Employer Wellness

Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Employee Wellness Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does worksite wellness stop when your workers leave the office?

Wellness Continuity

If workers don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Individual level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage workers to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood.

Employee Wellness Programs: Always on Your Mind

Your Employer Wellness Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job description. In other words, you don’t want a Employer Wellness Program to stop at the boundaries of the worksite campus. Instead, integrate Individual health and wellness with your Employee Wellness Programs.

This benefits your Employee Wellness Programs in two ways:

it lowers the chance that the staff member will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Employee Wellness Programs; and
it shows that their organization is just as invested in their Individual health and wellness as they are

Like a marathon, Individual health and wellness is a long-term endeavor and it’s difficult for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your health and wellbeing when you know others are depending on you and watching your Individual performance. It’s easier to stick to an exercise program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights.

Similarly, it’s easier to stick to your Employer Wellness Program when you know your organization is supporting you and wishing you the best.

Don’t Dictate Individual Health

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Employee Wellness Program, it’s critical that you involve workers in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that workers are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, offer resources and information.

Of course, don’t forget that part of Individual health and wellness responsibility is to offer good health risk assessment baselines so workers can proceed safely on the road to better physical fitness.

Employees breathe life and value into your organization.  Within the modern worksite there are increasing instances of stress, anxiety, obesity, depression, and heart disease.  The modern worksite has become increasingly exercise-free.

Technological advances have lessened the need to “walk” at work.  Moving a mouse has the same level of physical exertion as pressing the buttons on a remote control.  Emails, the fax, and the internet have meant that it is possible to run a organization without having to leave the chair.  The “advances” affect physical and mental health in a disastrous manner ultimately affecting your organization’s profit.

A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for disaster – heart disease, chronic back pain, repetitive stress disorder, and low employee self-esteem are symptomatic of a work environment in which the only exercise available is surfing the net.  Organization morale will invariably suffer if an exercise policy is not endorsed and put in place.

Regular exercise can significantly improve worksite health.  Instances of absenteeism and staff turnover, low staff morale and decreased productivity can be alleviated with a Employer Wellness Program that energizes and motivates tired employees.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and worksite tiredness can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

Studies show, employees who are physically active on a regular basis record less sick days each year and are more energetic, dynamic, and industrious.  Investing in the health of your staff pays dividends through increased productivity and goodwill.  Physically active employees are happy employees.

• Lowering health insurance and compensation costs through decreased need for medical services
• Raising productivity
• Lowering absenteeism
• Raising morale
• Lowering stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a broad-based Employer Wellness Program shows your employees you care about their well-being.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Programs is committed to creating a healthy, active workforce, providing employers with training incentives for employees at our state-of-the-art facilities. Golds Gym Employee Wellness also provides training services and facility design at your office location.

Incorporating all phases of fitness training (strength, core, cardiovascular, flexibility), performing broad-based fitness assessments, designing personalized fitness programs, and dynamic group training programs.  We take pride in our talented, professional employees who provide creative and effective Employee Wellness Programs for diverse workforces.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Program’s employees reach beyond the walls of the excercise center to motivate, educate, and encourage employees to embrace and maintain healthy active lifestyles.  Applying practical experience the Golds Gym Employer Wellness Program delivers dynamic cost-effective Employer Wellness Program that help employees work happier, harder, and healthier.

To motivate your employees to exercise, eat better, and lose weight, you could invest heavily in equipment, facilities, and staffing to develop worksite Employee Wellness Programs for employees, thereby hopefully creating a healthier, more productive workforce.  However, the problem with business excercise facilities is that employees spend one quarter of their lives at work and typically are not motivated enough to come in early or stay late to do an exercise program.

Golds Gym Employee Wellness Programs provides attractive discounts for employers to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your organization becomes a member of our Employee Wellness Program, your employees are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of organization you keep, we have a Employer Wellness Program to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

• Coca Cola reported saving $500 per employee every year after implementing a Employer Wellness Program with only 60% of their employees participating.
• Pacific Bell found that overall absenteeism decreased after implementing a Employee Wellness Program.
• Coors Brewing Company found that for each dollar spent on their Employer Wellness Program they saw a $5.50 return and the employees who participated decreased their absentee rate by 18%.
• Prudential Insurance Company found that the benefits costs for employees participating in their program were $312 as opposed to $574 for non-members (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 2004).

To learn more about Gold’s Gym Employee Wellness Programs contact us at (336) 725-8624.

A gap analysis is an assessment tool that enables a organization to compare its current capabilities and performance with industry benchmarks and expectations for performance. A gap analysis is used to identify areas that have room for improvement.

Gap analysis can also be used for your Employer Wellness Program to determine where the program stands now and how the Employer Wellness Program can better follow evidence-based recommendations.

To start a gap analysis, ask these simple questions about your Employee Wellness Program:
• What is the current state of the Employee Wellness Program?
• How does the Employer Wellness Program measure up to evidence-based practices? (i.e., the desired state)

The gap is the difference between the current and desired states.

After the gap has been identified, the next step is to determine the action steps that are needed to close the gap. These actions answer the question: “How can the Employer Wellness Program move forward towards the desired state?”

Sometimes the gaps that need to be filled can be addressed through Employer Wellness Program changes; other gaps might require policy changes. However, using a gap analysis will help you identify areas for Employer Wellness Program improvement and the actions needed to make progress towards those goals.

Sample Employer Wellness Program meeting agendas and topics for discussion

Is your business’s Employer Wellness Program Health and Wellness Committee new?  Has it existed on paper but been inactive for a while?  In either case, some of the following may be appropriate agenda items for your first Employer Wellness Program meetings.   You may also want to revisit these topics each year.

•    Clarify roles of Health and Wellness Committee members
­    Are members accountable for implementing changes or recommending changes?
­    How long are members’ terms on the Health and Wellness Committee?
­    How will new members be selected?

•    Determine Health and Wellness Committee meeting frequency and processes
­    Determine dates, times, and locations.
­    Determine how agendas will be set.
­    Plan for recording and distributing meeting notes.

•    Plan Employer Wellness Program communication with leadership
­    Does a leader sit on the group or does the coordinator report on progress (and to whom)?
­    How frequently do leaders want reports on Employer Wellness Program progress?

•    Select a name and brand for your business’s Employer Wellness Program

•    Create a vision statement for your business’s Employer Wellness Program

•    Identify existing allies Employer Wellness Program for promoting staff member health within your business
­    Who do Health and Wellness Committee members know who could be relied on to support worksite changes required to create a culture that encourages health?

•    Brainstorm challenges your business may face in working to create facilities, policies and Employer Wellness Program practices that promote staff member health
­    What do committee members regard as opportunities? How about potential Employer Wellness Program obstacles?

•    History of past Employer Wellness Program efforts
­    If relevant, summarize past Employer Wellness Program efforts. Discuss what your business learned from those efforts.
?    What has the business tried over the last few years?
?    What has worked well?
?    What hasn’t worked well?
?    How, if at all, was success of previous Employer Wellness Program efforts measured?

Starting a Employer Wellness Program need not be expensive, but will require the commitment of some financial resources. If possible, include the Employer Wellness Program in your business’s annual business plan and budget as you do for other efforts important to your business’s success.

How much to budget for the Employee Wellness Program?

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for starting a Employer Wellness Program that results in enhanced employee health. Organizations differ in how much money they need and how much they can make available for the Employee Wellness Program. Consider the following common expenses in developing an adequate Employer Wellness Program budget:

• Employer Wellness Program staffing costs (either internal salaries or consultant fees)
• Employer Wellness Program data collection costs (including health risk assessment costs, if relevant)
• Employer Wellness Program incentives and rewards for healthy behaviors (such as discounts on premiums for non-smokers)
• Costs of Employer Wellness Program Procedures to be started (such as costs of covering tobacco quit medications or costs of subsidizing healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines)
• Employer Wellness Program administrative and communications expenses

In times of tight finances, be prepared to justify your requested Employer Wellness Program budget. Arm yourself with data on potential short- and long-term outcomes of the proposed Employer Wellness Program Procedures. Itemize the Employer Wellness Program expenses of past initiatives and share projected expenses for initiatives planned for the upcoming year.

Sustaining Employer Wellness Program Funding

A dedicated Employer Wellness Program line item in your business’s budget makes it more likely to be regarded as a need, rather than as a “nice-to-have” amenity that could be cut when funds run low.

One of the best Procedures for ensuring continued financial support for the Employer Wellness Program is frequent communication to leadership, including:

• How many staff members have you reached through the Employee Wellness Program? Has morale increased? Have health risks decreased, e.g., fewer staff members smoking, more staff members active?
• How well are you managing the Employer Wellness Program resources you’ve been given? Where and how has your budget been spent? Keep track of the staff time required for each initiative and be able to present the numbers at any time.
• Anecdotal Employer Wellness Program success stories from staff members. Don’t underestimate the power of a good story to put a human face on your success.

Supplemental sources of Employer Wellness Program Funding

If required, have the individuals accountable for starting a Employer Wellness Program look for ways to supplement available internal funds. Are there grants or other financing available that can help support your Employer Wellness Program ? What community Employer Wellness Program resources could you use to meet some of your needs?

Why bother to market your Employee Wellness Programs?
Because of the transient nature of the many employee populations, you must market your Employee Wellness Programs all the time. Your goal should be to keep your Employee Wellness Programs as visible as possible.

Creative marketing can increase awareness of your Employer Wellness Program for:
• Potential Employer Wellness Program members
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Creative Employer Wellness Program marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Employer Wellness Program as frequently as possible.
• For example: invite Upper Management to judge a Employer Wellness Program logo contest.

Link your Employee Wellness Programs to national advertising campaigns
• …like the Great American Smokeout and the Dairy Council’s Milk Mustache campaign.

Collaborate closely with personnel in the business office.
• Submit articles about your Employee Wellness Programs that coincide with National Health Observances. For example: highlight your Asthma Program in May, which is National Asthma Awareness Month.
• Let the business office know you can always provide an article to them when they run short on material. (Then make sure you always follow through.)
Word of mouth is the most effective advertisement for your Employer Wellness Program
• Use real workers in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Employer Wellness Program members or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Establish “buzz” by incorporating an element of competition: which ‘team’ had the most steps over the past week? Which department engaged most frequently in physical activity?
Make use of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t simply market your Employer Wellness Program to potential members, but market the opportunities for others to be involved, as well.
• For example: does the Red Cross know you can always use a volunteer? Do other departments/clinics know that you can always use personnel with some temporary down time?
Don’t be “old news”
• If you put advertising materials up, be sure to take them down in a timely manner.
• Update marketing logos and themes as appropriate.

As the science behind Employee Wellness Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to clearly define the dimensions of a broad-based model of Employee Wellness Programs. A representative model includes the following Employee Wellness Program components; health education programs, employee health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition programs, Employer Wellness Program policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources.

A broad-based approach to Employee Wellness Programs will maximize the impact of all initiatives by increasing communication between administrators, employees, and employee families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of employee wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities for Employee Wellness Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Employee Wellness Programs that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Employee Wellness Programs

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81% of employers in the United States with 50 or more employees have some form of Employee Wellness Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are employers getting into the organization of Employee Wellness Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Employee Wellness Programs are the desire to control spiraling health care costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a way of boosting the morale of employees and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).

As the motivations behind Employee Wellness Programs differ, so do the extent of a Employee Wellness Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to employees, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Employer Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its employees. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Employee Wellness Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Employee Wellness Programs consist of?

Imagine yourself working for the healthiest organization possible. What characteristics or Employer Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that organization do to enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and intellectual aspects of employee health? How does that organization develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all employees? Finally, how does that organization demonstrate its belief that workers are the organization’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one single of a Employer Wellness Program will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all employees. Employer Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness facility for the exclusive use of organization executives, or the sporadic employee safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and programs. Employer Wellness Program professionals frequently speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Employee Wellness Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.

As the science behind Employee Wellness Programs continues to evolve, the need to define and articulate the components of this broad-based approach increases. In 1987 Allensworth and Kolbe (1987) expanded the prevailing definition of broad-based school health to include the domains of Health Instruction, Environmental Health, Health Services, Physical Fitness Education, Counseling and Psychological Services, School Food Service, Employee Wellness Programs for Faculty and Staff, and the Integration of School and Community Resources.

To promote the health of school age children, prevention specialists have found that an integrated broad-based approach is the most effective strategy. Relying only on health education or Physical Fitness Education programs to foster children’s health has demonstrated limited effectiveness. Consistent health messages delivered by numerous agents increases the possibility of attaining health goals and objectives. A similar model is critical if Employee Wellness Programs are to impact positively on the health and performance of all employees.

A broad-based model of Employee Wellness Programs includes the following components; Health Education Programs, employee Health Services and Benefits, physical fitness and nutrition Programs, Employer Wellness Program Policies and Procedures, Counseling and Employee Assistance Programs, a Safe and Healthy Work Environment, and the Integration of Company and Community Resources. This model can be used to evaluate and plan for Employee Wellness Programs that are truly broad-based in nature, focusing on primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies for employees.

One value of a truly broad-based model is that it is possible to promote a holistic philosophy of employee health. A healthy, productive employee is one who is given the opportunity to develop emotionally, physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually. In addition, this model supports the ideals of wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond programs designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the overlap of responsibilities. Implementation and design are dependent upon the cooperation and motivation of qualified – and ideally – credentialed professionals throughout the administrative structure of a organization. Such a model requires consistent communication between health educators, medical staff, human resource managers, physical therapists, industrial hygienists, exercise physiologists, ergonomic engineers, dietitians, occupational therapists, psychologists and independent consultants. Planning must also incorporate active involvement of workers, administrators, family members, and organization retirees at all stages of the development, implementation and evaluation stages. All must be committed to the development of a healthy organization where employees are happy and proud to work.

Various professional organizations are working to advance the science of Employee Wellness Programs. Health educators have the expertise and training to be leaders in this area. On the basis of theoretical foundations of behavior and the results of empirical research, we must start to articulate a clear vision of what optimal programs should consist of. Components of this model are included below for reference and will be discussed individually in coming posts.

• Health Education
• physical fitness and nutrition Programs
• employee Health Services and employee Benefits
• Counseling & Employee Assistance Programs
• Health and Safe Work Environment
• Health Related organization Policies and Procedures
• Integration of organization and Community Resources

Think ahead: what unexpected challenges might come up as you begin your Employee Wellness Program? How could you adapt and change the Employer Wellness Program to meet those challenges?

• Look at the “what if’s?”
• What if your classroom space is suddenly no longer available?
• What if you can’t hold the Health and Wellness in the usual place?
• Have a ‘Plan B’ (or even Plan C or Plan D) in mind for when the “what if’s” happen.

• Build a team that can help with the Employer Wellness Program
• Who else could teach the health education class if the regular instructor cancels at the last minute?
• Know what areas of expertise your staff has besides their ‘main’ job. For example, find out who has excercise instructor credentials besides just the physical therapist.
• Don’t wait for a crisis before you build a network of workers that you can call on.

• Be ready to roll your sleeves up
• Jump in to fill a gap if you need to.
• YOU may have to help restock the milk case in the dining facility when the Dairy Month ‘Milk Mustache’ contest results in increased sales during lunch.

• Be willing (and ready) to respond to feedback about the Employer Wellness Program
• Get participant feedback while the Employer Wellness Program is ongoing. Then be ready to adapt to those suggestions.
• For example, if kids in a pediatric obesity Employer Wellness Program fight the idea of completing physical excercise logs, then get a verbal summary of their activity for the week instead.

• Simplify Employer Wellness Program
• If part of your Employer Wellness Program is not working, try making that part less complicated.
• For example, if getting follow-up information is not going the way you planned, then make the process to get information easier OR decrease the number of pieces of information that you collect.

• Use lemons to make lemonade
• What do you do when the Employer Wellness Program doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned? Look for what did turn out. Often, the ‘unexpected outcomes’ produce positive results.
• For example, one company’s database to collect sick call data was made obsolete by a regional system. However, the company database was able to be used in a different way to track vaccination information that enhanced delivery of care to Employees.

Keeping the bottom line up front Bottom Line Up Front in Employer Wellness Program will help you get and sustain Upper Management support. A Bottom Line Up Front approach will also help you more realistically measure the impact of your Employee Wellness Program.

The bottom line in Employee Wellness Programs answer two key questions:
• How will participant health be enhanced?
• What’s in it for Upper Management?

The ultimate bottom line: all roads should lead to readiness.
• Always be ready to communicate to leadership the ways that your Employer Wellness Program impacts readiness.
• Think like Upper Management: what Employer Wellness Program outcomes will be important from a Upper Management point of view?
• Develop line-centered language that communicates those outcomes.
• Ask members how they think a particular Employer Wellness Program enhances force readiness. This input is a valuable source of information.

Use the following steps as a Bottom Line Up Front approach to Employee Wellness Programs.

Step 1: Think about the end of the Employer Wellness Program first and plan backwards.
• It has been said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”
• Before planning or implementing any part of the Employee Wellness Program, be able to answer the questions: how will participant health be enhanced? What’s in it for Upper Management?

Step 2: Identify concrete Employer Wellness Program outcomes.
• Identify up front what the Employer Wellness Program is working towards.
o For example: will members lose weight? Walk more steps? Decrease injuries? Move to another stage of change?
• Identify any processes or procedures that will be enhanced.
o For example: which pharmacy operations will become more efficient? How will record-keeping be streamlined?

Step 3: Determine what will be measured to show that Employer Wellness Program goals were met.
• Look at what data is really needed to show Employer Wellness Program effectiveness. Avoid the temptation to collect every possible piece of data. Choose a handful of important data points and stick to those.
• Think backwards when deciding what data to collect – consider how easily follow-up data can be collected when a Employer Wellness Program ends. Getting follow-up data is frequently a challenge.
• Only collect data for health behaviors or indicators that the Employer Wellness Program actually affected.
o For example: if the main Employer Wellness Program goal is that members will walk more steps, then it may be better NOT to choose changes in cholesterol level as a Employer Wellness Program outcome (unless the Employer Wellness Program specifically addresses cholesterol).
• Avoid measuring outcomes that the Employer Wellness Program cannot (or did not) affect.

Step 4: Determine what Employer Wellness Program elements must be included to move members towards the Employer Wellness Program goals.
• The concrete Employer Wellness Program outcomes identified in Step 2 are the compass for keeping the Employer Wellness Program on track. All Employer Wellness Program elements should lead towards that ultimate goal.

Working backwards when planning and implementing Employee Wellness Programs is really forward thinking. Keeping the bottom line up front is a smart approach to Employee Wellness Programs.