite Wellness Programs described in this article, many will think of substantial investments made by large organizations. The reality is that 60% of individuals working in the United States work for a organization of less than 100 workers (U. S. Bureau of Census, 1988). Due to economy of scale, it has been difficult and expensive for small organization owners to supply adequate medical insurance as well as prevention programming for workers.

Worksite Wellness Program professionals must understand this challenge and develop the way to overcome these obstacles. The evidence is clear that much more could be done to advance the health of our society through the workplace. As change agents, health educators must work to empower employers and workers through education of the benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs.

Worksites do not exist in a vacuum. They are part and parcel of the community in which they are located. Successful corporate administrators are cognizant of the need for positive community relations and should do what is necessary to promote good will. What better way to bridge relationships than by utilizing existing community Worksite Wellness Program services and programs whenever possible (e.g., voluntary, private and public health agencies) and providing health related services back to the community. Since the community is also the home of the employee, an effective mode of health promotion is through programming directed at the larger community. Sponsorship of community related health fairs is one example more are listed below.

• Encourages employee/employer involvement in the community
Blood drives
Sponsorship of fund raising for community schools and social services
Community recycling programs
Youth league sports sponsorship
Job training programs
• Public relations and media programs advertising a healthy organization image
• organization newsletters and press releases on health issues to local media
• Environmentally sound use of community resources and waste disposal