Worksite Wellness ProgramsWorksite Wellness Programs

Worksite Wellness: Unless specifically stated otherwise, most company-employee relationships in the U.S. are governed by the principle of at-will employment. Under this system a company, or the employee, can terminate the relationship without any needed showing of cause.

This at-will standard gives private businesses large power in governing the behavior of workers. In this environment, businesses can Finding Wealth Through Wellness 10 creatively design Worksite Wellness based upon their specifiic corporate culture.

Worksite Wellness generally take three main forms: Voluntary Worksite Wellness – The most popular form of employee Worksite Wellness Program, in most cases they are made available to workers but participation (or lack thereof) is not linked to any type of consequence.

Due to ineffective communication, often workers are either unaware of these offerings or confuse them with insurance-based healthcare. Incentive-based – Worksite Wellness based on incentives reward workers for participation in Worksite Wellness Program activities.

Incentives generally include reduced Medical Care premiums, gym membership or personalized support offerings. In these programs, employees’ behavior can be linked to a particular reward. Mandatory Worksite Wellness – Some businesses require, or ban, certain health-related actions. These can take the form of mandatory Health Risk Assessments for workers and restrictions on smoking or alcohol use.

While mandating behavior is an effective method to eliminate high-risk behavior, the cost savings must be gauged against the potential message sent to existing and prospective workers. Given that workers are already under various levels of scrutiny in the workplace, individuals may resist attempts by businesses to regulate off-duty actions.

Additionally, some workers may fi nd it diffi cult to comply, forcing businesses into the uncomfortable position of punishing an otherwise productive employee. In the short-term a mandate-based Worksite Wellness Program can lead to an increase in turnover, as workers either choose to leave or are fi red for noncompliance.

In the long-term, the policy may prevent the company from hiring an otherwise qualifi ed applicant, or may serve as a deterrent for individuals thinking of the company. Limits in recruiting, for instance, led CNN to rescind a 13-year ban on hiring smokers.

Corporations need to make sure that Worksite Wellness are aligned with the values and culture that lead company operations. If a company emphasizes trust and individual responsibility, then a mandate-based program will likely cause more dissension than it would in a company that already heavily regulates company actions.

Moreover, a work environment with a sizable disengaged population will likely have poor participation in a voluntary-based program. When calculating cost savings, businesses need to take a wider view and consider the effects on long-term employee engagement.

In 2005, Michigan-based insurance benefits provider Weyco instituted a smoking ban for all of its nearly 200 workers. Workers are subject to random testing and if they fail a mandatory breathalyzer test, they will be fi red.

It is believed that Weyco is the first company to use testing to enforce a smoking ban – most businesses ask workers to self-report behavior. Four workers (more than 2 percent of the total labor force) left Weyco as a result of the policy. A year prior to the ban the company started a $50 smoking fee, which would be waived if a employee passed a nicotine test or agreed to take a smokingcessation class.

Weyco’s president Howard Weyers reported that 20 workers quit smoking through this program.20 Workers were told they had one year before the total ban would go into effect. Under the new Worksite Wellness Program, Weyco does offer $35 a month for workers who want to use a fi tness center and another $65 a month for workers who meet fitness goals and objectives.