Wellness Library

employees generally enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Develop a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.
• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of employees set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A nutritionist from the health department or local hospital or area serves as the judge. Dishes and foods are evaluated based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes can be created and distributed to the entire employee.
• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People with cholesterol over 200 mg. are invited to voluntarily participate. The invitation needs to be extended to all workers as the Wellness Team won’t have (nor ought to have) access to personal health data. Offer a variety of services to assist  in reducing cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers blood lipid management health programs for workers qualifying by cholesterol score. If employee gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, provide an incentive such as a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply data and reminders for continued blood lipid control.
• Label reading contest. Create a particular food or food category. Workers must learn the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the grocery store. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants. Or, provide samples of healthier food choices based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthy choices. Put up results of the contest in the employee break room or at an employee brown bag event.

Other Workplace Wellness Program Nutrition Recommendations:

• Offer freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.
• Sponsor a healthy food “bake-off’ once a year.
• Give sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.
• At meetings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.
• Serve free popcorn in the break area.
• Create a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by workers.
• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Display an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if coworkers know what it is. Employees can put their name and the name of the item on an index card. These can be used to conduct a prize drawing at the end of the week from the cards with the correct answer. To add fun, encourage people to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item. Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and offer a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Be sure it can be eaten raw. “Unusual” food items like star fruit are now readily available in grocery stores work well for this exercise as many people have not tried these types of produce.

Weight management is a big area of both employee interest and need. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the clinical measure that indicates whether individuals are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese. The BMI is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are evaluated during the Healthy Benefits screening. A computer mathematical calculation supplies the BMI score. Gordian health management programs are available for Healthy Benefits participants who qualify based on their BMI score, and who are interested in a weight management program.

Ideas for worksite based weight management programs include:
• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight control groups meet in your worksite or nearby. Provide such groups before/after work or at lunchtime. Employee attendance is generally better if employees can attend either wholly or partially on work time. Break times may be rolled into lunch break times to minimize employee time away from work duties (with management approval). employees usually pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.
• If the wellness program offers incentives and rewards based on participation, award a completion gift when employee has attended a certain number of weight management sessions or activities.
• Supply information regarding community weight management groups.
• Incentives such as cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards can be given to people who write a weight loss contract and meet their goal.
• Establish a workplace commitment to offer alternative healthy snacks at company-sponsored meetings. Healthy snacks such as fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies offer demonstration as to the employer’s commitment to health and employee well being.

Walking Club

Walking clubs or “trekking” can either be done in real time (by scheduling walking groups), or clubs can be set it up so individuals do their walking on their own and keep a shared log at work. Following a certain number of miles or steps are logged, staff members are eligible for membership into the walking “club” and receive something like a prize (a walking pin, similar to the ones that volkswalkers get, or a certificate of membership). Ways to continue interest in walking groups include:

• Periodic announcements about neighborhood walking programs. Keep abreast of programs in the neighborhood, Parks & Recreation programs, available tracks, inside walking options, volkswalking programs, etc.
• Regualr information specific to walkers; such as what to look for when buying a pair of walking shoes.
• Consider a worksite group to take part in a local fundraiser walk, such as the March of Dimes walk.
• A walking club can be the kind of “club” that never really meets, or it can be the kind that does offer the option for those who are interested in group walks and events.

Health Awareness Video Programming

Many great health related videos and DVDs are available through loan programs either at no or low expenditures. Select video programming based on employee interests and needs.

• Schedule periodic health video viewings at lunchtime brown bag sessions.
• The videos can be related to health or other related wellness subject matters like financial planning, caring for aging parents, or even humor as a “break” from the work routine.
• Preview videos before showing them to insure they are appropriate, not too long, etc.
• Have a Employee Wellness Program Committee Host moderate the viewing, greet people, and lead a brief discussion after the video. Organize one or two questions for discussion after previewing the video and use these to lead the discussion. Many health videos come with group discussion questions.
• Supply a pertinent educational handouts for participants to take with them for more information on the topic.
• If possible, provide popcorn or fruit as a snack.
• Offer a prize drawing (or points if you are doing that kind of incentive program) for those attending the video program and discussion.

Wellness Mentors

Every worksite generally has at least a couple of workers who have successfully made changes in their health. Often, other workers will relate to one of their peers. Peer reinforcement can go a long ways in encouraging healthy changes.

• Seek volunteers from the work force who have experienced a disease resulting from an unhealthy behavior, or survived or recovered from a disease that just happens like breast cancer, and who have successfully made positive changes.
• Join these success story workers with workers struggling with similar health concerns.
• Both staff members participating in the mentoring process are doing so on a voluntary basis. Respect the privacy of this very special relationship.
• A Company Health Promotion Program Committee person can be involved from a peripheral standpoint, and be available to share other resources that might be valuable to both staff members.

Establish and offer “free” health information resources as part of the overall worksite wellness strategy. Reliable information is available no cost, or at very low cost, through numerous resource areas. Ideas and resources will be suggested here. Also review the Resource and Website listings at the end of this guide for more ideas and resources.

Wellness Bulletin Board Ideas

Most workplaces have at least one employee bulletin board located in a central area. Obtain permission to use part of that bulletin board as the “Wellness Corner”, or obtain senior staff approval to create a bulletin board dedicated to wellness. Wellness bulletin board recommendations include:

• White 8 1/2″ x 11″ brochures will be ignored. Use color or nonstandard size and shape when possible.
• Change your bulletin boards frequently. If they remain the same too long, they become “white noise.”
• Play “Dialing for Dollars” to broaden bulletin board attention. Make a random phone call and ask an employee to name the health fact of the day as listed on the health bulletin board. Award nominal prizes to winners. Use an “activities calendar” with targeted advertisements, football schedules, recipes, etc. that will advocate keeping the calendar updated and utilized.

Wellness Library

Set-up a wellness program library in a central area that has simple employee access. Resources and ideas for the wellness library might include:

• A local health resources guide with referral lists to help workers hook up with resources if onsite resources can’t be given. Keep referral lists in a 3-ring binder and update monthly.
• A brief, periodic wellness newsletter or update flyer distributed to staff members via their paycheck or department gatherings.
• A variety of consumer books, magazines, videos, and articles related to great health. Solicit employee donations of current titles and recyclable items. Encourage employees to checkout materials for loan. Update resources regularly.
• Healthy resources are available at local libraries. Publicize those resources within your on-Site wellness library.
• Health magazines can be kept in the employee break area.
• Set-up a consumer health information bin that is updated with articles and pertinent information regarding consumerism and healthcare. Check the resource listings at the end of this guide for more ideas.
• Free handouts materials can be obtained from local non-profit agencies (American Red Cross, Heart Association, Cancer Society, Lung Association), and made available in employee areas. See website listings and other resources in the back of this guide for more ideas regarding no cost health resources.

New Year’s Resolution Bulletin Board

• Have workers voluntarily write down their health-related New Year’s resolutions on 3″ x 5″ index cards with their names on the back.
• Display the cards in the form of a collage on the wellness bulletin board.
• Leave the cards up for about two weeks, and then store them in a secure wellness file.
• Display the cards near the end of February to remind workers of their objectives and goals and self-commitments.
• Take the cards down again after another week and again store in a secure file.
• Mail the cards back to the individuals along with wellness program promotions or other information announcements at the end of March.
• During the year, continue to support wellness opportunities, reinforcement groups, or related activities.

The feasibility of worksite based wellness classes depends on the size of the workforce. Job Site programs really should be supported with an adequate number of interested staff members to keep a class going. Generally a certain level of employee involvement is also essential to be sure availability of facilities such as a room and equipment. There exist wide ranges of ongoing classes which can be available in the worksite, including aerobics, yoga, tai chi, stretching, weight management, stress management, tobacco cessation, and self defense.

Depending on results from an interest survey, offering an “introductory” mini class series regarding a topic of high interest might be a great starting idea. For example, offer a series of five beginning yoga classes to acquaint staff members with the posture and relaxation benefits of yoga. After an initial series, staff members may want to pursue something on their own in the neighborhood. Or, possibly an employee interest group could cultivate where interested staff members would pursue the chosen exercise as a group.

Who Pays for What When? (Employee Subsidies and Discounts)

Many workers and wellness teams are under the impression that the employer must pay for all wellness activities. Remember the employer is paying the bulk of the employee’s health and benefits package. When vacation time, insurance expenditures, and sick expenditures are all factored in, the average America employer spends very close to $10,000 per year per employee on related health, time off, and lost productiveness expenditures. Health is a personal responsibility and a gift we can all give to ourselves. Help workers expand their understanding and appreciation of self-care for their health by encouraging their share of accountability for healthy and safe living and working.

Other ways of financing workplace based wellness activities and to also “internally” excite staff members are included here:

Subsidies

If there is a budget but not proper space or employee to offer onsite classes that are available elsewhere (like Weight Watchers, health clubs exercise classes, Jazzercise, hospital community ed programs, etc.), a subsidy might be available to those who take advantage of these neighborhood resources. Establish instructions ahead of time about eligibility and maximum reimbursement, conditions for reimbursement, whether proof of participation is necessitated and what form it ought to take (receipts, log forms, etc). The wellness policy also needs to address whether someone is eligible one time only, once a year, every five years, etc. for reimbursements.
• Subsidies work best when the employee puts out the money and effort first, and then gets a partial reimbursement or completion gift based on some sort of attendance or participation completion.
• The reimbursement must be big enough to be worth the trouble of implementing the program, but should not cover the entire cost of the program.
• It’s simple to get carried away with mandating “proof” in these kinds of programs. Don’t make it too bureaucratic or no one will use it. It is significant to remember no matter how well your policies are set up, there will be individuals, usually very few, who cheat-that’s unavoidable and shouldn’t become the big focus of documentation requirements.
• Consider appropriate participation gifts in place of financial reimbursement. For example, if an employee meets attendance criteria for a stretching class, provide a stretching strap or yoga mat as the completion gift.
• Be sure to check with the senior staff group regarding policy for subsidies, tax reporting, etc.

Discounts and Donations

Employee discounts and donations can be sensitive areas for public employers and employees. In many jurisdictions, public employees are not allowed to receive any kind of special consideration, including discounts, from local employers, vendors, or providers. Be sure to check employer ethics and procurement policies before asking for discounts.

If management policy does allow for discounts and donations, the whole solicitation process needs to be conducted fairly and spelled out in writing. All interested, qualified vendors, and service providers ought to have a fair unbiased opportunity to participate if they so choose. No inappropriate advantages are given to one provider over another in terms of access to workers, publicity, etc. No vendor or service provider ought to be promised or guaranteed additional revenue, business, or anything else if they choose to voluntarily offer a donation or discount to workers.

Follow the same donation and/or solicitation policies when offering vendor door prizes or gifts at a employer-sponsored health & wellness fair.

Hollywood Stars or American Celebrities

This is another enjoyable exercise focusing on healthy weight loss or maintenance.

• Members choose a secret code name (the name of a Hollywood star or other celebrity).
• Members weigh in with a “trusted” confident in private – at which time a healthy weight goal is set for the course of the contest.
• Post a chart with everyone’s secret name assigning each a beginning weight of zero.
• Participants weigh themselves every week and turn in the weight with their code name on the sheet.
• Weight is reported in relation to a beginning weight of zero. For example +4 would mean a weight gain of four pounds; while -2 would indicate a weight loss of two pounds.
• Future weigh-ins should be in relation to the starting weight, not the previous week’s weight.
• The chart is kept up to date and posted in public by the Worksite Wellness Program Committee.
• Post a “weight control hint of the week” next to the tracking chart.
• Offer “take one” handouts on weight management education or motivational tips by the chart.
• Celebrate employee progress at the end of the activity.

Wellness Book/Journal Club and/or Book Exchange

Similar to any other book discussion group, the readings and focus of this group is health. With a broad “health” definition, countless subjects could be appropriate including communication, self-improvement, relationships, money management, environment, ecology, recreation, cooking, etc. Let the group choose the issues and books. Another suggested idea is to establish a book swap area where readers can trade the book(s) for those that others have left for trade.

Pre-Work Stretching Group

A couple of minutes of gentle stretching is an effective way to safely begin the workday. A professional fitness instructor may be asked in to instruct proper stretching techniques. Following that, most often an internal group is able to meet and run independently. Offer periodic refresher sessions with the trainer or instructor to vary the routine and help keep participants motivated.

Considerations for workplace stretching:
• Make sure you work with your Upper Management Team for stretching endorsement.
• Stretches should be taught by a knowledgeable and qualified person.
• Even though pre-work stretches are done on an employee’s personal time, the question of organization liability will probably arise, especially if someone reports an associated stretching injury. Check with your employer’s legal counsel and/or contact your organization workers’ compensation provider to assist in design of an employee release of liability waiver.

Job Site Chair Massage

Bring in a certified massage therapist to provide chair massage at the employees’ expense. These massages are done totally clothed with the recipient seated in a chair. The therapist brings in a special chair that totally supports the neck and shoulders while an upper body massage is given. Sessions are usually 15 minutes, with a mean cost between $12.00 – $15.00 per session. Post a sign up sheet with appointments at intervals recommended by the therapist. Be sure the therapist is certified. It will be essential to support a private space. A group of “regulars” may evolve which might establish a regular massage schedule. Obtain an agreement with upper management so employees can trade massage time for coffee or personal break time.  Note: upper management may want the therapist to supply proof of liability insurance.

Art at Work

Art can be an effective way to nurture employees’ creative side and help them manage stress at the same time. Bring in various art and craft supplies once a month and allow the creative juices flow. If participants are willing, have a temporary “art show” later on. Or, feature employee creativity during certain months or times of the year. Urge staff members to post their art in their personal work areas.

Healthy Email-a-Week

Set up an email list of coworkers who want to receive an inspirational, funny or educational health quote, thought, tip or idea once a week by email. Ask participants of the Corporate Wellness Program Committee to collect ideas initially, and then ask the participants of the email list to contribute ideas and information as time goes on. Follow all employer rules concerning work time and email protocols.

Hobby Show or Demonstrations

Hobbies are great stress management tools. Urge workers to show off their talents by sponsoring a “hobby fair” or demonstration. Distribute a sign up sheet. See who would be willing to bring in samples of their hobby, and maybe even do a live demonstration. Fairs or demonstrations can be scheduled as a group activity or brown bag that allows interested workers to interact. Or, hobby sharing can be done in groupings by topic over a scheduled period of time, allowing for a brief presentation and/or demonstration on the part of the hobbyist.

Brown bag presentations are a good way to create awareness about selected health issues. Community health professionals will frequently support presentations of a half hour or less at no charge. Use employee interest surveys to follow up on employee interests that are expressed. The definition of health is broad, so brown bag presentations may also cover a wide variety of issues. Topics may include physical, mental, emotional, women’s health, men’s health, monetary health, etc.

Considerations for brown bag presentations:
• Brown bag sessions are great for awareness building. This seed planting process can help workers become more proactive about healthy choices.
• Do not schedule the program for the full hour – usually 40 minutes or so works best. This will provide folks with a chance to come and go, grab a quick bite, ask questions, etc.
• If the subject matter is sensitive, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, etc., people may be reluctant to attend for fear of being associated publicly with the issue. They will, however, attend if the focus is on assisting family members, coworkers, etc.
• Be sure that employees hear valuable information and will leave with tools and resources to carry out the message. Work with the presenter on information strategies that work for your employee group.
• Promotional materials ought to publicize the program with a name that speaks to the brown bag focus. Include all other pertinent information such as where, who, when, etc.
• Some issues that can’t be covered in one session could be available in a short series. It will work best to schedule one session each week instead of several sessions in one week. For example, you might offer a 3-week series on healthy eating instead of trying to cram all the information into one session.
• A clever title can attract participants to the event. An example of this would be calling lunchtime presentations “Noonlighting”
• If possible, support a no cost healthy snack for employees who attend.
• To maintain momentum, try setting up a routine monthly time and day for lunchtime courses.
• If employees work in shift or are in work groups in different geographical locations, devise a plan that offers equal attendance opportunity to all.

Resources:

1. Please see the idea list at the end of this guide which offers a variety of resource issues of interest to workers.
2. Every area has many professionals, experts, or specialists from voluntary groups (heart, cancer, lung associations), special interest groups (Y’s, Red Cross, Weight Watcher’s, Safety Council, Alcoholics Anonymous), or the local health department as possibilities to present workplace sessions free or at a low cost. Many of these contacts will also provide inexpensive materials.
3. Topic videos can be utilized for a brown bag session.

Often individuals avoid low fat foods because they think these foods do not taste good. To help inform staff members, purchase a variety of low fat foods and put them out in a conference room for an hour or so for a drop-in tasting session. Or, arrange for low-fat potlucks encouraging staff members to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthy dishes.

Considerations:
• Make sure the selections actually taste good.
• Offer a “fact sheet” with the names and price of the various products to help participants if they want to purchase these products from the grocery store.
• Give other written information on good nutrition for any interested participants to take. Utilize websites and other resources listed in the Resource Section at the end of this guide.
• Give small tasting spoons or wooden ice cream tasters.
• It doesn’t take much of each item to give participants a taste of the meals or dish. It is not significant to buy enough, or bring enough, food to offer a meal.
• Plan the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.
• Watch for overly sugary items…sometimes low fat means elevated sugar – so be sure to look at the label.
• Examples of purchases for a worksite sampling might include: 2 boxes of low fat crackers, a package of low fat cheese, a box of low fat cookies, two or three low fat spreads such as hummus, low fat cream cheese, a package of honey nut or other flavored rice crackers, and one or two other low fat items.
• Put signs on the table politely reminding participants that the idea is to sample, not have a meal.
• Provide a beverage such as a new kind of fruit juice or herbal tea.

Group support and encouragement can be very beneficial in supporting workers make healthy changes. Create situations, peer groups, or information avenues where the expertise and experiences of coworkers can be shared with others. Some ideas for offering workplace support for healthy changes include:

• Staff Members can be asked to voluntarily submit recommendations, advice, and strategies related to particular healthy practices they have successfully implemented in their lives. For example, ex-smokers can be asked to submit recommendations about what worked for them when they quit; then those ideas can be shared in newsletters, brochures, classes, etc.
• Topics like weight management, stress management, managing change, increasing exercise, etc. lend themselves to this development of collective wisdom sharing.
• Behavior change backing groups, created based on employee interest in making healthy change, can meet on regularly to share ideas, resources, support, etc. Company Wellness Programs can offer some help and facilitation in getting a group going. The group then itself takes charge of keeping the group going. Periodically the wellness program can offer to bring in a presenter on a topic relevant to the group. Be sure to help the group set ground rules that everyone agrees to before the group is left on its own.

A health & wellness fair is an opportune way to familiarize workers with health problems and related wellness programs. During a health & wellness fair workers might be able to obtain resource materials; participate in available health screenings (vision, hearing, blood, blood lipids, cancer, dental, etc.); observe demonstrations on the use of exercise equipment; attend mini-classes on various health topics; get free promotional materials from local employers; try healthy foods; and pick up information about their health benefit plan.

Some companies hold a “health & benefit fair” which includes vendors representing the various employee benefit plans (long-term disability, retirement, etc.) available to employees through their employer.

Considerations when coordinating a wellness fair:

• Setting up a efficacious health & wellness fair takes extensive time. Time concerns should be taken into account in planning and organizing such an event. The most time consuming part is generally contacting potential participants, making arrangements for their participation, confirming their participation, and setting up the day of the event.
• Sufficient space, tables and chairs must be on hand to allow for the number of vendors invited. Some vendors may have portable displays or materials that will require additional space, access to electrical outlets, or other logistical considerations that must be discussed prior to the wellness fair.
• Vendors will be looking to make contact with as many persons as possible during the event. Securing their commitment to future wellness fairs requires that every effort be made to encourage participation by publicizing the event, selecting the proper venue, and offering incentives and rewards.
• If possible, locate the wellness fair in an area with heavy foot traffic.
• Ask vendors to supply no cost materials at their table and to make a donation to a prize drawing. Follow all employer policies when seeking donations.
• As an idea to stimulate employee participation and to maintain high interest levels, each attendee might be given a “passport”, similar to a bingo card, to be signed by each vendor. The signed passport becomes the ticket for the prize drawings. Such drawings should take place every 15 or 30 minutes.
• Consider teaming up with neighboring corporations to stage a health & wellness fair. A group effort will distribute the work and maximize participation.

Ideas for a Benefits Fair:

Include representatives from each of your employee benefits provider groups. Ask each vendor to be prepared to answer employee questions concerning their program. Representatives could include:

• Retirement plan representative.
• Long-term disability plan representative.
• Health plan representative.
• Health Benefits representative.
• Contract cell phone representative (if applicable).
• Local savings and loan or credit union representative.
• Workers’ compensation representative.

Limited Space for a Health Fair: If space is limited host the fair at lunchtime time. Place stations in corporation hallways or in individual small conference or office rooms scattered throughout the building. Offer a map with all the stations listed. Hold a free drawing awarding a prize for anyone who goes to 75 percent of the stations. Use a punch card or similar method to verify.

Resources for health & benefit fairs coordination:

Assume a broad definition of “health” and reflect that by including a variety of vendors and services involved with physical, mental, economic and social health; for example, health agencies, safety corporations, benefits providers, local health care facilities, recreational facilities, parks, monetary planners, childcare referrals, EAP, health clubs, health food stores, library, alternative and complementary medicine providers, etc.