Wellness Library

How does it feel to walk into your worksite? Do people look happy? Is the place illuminated and cheerful? Do you feel welcome, wanted and energized? Or do you feel a dark cloud come over you, and count the hours until you are able to leave?
The impact of the worksite environment on the health & wellness of workers is huge. First there is the physical look, feel, smell, and sounds of the place. Then you’re affected by the policies, like whether others are allowed to light up around you. After a while, more subtle factors begin to affect you. Do your attempts to adopt a healthier lifestyle get recognized at work, or are they sabotaged? Are your managers inspiring you by being healthy role models? Do you get regular opportunities to discover healthier behaviors?
In a supportive environment, staff members feel that the business they work for provides them with encouragement, opportunity, and rewards for healthy lifestyles. And the spirit that results is highly contagious. Staff Members who feel cared are naturally more loyal and productive.
The following ideas will help you change your workplace environment into one that actually supports the wellness of your employees and organization.

Worksite Health Promotion Program Ideas for Creating Supportive Environments

Wellness Friendly Facilities

When you enter a workplace, do you feel comfortable? Could you be happy working there? Is there sufficient light and clean air? Are there pleasant work areas, places to eat decent meals, take a walk before lunch? Close your eyes. How does it smell? Sound? Do the staff members have sufficient space?
• Vending machines with healthy meal choices like non-fat milk, fruits, sugar-free and caffeine-free beverages and low-calorie snacks
• Workout area, walking paths, playing fields, basketball hoop, or other exercise opportunities worksite or nearby
• Cafeteria offers healthy foods that may include a salad bar with low-fat dressing
• Natural light is used whenever possible; all lighting is appropriate and adequate
• Heating and ventilation is adjustable, comfortable and healthful
• No cigarette machines, ashtrays, or smoking areas onsite
• Noise levels are safe and supportive of concentration
• Work station furniture conforms to ergometric standards
• Safety risks have been eliminated
• Lockers and showers are available for employees who exercise before work or during breaks
• Stairs are clean and well lit, convenient and pleasant to use
Familiarity can make it tough to evaluate a workplace. People get used to stressful conditions and forget that conditions ever bothered them. It might provce useful to ask someone who is unfamiliar with your workplace to walk through with you. Professional consultants can also help.

Proactive Wellness Policies

One clear way to influence behavior is through policies and procedures. If nurses aren’t permitted to work more than twelve hours in a row, there will be fewer medication errors. If parents are afforded flextime to address their children’s needs, they’ll be less stressed. If staff members have the potential to apply unused sick days to planned vacation time, they’ll save them up instead of calling in sick to utilize them all.

Supportive corporate policies may include:

• Safety Belt use required in organization vehicles
• Alcohol and drug policies are appropriate to the industry
• Emergency procedures are developed, known, and practiced
• Flexible work schedules allow staff members to exercise, attend children’s school conferences, etc.
• Nonsmoking policy is enforced
• Excessive overtime is discouraged
• Membership at fitness facility is partially reimbursed
• Shift employees are scheduled to allow adequate rest
• Medical Costs coverage rewards great health
• Absenteeism policy rewards staff members who don’t use sick days
• EAP ready to help staff members with chemical dependencies, depression, family issues
• Meaningful consequences are used for unsafe, unhealthy, prohibited behavior.  Your employer may have a policy concerning alcohol use during work hours, but if everyone looks the other way when someone comes back from lunch reeking of beer, the culture is one that permits drinking at lunch-and one in which written policies have the potential to be safely ignored. Prohibited behaviors must be confronted promptly. Otherwise your policies become mere lip service rather than springboards to health.

Consistent Recognition And Rewards For Success

Attention, praise, and rewards are given for wellness achievements.
You are able to show you value the Corporate Health Promotion Programs by celebrating your programs and those who’ve made lifestyle improvements in business newsletters, on bulletin boards, and at yearly banquets, gatherings, and celebrations. Incentives are a direct way to show appreciation, too.
Wellness mentors are sought and applauded, too. Staff Members who support others’ efforts to improve their health are noticed and appreciated. Peer modeling and mentoring classes can encourage those who enjoy assisting others to step forward into a new role.

Managers Model And Support Healthy Behavior

Nothing might say “We promote you to exercise frequently” better than a manager going on a bike ride during the lunch hour–or your supervisor sitting next to you in a weight management class. Wellness activities reward relaxed interaction between people from different departments and at different levels in the chain of command. That promotes relaxed communication and a feeling of solidarity that is pure gold.
Managers might also provide support for workers who are working on improving their health. It doesn’t take anything fancy-just a “good job” or “nice to see you at the gym” can put a glow on the cheeks of most of us.
Managers might also help by allowing employees the flexibility to go to wellness activities.

Ongoing Employee Wellness Programs

It’s valuable to give staff members the sense that the wellness program is a permanent and valuable part of the employer, not a employer fad. That can begin as soon as a new employee is hired.
New employees are oriented to the wellness program as one of the employee benefits. Information about the program must be presented by an enthusiastic and knowledgeable person who encourages the new employee to participate.
The workers are familiar with the ongoing wellness programs.
The wellness programs and wellness coordinator are well known in the business. Opportunities to participate are abundant and it’s easy to sign up.
A wide variety of awareness classes are available. There are subject matters of interest for everyone.

These are fun and simple programs that are able to be done within your business to arouse healthy lifestyles during a contest or during other times. The goal is to bolster employee participation. Some examples:
• Organize a sub-committee of enthusiastic staff members who will help promote the exercise program by offering ideas, ideas and encouragement to fellow staff members.
• Establish monthly mailbox flyers to encourage a contest or offer fitness-related education/encouragement information.
• Send a weekly voicemail on each participant’s telephone with encouraging wellness messages.
• Make available regular cumulative health progress reports.
• Offer reduced fat or heart-healthy lunch selections once a week in your cafeteria or have staff members bring a healthy snack to share, with a recipe book compiled at the end of the contest or specified time period (such as a National Nutrition Month in March).
• Distribute employee gifts (pedometers or other novelty item related to some aspect of your contest theme) as registration begins.
• Allocate for workers “Fitness 15-Minute Walk Breaks;” corporation time to walk, exercise, etc. If appropriate, you might use a space not currently used to set up a treadmill, elliptical, bicycle, some no cost weights and meditation music.
• Hold a T-shirt design contest.
• Establish posters to map contest (or fitness) progress and to serve as reminder of your objectives and goals:
   • Use push pins or other identifiers for each individual to display in the office showing how they have progressed – employees have the potential to get very creative with this and design pins that reflect their personalities.
   • Use a bar graph to compare progress.
   • Use a “thermometer” type graphic and color in progress – consider a different, health-related graphic all together and color it in as you progress.
• Offer aerobic dance or physical activity videos in your conference or break rooms.
• Compile a list of organized events in the community that offer opportunities to get employees working out by participating as a group (below are just a few):
   • Race For The Cure
   • March of Dimes Walk America event
   • Juvenile Diabetes Research
   • Foundation Walk to Cure
   • American Heart Association’s Heart Walk
   • American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life
   • American Lung Association’s Lung Run
   • Local marathons or special general area walks or runs
• Establish or catch a health-and-fitness workshop or retreat.
• Hold a soup-and-salad luncheon followed by a hula-hoop contest!
• Use the mall as an alternate walking location during inclement weather.
• Establish “Move it Mondays” – allow workers to take an extra ten minutes at lunchtime for physical activity.
• Create “Tasty Tuesdays” – provide staff members with low-calorie treats/snacks.
• Create “Walking Wednesdays”- allow employees to take an extra 10 minutes at lunchtime to walk, or “Wacky Wednesdays” that allow employees to explore new exercises.
• Create “Thirsty Thursdays” – make healthy smoothies or juice drinks for employees.
• Designate “Fresh Fruit Fridays” for employee – offer seasonal produce treats.
• Send weekly exercise tips to employees via the most effective communications vehicle in your workplace.
• Partner with another organization representative for local media events coordinated through your advertising or communication department.
• Encourage departmental teams to challenge each other (examples: Customer Service, Marketing, Health Support).
• Create walking clubs with executive/supervisory leadership.
• Seek out local aerobic opportunities or classes through churches, community groups, college, YMCA, etc.
• Contact several local area health clubs and ask if they can or will offer group discounts for physical activity programs, waive enrollment fees, or set up a 12-week program as opposed to signing an extended contract.
• Have a Frozen Yogurt Social – “Reap the Benefits of Fitness.”
• Map out a walking track around the building including the number of laps necessitated for one mile.

These are concise informational “Health Tips” in an e-mail format on many different health-related issues. You can appoint someone within your business to find specific issues on the Internet from sites that are in the public domain or issues can be purchased from businesses. Some qualified sources include:
• Hope Health
• Sound Ideas, Inc.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Institutes of Health

These e-mails can be sent daily, weekly or monthly. Our experience indicates weekly is the best frequency.

If the majority of your workers do not have e-mail, consider offering the information to them through:
• Bulletin boards
• Check stuffers
• Mailbox stuffers
• Newsletters

SAMPLE #1 Job Site Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Worksite Health Promotion Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Layering for Exercise

One way to help ensure enjoyment of a winter walk (or run) is to make sure you’re dressed properly for the weather. And the secret to that, for a winter workout, is to dress in layers.
Layer 1 — Avoid 100 percent cotton in the first layer, next to your skin. Cotton holds moisture. Wear underwear made from manmade fabrics to wick perspiration away from skin.
Layer 2 — A zippered sweatshirt and sweatpants will keep you warm. Just open the zipper if you get too warm.
Layer 3 — If required, over the sweatsuit, you have the potential to add a waterproof and windproof jacket. If it’s very cold, you may want to wear a jacket made with goose down.
Hands — Mittens will keep your hands warmer than gloves.
Feet — Wear socks made from wool or manmade fabrics that keep your feet dry and warm. Avoid 100 percent cotton socks. Don’t wear sneakers or boots that fit too tightly … this will restrict blood flow and your feet will end up feeling colder.
Head — About 40% of your body’s heat is lost through your head. Wear a hat and cover your ears.
Lips — Don’t forget lip balm containing sunscreen … even in winter!

SAMPLE #2 Job Site Wellness E-mail Messages

From: Company Wellness Program
To: Wellness Team
Subject: Energy Boosts

Need a boost of energy? Here are some ideas for tapping into your own energy sources — and most require little effort.
• Get an extra hour of sleep. No surprise here — it has the potential to make a tremendous difference in your energy level the next day.
• Eat less more frequently. Have small, balanced meals or snacks throughout your day for a steady supply of fuel and energy. Make note of which foods seem to boost your energy level.
• Drink enough water. Dehydration leads to to fatigue, which you are able to offset by drinking water throughout the day.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. Both have the potential to contribute to dehydration and fatigue. They also seem to disrupt sleep patterns.

Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are learning sessions planned and organized by you to meet specific goals and objectives. Decide on a topic and choose a speaker. Choose a site for the “Lunch and Learn” session, usually a lunchroom or break room. Depending upon your budget and objectives, staff members are able to brown bag the lunch or you might provide the meal. Meetings are able to be mandatory or elective, your choice.
Experience tells us the most success will be seen if these Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs are elective and if the employer supplies lunch.
Goals for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Sessions

Education on a specific health problem. You may want to choose one of your group’s top diagnoses. Examples are:
• Diabetes – diabetes prevention and care by a certified diabetic educator
• Cardiovascular disease – cardiovascular health (individual counseling sessions with a dietician)
• High Blood Pressure
• High cholesterol
• Flu and pneumonia
• Breast cancer – breast health or breast self-exam sessions have the potential to be taught by a trained instructor

Education on medical insurance benefits:
• Diabetes – what are the covered benefits, where to purchase diabetic supplies, support groups for employees with diabetes.
• Worksite Wellness Program Benefits
• Well baby/child care.

Education on the significance of enrolling in your health plan or local health department’s health education programs or disease management programs. Example programs:
• Diabetes
• Respiratory
• Low-Back Pain
• Cardiovascular
• Tobacco use

Community Resource Speakers for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs
• Local health plan office
• Local heart association
• Local cancer society
• Pharmacies – many pharmacists are available to speak on pharmacy-related concerns.
• Prescription Drug Organizations – many employers have standard presentations developed for employers that are provided free of charge to use at your own direction. Some examples are:
   • Know Your Numbers (elevated blood lipids) – Pfizer
   • Respiratory Wellness (flu and pneumonia) – Pfizer
   • Men’s and Women’s Health – Pfizer
• Local gyms/personal trainers/YMCA – have the potential to discuss walking safety, benefits of walking, swimming and aerobics.
• Yoga and/or Pilates instructors
• Running, cycling club representatives
• Local dieticians
• Stamp Out Smoking – Tobacco Coalition representatives

Topics for Wellness Seminars / Lunch and Learn Programs

• Bicycling – benefits and opportunities for cycling
• Nutrition and health (Heart Healthy lunch for all attendees)
• Cardiovascular health
• Women’s health problems
• How to recognize the signs and symptoms of heart attack and stroke
• National Employee Fitness Day within the office setting – Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness representatives can encourage event
• Exercise tolerance and healthy heart concerns
• Initiating an exercise program – include the significance of seeing the doctor prior to the beginning of any new exercise program
• Self-defense
• Domestic abuse
• Safety in general
• Exercise safety
• Walking/running benefits and safety tips Tobacco dangers and avoidance

Conducting an Employee Fitness Challenge at your workplace is a fun and exciting way to raise awareness among staff members about the significance of beginning and sustaining an physical activity program. It is a concentrated effort in which to engage them in physical exercise for a specific time period that, hopefully, will help them begin a healthy habit that will last a lifetime.
Still, it is valuable to take part in wellness year-round. This section supports a all-inclusive list of Employee Wellness Program ideas that have been implemented within wellness programs.
All ideas presented in this section have been successful for one or both of the entities. Each exercise/idea can be used as a stand-alone event, even if you don’t conduct a fitness contest, or can be held in conjunction with your Employee Fitness Contest.
You may want to choose some of the ideas you believe will work for your workers or come up with others and begin your program to create a better state of health.

Research studies have repeatedly established that comprehensive Company Wellness Programs, or Company Wellness Programs, have the potential to reduce health care and insurance costs, cut down on absenteeism, and improve performance and productiveness. Other advantages established in studies include improved ability to attract and retain key personnel, greater employee allegiance, and improved public perception of the business.

Health Care and Insurance expenditures

A number of studies offer evidence of lower medical and insurance costs for participants in Workplace Health Promotion Programs, particularly wellness programs involving physical activity.

For $30 per person, the Bank of America implemented a Worksite Wellness Program for retirees using a risk assessment questionnaire, self-care books and other mailed materials. Insurance claims were reduced an average of $164 per year in this group while they increased $15 for the control group. Since they were able to document significant changes in risk behavior, they anticipate greater savings in future years.

Pacific Bell’s FitWorks participants claim $300 less per case for a one-year savings of $700,000. Savings for conditions related to a sedentary lifestyle are $722 per case.

Coca Cola stated a decrease in health care|medical|medical care|healthcare} claims with an physical activity program alone, saving $500 per employee per year for the workers (60%) who joined their HealthWorks exercise program. Prudential Insurance Organization reports that the organization’s major medical costs dropped from $574 to $312 for each attendant in its wellness program.

Decreased Rates of Absenteeism

Absenteeism has been demonstrated to be impacted by wellness programs. The evidence indicates a significant decline in absenteeism and resultant dollars saved as a result of employee fitness programs.

Pacific Bell’s FitWorks program diminished absent days .8 percent to save $2 million in one year. FitWorks members also spent 3.3 days less on short-term disability for an additional savings of $4.7 million.

Focusing Corporate Wellness Program efforts on high-risk employees is able to lead to better results. A national manufacturing corporation reports a reduction of 12.2 percent in illness days for these employees.

A two-year study by The DuPont Corporation of the significance of its all-inclusive Employee Wellness Program on absences among staff members reports that blue-collar staff members at intervention sites had a 14 percent decline in disability days vs. 5.8 percent decline for controls. There were a total of 11,726 fewer net disability days.

Enhanced Performance, Productivity and Morale

A number of employers with Company Wellness Programs report documented improvement in job attitude, work performance, energy level, and/or overall morale among program participants–all critical factors in enhancing productiveness.

A Johnson & Johnson study saw that employee attitude changes were greater at Workplace Health Promotion Program intervention sites with significant beneficial attitude changes noted in the categories of corporation commitment, supervision, working conditions, job competence/security, and pay/benefits.

In a Canadian government study, the Canada Life Assurance Organization experimental group realized a 4% rise in productiveness after starting a employer physical activity program, compared to the control group. Further, 47% of program participants reported that they felt more alert, had better rapport with their co-workers, and generally enjoyed their work more.

Swedish investigators saw that mental success was significantly better in physically fit staff members than in non-fit staff members. Fit staff members committed 27 percent fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and short-term memory, as compared with the success of non-fit staff members.

The Bottom Line

The following sample of Worksite Wellness Programs wellness program results have been published by individual employers:

Organization: Dollars Saved/Dollars Spent

• Bank of America (Fries): $5.96/$1
• PacBell: $3.10/$1
• Wisconsin School District Insurance Group: $4.47/$1
• Prudential Insurance: $2.90/$1
• Bank of America (Leigh): $4.73/$1
• General Mills: $3.50/$1

Summary

There is mounting evidence that a large portion of the billions of dollars now being invested by employers on health-related expenditures is preventable by means of Company Wellness Programs. Well-planned, comprehensive Company Wellness Programs (Company Wellness Programs and Company Wellness Programs) have been shown to be cost-effective, especially when the Company Wellness Programs is matched to the health concerns of the specific employee.

Free Company Health Promotion Programs and Low Cost Health Management Alternatives

Design a no cost Corporate Wellness Program or run a efficacious health management program in the office for little or no expense to your employer. The advantages of workplace wellness and learning how to start a health management program at work are many. The articles on health management have generated a variety of questions, mostly from wellness providers but also from corporations trying to start their own wellness workplace programs. There are a number of things to do to start a efficacious health management program at work.

Suggestions for Starting a Free or Low Cost Employee Health Promotion Program

Before starting an inexpensive or free wellness program for your organization, learn more about what staff members desire. Survey staff members to learn more about their wellness concerns. Keep the survey confidential to safeguard employees’ identities. Typically the most popular workplace wellness topics are tobacco cessation, weight loss concerns and heart and blood lipid health.

Look for Employee Health Promotion Program Freebies

Look for who will come in for no cost to talk to employees and look into partnerships with outside agents linked with workplace wellness. By way of example, contact a local branch of a well-known weight loss organization and ask if someone can come in and talk to employees. Look for agencies that are willing to come in and talk about subject matters related to wellness at no cost to employees, in exchange for something from you.

Find Employee Health Promotion Program Partnerships

Working with a weight loss corporation to set up a speaking engagement for staff members is an excellent opportunity to explore a potential wellness partnership. The weight loss corporation may say that if ten staff members join the program, they will have weekly gatherings at corporation headquarters for the people who joined. The weight loss group also might offer corporation staff members a discount if several people join the program.

Nonprofits an Untapped Health Leadership Resource

There are also plenty of nonprofit agencies who would be thrilled to visit a employer to discuss health management. But it’s up to you to offer them something in return. For example, if the MS Society came in and talked about the signs of MS, the employer might offer to organize an MS walk (in keeping with employer health management goals/objectives, right?), or an auction with employee and employer-donated items where the proceeds go to MS. The people at the nonprofit agencies would be glad to open a dialog with your employer and to talk about what they would want in return for a speaking engagement. In countless cases, they won’t need anything at all for a first meeting.

Collecting Data and Reviewing Company Wellness Program Results

Collecting data and analyzing results of a Worksite Wellness Program can be tricky because of HIPPA laws. Still, if at least 10 staff members joined the weight loss program, or 20 people participate daily in the all-new “Let’s Walk a Mile at Lunch” program, that sort of progress can speak strongly to management. And, employer successes will potentially give management more incentive to provide money for additional health management and Worksite Wellness Programs in the future.

Small business wellness programs are catching on. A well-designed wellness program has the potential to increase productivity, boost morale and vitality, reduce stress, cut absenteeism, and control preventable healthcare expenditures within a business. The beauty of it is that you’re simply supporting workers to make smart choices so the expenditures of implementing a wellness program are minimal compared to the benefits.

Employee health is a major problem for small company owners. In a small company, even a few sick staff members have the potential to disrupt the flow of the workplace and bring the operation to a standstill.

Rather than sitting back and hoping for the best, some small company owners are taking the matter of employee health into their own hands by starting Worksite Health Promotion Programs. Here’s how they work.

Overview of Worksite Wellness Programs

Employee wellness programs are programs initiated by the employer to better the overall health of their labor force and to help individual workers overcome specific health-related hurdles. These programs have the potential to be provided in a variety of formats: In mandatory employee training meetings, as voluntary sessions, or through an outside provider offering a wide-range of EAPs.

In every case, however, the organization foots the bill for the programs because an investment in employee health is a organization cost that directly impacts the organization’s bottom line.

Why offer Workplace Health Promotion Programs?

Apart from the obvious issue for the health of your workers, there are numerous other reasons why Worksite Wellness Programs make sense for small businesses. Right off the bat, your employer will profit from the decreased level of absenteeism that goes hand in hand with a healthy workforce.

Company Health Promotion Programs will also cut the number of injuries that occur in the workplace, not just from accidents, but also from repetitive motion and other recurring sources. Since even a minor blip in worker attendance is able to have a big impact on a small employer, a more reliable workforce will eventually translate into a smoother work cycle and a more robust bottom line.

Workplace Health Promotion Program Features

Company Health Promotion Programs can cover a broad range of health-related topics. Based on your workers’ needs, it’s completely up to you to figure out the kind of programming you wish to offer. However, most Company Health Promotion Programs offer some at least some programs in the following areas:

• Nutrition. Diet can significantly influence an employee’s ability to do their job effectively. Nutritional programs educate employees about diet options and equip them to make healthy dietary choices.
• Physical Fitness. In addition to diet, exercise is an valuable factor in a healthy lifestyle. Worksite Health Promotion Programs frequently support employees with opportunities to incorporate exercise into their daily lives.
• Tobacco Cessation. Statistics prove that tobacco users tend to fall ill more frequently than their non-smoking peers. Since sick staff members disrupt the workplace, tobacco cessation programs are a no-brainer for both employers and staff members.
• Physiological Testing. Many employers offer physiological as a regular part of their wellness programs. Cholesterol tests, Blood Pressure screenings, and other simple exams can provide early warning signs for more weighty problems.
• Stress Management. Stress itself takes a toll on workers. Nonetheless, stress is also linked to other health problems such as depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Employee Health Promotion Programs that help workers deal with stress better not only the psychological health of your workers, but their physical health, too.

Develop a Corporation Worksite Wellness Program for Your Workers Today

The benefits to starting a workplace wellness and health program are abounding.

A few corporate wellness and health tips to get employees started on the path to a healthier lifestyle:

1. Look around, and determine if staff members lead a healthy lifestyle before starting an Workplace Wellness Program. How many staff members run outside during lunch for a smoke break? Would a smoking cessation program help? How often do the junk food-laden snack machines have to be replenished? Is anyone working out or taking advantage of local walking trails as part of their healthy living goals? The answers to these questions will give businesses a better idea of the Workplace Wellness Program that’s right for them.

2. Survey staff members to determine their healthy lifestyle habits. Are they exercising regularly? Eat three square meals a day? Have regular physicals? Really? Then what planet are they on? Because we would love to visit! A corporate wellness program benefits most employers because staff members don’t have the time or energy to stay on top of wellness and health problems at work or when they leave the office to go home.

3. Give Workplace Health Promotion Programs a tremendous kick-off with a healthy living “fair.” Provide employees no cost flu shots, Blood Pressure (BP) checks, blood lipid screenings, body/fat ratio assessments, tobacco cessation programs and no cost mammograms- and contact the local hospital, because there’s plenty more where this came from. Employers keep their employees hopping during the week. Give employees a chance to increase their healthy lifestyle on the business dime. A corporate health & wellness program is an additional benefit that employees receive for working for the business!

4. Incent to live- offer cash money for staff members to lose weight, commit to a smoking cessation program and generally enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Encourage humankind’s innate competitive nature by offering prizes for health & wellness employee “winners.” And, bolster a healthier lifestyle by sponsoring staff members who wish to enter a local 5K for charity race, run a marathon or play a sport.

Introduction to Workplace Wellness Programs

The previous ten years has brought major changes in business attitudes toward Corporate Wellness Programs. Interest in self-help and self-care programs has increased as growth in medical costs have encroached substantially into profits. Changes in the business structures of medical facilities, in particular the growth of the for-profit medical sector, and the need to contain costs are changing the ways in which purchasers of medical plans are viewing their own efforts toward provision of workplace medical programs and facilities. Projections for the next decade indicate that workplace health programs will continue to become important factors in the provision of medical, including prevention activities, for both government and private industry. In corporations with existing Corporate Wellness Programs, administrative rationale for sponsoring these activities ranged from improving employee health (28%) to improving employee morale (9.7%). Programs include interventions associated with safety, health risk assessment, tobacco cessation, Blood Pressure (BP) control, diet programs and stress management. Benefits cited range from improved health and work rate to reducing medical costs.

Demographics of the U.S. Workforce
• 110 million Americans were in the civilian labor force in 1981; by the year 2000 the civilian labor force is expected to be nearly 140 million.
• 44% of the 1984 labor force was female; 10% was Black.
• The median age of the workforce is 32 years and is expected to rise to 32 years by 2030.
• 57.9 percent of all employees work in companies with between 2 and 500 employees; 45 percent work in companies with fewer than 100 employees. An additional 7.5 million Americans are self-employed and 3 million are farmers.
• 18% of all wage and salaried staff members in 1985 were union members.
• 45 percent of all workers are employed in offices.

Prevalence of Workplace Health Promotion Programs Activities

Based on a 1985 survey, almost 66 percent of worksites with 50 or more employees had Workplace Wellness Programs activities in 1985.  The frequency of worksite-based activities by selected categories in 1985 was:

Activity

Smoking Control       35.6 percent
Health Risk Assessment    29.5%
Back Care             28.6 percent
Stress Management       26.6 percent
Exercise             22.1 percent
Off the Job Accidents    19.8%
Nutrition             16.8 percent
Blood Pressure (BP) Control    16.5 percent
Weight Control          14.7%

Worksite size is the strongest indicator of program prevalence.

Most staff members believe the benefits of their Workplace Health Promotion Programs activities outweigh the costs, although few formal evaluations exist.

The most usually given reason for starting programs and perceived profit from programs is improved employee health.

At most worksites with activities (85.4%), all staff members are eligible to take part. 30 percent of worksites with activities offer them to company dependents, and an equal percent offer them to retirees.

When worksites seek outside program assistance, they turn to voluntary, not-for-profit organizations (57.1%), private for-profit providers-consultants (50%), local hospitals (44%), and insurance organizations (43%).

Smoking Cessation Programs

Smoking related health concerns cost American corporations $26 billion per year in lost productiveness and $7 to $8 billion in tobacco-related health care expenditures.

Employees who use tobacco are 50 percent more likely to be hospitalized than people that do not use tobacco, have 2 times as many job-related accidents as people that do not use tobacco and have absenteeism rates approximately 50 percent higher than people that do not use tobacco.

People who smoked an average of one or more packs of cigarettes per day had 118 percent higher health care expenses than nonsmokers.

76 percent of current smokers and 80 percent of former smokers and non-smokers feel that businesses must restrict smoking to certain areas.

In 1985, 65% of smokers, 85% of nonsmokers and 78% of former smokers, felt that smokers ought to refrain from smoking in the presence of nonsmokers.

In 1986, 17 states had laws regulating smoking in offices or workplaces either in government-controlled offices or offices of private workers.

Examples of smoking cessation intervention program used by employers include:

• making available nonsmokers a discount of health and life insurance;
• paying full or partial fees for smoking cessation programs;
• offering cessation programs on organization or shared time;
• providing cash payments to quitters after 6 of 12 smoke-free months;
• participating in national quit smoking days; and
• adopting a smoke-free employer policy and setting deadlines for implementing the policy.

Physical Fitness Programs

An active 55-year-old man can lead as vigorous a lifestyle as a sedentary 35-year-old.

Differences in work-related exercise has been determined to provide a two- to three-fold difference in cardiovascular deaths between active staff members and their more sedentary counterparts.

In addition to improving strength, balance, and flexibility, physical activity programs have the potential to reduce the probability of back injuries among certain occupational groups.

93 million workdays in the United States are lost annually due to back issues.

Research findings support the notion that worksite exercise programs better fitness and help lower other health risks, although results related to improved work rate are weak due to lack of methods for accurately measuring work rate.

A very small percentage of worksites have onsite physical fitness facilities.

The majority of employees sponsored fitness programs involve skills training such as aerobic dance, low impact aerobics, weight training, preand post-natal exercise classes, and walking/jogging groups.

Some organizations subsidize employee participation in neighborhood “Ys,” health clubs or other neighborhood programs if no on-Site facilities are available.

Job Site exercise program may reduce expenditures to employers by decreasing employee healthcare claims and expenditures.

People whose weekly exercise was equivalent to climbing less than five flights of stairs or walking less than a half mile, spent 114 percent more on health claims than those who ascended at least 15 flights of stairs or walked 1 1/2 miles weekly.

Medical Care costs for obese people are roughly 11% higher than those for thin people.

Nutrition and Weight Control

One-third of this country population is obese to the extent of decreasing their life expectancy.

Improvements in eating habits can reduce the risk of genuine health issues such as high Blood Pressure and cholesterol levels and is instrumental in the control of non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The workplace offers several advantages for diet education; support and impact of co-staff members and senior staff, availability of a daily eating situation, and opportunities for follow-up and monitoring.

Worksite diet programs are able to be grouped in 6 broad categories:

• cafeteria programs;
• multi-component programs;
• weight control programs;
• blood lipid reduction programs;
• programs for pregnant and lactating women; and
• other diet education issues.

Men are less likely to take part in weight-loss programs than are female employees.

Stress Management

Estimates suggest that 50 percent to 80 percent of physician visits have the potential to be attributed to psychosomatic or stress-related origins.

Corporation pays many of the expenditures related to employee stress, both directly in the form of medical care expenditures and in reduced productiveness.

Job factors which are associated with stress include:

• not allowing staff members to take part in decisions about the work process;
• positions which require more or less skill than the employee has;
• changes in work demands;
• lack of clarity about expectations and standards; and
• conflict with co-staff members or supervisors.

Most worksite stress management programs are implemented as a result of requests from employees.

Stress management programs focus on three types of skills: relaxation skills, coping skills, and interpersonal skills.

Job Site stress management programs are often delivered in one of three formats:

• courses conducted by trained professionals;
• self-learning tools; and
• personal teaching to support  with self-assessment, planning for changes, learning new skills and responding to life crises.

The two major techniques used in worksite stress management programs are:

• teaching people to decrease the detrimental physical effects of stress; and
• teaching people to recognize and control sources of stress at work and in personal life.

Safety Belt Usage

Motor vehicle accidents are the largest single cause of lost work time and on-the-job fatalities of U.S. business.

Motor vehicle accidents account for 27 percent of all work-related deaths and 45 million days of lost work each year.

More than 36% of the 11,300 accidental work deaths in 1983 involved motor vehicles.

Employees who regularly fail to use seat belts may spend up to 54% more days in the hospital.

Traffic accidents caused about 3 times as many days of restricted activity as any other kind of disability.

Motor vehicle crashes cost $15.2 billion in lost productiveness, 88 percent of which is attributed to losses from workforce activities and future earnings.

In work settings where safety belt policies, requiring use of belts by anyone riding in a employer vehicle or using a personal vehicle for employer business, have been enforced, 60% to 90% use has been published.

Incentive programs, accompanied by education and use requirement restrictions have resulted in 40% to 70% initial usage rates.

Factors influencing the sources of worksite safety belt programs include:

• active responsibility on the part of upper management;
• clearly defined and well enforced policy of needed belt use on the job;
• positive incentives; and
• ongoing education and training programs.

Case Studies of Company Wellness Programs

Based on an extensive assessment of its all-inclusive employee Worksite Health Promotion Program, LIVE FOR LIFE, Johnson & Johnson published the break-even point for the program occurs in year 3 and by year 5 they have a net advance of $316 per employee. Their year 9 projected advance is $677 per employee.

employees at four Johnson & Johnson businesses who were exposed to the Company Health Promotion Program increased their daily energy expenditure in vigorous exercise by 104% compared to a growth of 33% among employees at businesses that were provided only an yearly health screen.

Members in the United Methodist Publishing House’s Corporate Health Promotion Program submitted more claims (1.14 per participating employee and .82 for the control in 1984, 1.44 and 1.3 respectively in 1985), but the average cost per claim was less for participants ($316 for participants and $567 for control, in 1984, $262 and $602 respectively in 1985, $270 and $566 respectively in the first four months of 1986).

The United Methodist Publishing House attributes some of the reduced than projected use in medical costs for 1985 ($902,116 projected with actual costs $142,884) to the Corporate Health Promotion Program even though the results are not conclusive.

In 1985, the Adolph Coors Organization conducted a phone interview of a random sample of its 10,000 workers to determine changes in health practices since the introduction of an employee Workplace Wellness Program 4 years earlier. The sample of 495 workers was stratified to match the business profile in terms of age, sex and job description. The survey reported that 65% of respondents started working out in The previous 4 years, 37% had improved their diets, 20% were regular users of the wellness center, 9% had stopped smoking as the result of the business’s tobacco cessation program and active participants of the wellness center miss an average of 1.96 workdays each year because of illness or injury compared to 3.08 days for non-participating workers.

The Coors Corporation also achieved a cost savings from a cardiac rehabilitation program that was launched in 1981. In 1980 employees were out of work 7.2 months after a heart attack or bypass operation. In 1984, cardiac patients were out an average 1.9 months saving $152,000 in lost work time and in 1985 cardiac patients missed an average of 2.6 months, saving $125,000 that year.