Wellness Program Tips for Hosting Business Functions

So you’re planning a business function! Try some of the following ideas to help participants get the most out of the event, while feeling good in the process. You’ll not only contribute to employee health, but also enhance your corporate image.

Tip 1: Provide Nutritious Food Choices

To ensure healthy foods are served at your functions ask your caterer to provide:

• lots of fresh water at all times;
• lower-fat whole grain breads and cereals (muffins, crackers, bagels etc.);
• lower-fat muffins, cheeses, crackers and yogurt;
• pure fruit juices, as well as the usual coffee and tea;
• 2%, 1%, or skim milk, for drinking as well as for coffee or tea;
• sandwiches made with little or no mayonnaise, butter or margarine;
• a variety of lower-fat sandwich fillings, including tuna, salmon, lean roast beef, turkey, chicken, ham, pastrami or lower-fat cheese;
• fresh fruits, fruit salad, lower-fat yogurt and cheeses, or angel food cake as one of the dessert choices.

Tip 2: 100% Smoke-Free

Here are a few suggestions for conducting your business in a smoke-free environment:

• inform all guests that workplaces and public places are smoke-free;
• direct participants outside to smoke;· if overnight accommodation is needed, request smoke-free rooms be available for guests who want it; 

Tip 3: Fit Active Living Into Your Event

Try these activities to help keep participants alert, after they’ve been sitting for lengthy periods of time:

• include light activity breaks with exercises or games, led to music;
• choose activities geared to active and less active participants (for example arranging a walk in the fresh air during the second half of the lunch hour);
• familiarize those not from the area with walking routes or gyms nearby;
• let participants know that the activities are strictly voluntary.

Tip 4: Treat Alcohol Seriously

Is there going to be alcohol at your business function? Consider this: an employer could be held liable if employees drink alcohol at a company-sponsored event and then hurt themselves or others. Here are some tips to ensure that your event is remembered for all the right reasons:

• have a policy that addresses the use of alcoholic beverages and make sure your employees are aware of it;
• let employees know that they are expected to act responsibly;
• control the flow of alcohol by having a bartender, a cash bar, or a limit on the number of drinks;
• serve food, such as cold cuts, veggies, cheese, light dips and breads, to prevent employees from drinking on an empty stomach;
• designate someone with authority to step in and handle situations that may arise related to the policy;
• arrange transportation in advance of the function and encourage all employees to use it if they drink any alcohol;
• stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the event ends.

Tip 5: Conduct an “Environmentally Friendly” Function

Conducting a function that is environmentally friendly, is not only good for the environment, it is also less expensive. Try these suggestions:

• use glass and flatware rather than disposable dishes;
• serve beverages in pitchers rather than individual bottles or cartons;
• use name tags that can be re-used;
• provide blue baskets for recycling paper, plastic, aluminum cans or glass bottles;
• use a bulletin board or re-usable board for announcements and directions.

Wellness Program – Support for Breastfeeding Families

Many employers have not considered breastfeeding support programs, but they should.  As research adds to the list of breastfeeding benefits, and guidelines recommend longer breastfeeding duration, more women are breastfeeding beyond one year and need continued support in the workplace.

Many women must return to work soon after having a child therefore providing support to the breastfeeding mother in the workplace helps to retain valuable staff.

Breastfeeding benefits for the working breastfeeding mother

• Baby is healthier: fewer ear, intestinal and respiratory infections
• Long term health benefits for babies include protection from lymphoma and digestive diseases
• Safeguards mother’s health by reducing her risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis
• Greater work satisfaction
• Saves money- cost of formula and alternate care when baby is sick
• Strengthens bond with her baby

Breastfeeding benefits for employers

• Less illness among the breastfed children of employees
• Reduced absenteeism to care for ill children
• Improved productivity
• Higher morale and greater loyalty
• Improved ability to attract and retain valuable employees
• Family-friendly image in the community

What does a Workplace Breastfeeding Support Program provide?

• Have a written Breastfeeding Workplace Policy
• Designate a staff member to promote and support the implementation of the Breastfeeding Workplace Policy.
• Ensure flexible hours for both moms and dads, to facilitate feeding times
• Allow for breastfeeding breaks
• Provide a clean private space with a table and comfortable chair for breastfeeding or pumping.

Wellness Program Tips: Work Station Ergonomics

Work Station Setup:

• ensure there is an efficient message system
• have an ergonomic chair
• keep work items within arm’s reach
• store parts and tools at waist-height
• use tools that open automatically – this lessens the strain on the fingers and hands
• personalize your station e.g., family pictures

Computers

• make sure the top of the monitor is at the same height as your eyes when you are seated
• use an ergonomic wrist pad and mouse pad
• ensure proper placement of keyboards

Noise:

• use sound barriers

Lighting:

• ensure proper lighting
• eliminate sun glare

Air Quality:

• ensure good ventilation
• place photocopiers in their own room with proper ventilation (photocopiers emit fumes)

Breaks:

• Take a break

Recipe for a Healthy Workplace

1. Ingredients:

• Respect and Appreciation
• Freedom to Speak Up
• Valued Input
• Feeling Part of the Team
• Balanced Work Pace

2. How To Put It Together:

• Communicate Upcoming Changes
  • Seek Input From All Levels!
• Motivate With Job Variety
  • Rotate When Possible
• Recognize Work Well Done
  • Give Positive Feedback
• Help Balance Work & Home
  • Consider Flex-Time
• Establish Healthy Workplace Policies
  • Have Clear Guidelines for Everyone

3. Enjoy The Final Product:

Increased:

• Confidence and
• Enthusiasm
• Job Satisfaction
• Support Between
• Co-workers

Decreased:

• Job Turnover
• Injury Rate
• Absenteeism

4. Check the Bottom Line!

• Lower Operating Costs
• Greater Productivity
• Better Quality Service
• Increased Profit $$$

 Source: City of Ottowa Website

Planning a Wellness Program

Planning a wellness program can be a challenge.  Planning a wellness program that effective and successful at changing the health and wellbeing of a population is even tougher.  To simplify the process of planning a wellness program we’ve created a list of the conditions / steps necessary to create a successful wellness program.

Research shows that there is widespread agreement on the conditions for successful wellness program initiatives.  In planning a wellness program you will want to make sure that you consider the following conditions:

• Senior management involvement in the wellness program,
• Participatory planning,
• Primary focus should be on the employees’ needs,
• Make optimal use of on-site resources in the wellness program,
• Integrate the wellness program into the culture of the company,
• Recognize that health is determined by an interdependent set of factors,
• Tailor wellness programs to the specific needs of each business,
• Evaluate the program on an ongoing basis, and
• There must be a long-term commitment to the wellness program.

With the above in mind let’s discuss each of these conditions in more detail which we hope will make it easier for you when planning a wellness program.

Wellness Program: Conditions for Success

1. Senior management involvement in the wellness program

Evidence of enthusiastic commitment and involvement of senior management helps employees understand their employers’ serious commitment to health.   Employees need to perceive that their senior management, supervisors, and coworkers have positive attitudes toward health since these factors have all been associated with improved employee health status.   “Management-related factors have been shown to contribute more to success than the content of the intervention.”  

2. Participatory planning

A wellness program should be undertaken in partnership with the workforce.   Employees from all levels of staff should be actively engaged in the health and management aspects of the project as well as all on-going processes of any wellness program.  Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their commitment to the process.  

Establishing employee wellness committees to guide interventions during the planning and delivery of wellness programming increases worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction.   Employee wellness committees can identify perceived employee interests regarding educational programming, determine work site-specific characteristics that may affect the intervention or influence participation, and suggest the best methods for promotion and delivery of programs and activities.  Ways to maximize employee input and involvement might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors. 

3. Primary focus should be on the employees’ needs

A wellness program should meet the needs of all employees, regardless of their current level of health and recognize the needs, preferences, and attitudes of different groups of participants.   Wellness program designers should consider the major health risks in the target population, the specific risks within the particular group of employees, and the organization’s needs.  

In other words, interventions should be tailor-made to the characteristics and needs of the recipients.   This means that varied wellness programs must be offered at different levels.   Participation and commitment can be increased if a group of workers has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable risk factor of their choice.  

4. Make optimal use of on-site resources in the wellness program

Planning and implementation of wellness initiatives should optimize use of on-site personnel, physical resources, and organizational capabilities.   For example, whenever possible, a wellness program should use on-site health and safety, management, work organization, communication, human resources, and other specialists.   Well-qualified external leadership may be introduced when in-house expertise is lacking. 

5. Integrate the wellness program into the culture of the company

An overall wellness policy should be developed.  The policies governing employee health must align with the corporate mission, vision, and values, supporting both short- and long-term goals.  These consistent policies must affirm the value of employee health  and a commitment to engage employees in health enhancement. 

Wellness Program strategies should be integrated into a company’s regular management practices and eventually should be formally incorporated into the company’s corporate plan  with adequate resources attached to them.

6. Recognize that health is determined by an interdependent set of factors

Any wellness program must address multiple components of an individuals life:
• the workplace physical and psychosocial environment;
• their personal resources such as social support, sense of empowerment, etc.; and
• their lifestyle practices influencing health.   

7. Tailor wellness programs to the specific needs of each business

Wellness programs must be responsive to the unique needs of each workplace’s procedures, organization and culture.   Integrating health behaviors and program participation into the existing corporate culture will normalize wellness program participation.

8. Evaluate the program on an ongoing basis

Project management should flow through needs analysis, setting priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and evaluation.   Wellness program valuation must include a clearly-defined range of process measures and outcomes  as well as mechanisms for monitoring the impact of non-intervention workplace changes such as plant closure, major workplace re-organization, and new technology on staff health. 

9. There must be a long-term commitment to the wellness program

To sustain the benefits of the initiative, the worksite must continue the initiative over time, reinforcing risk-reduction behaviors and adapting the programs to ongoing personal, social, economic, and workplace changes. 

Why is a Wellness Program Important?

Because it works!

Why should my business develop a wellness program? How much will it cost? Here’s what a wellness program can do for an employer:

• Reduce absenteeism
• Improve productivity and presenteeism (when employees are at work but are not as productive as usual due to stress, depression, injury, illness)
• Control increasing health care costs
• Reduce injuries
• Improve employee morale and retention

Healthy employees miss fewer days of work, so they are more productive and have fewer health care costs. Employee turnover is expensive; a wellness program is an added benefit that can encourage employees to stay.

Chronic diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis) which are largely preventable through attention to healthy lifestyles and preventive services, cause 70 percent of all deaths each year and account for 75 percent of our $1.4 trillion annual healthcare costs. If these things don’t change, by the year 2011 our nation will spend over $2.8 trillion annually on healthcare.

Wellness Program Guidelines for Healthy Meetings

Introduction to Wellness Program Guidelines for Healthy Meetings:

The nation is experiencing an epidemic of obesity, and the role of food choices and physical activity in the prevention of many chronic and debilitating diseases is becoming more apparent. Employers, community groups and faith communities can make it easier for people to make healthy food choices by providing healthy food at meetings and other events they sponsor.

General Wellness Program Guidelines for Healthy Meetings:

• Serve low-calorie and low-fat foods.
• Serve fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
• Serve small portions (e. g. cut bagels in halves or quarters, etc.).
• Serve milk (fat-free or 1%), 100% fruit or vegetable juice, water or iced tea (unsweetened) instead of soft drinks.
• Lunch and dinner don’t have to include a heavy dessert – fresh fruit, a fruit crisp or cobbler, small cookies, etc. are just fine. Offering a choice of a heavy dessert (large slice of cake, etc.) and a light one (fruit) often presents a difficult choice for guests. If you only have the light choice, very few people will notice the difference (and some might actually thank you for not making them choose).
• Include a vegetarian option at all meals.
• Provide reduced-fat or low-fat milk for coffee rather than cream or half and half (evaporated skim milk also works well for coffee -make sure it’s not sweetened condensed milk).
• Healthy food certainly can taste good. Most food service professionals now have some familiarity with healthier food preparation options and are willing to accommodate requests for changes to their usual fare. You might want to ask for a sample ahead of time.
• Registration forms should provide space to indicate food allergies or dietary restrictions.
• Provide pitchers and bottles of water .

Food Suggestions for Breaks (am & pm) and Healthy Wellness Program Meetings:

• Bagels with low-fat cream cheese or jams (generally lower in fat and calories than cream cheese). Have the bagels cut in halves or quarters
• Fresh fruit – whole or cut up (with a yogurt dip)
• Whole grain muffins (cut in half if not serving mini muffins) and whole grain breads instead of Danish, croissants or doughnuts
• Low-fat yogurt
• Pretzels, hot pretzels (cut in pieces) with mustard
• Lightly seasoned popcorn
• Graham crackers, fig newtons
• Dried fruit or trail mix
• Raw vegetables with low-fat dip

Food Suggestions for Lunch/Dinner at Healthy Wellness Program Meetings

• Include whole grain breads and rolls.
• Use low-fat salad dressings and offer them on the side.
• Include low-fat mayonnaise and mustard as a condiment for sandwiches, or cranberry sauce if you’re offering turkey.
• Use a combination of low-fat mayonnaise and plain yogurt for potato salads, etc., and dress such salads lightly.
• If sandwiches are made ahead of time, have them presented in halves, so people can take a smaller portion.
• Serve broth-based soups (using a vegetarian broth), or make cream soups using evaporated skim milk instead of cream.
• Make pasta dishes (lasagna, pizza) with low-fat cheeses (part skim mozzarella, part skim ricotta) or serve pasta with tomato or other vegetable-based sauces.
• Limit meat servings to a 4-ounce portion and provide plenty of low-fat, low-calorie side dishes.
• Serve at least two vegetables with each meal, and avoid butter or cream sauces.
• Avoid fried foods.
• Provide raw vegetables or pretzels instead of potato chips or french fries.
• Include fresh fruit or fruit salad as dessert.

Developed by the New York State Department of Health Center for Community Health

Wellness Program Introduction to Physical Activity at Meetings:

We are experiencing an epidemic of obesity, and the role of food choices and physical activity in the prevention of many chronic and debilitating diseases is becoming more apparent. Employers, community groups and faith communities can make it easier for people to be physically active at meetings and other events they sponsor. Providing participants with a physical activity break at longer meetings and events will improve their ability to attend to the important subject being addressed.

Wellness Program Physical Activity Guidelines

• If possible, choose a location for your meeting where participants can easily and safely take a walk. If you are holding an overnight meeting, choose a place where participants can walk to dinner, evening entertainment, shopping, etc. rather than drive. Provide participants with maps of the area showing good walking routes.
• Choose a hotel that has good fitness facilities – a fitness room, a pool, etc. Include information about these facilities in materials you send to participants.
• Organize an early morning physical activity opportunity. The easiest thing to organize is a morning walk. Or, you can arrange for an early morning, low impact fitness class.
• Encourage participants to take the stairs. Place signs near the elevators telling people where the stairs are.
• Consider telling people that the dress code for the meeting is casual – this allows people to move around freely.
• Encourage networking by suggesting the people take a walk together and talk about their common interests.
• Schedule brief activity breaks in the a.m. and p.m. Have participants stand up and walk in place or have someone lead a stretching break. People will be better able to pay attention to the rest of the meeting.

Developed by the New York State Department of Health Center for Community Health

Vendor Information Food Guidelines

The following are general guidelines to use when planning meals for meetings and other events. It is important to provide healthy food choices to help people eat well. We hope that this information will help you work with us to provide healthy meals to our participants.

General Guidelines:

Offer low-calorie and low fat foods and/ or small portions (e. g. bagels cut in halves or quarters). Always offer vegetables, fruit and low-fat milk. Include a vegetarian option at all meals. Provide pitchers and/ or bottles of water. For dessert if serving one, provide fresh fruit, fruit crisps, small cookies, or small servings of sorbet.

Break Suggestions (am and pm):

• Bagels with low-fat cream cheese or jams – cut bagels in halves or quarters
• Whole grain muffins (cut in half if not serving mini muffins) and whole grain breads instead of Danish, croissants or doughnuts
• Raw vegetables with low fat dip or fresh or dried fruit
• Low-fat yogurt
• Low-salt pretzels or lightly seasoned popcorn
• Low-fat milk or evaporated skim milk for coffee

Lunch/Dinner Suggestions:

Appetizers/ First Course

• Raw vegetables with low-fat dip and fresh fruits
• Salads with low fat saladdressing on the side
• Soups that are vegetarian broth-based or creamed from pureed vegetables or evaporated skim milk

Entrees

• Sandwich platters -cut sandwiches in half so people can take smaller portions. Offer low-fat mayonnaise as a condiment on the side. Use whole grain breads.
• Pasta dishes made with part skim mozzarella and part skim ricotta cheese (e. g. pizza, lasagna). Serve pasta with tomato or other vegetable-based sauce rather than cream sauces.
• Meat servings limited to a 4 ounce portion (fresh seafood, skinless poultry, lean beef-eye of round, London broil).
• Baked potatoes with low-fat or vegetable toppings on the side.
• Salads with dark green lettuces; spinach; beans and peas; grilled, lean meat and low fat cheeses.

Accompaniments:

• Use a combination of low-fat mayonnaise and plain yogurt for potato salads, etc.
• Serve at least two vegetables with each meal, and avoid butter or cream sauces.
• Avoid fried foods.
• Provide raw vegetables or pretzels instead of potato chips or french fries.
• Include whole grain breads and rolls.

Free Wellness Program: Move For Life

Physical Activity in the Workplace

What’s the bottom line to a healthier lifestyle?

The major causes of premature death and disability among workers are heart disease, cancer, strokes and injuries. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that physical inactivity contributes to up to 23 percent of all deaths from major chronic diseases. Few Americans engage in the regular and sustained physical activity that is needed to reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and other health problems which lead to premature death or disability.

When employees choose a sedentary lifestyle, they affect their company’s bottom line. The costs of sedentary lifestyles include higher health care costs, more absenteeism and less productivity. Another recent CDC study found that people who are inactive incurred annual direct medical costs that are $330 more than the costs for those who are physically active.

The New York State Health Department’s MOVE FOR LIFE! program recognizes that employee well-being is a must for good business. With just 30 minutes of moderate activity on five or more days a week, individuals can begin to enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. People don’t have to jog or go to a gym to be more active. Simple, everyday activities such as walking, doing yard work and climbing the stairs contribute to a physically active lifestyle. Move for Life! is for everyone. Simple modifications to the program will enable employees with physical disabilities to fully participate in Move for Life!

How MOVE FOR LIFE! can help

MOVE FOR LIFE! is invaluable to anyone who is responsible for employee health programs; anyone who wants to persuade his or her employer or union that promotion of healthy lifestyles is worthwhile; and anyone who wants to improve or enhance an existing employee wellness program. Move for Life! is an 8- to 10-week program designed to help employees of all physical abilities, regardless of age, current fitness level or activity level. One of the keys of Move for Life! is its flexibility. It can be made longer or shorter and scheduled to fit the company’s schedule. Move for Life! recognizes that all employees are not at the same level of fitness, nor do they have the same interest in being active. Move for Life! allows participants to set their own personal goals, ranging from moderate activities, like walking or doing yard work, to more intense ones, like running and swimming. Then they record their daily activities and begin tracking their progress. Everyone can be successful with MOVE FOR LIFE!

Wellness Program Benefits to the company

With the MOVE FOR LIFE! employee wellness program, you will contribute to the overall health and well-being of your employees, their families and the community, and better contain your company’s health care costs, while protecting your greatest asset ­ your employees. In recent years, much research has been conducted to assess the promotion of healthy lifestyles in the workplace and its benefits to the company. The benefits reported in these studies include:

• Reduced health care costs
• Reduced illness and injuries
• Reduced absenteeism
• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
• Improved employee relations and morale

Wellness Program Benefits to employees

In 1996, the U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health stated that a sedentary lifestyle is a dangerous risk factor for disease. The good news is that even moderate levels of physical activity for people of all physical abilities will significantly reduce the risk of such chronic health problems as heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

Among other benefits to individuals are:

• Weight reduction
• Reduced tension and feelings of stress
• Improved well-being
• Enhanced self-image and self-esteem
• Improved physical function

What you can do

MOVE FOR LIFE! is free and available online!

www.Move4Life.org

• Register your program
• Report your success Online
• Organizations, worksites, schools and individuals have easy access to all the tools needed for a successful program.

Everyday Wellness Challenge

The Everyday Wellness Challenge is fast, fun and rewarding

Want a healthy lifestyle but don’t know where to start? Don’t despair! This simple, step-by-step program will have you on the right track in just eight short weeks! The approach is gradual but the results are amazing. Use the Everyday Wellness Challenge to get your friends and colleagues to join in – you’ll all be winners in the end.

The Everyday Wellness Challenge works like this:

• Each week, the wellness challenge leader sets one healthy goal for all participants. For example, on week 1, you could be challenged to drink eight glasses of water a day. On week 2, you might be asked to exercise 10 minutes every day
• Each week’s goal is added to the previous week’s goal. By the end of the eight weeks, you’ll have added eight healthy activities to your daily routine
• Compare notes with your colleagues. Encourage each other to stay committed. Plot your progress on a wall chart. Learning to make healthy choices is easy when you make them as a team!

What is Workplace Wellness?

Every work environment has unique characteristics and features that impact employee health. The issues that affect one organization, or even one worksite, may not be relevant to another. This makes it difficult to develop a universal definition of a workplace wellness.

A step-by-step approach to Workplace Wellness

There are many ways to achieve workplace wellness. Whether you hold a health seminar  at your school or compete with your colleagues in a health challenge, your contribution is important. Each new initiative, each forward step, reinforces our commitment to a healthier workplace.

If you’re interested in improving your work environment, you may find the following guidelines useful.

Workplace Wellness: Physical Environment

• Meets and exceeds current health and safety legislation and directives
• Manages general workplace conditions and facilities to ensure cleanliness and safety
• Manages the various aspects of occupational hygiene, including lighting, indoor air quality and noise control
• Ensures that employees understand the emergency systems provided in each worksite
• Establishes strategies to address the potential risk of violence at the workplace

Workplace Wellness: Health practices

• Supports healthy lifestyles through programs and initiatives that encourage skill building and behavioral change
• Provides information that encourages active living and healthy nutrition
• Encourages awareness of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Provides nutritious food choices at meetings and events

Workplace Wellness: Social Environment and Personal Resources

• Supports and sustains an organizational culture that provides employees with: respect, a sense of belonging, a purpose and mission, a sense of control over their workload, freedom of expression, and protection from harassment and discrimination
• Provides space for privacy, such as staff rooms and meeting areas
• Assesses sources of organizational stress and develops strategies to reduce or eliminate those sources
• Establishes employee feedback and reward/recognition programs
• Respects the need to balance work and home responsibilities by considering issues such as:
  • flexible hours
  • accommodating family crises
  • job sharing opportunities