Archive for September, 2010
A Wellness Program is an organized health promotion program to assist and support employees in establishing healthier lifestyles. This can include increasing worker awareness on health topics, scheduling behavior change programs, and/or establishing company policies that support health-related objectives.
Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, use of tobacco avoidance and cessation, and healthful food selections are a few examples.
Dimensions of Wellness
Health Promotion is more than physical fitness. In addition to physical fitness, the dimensions of optimal health include
o Spiritual Wellness Dimension
o Emotional Dimension of Wellness
o Social Wellness Dimension
o Intellectual Dimension of Wellness
These Dimensions of Wellness are often depicted as a “life wheel” with examples of health components that include -
o fitness,
o nutrition,
o purpose in life,
o financial planning,
o social connections and support systems,
o stress management,
o mind-body health,
o career planning and
o continued learning.
The key for individual health is keeping the “life wheel” in balance. A comprehensive health promotion program addresses most, when not all, of these dimensions.
Why Company Wellness?
Workers spend a great deal of time on the job, and the truth is that our traditional work-week is increasing. In truth, the average American now works about 47 hours per week.
Plus, technologies like modems, laptops, cellular phones, voice and email have blurred the work-life boundary. These realities cut down on the amount of time that the average individual can devote to wellness pursuits, and yet staff members are expected to be at top performance when at work.
A recent study by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses found that corporate health promotion or health promotion programs are successful in helping staff make positive health changes because of several factors like convenience, environmental support, and colleague or social acceptance.
What is the Link between Health Promotion and the Workplace?
Programs and policies that promote healthful behaviors could make a big difference on employee wellness AND have an impact on the organization’s bottom line. Studies have shown that for every dollar invested by employers in employee wellness/wellness programs, there were savings ranging from $1.49 to $4.91 with a median savings of $3.14*.
In corporation terms, that is more than a 3 – 1 minimum return on investment – a number that is hard to ignore, and a best practice that should warrant serious consideration from businesses.
Indeed, a corporate health promotion literature review posted in Wellness Practitioner Journal found -
o 19 studies found a 28.3% reduction in sick leave
o 16 studies demonstrated a 5.6 – 1 return on investment
o 23 showed a 26.1% reduction in health care costs
o 4 found a 30% reduction in direct medical and workers’ compensation claims
There’s little doubt that a robust wellness program targeted to meet a corporation’s specific needs can reduce costs by decreasing absenteeism, lowering healthcare expenditures, decreasing employee turnover, and increasing productivity.
o USA Department of Health and Human Services, 2003
Ten Steps Toward Strategic Health Promotion Programs
The Wellness Program management world is evolving quickly. Each month, there are new research findings that support the premise that Wellness Programs and disease management have a long-term impact on health care costs.
Many big corporations that started Wellness Programs three to five years ago are showing savings in health, disability, and personnel compensation costs. Small to mid-size corporations are watching all this and wondering where to start with wellness.
Getting senior management support and budget approval is one of the challenges at the starting of a Wellness Program. This is the case because Wellness Programs may be expensive, averaging $150-300 per worker per year in large companies.
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 Wellness Programs is to take a strategic approach. Here are ten steps to consider when beginning a Wellness Program.
1. Start with executive management. Without executive management support, a wellness strategy can fall flat. Start with the health of your executive team and discover your wellness champions at the top of the corporation.
2. Analyze 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 is worked and what hasn’t therefore far? What is the long-term impact of doing nothing?
3. Hold an initial wellness meeting. Invite your key stakeholders both inside and outside the business. Ask your broker to facilitate the meeting and invite key health providers including health, disability, Worker Assistance Program (EAP), fitness, and occupational nursing.
Review claims and utilization data and identify key areas of concern. Look at current offerings and see how they are able to be tailored to the needs of the population.
4. Consider both healthful and unhealthful personnel. Since 85 percent of claims are normally attributed to 15 percent of claimants, it’s essential to reach those with the most expensive conditions while also reaching people who are at risk for developing preventable illnesses in the future.
Voluntary wellness programs such as lunchtime wellness workshops miss many of the individuals who need them most. Consider wellness programs that are population-wide or target intact workgroups. Wellness incentives help but do not motivate everybody.
5. Make sure to set short-term objectives for the wellness programs. Make sure to set some realistic short-term objectives based on your key 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. Find out what staff are thinking. Hold some focus groups to determine where individuals are with wellness. What is working? What isn’t? Precisely how much interest do individuals have in the Wellness Programs? What obstacles and barriers are staff experiencing when they attempt to change behavior?
7. Make sure you’ve a high-impact Worker Assistance Program (EAP). Your first wellness dollars ought to go into upgrading your Worker Assistance Program (EAP). A highly utilized Worker Assistance Program (EAP) can provide a foundation for all of your future wellness activities.
A good Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) is a trusted link to the hearts and minds of workforce. At no additional cost, the Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) can provide needed follow-up coaching and personal attention for workforce who are working on modifiable health behaviors or involved in disease management (DM) programs.
Nutritionists, fitness, pregnancy, and stress management professionals are all part of a high-value Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP).
8. Make certain to set three to five year objectives for healthcare savings and measure them. Get help from your broker and insurance carrier help you on long-term objectives for your health, disability, and workers compensation plans.
Establish program metrics that will help you to measure Return On Investment. Go beyond participation rates, completion rates and program satisfaction. Measure changes in readiness, changes in behavior, and changes in risk factors. Establish rigorous methods to measure healthcare savings over the long term.
9. Make sure to set objectives for organizational health. Consider the more intangible benefits of a health promotion program and quantify them whenever possible. Include employee turnover rates, cost of new hires, employee morale, benefit satisfaction data, and corporation of choice issues in establishing objectives. Establish ways to measure success in these areas.
10. Add specifics to your short and long-term plan. Include a program strategy, a communication strategy, and an incentive strategy that will fit with your corporate culture. Focus on integration of related components along a health continuum with communications that are focused, simple, and human.
Establish a budget that includes key components like consumer education, wellness, health risk assessments, and regular biometric screens.
Health Promotion Programs are critical to bettering the health of our nations. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a excellent venue for promoting healthful habits.
The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of helping workforce to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Benefits to Health Promotion Programs include -
o Weight reduction
o Better physical fitness
o Improved stamina
o Reduced amounts of stress
o Improved well-being, self-image and self-esteem
Businesss can also benefit from Wellness Programs. As reported by recent research, businesss’ benefits are -
o Increased recruitment and retention of healthful workforce
o Lowered health care costs
o Decreased rates of disease and injuries
o Lowered worker absenteeism
o Enhanced staff member relations and morale
o Better productivity
o Losing weight
o Improved fitness
o Better stamina
o Reduced amounts of stress
o Better wellness, self-image and self-esteem
Employers can also benefit from Health Promotion Programs. According to recent research, employers’ benefits are -
o Improved recruitment and retention of healthful staff members
o Reduced healthcare costs
o Reduced rates of disease and injuries
o Lowered employee absenteeism
o Increased employee relations and morale
o Enhanced productivity
A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report revealed that at workplaces with physical activity programs as components of their Health Promotion Programs have -
o Reduced health care costs by 20 to 55 percent
o Lowered short-term sick time by six to 32%
o Improved productivity by two to 52 percent
Thanks to modern medicine, life expectancy for American Citizens has continually increased. How much we enjoy these additional years, nonetheless, depends greatly on how we’ve lived our lives.
When our quality of life is to remain high so that we can fully enjoy these additional years, we must practice good eating habits, be active and refrain from using tobacco products.
Who needs Health Promotion Programs? If you work in an office or a jobsite or are a member of an organization who spends a considerable amount of time at work, you’ll benefit from a well-designed employee wellness program. Workers spend a minimum of about 200 hours a month at work – a considerable amount of time.
Furthermore, stress, distractions and the pressures of the job can take its toll on the staff member, which makes it important that a wellness program is implemented.
Today, all across America, Canada, Europe and Asia, top corporate Wellness Programs are being used to help improve staff member conditions at work and reduce the cost of staff member healthcare.
Some of the top Health Promotion Programs currently in use today include -
Wellness Programs – Health Risk Appraisals (HRAs) (HRAs)
Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is a top Health Promotion Program currently in use globally. Organizations that start it determine the safety and health concerns of staff by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the staff.
It can, for example, guide the company into determining how much air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem.
An Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) can also evaluate the level of exposure staff members have to certain perilous or perilous materials and practices.
Health Promotion Programs – Immunizations.
This is not always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. Nonetheless, it’s also become an important component of the top Wellness Programs in many organizations in North America.
Immunization shots, such as those used to combat flu, for instance, are offered to staff members for free.
Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Staff Member Assistance Programs (EAPs) consist of a broad variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to staff members regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many businesses, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.
Weight Management Programs
This is another wellness program that corporations use, particularly those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer options for a healthier diet, typically in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.
Worker Health Promotion Newsletters – Health Education Programs
Among the top Health Promotion Programs that businesses can start is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign.
The campaign could be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, like use of tobacco hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the workplace, etc.
The newsletter in itself may be an effective means to deliver information to workers or members of an organization but it’s far from perfect. Some workers, for example, may not read the newsletter in its entirety or even pay attention to it.
If the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it will be easier to maximize positive results.
Physical Fitness and Fitness Programs
Another top wellness program for corporations is one that involves physical activities. Companies often sponsor exercise-related events like marathons and company sports programs to encourage staff to remain fit or lose excess weight. In mid- to large-sized corporations, corporations might even pay for gym memberships or in-house exercise facilities.
Wellness Program Incentives.
Some of the top Wellness Programs implemented by corporations involve incentive rewards. This involves company-sponsored programs that reward staff members for achieving specific wellness goals.
Participation in health campaigns and signing up for Health Promotion Programs are two of the most widely rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In several cases, cash may also be used.
Notwithstanding, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be among the top choices among businesses who are willing to modify it for fit their unique needs.
Wellness Programs – Group Activities
In many companies, companies take advantage of peer pressure for encourage staff members to participate in Wellness Programs. This is currently among the favorite staff member Wellness Programs currently in use today and growing in popularity.
Coworker pressure is usually leveraged to help promote competitions referring to employee health promotion and to persuade workforce to be active in company-sponsored wellness fairs.
Wellness programs at the corporate level are beneficial, right? Health Promotion statistics obviously show that such health promotion programs aren’t only cost-effective to the company but can assist the staff member in developing a healthier lifestyle.
With the rising cost of health care, wellness programs simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let’s examine the topic from both perspectives.
Wellness Programs – the Good
o A sampling of corporate returns on investment for wellness programs – Bank of America – 600%; General Motors – 370%; Pepsico – 300%; Citibank – 465%; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560 percent. (Campbell,J., Wellness Improvement Experts, www.wellnessimprovementspecialists.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
o Businesses with wellness programs have realized a 28% reduction in sick time, a 26% reduction in adjunctive healthcare costs and a 30% reduction in disability and workforce compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)
o The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada realized a $15.60 return on investment for every dollar spent because of a 20 percent reduction in absenteeism. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top of the Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
o Health promotion programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many person need to make lifestyle changes.
o Employees also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology company, gave employees who filled out a health risk appraisal a significant discount on their health insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, the New York Times, July 22, 2007.)
Health Promotion Programs – the Bad
The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our company to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? A number of businesses are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
o Three hundred corporations have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more assertive health promotion programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
o Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will begin decling employee paychecks by $10.00 for every employee who has a BMI of greater than 29.9 because not enough workers were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
o Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective corporation, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the company’s antiuse of tobacco policy violated his civil rights. The organization has a policy against hiring employees who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, the New York Times,July 22,2007.)
o Worker advocates are concerned that health discrimination may not be covered under the American Citizens with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
Penalizing employees by hitting them hardest where it hurts the most,their pocketbook, doesn’t appear to be a favorable approach to molding human behavior.
Such tactics may lead to increased resentments and retaliation, mainly in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based wellness programs, such as the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results.
A positive attitude for upper management along with an opportunity for workforce to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and staff member.
The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.
Getting Started – Secure upper management support
o Justifications for having a health fair
o Health risk appraisals
o Be certain to help for high-risk population – smokers, obese personnel
o Early detection of diabetes, heart illness risk factors (high cholesterol, high blood pressure)
Wellness Fair Participation – Identify your audience
o Employees only, whole family, retirees?
o Community involvement? Theme?
Health Fair Time Line
o Be certain to set a date and time Allow 4-6 months of planning time
Wellness Fair Developing
o Identify health-related screenings, tests, other activities you’ll offer Identify educational literature and other learning opportunities health fair will provide Include any “fun” activities, or food/beverage needs for the fair
Wellness Fair Location and Logistics
o Consider location big enough to accommodate the biggest volume of individuals at “peak time” periods
o Determine how booths/stations are going to be set up
Health Fair Vendors
o Target relevant health/safety-related community and corporate vendors to provide services, educational materials, incentives and giveaways
Wellness Fair Advertising and Marketing
o Determine advertising tools to be used to inform employees/participants (posters, mailings, e-mail)
o Determine any incentives or giveaways that will be included in the fair or used to encourage participation in the fair
Health Fair Scheduling
o Coordinate timing and events with staff and/or volunteers
Wellness Fair Personnel
o Schedule appropriate specialists Doctor or similar health care personnel to provide patient consultation for review of blood draw lab results
o Nurse(s) to administer immunizations
o Administrative/all-purpose individual to facilitate paper work, finger sticks and to provide general assistance
o Pharmacist or pharmacist assistant if appropriate Dietitian for nutritional counseling suggested personnel designated for wellness fairs
Footnotes
1 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation via Reuters Health E-Line.
2 Kaiser Daily Policy Concerning Health Report, (9/11/03)
3 www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/press/archive/lower_cost.htm
4 “Is Stress Nibbling Away at Your Bottom Line?” By Stephen Alper, Nov. 15, 2002.
5 Wellness in the Worksite, Michael P. O’Donnell, page 415.
6 http – //www.bmpcoe.org/bestpractices/internal/dayto/dayto_6.html
According to Gordian Health Solutions, the effectiveness of health promotion programs in bettering health and reducing health care costs is directly linked to incentives -
o The more substantial the incentives,
o The higher the success rate.
Incentives can range from tokens of achievement, such as t-shirts, water bottles and sports equipment, to more substantial financial awards, such as cash incentives or copay vouchers for the successful completion of a health promotion program.
Nationwide Insurance is seeing results from a small incentive program initiated by among the organization’s onsite nurses. To encourage lunchtime walking, the staff member has informally launched a “shoelace program” modeled after the karate-belt color system.
Employees progress through the color scale until they reach “black-lace” status. The reward system has resulted in more staff making commitments to walk during their lunch hour.
At the high end of the reward spectrum, some corporations pay cash to workers who meet wellness goals. LuK, Inc. offers workers $250 for kicking the tobacco habit and remaining smoke free for 12 months.
For logging fitness points that add up to 10 miles a month, workforce are eligible for health assessments, which can lead to reward amounts of up to $225.
The most effective motivator, as reported by Gordian research, comes through linking participation in wellness programs directly to insurance premiums. Doing so obviously demonstrates to workers the positive effects of wellness on their own health care costs.
Often, the first step in linking wellness programming to insurance coverage is lowering deductibles for wellness care or eliminating deductibles altogether. By adding this benefit, companies can encourage staff members to undertake routine screenings and other procedures to respond to medical problems before they become chronic.
Early detection benefits both patient health and company health costs.
Incentivizing wellness program participation with healthcare credits
More frequently, employers are going beyond increased wellness care coverage and looking to demonstrate the importance of wellness by linking participation to employees’ bottom lines.
Worthington Industries has recently rolled out a wellness program that permits workers to eliminate their portion of the insurance premium by enrolling in a Healthy Choices wellness program.
During the first year of the Healthy Options program, staff and their spouses complete Personal Health Assessments and biometric screenings to determine their levels of health risks.
Nurses, dietitians and exercise specialists are available to help moderate- and high-risk participants create individual action plans for improved health through the use of educational materials, behavior modification, telephone help from third-party program health coordinators, and formal health management programs.
By completing the assessments, staff members earn their full premium credit. Because some plans at Worthington require no staff member contribution, a cash award takes the place of a credit in those cases.
During year two of the wellness program, the wellness bar is raised slightly. To continue to receive the wellness credit, participants in the moderate- to high-risk category will be required to work at establishing goals with third-party health coordinators.
Year three raises the bar again, requiring participants to show progress in meeting objectives and to continue to work with health coordinators to reach objectives.
After year three, Worthington Industries staff are going to be on the wellness track. The business believes that will mean a healthier workforce and cost savings for staff and the business.
The well being of Worthington workers is the foundation of this health promotion program, and both workers and the corporation are expected to benefit from the long-term benefits of the Healthful Choices Wellness Program.
While Worthington has taken a wide approach to wellness, other companies have found success in offering incentives in specific areas. Longaberger, for instance, offers a discount on healthcare policies for staff who do not use tobacco.
An individual worker who does not use tobacco saves $7 per bi-weekly pay. for smoke-free workers with family coverage whose families are also smoke-free, the savings increases to $14 per pay.
The next step – Penalizing harmful behaviors
As it stands, health care is the only type of insurance that doesn’t focus on penalizing for behaviors that put the insured party at risk. With health care costs rising so dramatically, that could soon change.
Just as an accident likely raises auto insurance premiums, increasing premiums for those who engage in unhealthful behaviors is a possible next step in corporations’ attempts to manage healthcare costs.
Reports that staff members would support this type of action are stacking up. One Ohio business conducted an informal survey that indicated staff members would consider it a morale boost when health-conscious staff members were relieved of some burden of subsidizing care for staff members who engage in behaviors that negatively affect their health.
Whether or not or not this type of wellness program gains popularity, one thing is sure – the need to control the rise in healthcare costs is becoming ever more pressing.
Take the first step
No matter what the strategy, from offering workers medical resources to providing incentives for healthy behaviors, corporations have a real opportunity to improve morale and productivity, lower rates of absenteeism and control healthcare costs through wellness.
The first step is committing to taking one, no matter what size effort is appropriate for your corporation. Big strides start with small steps.
Preventing injuries is a high priority for corporations, particularly in factory establishings such as Honda. That’s why the organization offers a few programsâ.”including line-site process investigations â.”to identify potential hazards and help reduce the chance of injury.
As part of an early intervention program, Honda workforce who are feeling pain can receive a massage of the affected area during work time.
Stretching programs are another effective tool in injury prevention. According to the Best Practices in Manufacturing Web site, Dayton Parts, Inc. (DPI) in Harrisburg, Pa., conducted research that revealed approximately 80 percent of all manufacturing injuries occurred within the first two hours of each shift.
After implementing a program that required production employees to stretch for 10 to 15 minutes at the beginning of their shifts, they saw a dramatic reduction in injuries.
While the DPI program costs about $75,000 a year to operate, along with other company programs, it has helped bring the annual cost of workers’ compensation from $700,000 to $200,000 per year.6
To help prevent lengthy absences and reduce workers’ compensation claims, Honda instituted a work recovery program. Through the program, workforce who have had an injury can work in a modified jobâ.”getting better.
Employees in the program spend their work days receiving physical conditioning to elevate overall fitness, physical therapy to restore functionality, health education and nutrition counseling. The program is based on data that shows fewer work days are lost when an worker stays connected to the work environment.
The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, www.ohiobwc.com, provides a “10-Step Business Plan” as a guide for businesses in providing wellness programs that aim to reduce injuries. The plan includes information on safety and health programs to prevent occurrences of on-the-job accidents, including -
Employee involvement – to ensure the success of any organization wellness program, workers must participate in the safety and health-management process.
This could be done through safety and health audits, accident evaluations, or by forming safety and health involvement teams, focus groups or committees.
Orientation and training plan – Conduct orientation and training sessions to educate workers on the corporation’s safety policies.
These sessions should include procedures for the safe use of machinery and tools, chemical hazards and how to prevent contact or exposure, specific job/task safe practices, and hazard recognition and prevention.
Communication – Open communication keeps workforce informed and provides suggestions and feedback on the effectiveness of the organization’s health promotion program.
Through memos, bulletin boards and staff meetings, important safety and health information can be conveyed throughout the company, keeping all senior level management staff and personnel knowledgeable about the corporation’s safe practices.
The business plan also outlines incentives for post-injury procedures, including -
Medical treatment and return-to-work practices – arly return-to-work strategies help injured or ill workers return to work in a timely manner.
Corporations should establish a disability management policy to help injured or ill staff members obtain quality medical treatment, making their transition back to work quick and effortless.
Timely notification of claims – Employers should document worksite injuries immediately after they occur and promptly send that documentation to a claims handler.
Quickly providing claim information demonstrates care and concern for the injured staff member, prevents delays and confusion with the claim process, and reduces the potential for abuse or needless litigation.
Record keeping – Internal documents must be kept to record work-time injuries and to assess the success of the corporation’s safety efforts.
Business audits, surveys and injury or disease reports can all be used to analyze which safety practices and policies have proven successful, and what areas of wellness need improvement.
Dr. Moore of Nationwide maintains that immunization is the most cost-effective treatment in medicine. for instance, vaccinating children against the influenza virus averages a savings (including health care costs, parents’ missed work, etc.) of up to $35 per vaccine recipient.
And professionals predict that estimate is low, because it doesn’t take into account the rapid spread of the flu.
The American Association of Family Doctors’ Web site, www.aafp.org, offers a recommended adult immunization schedule created by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
This schedule, tiered by age and chances of exposure, recommends diphtheria, tetanus, influenza, pneumonococcal, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, measles, mumps and rubella, varicella and meningococcal vaccinations.
Ideas to incorporate avoidance and early detection -
o Hold a health fair and invite corporations that provide screening services for such conditions as blood pressure, blood iron, cholesterol, Body Mass Index and diabetes.
o Provide educational materials about well-baby care and immunizations.
o Choose healthcare coverage plans that include wellness check-ups and immunizations.
o Provide on-site mammograms for workforce.
o Sponsor onsite flu shots to coincide with flu season.
Advantages of Stress Reduction Programs
While stress cannot be eliminated from life, or even from the workplace, coping skills may be developed with relative ease. Stress management skills lead to lowered absenteeism and more effective, more productive employees.
Because stress has been shown to contribute to such physical conditions as ulcers, high blood pressure and stroke, stress reduction has a direct impact on improving physical health.
Studies have shown that heart patients who attend stress management programs have 42 percent lower healthcare costs. Other studies have documented a 50 percent reduction in medical services use when stress management programs are employed.
Further, Staff Member Assistance Program (EAP) specialists estimate that 20 percent of any workforce is affected by personal problems that can influence work performance.
Stress reduction tactics to consider -
o Offer on-site yoga or meditation classes.
o Organize support groups among workforce.
o Sponsor stress management classes during the workday.
o Offer an worker assistance program that includes both counseling and referral.
o Provide on-site counseling for staff in the case of a work-related trauma, such as the death of a colleague.
