Wellness Program Blog

Benefits of Exercise Plans

Exercise decreases weight, decreases risks of heart attack and stroke, assists to control blood pressure and diabetes, and improves mood. Studies increasingly show that exercise may also help reduce the occurrence of certain kinds of cancer.

Researchers at the Centers for Illness Control and Avoidance (CDC) recently documented another major advantage –  exercise improves the health of the nation’s medical care expenditures.3 According to the CDC, physically active individuals incur $865 less per year in medical costs than inactive people .

Dr. Michael Moore, vice president and chief medical director at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus, maintains that exercise is the most effective tool in health maintenance. “When you may prescribe exercise in a pill, it’d be the number-one prescribed treatment in the world,” he said.

In step with Dr. Moore’s prescription, nearly one-third of USA businesses help workforce pay for fitness center memberships, as reported by an Associated Press report. Subsidizing fitness center memberships is just one way businesses encourage active life choices.

Popular fitness-forward programs –  

• Start a company softball or volleyball league.

• Compile and distribute information about opportunities to join athletic groups in your community.

• Offer partial or complete reimbursement for fitness facility memberships.

• Hold aerobics, karate, yoga or other kinds of fitness classes on-site.

• Provide extended lunch hours for workers who commit to lunchtime exercise programs.

• Introduce an on-site fitness facility that is free, or available at a nominal cost, to employees and their families.

• Conduct on-site wellness fairs that include fitness demonstrations and promote fitness activities and resources.

Health Promotion program means different things to different businesses. Effective wellness programs could be as simple as bringing bushel baskets of fresh fruit into break rooms to encourage better consuming. They could be as comprehensive as building fitness facilities on-site or compensating for obesity treatments.

A driving factor behind the push toward wellness spans companies of all kinds, sizes and cultures –  that is, health care expenses are spilling over the corporate belt buckle.

The annual cost of medical services in the U.S. is rising at seven times the rate of inflation.  And the rise in healthcare costs is one boom pundits expect our economy to sustain.1

This trend makes it increasingly difficult for businesss to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. In 2003, health care inflation forced 65% of corporations to increase employees’ share of health care costs.

Seventy-nine% of large firms said they’ll increase workers’ share of health care costs in 2004.2 But with lost benefits and increased financial burdens come lost morale and productivity.

Businesss are searching for another way. While businesses can’t control many of the supply-side elements contributing to rising healthcare costs-malpractice insurance rates, the nursing shortage-they can help curb demand. That’s why efforts are being redirected from illness to wellness.

The case for wellness is supported by an ever growing body of evidence demonstrating the high costs associated with controllable health risks –

• One study reports that obesity raises healthcare costs by 36% and medication costs by 77%.  

• Michigan officials estimate lack of exercise cost the state nearly $8.9 billion in 2002, a cost estimated to be largely borne by companys through insurance premiums and lost productivity.

• The not-for-profit National Committee for Quality Assurance reports that the estimated average cost for postnatal care for women who did not receive prenatal care was $2,341 more than for women who had.  And the indirect costs of unhealthful behavior could be just as high.

Data shows that healthier staff members are more productive, spending more time at work and showing increased “presenteeism,” or productivity, while there. Moreover, healthier staff members use fewer medical services.

The five leading causes of death in the U.S. – heart illness, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary illness and diabetes –  are directly linked to unhealthful lifestyles. Obviously, stimulating healthful habits presents an opportunity to improve employees’ well being, reduce the need for healthcare services and help control costs.

Offering employee wellness benefits – big or small – represents an intersection between corporate social responsibility and responsibility to stakeholders. Between employee health and corporate health. It is often the right thing to do for workers and employers.

Research by Traveler’s Corp. shows a $3.40 return for every dollar invested in Health Promotion Programs. for many companies, the option to offer staff member health promotion benefits is easy-one where conscience and pragmatism align.

The challenge arises in selecting  the health promotion programs that will deliver the most impact based on trends in your employees’ health risks and medical claims costs.

From big companies to the corner deli, business owners welcome ways to increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and cut costs. Likewise, health promotion programs can range from modest to elaborate.

In determining where to focus a organization’s limited resources, looking at costs, benefits and best practices is a good beginning point. This section profiles six aspects of wellness and explores their benefits to workers and corporations.

When it comes to working wellness into your workforce, you want someone who knows the ins and outs of wellness, and who can counsel workforce and provide main care – all within the context of the current regulatory and legal environment.

AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of personnel (61 percent) want to receive wellness information from a health care specialist, like a consultant or an on-site occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to pamphlets or pamphlets (18 percent) or human resources (HR) staff (15 percent).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site health promotion programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, stress management, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, in addition to chronic disease management programs.

Plus, OHNs can help personnel navigate through complicated healthcare plans and may even serve as a triage point between personnel and their personal health care providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays.

In situations where staff members are under treatment for chronic conditions like heart illness, on-site nurses can routinely monitor risk factors like blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It is often easier for an employee to ask an onsite nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it’s to schedule a follow-up visit to an individual health care provider.

Benefits realized by companys include enhanced worker morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and reduced time away from work.

In businesses with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving workforce in leading stretches.

Wellness Programs are good for waistlines and your bottom line

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, businesss have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well – increased productivity from reduced absenteeism and reduced disability claims.

For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many companies realized double-digit health care costs last year, companies should consider Health Promotion Programs as a way to keep workforce healthy.

But just how important are these wellness programs to employees? How often are they willing to take part in wellness programs designed to positively impact their wellness? Who do staff trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were lately garnered from a published study  commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 staff members nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these health promotion programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and almost 60% consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current company.

Employee retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building health promotion programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented employees also to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Health Promotion wish list

Workers appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85% of survey respondents cited stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include health screening programs (84 percent), exercise/fitness programs (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management workshops (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes as a result of computer work and workplace violence.

Beginning a Wellness Program

With such a broad range of health concerns, a key goal for businesss is finding a way to proactively address the health needs of the biggest number of workforce, and effectively change unhealthful behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and disease.

Printed materials like brochures, posters, fliers or brochures present an easy solution. But it is crucial that you remember that different people  require different formats for learning.

A good rule of thumb –  provide information in a selection of learning formats such as videos, flyers, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch and learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you have overcome the first hurdle – getting individuals  to sign on to a wellness program. While survey respondents indicated wellness programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) announced that they participated in the wellness programs at their corporations.  The other 40% cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a robust, structured wellness program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective wellness program advertising.

By investing in an organized wellness program headed by a licensed healthcare professional such as an on-site nurse, organizations can give workforce the access to the medical information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result – staff become savvier healthcare consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health.  And healthier staff make for a healthier bottom line.

Health promotion programs are designed to help increase the overall health and awareness of health related issues of staff in the workplace.

While these wellness programs are set up to help individuals set, work toward and maintain healthy lifestyle options, they sometimes fail.

There are five primary reasons health promotion programs are unsuccessful.  The first reason is because of lack of worker interest. It is crucial when presenting a new health promotion program to employees that every effort is made to communicate the all encompassing benefits of the health promotion program to the corporation and to the individual.

Next, health promotion programs can fail because of lack of staff resources. If a health promotion program is introduced but there are few resources to offer with the health promotion program, it will be difficult for an employee to want to take advantage of it.

As part of the previous reason for failure of a wellness program, inadequate funding also can set a wellness program up for failure. With little money to promote a wellness program, it may be challenging to spread the word about the benefits of a wellness program.

An all too frequent reason that wellness programs don’t reach optimal success is because the wellness program and its coordinators fail to engage high risk staff. When high risk staff have the majority of the health issues in a worksite, they must be the most targeted person for a wellness program.

To see 100% participation is the optimal goal, but to engage those with the most severe health concerns is a gigantic priority.

Lastly, the inability to enlist the support of executive management is a significant reason why health promotion programs might not be successful. Without the endorsement, support and flexibility that executive management can offer a health promotion program, it is far less likely that it’ll actually succeed.

Health promotion programs succeed for just as many reasons as they fail. With engaged and motivated staff, obtaining wellness goals is attainable and promising.

Corporate health promotion involves many aspects of the workplace and can look dramatically different based upon the shared wellness vision.

Wellness efforts can also be uniquely tailored to women and men, old and young or to special health needs. Wellness in the worksite should be a top priority regardless of gender, age or special needs.

Living healthy requires time and attention and often special wellness activities designed by a wellness committee can help reach certain health goals.

Most wellness programs allow for each worker to dictate the goals and activities that’ll make up their wellness goals.

Frequently, the company will jump in with wellness programs or incentives.  As when sponsoring a competition, some companys will pay personnel for reaching weight loss objectives.

Other wellness ideas might include special benefits or compensation for reaching health goals. It can be challenging to gage what will motivate some employees, but knowing that most employees don’t want to pay more for health care is a good start.

A solid wellness program is a surefire way to reduce health care costs, lost vacation time, and other miscellaneous medical testing.

With a unified wellness committee taking employees opinions into account, there ought to be objectives set up across the board that’ll help focus and monitor health care objectives for all involved employees.

Some workforce may pick to focus on specific health concerns while others may want to improve their overall health through diet, exercise and stress relief techniques.

When some personnel seem adamant about admitting health concerns, it may be helpful to reaffirm confidentiality with each employee.

Other personnel might find it helpful to become a member of  group or a partner in working toward health care objectives. Studies have proven that working on any type of goal with another individual increases the percentage of completion and success.

Corporate health promotion can come in any shape, form or timeframe. It is more vital that you have resources in place for personnel to ensure a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

Health promotion programs encourage individuals  to start taking steps toward healthcare prevention by teaching healthy decision making. These wellness programs are designed to decrease healthcare costs, lower rates of absenteeism, and increase productivity.

It is believed that many diseases in America are preventable by proper health screenings and small changes toward a healthier lifestyle.  The most valuable resource a corporation has is its personnel.

By investing time and money into them, the organization would reap the advantages of having more focused and healthier workforce.

For an worker, health promotion programs can lead you towards living a healthier lifestyle and becoming a much healthier individuals. Depending on what a company offers you are able to learn how to reduce stress, keep your sugar levels in control, and even lose weight.

The support you’ll receive from your coworkers will help you achieveyour health goals. From eating a healthful lunch together to forming a racquetball tournament, you’ll develop a feeling of friendship between coworkers.

Social influences are a major part of a healthful life style. You’ll be getting encouragement from colleagues in addition to encouraging others around you to live healthful.

For employers, these wellness programs proved to have a considerable return on the investment put into them.

The small amount of funds it costs to start these health promotion programs and continue with them is insurmountable compared to what they save with increased productivity and lowered costs spent on sick time and insurance premiums.

Having company support is a good begin to living a healthier lifestyle. No matter what the approach, Health promotion programs can help make a positive change in your job, life and the community.

Beginning these health promotion programs is just one way corporations around the United States are building a healthier and more productive workforce.

Around the United States businesses everywhere are starting health promotion programs. There are several advantages to offering staff member health promotion programs.

These wellness programs vary in intricacy, from only offering information to workers on staying healthy to offering a company fitness center and nutritious meal plans.  The bottom line of wellness programs is that healthy workers are happy workers, and they’re what make a company run.

As an employee, wellness programs have a few wellness benefits including helping you live a healthful lifestyle. Depending on the wellness efforts your company has put into place you are able to learn how to reduce stress, keep your sugar levels in control, and even lose weight when desired.

The support coworkers will give each other will help in bettering worker health. Social influences are a major part of a healthful life style. You’ll be getting encouragement from coworkers as well as encouraging others around you to promote wellness in the workplace.

There are several barriers to wellness programming in the worksite. Aligning cultural touch points will aid in the effort to promote corporate wellness. From resource commitment to rewards and recognition it’s the job of the corporation to support a healthful lifestyle as much as possible.

Hiring wellness specialists who’ve a shared wellness vision with the corporation’s upper management is another option to promote wellness in the worksite. They can give wellness coaching and advice on how to live healthful and make healthful decisions.

Staff Members are a corporation’s most valuable assets and it is imperative that you develop opportunities for personal health management, with an emphasis on shared responsibility. A healthful workforce is vital to the growth of the American business and in the long run is fundamental for the progress of the American economy.

While many businesses have incredible health health promotion programs, others do not. Sometimes it is not the business who decides that a health promotion program would be beneficial, but the workforce themselves are the ones requesting such an office benefit.

With the correct steps, workers have often been very successful at changing the environment of a worksite.

When an worker or group of employees wishes to start a health wellness program within the corporation, she must first talk with other employees to see when there’s a mutual interest.

Very often times, many individuals  are thinking about starting something, but no one has taken the first step. A team could  be formed with those interested, and information could  be collected from other workforce about their needs and interests.

When one is considering the proposal of a health promotion program to her employer, not only must the requests be made clear (such as a request for a lunchtime yoga class) but the logistics must be known before presenting it to the boss. Some of the questions that must be considered include –  

• Where’ll the class be held?
• Who’ll teach the class?
• How’ll the instructor be paid?

Regrettably, there are organizations where corporations do not see the advantage of health health promotion programs until they are presented to them in a clear manner. Workers themselves need to be proactive.

If there’s stress, fatigue, and unhealthy snacking because staff members are overwhelmed and feeling easily replaceable, then the company may  be in too distant of a position to realize that the staff members are unhappy.

Rather than continue to complain and be frustrated with the current situation, staff need to be the ones to make the first step in building a health promotion program that will enable everyone to learn more about how to take care of themselves.

Is your company’s ROI decreasing? Are the costs of your company’s medical insurance premiums increasing?

If you said yes to either or both of these questions it is most likely because your workforce are not getting what they need in order to work at their highest potential. A good way to change this is through the use of wellness programs.

Wellness programs are a great way to lessen the stress felt by workforce while working, help the physical and mental health of all individuals, create a safer, more fun work environment, and thus increase the productivity of all workforce and decrease the cost of medical insurance for the company.

There are many ways that companies can go about increasing corporate health promotion. One of the most popular ways is by building a health club that the staff members of the business can use before or after working.

By building an onsite fitness club, corporations are showing that they are concerned with the health of their staff members and that they are willing to help with the physical and mental wellness of their staff members.

A health and fitness center is also promoting necessary healthful strategies such as weight reduction, needed daily aerobic activity, and just in general, everybody’s want/ need to stay healthful and fit. In order for all staff members to stay safe while exercising, a company must employ staff whom are properly trained and licensed as fitness trainers.

There are also many other options that companies have, to go about creating staff member health promotion programs. One other choice is to hold exercise courses such as yoga, spin, or walking, or to hold educational courses that teach about how to eat healthful, give general health education, or teach more, fun ways to exercise.

Another excellent way to improve a wellness program is to hold support groups for smoking cessation, weight loss, or dealing with cancer. With a combination of all these different ideas and wellness programs, businesses can create successful wellness programs that help not only the individual workforce, but also the corporation as a whole.