Worksite Wellness ProgramsWorksite Wellness Programs

5 Ways to Review and Improve Your workers’ Health

Emotional health is a state of wellness that comes from understanding and acknowledging our emotions and finding appropriate ways to express them. As workers, we often bring emotional concerns from our childhood or current family life into the workplace because we haven’t dealt with them effectively outside of work. This can seriously damage workplace relationships and lead to poor execution and negative feelings all around. Many tools and techniques exist for helping us improve our emotional health. Some of the most common are given below, with real-life case histories illustrating their use. If an unpleasant mood or feeling persists over a length of time, don’t hesitate to seek out a qualified professional. Worksite Wellness usually have professional support already in place as part of their services.

1. 1. Health Coaching / Health Counseling

One of the hallmarks of emotional health is the willingness to ask for help when we need it. Confidential professional help, the coaching and counseling provided by employee assistance or wellness programs, can support an external source of strength and insight for “working out” emotionally-based concerns rather than “working them in” to your job.

2. 2. Self-help Groups

Self-help groups are designed to aid people in emotional situations in which they feel alone. The purpose of these groups is twofold: to allow people to safely feel and express their emotions, and to help break their isolation at work and/or in society at large and reintegrate them into society with the support of a peer group. The classic self-help group is Alcoholics Anonymous, but thanks to technology, it’s possible to make connections with others that have common health challenges, no matter how unique the situation. People are taking advantage of tele-conference groups and social websites, such as sparkpeople.com and revolutionhealth.com. Worksite Wellness often have such groups available through online or phone support. Progressive corporate wellness provider Exan Wellness, for example, offers teleconference cell groups and moderated wellness forums for interacting with others in a supportive, confidential and anonymous environment. People with shared challenges get together and discuss the emotional challenges they are facing at work or in other areas of their lives and work through modification together.

3. 3. Journaling: Journaling is often recommended by counsellors as a way to help identify and process emotions. People record their emotions in writing as they experience them, in whatever form they wish. By helping the writer gain greater emotional clarity, journaling can help in making more emotionally informed decisions. In much the same way, letter writing enables people to identify and process the emotions they feel in relation to others. The letter does not have to be be sent or its contents shared: it simply supports a place for the expression of feelings.

An 18-year-old “army brat,” Brent has always done well at school, academically and athletically. But in his last year of high school, something seems to have happened to him. He has lost all interest in school, becoming moody and withdrawn. Brent describes to his guidance counselor all the times he had to move when he was growing up. Each move wrenched him from his friends and forced him to play the role of the “new kid on the block.” The counselor suggests that Brent write letters to the friends he has missed over the years telling them how he felt. Finally, he has a chance to say a proper goodbye.

4. 4. Review Your Emotional Health: Corporations that seek to boost employees’ interpersonal skills, or emotional intelligence in the workplace are more successful, according to ground-breaking journalist Daniel Goleman. And emotional intelligence is the buzzword in workplaces these days. Some Worksite Wellness have information about emotional intelligence, or emotional health assessments. Seek out more information about emotional intelligence for better corporate wellness.
5. 5. Friendships/Support Systems: Friendships allow people to feel supported in their emotional journeys. At the same time, they give people an opportunity to develop their empathetic skills. These skills are also important for workplace health. When we are empathic with fellow workers, we help them resolve negative or unhealthy emotions. New friendships are made through hobbies, classes, clubs, or even through online groups. Many people are finding emotional satisfaction by establishing relationships through Facebook and other social websites.

Occasionally workplace stress that is not dealt with in a healthy manner can be brought home. A 36-year-old mother of three, Sarah, wants to be a great wife, a great mother, and a success at her job. One day, drained after a long day at work, she shouted at her rambunctious children and threatened to hit her youngest son. Her behavior horrified her. To make matters worse, she believes she is a failure at her job as well as at motherhood. She watches with jealousy as younger co-workers advance much more rapidly up the corporate ladder despite having less experience than she has. On the advice of a counselor, she decides to take time out for herself and take a course for amateur painters. It doesn’t take long before she strikes up a friendship with a single mom in the class. She once led a life very similar to Sarah’s before managing to achieve a better balance between work and family. Her new friend becomes a much-needed sounding board for Sarah and offers her perspectives on her life that she hadn’t considered before.

25% Jump in Employer Interest in Employee Health and Wellness

Worksite wellness for their workers, businesses are discovering, is great for the health of their businesses as well. Worksite Wellness help to cut the costs associated with poor employee health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality. A current Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 American businesses indicated a important paradigm shift in how businesses view health benefits for their workers. Of those surveyed this year, 88% are committed to instituting long-term medical care assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their workers, with the objective of boosting the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25% increase in interest in Worksite Wellness over 2007. A strong offering of Worksite Wellness to meet the demand has resulted. Health assistance providers have broadened their programs with tools that address general lifestyle factors, physical, social and psychological health factors. Programs look to predict chronic conditions in their workers and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Corporations also demand a way to measure the performance of their medical care spending. “Self-care is our motive,” says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellness and health provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving workers tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving people resources to reach out for help is the key to efficacious lifestyle modification. Corporations are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver Worksite Wellness . The sort of program we have developed over years delivers the highest medical care return on investment.” Combining worksite wellness promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online health information, phone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a wide variety of health professionals, is behind the success of the Exan program. “Having online statistics about workers’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line – ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier. “Corporations are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of medical care benefits to develop holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their employee populations, drive employee behavior change and eliminate barriers to healthcare,” says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice. Nevertheless, in a separate survey of 30,000 workers, 74% said that, even though they felt their company had an obligation to help them understand how to use their health benefits program, only 12% felt the company had any right to tell them how to be healthy. Based on these results, businesses need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their workers as well as the company. It’s a win-win situation. Employers and workers did learn common ground when it came to future medical care. Both surveys indicate that 95% of workers understand that their taking care of their health today will influence future medical care payments. A similar percentage also understand the important of early detection and prevention when it comes to saving on medical care costs. Cost is important for most businesses as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those reductions did not involve shifting responsibility for medical care onto workers. Although 64% of businesses have shifted costs to their workers, only 17% aim to do so in the next 3-5 years. Similarly with health reimbursement accounts, 20% now offer these, but only about 5% aim to use them in 2008. These survey results indicate businesses are getting more proactive in helping their workers to shift behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is obviously great for the well-being of workers, but also for the well-being of the businesses they work for. Almost half the businesses surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to enhanced productivity and lower absentee rates. Over 60% aim to institute programs that help workers shift and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle. Almost of these businesses will also use data and measurements to be sure their medical care strategies meet their medical care objectives?

It is clear to virtually every American (especially those of us in business) that medical care costs are skyrocketing out of control. No one doubts that either the market will solve the issue OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective. Corporations have reached the point where the expense of offering health insurance is almost as burdensome as government regulation. It’s time for some new thinking on medical care and its influence on business and vice versa. “Corporate wellness” as an operational perspective rather than merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising medical care costs.

The Insurance Issue

The first step in correcting the issue is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting businesses to support unlimited health insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s time for businesses (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in offering health insurance coverage. Instead of offering complete coverage for all workers through group plans, businesses ought to start to shift the burden of health coverage to those covered. Here’s the approach. Offer catastrophic health insurance as a group benefit to all workers with a sizable enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the expense affordable for the company. Then, allow workers to buy their own health insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings. There are numerous insurance businesses that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Workers can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Corporations win by stopping the endless cycle of rising costs and ever-changing plans. And when individuals become responsible for the expense of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health. Besides, if an employee is interested in working for you ONLY because your company offers great insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Develop a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the medical care crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By sickness culture, I mean our focus on health concerns rather than on having a healthy workplace and performance culture. So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, rather than paid sick days, workers might be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus. Workers would be reimbursed for efficacious completion of tobacco cessation and weight-loss programs. Corporations would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can take part. Workers would be provided in-house wellness programs on a variety of concerns ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Finally, businesses would commit to hiring and retaining healthy workers. Simply put, healthy workers cost less and are more productive than unhealthy ones. Applicants ought to be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productivity and improve the likelihood of future expense. While this may seem harsh, it rewards those workers whose personal lifestyle and habits be sure the best Return on Investment by the company committing to hire, train and pay them. Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches Studies published in major medical care journals reveal that individuals who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are generally healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the average American. Since these individuals look for ways to stay healthy without prescriptions and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and productivity. Old prejudices in this area ought to be discarded in order for businesses to improve productivity and increase profitability

Conclusion

Medical Care costs are growing at a staggering pace. Managed care is an abysmal failure. Corporations are buckling under the pressure of offering health coverage to their workers. American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for extraordinary solutions. It’s time for American businesses to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the medical care crisis. Corporation wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options ought to be considered while we still have a chance.

Research spanning more than a decade has consistently shown Worksite Wellness to be financially effective and that every dollar invested on a corporate wellness program can return $2.30 and $10.10 by lowering absenteeism, sick day usage and by lowering insurance costs. Additionally it is noted that there are marked improvements in employee performance and productivity in businesses that enable a Worksite Wellness Program. Healthy businesses enjoy enhanced employee morale and an improved ability to attract and retain key people. Additionally, workers are more alert and productive. For instance, Coca Cola reports that they save an estimated $500 a year per employee once they implemented a physical activity program in which 60% of their workers take part. Coors Brewing Corporation stated that workers who participated in their Worksite Wellness reduced their absentee rate by 18%. workers enjoy their share of benefits from Worksite Wellness too. A healthy lifestyle impacts every part of a person’s life, including their work environment. Worksite Wellness result in fewer injuries, less human error and a work environment that is more harmonious and relaxed. Additionally, workers who work at a company that implements a Worksite Wellness Program know that their company is concerned about their wellness and health. Workers often report a reduction in their stress levels due to Worksite Wellness . As workers feel better, more relaxed, more valued and more human to their company; they enjoy a rise in productivity. This increase in productivity, while productive to the company, is also critical to the employee as it increases their own sense of self worth and confidence levels. Workers who feel efficacious and who feel that they accomplish goals and objectives are central happier and in a better frame of mind. The benefits of Worksite Wellness , both tangible and intangible, are evident. It is a wise move for a company to enable a Worksite Wellness Program, particularly when they incorporate some form of mental health aspect into it. This also has social benefits as domestic violence and child abuse is shown to be lowered in areas where wellness programs are implemented. These days, a company can almost not afford to have some sort of wellness program to offer to their workers.

Some of the top wellness programs currently in use today include:

Health Risk Assessments or HRAs

Health Risk Assessment is a top corporate wellness program currently in use globally. Corporations that enable it determine the safety and health concerns of workers by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the workers. It can, for example, guide the company into determining how the air quality within an office room impacts the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures significant to correct the issue. 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. Nevertheless, it has also become an important component of the top Worksite Wellness in many businesses in North America. Immunization shots, such as those used to combat flu, for example, are provided to workers for free.

EAP

EAPs consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from offering educational resources to workers regarding health concerns to sponsoring health services and health care. In many businesses, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

In-house nutrition and diet drives

This is another wellness program that businesses 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. In-house employee wellness newsletter and campaign drives One of the top wellness programs that businesses can enable is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to reward wellness, coupled with a visible campaign. The campaign may be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, such as smoking risks, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the workplace, etc. The employee wellness newsletter in itself can be an effective means to deliver information to workers or members of a company but it is far from perfect. Some workers, for example, may not read the newsletter entirely or even pay attention to it. If the concerns outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it will be easier to maximize positive results.

Exercise and physical activity drives

Another top wellness program for businesses is one that involves physical activities. Corporations often sponsor exercise-related events such as marathons and company sports programs to encourage workers to remain fit or lose excess weight. In mid- to large-sized businesses, businesses may even pay for fitness center memberships or in-house exercise facilities.

Rewards and Incentives

Some of the top wellness programs implemented by businesses involve Rewards and Incentives. This involves company-sponsored programs that reward workers for achieving specific wellness-related goals and objectives. Participation in health campaigns and signing up for wellness programs are two of the most generally rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to over time acquired points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In a few cases, cash may also be used. Nevertheless, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top choices among businesses who are willing to modify it in order to fit their unique needs.

Peer Pressure

In many businesses, businesses take advantage of peer pressure in order to encourage workers to take part in wellness programs. This is currently one of the favorite Worksite Wellness currently in use today and growing in popularity. Peer pressure is often leveraged to help reward competitions referring to workplace wellness and to persuade workers to be active in company-sponsored health & wellness fairs.

Wellness is a great concept. It brings happiness into health and encourages a truly holistic approach to life. Wikipedia defines wellness as a healthy balance of the mind-body and spirit that results in an central feeling of well-being. It sounds like exactly what every one is looking for. But when you start to talk about corporate wellness, or workplace wellness, all life goes out of the concept. Total solutions, disease management and health evaluation do not 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 businesses – people 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 are actively looking for ways to prevent aging, stay healthy 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 businesses have been largely forced to take on wellness. This is partly through legislative pressure, with many countries introducing laws to make businesses liable for stress-related sickness in their workers. It is also financially motivated, as research has repeatedly shown the enormous costs of absenteeism (and increasingly of presenteeism as well). Whereas the baby boomers are actively looking for new solutions and new lifestyles the businesses are struggling to organize largely traditional and mainstream health systems, such as doctors, nurses, insurance and screening systems. The issue is that the traditional health system does not have solutions for the concerns that people are handling. Nobody ever went to see a doctor to get happy, because a doctor doesn’t have any clue how to make people happy. And many stress-related health concerns 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 businesses for emotional concerns, but whilst it may support a useful pressure valve it is not a powerful treatment for stress, unhappiness or depression. Imagine walking into a company where the workers are happy, healthy, 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 company would be a pleasure to work in and bound to be efficacious because people would be working to their optimum capacity. So can we establish a system of true wellness that will serve the development of the businesses and their workers 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 can’t 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. If 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 can’t rely on makeshift feel-great wellness offerings, such as the onsite massage team which visits the office once a month or the wellness day that raises awareness for a modest amount of while but leaves most people unaffected. They are easy to organize but have little or no real effect on employee wellness. Corporation needs are different than individual needs and many of the new small wellness businesses that are springing up simply don’t have the capacity to serve the corporate market. Nevertheless it is in the best interest of both businesses and workers to learn and develop systems of wellness and health that really work – that benefit people to be happy, handle stress, love working, and to have enough energy to go home at the end of the day and enjoy their family and social life. So far the corporate world has hijacked the concept of wellness and turned it into a modern version of occupational health. It is time to raise the vision and find out how to make truly healthy, happy workplaces where people thrive.

High rates of employee turnover and the costs of sick days are increasingly taking bites into company profits. The high cost of recruitment programs only adds to the challenges that these concerns in total cost the average company. Many businesses are finding the solution to these challenges by improving job satisfaction, team building, and the implementation of programs that give a reduction in these costs. It has become increasingly clear to most managers that a well designed wellness program / physical activity program with a strong nutritional and fitness lifestyle emphasis will directly meet this need. Senior Management’s goals and objectives for a productive wellness program must be viewed through the perspective of increased employee productivity, lowered absenteeism due to health related causes, improved employee morale, lowered utilisation of company subsidised health benefits, enhanced team cohesion and performance and a reduction in turnover due to lack of job satisfaction. It is obvious that an improvement in any of these areas will have a positive influence on the monetary status of any organisation. The benefits from an workers point of view can be seen in improved health, increased energy levels, lowered body fat, a more youthful fit body, an increased ability to handle job related stress, greater feelings of confidence and morale and more social groups at work contributing to greater feelings of satisfaction with their work and workplace. To be most productive a wellness program needs to achieve both senior staff’s and employee’s goals and objectives, and this can be accomplished through a program that will support the individual employee with an awareness of their current physical condition and attitudes to fitness and wellness, and the benefits of attaining a fitter, healthier lifestyle, and a plan that will allow them to achieve the significant changes to their physical condition that can be applied in the context of their life and work.

The Bottom Line – Worksite Wellness

Reduced Absenteeism – Dupont reduced absenteeism by 47.5% over six years for the participants of their company fitness program, (Health Behaviour, March 1992). Reduced Medical Care Expenditures – Steel case showed a reduction in medical care claim costs of 55% for corporate physical activity 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 Health Promotion, Sept/Oct, 1991). Reduced Turnover – Turnover among physical activity 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 Blue Shield of Indiana observed that its company physical activity program had a 250% return on investment; $2.51 for every $1 invested over a five year period (American Journal of Health Promotion, March, April, 1991).

The Partnership for Prevention was formed to encourage Fortune 1000 businesses to consider making workforce health a CEO issue and adopt strategies to reward prevention and wellness. After several years of double-digit rate increases for health insurance, businesses are realizing that one of the best ways to slow the cost increases is to have workers take more responsibility for both costs and health choices. A majority of businesses surveyed feel that the best way for lowering costs is monetary incentives to encourage workers to adopt healthier lifestyles. Nearly 100% of businesses surveyed say that health costs will be a vital or important issue over the next five years, according to a survey by United Benefit Advisors. More businesses are adopting higher deductible health plans with HRA’s or HSA’S, wellness programs, and expanded disease management programs in order to control ever-increasing medical care costs. Failure to deal with these concerns might be disastrous for a company. Wayne Sensor, Chief Executive Officer of Alegent Health recently stated, “I think that we have built a medical care machinery we can’t afford. I think we are choking the economic engine of America.” In his October 2005 newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil stated, “I think rising health- care costs are becoming the big economic issue in our nation”. Obesity costs California businesses billions of dollars each year. Projected costs for 2005 may reach 28 billion dollars for direct and indirect medical care costs, worker’s compensation, and lost productivity. California has experienced one of the fastest growing rates of obesity of any state. According to 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 people do not even realize that they are obese, which is defined as only 20% above normal weight. There is a great need for additional education on weight and resulting diseases, and the workplace is an ideal venue. Wellness education and programs can result in a important return on investment and, if structured properly, can produce results in a very short period of time. Although many businesses have attempted some form of wellness program in the past, results from those efforts have been disappointing. In many cases, the healthier workers participated for incentives, such as fitness center memberships, but those who needed it most did not take advantage of the program in a meaningful way. Corporations are looking at ways to encourage more workers to buy into the wellness movement. A current webinar hosted by Human Resource Executive Magazine and presented by Carlson Marketing Group titled, “Healthier workers; Healthier Bottom Line: Engaging workers is the Missing Link in Managing Healthcare Costs,” drove this point home. This session offered actionable advice on how businesses are achieving higher impact with their wellness investments by focusing on employee engagement. It also highlighted how you can establish an Economic Engagement Model to forecast the potential influence for your company. Employers can simply no longer disregard the issue of their employee’s unhealthy lifestyles and must take action to engage them in a meaningful wellness program to lower health costs, absenteeism and lost productivity. workers also profit as they derive better health and greater satisfaction in both their personal and professional lives. The alternative is being caught in a non-competitive position and severely impacting the bottom-line of the company.

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

Nutrition Category

• Low-fat campaign/food groups
• Team salad bars
• Vending machine changes
• Diet analysis by a nutritionist
• Produce on parade
• Eating disorder support group
• Restaurant education

Physical Activity/Exercise Category

• “Elevoiders” – stair climbing
• Poker walk
• Mall walking program
• Facilities – showers, bike 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 a company will likely focus on related areas of employee safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other human resource, employee motivation, and safety programs. Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe on the job practices are three areas which may be coordinated together.

• Soft Tissue Sprains & Strains: This injury category continues to remain the number one monetary loss for workers’ compensation. Many health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on
• Warm up stretches before starting work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Offer training to work groups so they may start a stretching program. These groups can then continue on their own.
• The Worksite Wellness Program Committee might consider contracting a fitness professional to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for employee groups throughout the year.
• Offer body mechanics training on an yearly basis or more frequently if possible. These training sessions ought to focus on work related tasks and safety, as well as feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.
• Partner with your employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in offering body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventative services which can help workers work safer, smarter, and avert injury.
• Begin a safety concerns suggestion box. Urge workers to report safety and/or injury concerns. Help senior staff to establish policy to recognize and reward workers who offer safety recommendations, support tips, and solution ideas.
• A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such subject matters as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.
• Partner with senior staff and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are efficacious 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 individuals can then assist other workers to evaluate their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.
• It is often more effective to have an observer evaluate workers for helpful and friendly comfort recommendations rather than it is for individuals to evaluate themselves.
• One suggestion is to have workers 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 verify how small adjustment changes can often make sizable comfort changes.
• Partner with the employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to support employee training.