Posts from — November 2008

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics tell a clear story – Corporate Health Promotion Plan Programs are effective , and they save corporations money.

You should take note of these interesting Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics:

Some 25 percent of U.S. corporations were running Corporate Wellness Programs in 1996.
Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics depict a savings of $2.30 to $10.10 for every $1 spent on Corporate Wellness Programs.
Coca-Cola’s physical fitness program recouped $500 per year per worker, despite the fact that only 60% of their staff was enrolled.
A Ipsos-Reid Corporate Health Promotion Plan statisics paper in 2004 found the three major preventable causes of staff absenteeism to be mental health (anxiety and/or depression), stress and a bad relationship with a supervisor.
Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics from Prudential Insurance reveal a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in their wellness system, but $574 per non-enrolled worker.
At the Coors Brewing Co., Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics illuminate a savings of $5.50 per $1 spent on physical fitness, with a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages still aren’t self-evident to some executives, even though the research, real-world evidence and cost-benefit analyses are demonstrative. With careful planning, almost every corporation can reap Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages.

Part of the problem is that some executives erroneously believe that the Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages are mostly on the worker side. The truth is that Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages both the organization and worker – and according to Corporate Health Promotion Plan statistics , the employer stands to gain $2.30 to $10.10 in cost savings per dollar spent. Employee physical fitness saves corporations money.

At the same time, medical care and insurance costs continue to skyrocket. Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages are one of the only ways to cut those costs while helping employees at the same time. As Karen Roberts, senior vice president with Aon Consulting, said about Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages in her address at the 2006 WorldAtWork Total Rewards Conference & Exhibition, “If you can’t afford to invest in wellness this year, you’re never going to afford it.”

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Advantages include helping to prevent cancer, obesity, heart disease and hypertension. It’s rare that corporations can cut costs and assist struggling employees, support families and even arguably save lives. Isn’t that a good thing?

Employee Health Testing means better heath risk assessment baselines and better security

“Employee Health Testing” is a hot phrase these days, but it can help your employees with health management, too. When the pundits talk about Employee Health Testing, they’re usually referring to retinal scanners, fingerprint readers, and other high-tech security measures. However, if you trace the phrase “Employee Health Testing” back to its roots, it refers to the measurement of unique human physical and behavioral characteristics.

Corporate Wellness Programs are of imperative importance to the modern business. As a result, Employee Health Testing should be one of the tools in the arsenal of a forward-thinking organization.

On-Site Health Testings aren’t just a “feel-good” measure for your employees. Assessments of worker health help your workers to prioritize their well-being, which results in happier, more productive employees. Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals also build your database of worker biometric data. Employee Health Testing, when handled worksite by our experienced professionals, is hassle-free and smoothly organized. The biometric data we collect then can be stored digitally for years or even decades, helping you and your employees build better health risk assessment baselines that you can use to analyze employees physical fitness and the efficacy of your company’s Health and Productivity Programs. Collected biometric data can even allow an worker’s doctor to assess that individual’s health over many years, helping him or her spot trends and diagnose disease.

Employee Health Testing extends to a wide variety of health risk tests, including measurements of blood pressure, blood type, body fat, substance abuse, and susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Collecting biometric data for security purposes – like fingerprints, facial recognition imprints, or hand geometry – can be dovetailed with our health tests to minimize workflow disruption.

Corporate Wellness Programs: A Long-Term Committment

“Corporate Wellness Programs” – what does that phrase mean to you? To many of us, it evokes an array of ambivalent thoughts — the fitness center membership we barely used, the nagging ankle injury from last year’s corporation picnic, the backaches, the bratwurst we had for lunch, the love handles and of course, the fad diets that failed us or that we failed. Usually, Corporate Wellness Programs is a guilt trigger that causes us to feel remorse about our bodies and the health management we know we should be doing for them.

The sad fact is that we live in a society where our survival is dependent on sitting at a desk, not hunting game, picking berries and sprinting away from wolves. We also live in such luxury, nutritionally, that we can gain weight steadily without being wealthy. Cardiovascular disease, obesity and poor dietary habits cause the majority of of the heath issues that weigh down worker attendance and erode a company’s productivity.

Ironically the poorest societies in the world – the ones furthest from the conveniences of modern life – often boast the healthier, most physically hardy members. And as for the animal kingdom — don’t look there for commiseration. In the wild, it is extremely rare to find an animal that suffers from our kind of wellness issues.

Pharmaceutical dependency degrades Health and Wellness

It doesn’t help that Americans are descending into a deadly love affair with drugs — and drug testing won’t help you with these drugs.

For example, Greg Critser’s book Generation RX details how Americans spend about $180 billion dollars on Pharmaceuticals each year, with the estimated 2011 tally at a whopping $414 billion. The average number of Pharmaceuticals per United State citizens in 2004 stood at twelve.

Twelve! That means that your average worker is taking 14, 18, or even more than 20 medications in an attempt to improve their Health and Wellness.

Is this effective, though? Critser is not convinced that the prescription medications help U.S. health. In fact, he points out a bevy of negative consequences for America’s legal prescription medication addition, which include prescription medication interactions, liver damage, and the legions of people who now depend on prescription medications to deal with ordinary trials and stresses.

An organization has the potential to improve Health

It’s not all bad news, though. Occupational Health Testings and well-designed Corporate Wellness Programs can help you fight the downward spiral for you and your employees. In fact, good Corporate Wellness Programs – like a strong walking Corporate Wellness Programs initiative – can literally save lives and reduce the symptoms that cause employees to turn to prescription medications in the first place.

Health Risk Assessment: Helping Quantify Employee Health help you quantify worker health

An Health Risk Assessment Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals is an important tool to help you isolate the value of strong Corporate Health Promotion Plan Programs.

Health Risk Assessment: What is it?

Does the term “Health Risk Assessment” have you puzzled? If so, then you are not alone.  Unfortunately there is no universal standard definition or format for a Health Risk Assessment. A health risk assessment is both a procedure and a document, too, depending on the context — you must answer questions and ideally undergo some simple Employee Health Testing to develop a document that describes what’s good and bad about your current state of health.

To add confusion to the situation, there’s a field called health risk management. Talk to an OSHA inspector about health risk assessment and they will likely assume you’re referring to an assessment of contaminants and industrial chemicals in a factory or manufacturing facility.

Health Risk Assessment: The Typical Health Risk Assessment

A comprehensive health risk assessment is aimed at producing a concrete baseline of a individual’s health, and includes the majority of of these features:

blood pressure check,
testing for cancer,
blood sugar test, and
a thorough analysis of the worker’s health status.

Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals would analyze the worker’s:

lifestyle factors,
health conditions,
medications,
functional concerns and abilities,
quality of life,
self-efficacy,
physical fitness level.

Wellness Fair activities put the spotlight on Corporate Wellness Programs

A Wellness Fair is a excellent way to shake your employees out of the doldrums and into better awareness of their health and wellness. A Wellness Fair brings your organization together to discuss Corporate Wellness Programs, examine Medical Insurance and “cafeteria” plans, explore health savings accounts, publicize Corporate Health Promotion Plan Programs and share success stories and challenges.

Some common Wellness Fair desired outcomes include:

better awareness of the health services and resources available to employees, both from their organization and from local, state, regional and national health services;
increased motivation for improving health behavior
increased participation in Corporate Wellness Programs, commuter and carshare programs and health savings accounts
better awareness of individual health status through Health Testings, Wellness Fair activities, displays, handouts, and demonstrations, and
better information on what employees are seeking from their organization’s health management initiatives, and which employees are interested in participating.

Planning a Wellness Fair

Planning a Wellness Fair is a lot like beginning an Corporate Health Promotion Plan on a smaller scale. Just like an Corporate Wellness Program, your Wellness Fair will need publicity, logistical planning, programming, targeted goals, in-house marketing and of course, executive approval. Festive touches like free food, kid-friendly activities, live music, art displays, talent shows and other community-minded fun will help cement the appeal of your Wellness Fair and ensure that the Wellness Fair becomes a welcomed, annual event.

You can find some Wellness Fair planning tips at the Family and Consumer Sciences site of Texas A&M University. These Wellness Fair tips are aimed more at community and non-profit organizers, but you can discover many useful Wellness Fair ideas at the site.

Wellness Fairs and Corporate Health Promotion Plan Recruitment

Many Corporate Health Promotion Plan planners find that Wellness Fairs are the primary reason why employees sign up for walking Corporate Wellness Programs, health savings accounts and other pro-Corporate Wellness Programs.

Don’t forget – not only do employees value these programs highly, but the increased energy and decreased sick leave associated with Corporate Wellness Programs also saves your corporation money. The Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics are clear – healthier corporations work harder and pay less in Medical Insurance premiums.

Corporate Wellness Programs: The Grand Slam

Corporate Wellness Programs are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to the majority of researchers and Corporate Health Promotion Plan experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the expense and time of beginning an Corporate Wellness Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t worker Corporate Wellness Programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Corporate Wellness Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive

Fortunately, worker Corporate Wellness Programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other organization project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of Corporate Wellness Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, Corporate Wellness Programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Corporate Health Promotion Plan Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Corporate Health Promotion Plan machinery.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, Corporate Wellness Programs actually add to worker satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and worker absenteeism.

What are some common Corporate Wellness Programs?

Corporate Wellness Programs run the gamut, depending on your worksite demographic, from physical activity for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Following are some examples of Corporate Wellness Programs:

ergonomic safety
cardiovascular disease education and testing
worker safety
Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
walking Corporate Wellness Programs
drug testing

Maintaining Corporate Health Promotion Plan during Flu Season can be a challenge for any corporation. The average adult can get up to four colds in one year, and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized every year for flu complications. From December to March, there are more employees out of the office due to illness, and others who barely made it to the office and can hardly think over their constant coughing and sneezing.

Corporate Wellness Program: Prevention is the Key

Prevention is the key to maintaining good health in the worksite and increasing overall Corporate Wellness Program. Fighting infection after the cold and flu epidemics hit is a losing battle and can best be combated with early action, such as implementing a Corporate Health Promotion Plan Program at the worksite for good health all year long.

Keeping the Office Germ-free During Flu Season

The typical office is the perfect breeding grounds for influenza or the cold virus. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says that there are higher chances for the spread of infection during winter because people spend more time indoors. In an office, this risk is raised by cubicles, bringing many people into a close space. On-Site Health Testings conducted regularly as part of an overall health management program will increase the chances of Corporate Health Promotion Plan year round, and especially during Flu Season.

Education Can Increase Corporate Health Promotion Plan During Flu Season

Educating employees about various ways to stay healthy during Flu Season may help prevent the spread of any sickness to the entire office. Hand washing is a crucial component in maximizing Corporate Wellness Program, as bacteria collects on keyboards, mouses, around the water cooler and next to the community coffee pot. As employees shake hands, infection may be passed, multiplying the chance of getting a cold or coming down with the flu. Hand washing and anti-bacterial cleaners for surfaces can help reduce the spread of sickness.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan is possible during Flu Season. With Corporate Wellness Program, your office can reach one step closer to immunity from sickness during Flu Season.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness

Corporate Health Promotion Plan was shown to be a huge economic boon for corporations in a recently-released joint report by  the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly three million productive employees in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Corporate Health Promotion Plan research study estimates that China will lose $558 billion, India $237 billion, and Russia $303 billion in national income from 2005 to 2015 due to only three chronic diseases: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Lack of Corporate Health Promotion Plan A “Huge Expense”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly worker medical care costs in the U.S., which constitutes a huge expense for corporations. And the Public Health Foundation of India estimates that its country will lose 18 million potentially productive years of life by 2030, a statistic no nation can afford, let alone a developing one.

Corporate Wellness Programs the Answer

A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits alone. Workplace commitments to Corporate Health Promotion Plan are also crucial. Companies are advised to implement worksite Health Testings for their employees, as well as look into a comprehensive health management program. These and other precautions are good secret weapons against the economic pitfall of unhealthy employees.

Corporate Wellness Programs – Staff Engagement Strategies

Corporate Wellness Programs without staff engagement are useless to a corporation. How do you get employees to enroll in Corporate Wellness Programs – and stay engaged in the programs?

The brochures for these programs discuss the benefits to employees and corporations. Corporate Health Promotion Plan statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a corporation for offering such programs. Corporate Wellness Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive corporation, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing gift rewards to employees who participate in Corporate Wellness Programs. The wellness incentive program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment incentives in Corporate Wellness Programs?

Undoubtably corporations that don’t work in the incentives industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every corporation can throw that kind of money at health management resources – and not every corporation has the built-in cost savings as a business that specializes in providing incentive programs.

For certain rich incentives like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many employees’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or challenging. For many employees uncomfortable with health management and physical activity, “new, different and challenging” would apply to Corporate Wellness Programs. So where does that leave corporations who are unwilling or unable to offer incentives for health management program enrollment?

Successful Corporate Wellness Programs motivate employees – before and after signup

Corporate Health Promotion Plan administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get employees to take that vitally important first step. Even the best incentives can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Corporate Wellness Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness surveys before you build your Corporate Wellness Programs so worker input and needs are being met by your Corporate Wellness Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Corporate Wellness Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, employees will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your organization and your co-workers.