Workplace Wellness Programs

Employee Health Services

• onsite medical services

• worksite medical examinations

• health risk screening and counselling:

      • blood pressure screening,

      • blood cholesterol screening,

      • blood glucose screening clinics,

      • thyroid screening,

      • bone density screening,

      • prostrate cancer screening

• encourage self-exams – breasts, testicles

• medical surveillance Programs

• immunizations and flu shots

• Disability Management

• Active rehabilitation

• Return to work Programs

• Self-care Programs

• Disease management information and presentations:

      • diabetes,

      • stomach disorder,

      • arthritis,

      • asthma,

      • allergy,

      • foot and back care Programs,

      • chronic tiredness,

      • migraines

• Online health education with continuous learning/reminders/tips

• Daily/weekly/monthly email tips or news bulletins

• Excercise appraisals

• Safety and health fairs

• Hand-washing tips and reminders

• Visiting your doctor guide – tips to efficiency

• links and information on help lines

• clearly communicated vision and mission

• clear and accurate job descriptions

• supportive appraisal system

• worker empowerment through decision-making, pace of work and connection to organization goals, (on-line tools that connect to goals such as Baxter Healthcare)

• two-way communication training

• ‘no lunch hour’ meeting rules unless it is a lunch ‘n’ learn

• absenteeism and attendance program

• career tracking, (on-line tools like Pfizer)

• continuing education

• job rotation, special project assignments

• time management

• creative ideas program

• change and complaint process

• email guidelines

• technology courses and assistance

• vacation useage

• shift work rotations and breaks

• conflict management skills

• handling negative attitudes workshops 

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Management Training 

• scheduling

• incentive and recognition Programs

• workload impact

• communication and feedback skills

• conflict management skills and support skills

• priority setting

• all of which are apart of the four employment relationship factors (trust, commitment, influence, and communication – from Canadian Policy Research Network) 

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Remuneration and Benefits 

• massage – try an onsite massage therapist or seated massage breaks

• orthotics

• orthodontics

• gym membership subsidies

• education subsidies

• tobacco cessation and weight control partial reimbursement incentives

• safety shoe reimbursement

• out-of-country coverage

• vision care

• alternative therapy coverage   

Occupational Wellness Strategies: Building Support

• fitness  breaks and stretches

• team challenges

• organization sport teams such as soccer, volleyball, and hockey

• use employees who are in-house experts e.g., gardening, yoga, construction

• celebrate birthdays, anniversaries – other significant dates and achievements

• 5 minute catch-up at beginning of work week

• pot lucks and food for meetings

• green room for time outs and regrouping self

• encouraging face to face communications

• learn names 

**The creation of health or harm within an business depends on how work is managed.  Workplace Culture Strategies must address high demand/low control, high effort/low reward, fairness, purpose and trust.

• childcare Programs and information

• family planning information

• parenting classes

• Elder care Programs and information

• retirement planning

• individual responsibility leave

• alternative work arrangements such as telecommuting, job sharing

• work-family-life transition support

• anger management and family violence

• family counselling initiatives

• budgeting and financial counselling

• understanding credit reports

• money safety tips – ATMS, credit cards

• advertising and promotion of community support groups

• cafeteria take-out program

• tax preparation initiatives

• will, power of attorney, and estate experts

• vacation planning and safe travel

• interpersonal relationship presenters

• motivational presenters

• bereavement information

• shift work and lifestyle Programs

• limit overtime

• family wellness days – bike rodeos, BBQ, picnics

• swimming pool safety

• charity information – United Way, MADD

• other information sessions on: 

• chemical free lawn and garden care,

• menopause,

• infertility,

• poisoning,

• fire safety initiatives

• seat belts and booster seats,

• playground safety,

• internet safety,

• home safety and energy efficiency

• violence in the worksite

• equity in the worksite initiatives

• harassment policy and training

• literacy/numeracy Programs

• professional development and skill enhancing training

• air quality and sick building testing

• smoke-free worksite

• fire safety initiatives

• hazard control and WHIMS Training

• injury prevention, CPR/First Aid, emergency response Programs

• enhanced signage

• installing guard rails

• work station design, ergonomic and repetitive strain reduction training

• stretching initiatives

• safety and health written and implemented policies

• Safety Audits

• access to bike racks, showers and change areas

• make stairs attractive and post signs to encourage their use

• proper lighting

• monitoring noise levels

• shift work strategies related to lighting, noise, air, breaks etc.

• Offer Stress management and mental health Programs

• Offer substance use and abuse Programs

• Offer tobacco cessation and control

• Offer nutrition counselling

• Offer weight control Programs and counselling

• Offer encourage use of food logs

• Offer posting BMI charts

• Offer juice dispensing machines

• Offer water coolers

• Offer vending machines with low-calorie snack choices

• Offer vending machines with fruit, vegetable and calcium choices

• Posting nutritional information on vending machines

• Offer color-coded cafeteria choices

• Encourage breakfast – suggest choices to start the day

• healthy packed lunch ideas for adults and kids

• partnering with local restaurants for healthy lunch choices

• healthy recipes on-line

• healthy or low-cost cooking Programs

• healthy shopping instruction

• naturopaths, homeopaths, herbal remedies and vitamins

• Offer information sessions on fad diets

• Offer disease prevention information

• STD’s

• active living and fitness Programs such as a aerobics, walking or cycling clubs

• Offer self-defense training

• Offer relaxation training

• chiropractors

• relaxation and energy specialists

• Offer stretching classes such as yoga, tai chi

• Offer active living challenges

• walking challenges with pedometers

• stair climbing challenge

• sleep and sleep disorders e.g. snoring

• napping information and sleep rooms

• alertness and driving sessions

• encouraging light breaks

• create a wellness Yellow Pages

• information sessions on 

      • insect bites,

      • memory enhancement,

      • motion sickness,

      • nose bleeds,

      • healthy skin,

      • frost bite,

      • gingivitis and mouth care,

      • hair loss,

      • ear infections,

      • fever,

      • psoriasis,

      • TMJ,

      • varicose veins,

      • shingles,

      • defensive driving,

      • sun safety,

      • avoiding home and vehicle theft,

      • food safety

      • handwashing 

**Healthy Living Programs should assist in the development of self-efficacy which means that the individual has a senses that they can influence the course of events in their normal daily life, that they can deal with their normal consequences, that they feel confident and sure of themselves.

Why Complete a Workplace Wellness Program Environment Assessment? 

The purpose of completing the assessment is to establish your jobsite’s strengths and areas in need of improvement. The assessment will lead your workgroup to recommend actions for changes to make the worksite more supportive of healthy behaviors (i.e. healthy food choices in vending machines, policies to enforce no tobacco use on worksite grounds or encouraging walking during break times). You may find some of the actions for supporting healthy behaviors are easy to do and others may not be feasible or efficient in your worksite.  The assessment results can also be used as a baseline measure for evaluation.  The initial assessment can later be compared with a follow-up assessment several months later to note progress. 

Who should do the Workplace Wellness Program Environment Assessment? 

Identify a workgroup (at least 4-5 people) who will be accountable for completing the assessment.  This may be a subset of your wellness workgroup.  Forming a diverse group from all areas and levels of your business is important for meaningful assessment and successful planning and implementation. Suggested participants include: human resources, employees from various departments, administrators, supervisors, worker or wellness staff. 

When should the Workplace Wellness Program Environment Assessment be Done? 

Use the assessment as a starting point for your Workplace Wellness Program. Once you have completed the assessment, determine which areas the workgroup will focus on (i.e. healthy eating, physical activity, general health, etc.). Start a time for the workgroup to meet and monitor the progress. Also determine a schedule for annual assessments, so that the assessment can serve as a tool for continuous improvement and accountability over time. 

Part 1 – Workplace Wellness Program Assessment Checklist 

Complete a Worksite Wellness Assessment Checklist to determine what wellness components you currently have at your worksite.   This can be done with the full workgroup or you may want a few key personnel (such as the Human Resources lead, Wellness Coordinator or Workgroup Coordinator) to do a preliminary scan based on information they gather and then let the full workgroup react to their findings. Ask your broker for a sample wellness assessment checklist or create your own. 

Completion of the checklist provides a reference point of the wellness functions that are currently in place or in process and it provides an overview of some of the items that should be considered for a broad-based Workplace Wellness Program. 

Workplace Wellness Program Checklist Components: 

Categories.  There are six major categories (General, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Health Screening, Tobacco Use and Emergency Response Plan).  Each category has several questions that address what you currently have in place at your worksite. 

Current Status.  Initially, list whether you have the component (Yes), are in the process of instituting the component or you are planning for the component (In Process) or don’t have the component at all (No).  At the end of each category, sub-total the number in each column and then total all of the categories at the end of the checklist to get an overview of where your worksite Workplace Wellness Program currently rates. You should also use this baseline measure as a benchmark for later evaluation.  By evaluating where your worksite is on each wellness component, you will be able to get a general idea of your status across each category and all 57 items. 

Potential Priorities.  After you have completed the assessment and the employee interest survey, you can use the potential priority column to indicate what components you might want to focus on that are either currently in process or don’t exist.  This can serve as a first screening of possible areas to focus on as you develop your action plan. 

Part 2: worker Input 

Why would we want to do an employee survey? 

You should conduct an employee survey to get a better understanding of your target audience (your business’s employees) and get an initial idea of their current health habits and interest areas.  The survey can be tailored to your worksite and can be done in paper form or through the use of survey instruments on the internet or that can be purchased.   You can create your own employee survey or ask your broker for a Workplace Wellness Needs and Interest Survey.  

As was the case with the worksite environmental assessment, the employee survey results can also be used as a baseline measure for later evaluation.  The initial survey results can later be compared with a follow-up survey several months later to note progress. 

Consider engaging employees in focus groups or informal interviews to gather information on their wants and needs.  This can be done either before or after the survey, or if you don’t have the resources to survey employees, you could use this method to gather information in place of the survey.  

No matter what method you use to gather information, make it as easy as possible for employees to complete and submit the information so you get a high return rate.  Look at offering an incentive or prize for people who complete the survey.

Once you start a Workplace Wellness Program you will have a range of worker participants.  Some will already be very engaged in being active and eating well and your program will only reinforce and enhance their health.  On the other end of the spectrum will be people who may not engage no matter what you do.  The remaining group is probably the largest group in the majority of businesses: people who are at various stages of readiness to improve their health given the right type of programming and motivation.   Summarized below are some tips you may want to employ once your program is up and running. 

Key Factors in Workplace Wellness Program 

In today’s society there are many primary factors that influence people’s health behaviors.  Look at the following list in maintaining participation in your program: 

1.    TIME.  Employees are busy, so the more you can work activity and healthy eating into their existing schedules, the better your chances for success.  Example: A walk at lunch doesn’t take away from existing time, it just uses it differently.  Also look at the time of the day and length of any activity you might be promoting, since both time components may be factors.

2.    ACCESS.   How accessible is your Workplace Wellness Program.  Is it onsite or at a nearby site?  Do you offer access at breaks or outside of normal work hours?

3.    KNOWLEDGE.  Employees need to know “Why” they are participating (the benefits) and also will need information about the “How to” in areas that are not commonly known. 

4.    COST.  Make sure that you can provide no cost or reduced cost Workplace Wellness Programs will help participation rates.  Coupled with incentives for participation, rates of participation will likely increase dramatically. 

5.    INCENTIVES.  Some people need incentives to get started in a Workplace Wellness Program.  A full list of Workplace Wellness Program incentive options can be on the website. 

Key Time Periods in Workplace Wellness Program 

Good habits are frequently difficult to develop.  There tends to be some critical times when people drop out or fall off of a physical activity or diet program.   The first key time zone seems to be around 6 weeks.   If people can start and stay consistent with a program through the first 6 weeks, they have made a fairly serious commitment to incorporate the habits into their lifestyle.  The second key time is at about 6 months.  Those who made it past 6 weeks may get bored and/or distracted from their program after several months.  If people can get past 6 months and sustain behavior through a full set of weather seasons, they have a very good chance of making the changes permanent.  

Look at these time periods and think about how you can “boost” your employees to get them past these critical time markers.  Promoting individual or group “challenges”, using incentives, or raised publicity/marketing are a few of the things you can do to help get your employees through these key time periods 

Goal Setting for Workplace Wellness Program 

Setting goals has been shown to lead to better participation and more people making a strong commitment.  Whether it be a team goal of walking the equivalent of once around your state or an individual goal of so many miles or minutes of activity, the fact that there is something concrete to shoot for increases the likelihood people will stick with the program. 

Buddy Systems or Team Goals for Workplace Wellness Program 

The social aspects of improving one’s health cannot be underestimated.  Many studies point to tight social groups being the backbone for a successful campaign because each individual has a commitment to something bigger than themselves and besides, it’s just more fun for the majority of people. Build your program around some type of teams or partners and see what happens. 

Team “Campaigns” for Workplace Wellness Program 

Some people like competition and others don’t.  Nevertheless, a worksite wide campaign has the advantage of keeping the message more visible and alive.  Encourage campaign participation, but make it voluntary so that those who prefer that type of motivation can join while others can participate in their own way and at their own pace.  If the idea of a campaign seems like too much work, consider tapping into existing campaigns where someone else provides resources for you.  

Incentives for Workplace Wellness Program 

Incentives are frequently helpful in maintaining or raising interest.  Significant incentives such as cash or health insurance rebates have proven to be very strong motivators for worker participation.  However, even smaller incentives can be beneficial.  Listed below are some sample incentives:

• Achievement awards. Verbal praise and a pat on the back are motivational to some, but a token of recognition of achievement may offer more. A colorful certificate to congratulate an worker for achieving a health-related goal is one example.

• Public recognition.  Announced recognition at campaign mid-point or wrap-up festivities.

• Food.  Include some healthy foods to kick-off, revitalize or wrap up a wellness campaign.

• Entertainment.  Events serve a purpose in jump-starting, reenergizing or wrapping up a campaign.  Having entertainment of any kind can boost morale.

• Merchandise.  There is a long list of merchandise incentives, including sports equipment and small gift certificates to use at local merchants. 

• Monetary incentives.  Nothing says incentive better than cash.  Businesses that have used cash or rebates as an incentive have shown much higher participation rates.

• Time off.  Maybe the next best incentive to cash, or for some people even better.  This type of incentive makes good business sense if the number of absences drops significantly and attendance is used as one of the criteria.

There are a number of reasons why Workplace Wellness Programs are beneficial. 

1. Enhanced Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result of your health promotion efforts, you and your employees may actually start to see and feel a new level of energy within the business.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any broad-based health promotion program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the organization’s most valuable resource — its employees. 

2. Decreased Turnover – As we all know, worker replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new worker can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high worker turnover pose, many businesses are looking to health promotion programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent employees from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, businesses are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Wellness can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal. 

4. Decreased Absenteeism – When an worker misses work in a business setting, the entire organization is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.  Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, health promotion programs can play an important role in decreasing absenteeism. 

5. Healthcare Cost Containment – Most businesses don’t start a health promotion program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many businesses. 

6. Enhanced worker Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Workplace Wellness Program is the promise of enhanced health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Workplace Wellness Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, and more. 

1.    Have a current policy outlining the requirements and functions of a broad-based Workplace Wellness Program.

2.    Have a wellness plan in place that addresses the purpose, nature, duration, resources necessary, participants in, and expected results of a Workplace Wellness Program.

3.    Orient employees to the Workplace Wellness Program and give them copies of the physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use policies.

4.    Promote and encourage worker participation in the physical activity/fitness and nutrition education/weight management program.

5.    Offer health education information to employees.

6.    Have a Workplace Wellness Programs committee that meets at least once a month to oversee the Workplace Wellness Program.

7.    Offer regular health education presentations on various physical activity, nutrition, and wellness-related topics. Ask voluntary health associations, healthcare providers, and/or public health agencies to offer worksite education classes.

8.    Host a Health Fair as a kick-off event or as a celebration for completion of a wellness campaign.

9.    Designate specific areas to support employees such as diabetics and nursing mothers.

10.   Conduct preventive health screenings for blood pressure, body composition, blood cholesterol, and diabetes.

11.   Offer confidential Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals.

12.   Offer worksite weight management/maintenance initiatives for employees.

13.   Offer weight management/maintenance, nutrition, and physical activity counseling as a member benefit in health insurance contracts.

Ten Steps Toward Strategic Workplace Wellness Programs 

The Workplace Wellness Program management world is evolving rapidly. Each month, there are new research findings that support the premise that Workplace Wellness Programs and disease management have a long-term impact on healthcare costs. Many large businesses that started Workplace Wellness Programs three to five years ago are showing savings in health, disability, and workers compensation costs. Small to mid-size businesses are watching all this and wondering where to start with wellness. 

Getting upper management support and budget approval is one of the challenges at the beginning of a Workplace Wellness Program. This is the case because Workplace Wellness Programs can be expensive, averaging $150-300 per worker per year in large businesses. Most of the savings are not realized for a number of years. This long-term investing is hard for businesses on the move. 

The key to success for Workplace Wellness Programs is to take a strategic approach. Here are ten steps to consider when starting a Workplace Wellness Program. 

1. Start with upper management. Without upper management support, a health promotion strategy can fall flat. Start with the health of your executive team and discover your wellness champions at the top of the business.

2. Assess the problem. Look at your healthcare claims and analyze the trends. Which conditions are driving your medical, disability, and workers’ compensation claims and which are modifiable? What’s worked and what hasn’t thus far? What is the long-term impact of doing nothing?

3. Hold an initial wellness meeting. Invite your primary stakeholders both outside and inside the business. Ask your broker to facilitate the meeting and invite primary health vendors including health, disability, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), fitness, and occupational nursing. Review claims and utilization data and establish primary areas of concern. Look at current offerings and see how they can be tailored to the needs of the population.

4. Look at both healthy and unhealthy employees. Since 85 percent of claims are usually attributed to 15 percent of claimants, it is critical to reach those with the most costly conditions while also reaching people who are at risk for developing preventable diseases in the future. Voluntary Workplace Wellness Programs such as brown bag wellness seminars miss many of the people who need them most. Look at initiatives that are population-wide or target intact workgroups. Wellness incentives help but do not motivate everyone.

5. Establish short-term goals for the Workplace Wellness Programs. Establish some realistic short-term goals based on your primary areas of concern. Are there any plan design changes that could have an immediate impact on spending? Are there some programmatic actions that could have immediate results?

6. Determine what employees are thinking. Hold some focus groups to determine where people are with wellness. What’s working? What isn’t? How much interest do people have in the Workplace Wellness Programs? What obstacles and barriers are employees experiencing when they try to change behavior?

7. Ensure that you have a high-impact Employee Assistance Program (EAP). Your first wellness dollars should go into upgrading your Employee Assistance Program (EAP). A highly utilized Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can provide a foundation for all of your future wellness activities. A good Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a trusted link to the hearts and minds of employees. At no additional cost, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can provide needed follow-up coaching and individual attention for employees who are working on modifiable health behaviors or involved in disease management initiatives. Nutritionists, fitness, pregnancy, and stress management specialists are all part of a high-value Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

8. Establish three to five year goals for healthcare savings and measure them. Get help from your broker and insurance carrier help you on long-term goals for your health, disability, and workers compensation plans. Start program metrics that will help you to measure return on investment (ROI). Go beyond participation rates, completion rates and program satisfaction. Measure changes in readiness, changes in behavior, and changes in risk factors. Start rigorous methods to measure healthcare savings over the long term.

9. Establish goals for organizational health. Look at the more intangible benefits of a Workplace Wellness Program and quantify them whenever possible. Include worker turnover rates, cost of new hires, worker morale, benefit satisfaction data, and employer of choice issues in setting goals. Start ways to measure success in these areas.

10. Add specifics to your short and long-term plan. Include a Workplace Wellness Program strategy, a communication strategy, and a Workplace Wellness Program incentive strategy that will fit with your organization culture. Focus on integration of related components along a health continuum with communications that are focused, simple, and human. Start a budget that includes primary components such as consumer education, health promotion, Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals, and regular biometric screens.