Worksite Wellness Programs

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

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result of your health promotion efforts, you and your staff members may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the employer. Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any comprehensive health promotion program is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the organization’s most valuable resource — its staff members.
2. Reduced Turnover – As we all know, employee replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of employer. The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a serious burden on any employer. In light of the challenges that high employee turnover pose, many organizations are looking to health promotion programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent staff members from jumping ship.
3. Increased Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, organizations are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent. In some instances, health promotion can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.
4. Reduced Absenteeism – When an employee misses work in a employer 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 lowering rates of absence.
5. Health Care Cost Containment – Most organizations 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 organizations.
6. Improved employee Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed health promotion initiative is the promise of improved health. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed health promotion initiatives can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, and more.

Good for waistlines & your bottom line

By Sandra Simpson, APRN, BC, COHN-S, manager in Occupational Health Services at a Fortune 500 employer in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). For a copy of the AAOHN wellness survey, visit www.aaohn.org, or call (800) 241-8014, x0.

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, employers have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well – increased productivity from reduced rates of absence and lowered disability claims. For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many organizations realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, organizations should consider Worksite Wellness Programs as a way to keep staff members healthy.

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

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

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 staff members nationwide about their perceptions of Worksite Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these initiatives are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60% consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer. employee retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building Worksite Wellness Programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented staff members in addition to enhancing personal health and worksite productivity.

Health wish list

Employees 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 screening initiatives (84%), exercise/physical fitness initiatives (84%), health insurance education (81%) and disease management seminars (80%).

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 due to computer work and worksite violence.

What you should do

With such a broad range of health concerns, a primary goal for employers is finding a way to proactively address the health needs of the largest number of staff members, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and illness.

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, fliers or pamphlets present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different workers require different formats for learning. A good rule of thumb: provide information in a variety of learning formats such as videos, pamphlets, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch-and-learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle – getting workers to sign on to a Worksite Wellness Program. While survey respondents indicated health and Worksite Wellness Programs are important, just six out of 10 (60%) reported that they participated in the Worksite Wellness Programs at their organizations. The other 40% cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a comprehensive, structured Worksite Wellness Program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing.

By investing in an organized Worksite Wellness Program headed by a qualified healthcare professional such as an on-site nurse, organizations can give staff members the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

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