Posts from — December 2008

Why Corporate Health Promotion Plan follow up?

Getting feedback from Corporate Health Promotion Plan members serves two purposes: to obtain data that quantifies a Wellness Program’s impact, and to find ways to improve a Corporate Wellness Program.

Building follow up into your Corporate Health Promotion Plan

Make it Simple
• Keep follow up to information you absolutely require. A three-question survey is more likely to get a response than one with 20 questions.
• Use email or phone for follow-up. Use personal and business email addresses; use cell phone and unit phone numbers.
• Go to the Employees: go to the unit or somewhere else they will all be gathered, and get follow up information there.
• Give members a stamped envelope addressed to you, with a printed form listing the information you will need.

Make it structured
• Tell members right from the beginning that you will be doing follow up after the Corporate Health Promotion Plan is finished. Be specific about the information you will collect.
• If you need to do hands-on measurements, find out if members will be coming back to your location for another reason (like another clinic appointment). Ask them to stop by while they are in the building – or, better yet, go to where they will be.
• Ask members where they will be the next time you will be collecting data. They may already know their next duty station if they will be PCSing soon.
• Plan ahead for follow up and put it on the schedule. Planning to do follow up “when you have time” usually means follow up will never get done.

Make it catchy
• Give members something to go along with the request for information. By way of example, if you send an email to ask for information, send along a yummy recipe or a timely fitness tip.
• Schedule a ‘reunion’ day to collect follow up information. Invite members to come back and share successes and challenges. Have some (healthy) munchies available.
• Have a silly contest – the team with the most follow up data wins something, like having their photos posted on a prominently-placed bulletin board or an eggplant trophy, or some other fun thing.

Collaboration and Effective Corporate Wellness Programs

Why should you collaborate?

Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Corporate Health Promotion Plan resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.

How can you build collaboration into a Corporate Wellness Program?

Get Ready…
• Brainstorm a list of every potential Wellness partner you can think of. Be innovative!
• Be a politician: introduce yourself to everyone BEFORE you need their help.
• Develop a plan to get Upper Management support from as high up the chain as possible. Make sure to include specific ways that your Corporate Health Promotion Plan will impact force readiness.
• Determine how YOU can help your partners (not just what they can do for you).

Be Steady…
• Get input from everyone that your Corporate Health Promotion Plan will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the staff members closest to Corporate Health Promotion Plan implementation (those with “boots on the ground”).
• The most frequently asked questions should be: “What would you suggest?” and “How do you think this would work best?”
• Find someone who has done the same type of Corporate Health Promotion Plan before and ask their advice. (Hint: the Corporate Health Promotion Plan has a list of many Wellness POCs.)
• Plan NOW to show Corporate Health Promotion Plan effectiveness. Establish who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Corporate Health Promotion Plan is working.

Get Set…
• Step back and review your Corporate Health Promotion Plan from a potential partner’s point of view.
• Brainstorm questions your collaborators might have, and have the answers ready.
• Be ready to frame your “selling points” in terms that are important to each specific partner.
• Put the Corporate Health Promotion Plan benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
• Emphasize to potential partners how this Corporate Health Promotion Plan will provide benefit to them.

And Go…
• Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you implement a Corporate Wellness Program.
• Make your partnerships a two-way street: always let your collaborators know what you can do for them – then follow-up and do what you say you would do.
• Maintain Upper Management support by providing a regular flow of information. Invite Upper Management participation in the Corporate Health Promotion Plan and special events whenever possible. (Hint: they make great judges if you have a contest.)
• Provide regular feedback to your collaborators.
• Don’t hog the spotlight: let your collaborators share in the visibility of the Corporate Wellness Program.

Why bother to market your Corporate Wellness Programs?
Because of the transient nature of the many employee populations, you must market your Corporate Wellness Programs all the time. Your goal should be to keep your Corporate Wellness Programs as visible as possible.

Innovative marketing can increase awareness of your Corporate Health Promotion Plan for:
• Potential Corporate Health Promotion Plan members
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Innovative Corporate Health Promotion Plan marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Corporate Health Promotion Plan as often as possible.
• By way of example: invite Upper Management to judge a Corporate Health Promotion Plan logo contest.

Link your Corporate Wellness Programs to national advertising campaigns
• …like the Great American Smokeout and the Dairy Council’s Milk Mustache campaign.

Work closely with personnel in the organization office.
• Submit articles about your Corporate Wellness Programs that coincide with National Health Observances. By way of example: highlight your Asthma Program in May, which is National Asthma Awareness Month.
• Let the organization office know you can always provide an article to them when they run short on material. (Then make sure you always follow through.)
Word of mouth is the most effective advertising for your Corporate Health Promotion Plan
• Use real staff members in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Corporate Health Promotion Plan members or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Create “buzz” by incorporating an element of competition: which ‘team’ had the most steps over the past week? Which department engaged most frequently in physical activity?
Take advantage of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t just market your Corporate Health Promotion Plan to potential members, but market the opportunities for others to be involved, as well.
• By way of example: does the Red Cross know you can always use a volunteer? Do other departments/clinics know that you can always use personnel with some temporary down time?
Don’t be “old news”
• If you put advertising materials up, be sure to take them down in a timely manner.
• Update marketing logos and themes as appropriate.

Corporate Wellness Programs at the organization level are beneficial, right? Wellness statistics clearly show that such Corporate Wellness Programs are not only cost-effective to the organization but can assist the employee in developing a healthier lifestyle. With the increasing cost of medical care, Corporate Wellness Programs simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let’s examine the topic from both perspectives.

Corporate Wellness Programs: The Good
• A sampling of ROI for Corporate Wellness Programs: Bank of America: 600 percent; General Motors:370 percent; Pepsico: 300 percent; Citibank: 465 percent; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560%. (Campbell,J., Wellness Improvement Experts, www.wellnessimprovementexperts.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
• Companies with Corporate Wellness Programs have realized a 28% reduction in sick leave, a 26% reduction in adjunctive healthcare costs and a 30% reduction in disability and workers compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)
• The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada realized a $15.60 ROI for each dollar spent due to a 20% reduction in absenteeism. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top Of The Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
• Corporate Wellness Programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many individuals need in order to make lifestyle changes.
• Employees also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology organization, gave staff members who filled out a health risk assessment a significant discount on their health insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, The New York Times, July 22, 2007.)

Corporate Wellness Programs: The Bad
The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our employer to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? Some companies are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
• Three hundred companies have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more aggressive Corporate Wellness Programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will begin decreasing employee paychecks by $10.00 for every employee who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 29.9 because not enough staff members were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective employer, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the organization’s antitobacco use policy violated his civil rights. The organization has a policy against hiring staff members who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, The New York Times,July 22,2007.)
• employee advocates are concerned that health discrimination may not be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)

Penalizing staff members by hitting them where it hurts the most, in their pocketbook, does not appear to be a a good approach to molding human behavior.
Such tactics may result in increased resentments and retaliation, primarily in the form of absenteeism and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based initiatives, such as the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results. A positive attitude on the part of management along with an opportunity for staff members to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and employee.The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.

What is Corporate Health Promotion Plan data?

Corporate Health Promotion Plan data is information that is collected about your Corporate Wellness Program. All Corporate Wellness Programs should include data as an integral part of the Corporate Health Promotion Plan plan.

Why should you care about Corporate Health Promotion Plan data?

Data tells the Wellness story. Data is the tangible evidence of a Wellness Program’s impact.

Building data into Corporate Wellness Programs

Why bother with Corporate Health Promotion Plan Data?

You need Corporate Health Promotion Plan data to:
• Evaluate whether or not your Corporate Health Promotion Plan is working.
• Answer the ‘so what?’ about the need for a Corporate Wellness Program.
• Provide information to Upper Management about the impact of the Corporate Wellness Program.
• Write a budget justification so you can secure Corporate Health Promotion Plan resources.
• Use Corporate Health Promotion Plan resources efficiently and market your Corporate Health Promotion Plan more effectively.

Where to begin collecting Corporate Health Promotion Plan data:
• MAKE A PLAN to collect the data: decide what, when, and how data will be collected.
• Find out what data is ALREADY BEING COLLECTED.
o By way of example: use dairy sales data in the dining center to measure the impact of a milk marketing/dairy month campaign.
• Start collecting JUST A FEW small pieces of information. Be innovative!
o By way of example: BMI, APFT scores (before & after), tobacco quit rates

IT’S NEVER TO LATE TO START collecting Corporate Health Promotion Plan data.

Innovative Corporate Health Promotion Plan data strategies
• Use local college/graduate students to help collect, input, and analyze Corporate Health Promotion Plan data.
• If your organization has an internship program, get to know the Internship Director. Take advantage of intern resources – including having the Director and/or interns implement the data collection plan for your Corporate Wellness Program.
• Use data to let upper management know about the Corporate Wellness Programs affect on the staff members.

Present this information at their monthly/quarterly meetings.
• Use innovative follow-up strategies to get data. Phone calls can be effective, but also consider email, mailed surveys with return postage provided, and going to the units in person to collect the information.
• Make data collection ‘fun’ for Corporate Health Promotion Plan members.
o By way of example: use a team approach – the team with the ‘best’ overall results gets some sort of award or recognition.
• ALWAYS relate the impact of your Corporate Health Promotion Plan to readiness.

For well over a decade, research studies have been showing the effectiveness of Corporate Wellness Programs. For each dollar spent on Corporate Wellness Programs, the returns have been cost savings of between $2.30 and $10.10 in the areas of decreased absenteeism, fewer sick days, decreased WSIB/WCB claims, lowered health and insurance costs, and improvements to employee performance and productivity.

Statistics do show that Corporate Wellness Programs increase employee morale, improve the ability to attract and retain key staff members, all while having more alert and productive staff members. Some Corporate Health Promotion Plan ROI statistics of note:

• Canada Life Insurance reported a return of $3.43 on Corporate Wellness Program, and an overall Corporate Health Promotion Plan ROI of $6.85 on each organization dollar invested on decreased turnover (32.4% lower), productivity gains and decreased medical claims,
• DuPont’s Corporate Health Promotion Plan pilot sites saw a saving of 11,726 disability days and a return of U.S. $2.05 for each dollar invested by the end of the second year,
• The Canadian government’s Corporate Health Promotion Plan ROI was $1.95-$3.75 per employee per dollar spent (as reported by Dr. Roy Shephard),
• Municipal staff members in Toronto, missed 3.35 fewer days in the first six months of their Corporate Health Promotion Plan than staff members not enrolled in the program,
• British Columbia Hydro staff members enrolled in a Corporate Health Promotion Plan had a turnover rate of just 3.5% compared with a Corporation average of 10.3 percent,
• Johnson & Johnson estimated an average saving of U.S. $224.66 per employee per year for the four years examined after the program introduction, with the bulk of the savings being in the third and fourth years,
• Pacific Bell reported that overall absenteeism decreased after implementing a Corporate Wellness Program,
• Coca Cola report saving $500 every year per employee after implementing a Corporate Wellness Program, with only 60% of their staff members taking part,
• Coors Brewing Co. reported that for each dollar spent on their Corporate Health Promotion Plan they saw a $5.50 return, and the staff members who participated decreased their absentee rate by 18 percent, and
• Prudential Insurance Company reported that the benefits costs for staff members taking part in their program were $312, as opposed to $574 for non-members

Flu Shot Facts & Myths

Myth: The flu isn’t a serious disease.
Fact: Influenza (flu) is a serious disease of the nose, throat, and lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Annually about 200,000 staff members in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 staff members die because of the flu. Most who die are 65 years and older. But small children less than 2 years old are as likely as those over 65 to have to go to the hospital because of the flu.

Myth: The flu shot can cause the flu.
Fact: The flu shot cannot cause the flu. Some staff members get a little soreness or redness where they get the shot. It goes away in a day or two. Serious problems from the flu shot are very rare.

Myth: The flu shot does not work.
Fact: Most of the time the flu shot will prevent the flu. In scientific studies, the effectiveness of the flu shot has ranged from 70% to 90% when there is a good match between circulating viruses and those in the vaccine. Getting the vaccine is your best protection against this disease.

Myth: The side effects are worse than the flu.
Fact: The worst side effect you’re likely to get from a flu shot is a sore arm. The nasal mist flu vaccine might cause nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat and cough. The risk of a severe allergic reaction is less than 1 in 4 million.

Myth: Only older staff members need a flu vaccine.
Fact: Adults and children with conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease need to get a flu shot. Doctors also recommend children 6 months and older get a flu shot every year until their 5th birthday.

Myth: You must get the flu vaccine before December.
Fact: Flu vaccine can be given before or during the flu season. The best time to get vaccinated is October or November. But you can get vaccinated in December or later.

For more information, ask your healthcare provider or call 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).  You can also get more information about flu vaccinations by visiting the following Website: www.cdc.gov/flu

Source: The Department of Health and Human ServicesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention

Workers breathe life and value into your organization.  Within the modern worksite there are increasing instances of stress, anxiety, obesity, depression, and heart disease.  The modern worksite has become increasingly physical fitness-free.

Technological advances have lessened the need to “walk” at work.  Moving a mouse has the same level of physical exertion as pressing the buttons on a remote control.  Emails, the fax, and the internet have meant that it is possible to run a organization without having to leave the chair.  The “advances” affect physical and mental health in a disastrous manner ultimately affecting your organization’s profit.

A sedentary lifestyle is a recipe for disaster – heart disease, chronic back pain, repetitive stress disorder, and low employee self-esteem are symptomatic of a work environment in which the only physical fitness available is surfing the net.  Corporation morale will invariably suffer if an physical fitness policy is not endorsed and put in place.

Regular physical fitness can significantly improve workplace health.  Instances of absenteeism and staff turnover, low staff morale and decreased productivity can be alleviated with a Corporate Health Promotion Plan that energizes and motivates tired staff members.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and workplace fatigue can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

Studies show, staff members who are physically active on a regular basis record less sick days each year and are more energetic, dynamic, and industrious.  Investing in the health of your staff pays dividends through increased productivity and goodwill.  Physically active staff members are happy staff members.

• Lowering health insurance and compensation costs through decreased need for medical services
• Improving productivity
• Lowering absenteeism
• Improving morale
• Lowering stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a comprehensive Corporate Health Promotion Plan shows your staff members you care about their well-being.

Golds Gym Corporate Wellness Programs is committed to creating a healthy, active workforce, providing employers with training incentives for staff members at our state-of-the-art facilities. Golds Gym Employee Wellness also provides training services and facility design at your office location.

Incorporating all aspects of fitness training (cardiovascular, strength, flexibility, core), performing comprehensive fitness assessments, designing personalized fitness initiatives, and dynamic group training initiatives.  We take pride in our talented, professional staff members who provide innovative and effective Corporate Wellness Programs for diverse workforces.

Golds Gym Corporate Wellness Program’s staff members reach beyond the walls of the fitness center to motivate, educate, and encourage staff members to embrace and maintain healthy active lifestyles.  Applying practical experience the Golds Gym Corporate Health Promotion Plan delivers dynamic cost-effective Corporate Health Promotion Plan that help staff members work happier, harder, and healthier.

To motivate your staff members to exercise, eat better, and lose weight, you could invest heavily in equipment, facilities, and staffing to develop worksite Corporate Wellness Programs for staff members, thereby hopefully creating a healthier, more productive workforce.  However, the problem with organization fitness facilities is that staff members spend one quarter of their lives at work and typically are not motivated enough to come in early or stay late to do an exercise program.

Golds Gym Corporate Wellness Programs provides attractive discounts for companies to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your organization becomes a member of our Corporate Wellness Program, your staff members are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of organization you keep, we have a Corporate Health Promotion Plan to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

• Coca Cola reported saving $500 per employee every year after implementing a Corporate Health Promotion Plan with only 60% of their staff members taking part.
• Pacific Bell reported that overall absenteeism decreased after implementing a Corporate Wellness Program.
• Coors Brewing Company reported that for each dollar spent on their Corporate Health Promotion Plan they saw a $5.50 return and the staff members who participated decreased their absentee rate by 18%.
• Prudential Insurance Company reported that the benefits costs for staff members taking part in their program were $312 as opposed to $574 for non-members (American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, 2004).

To learn more about Gold’s Gym Corporate Wellness Programs contact us at (336) 725-8624.

Advantages of Corporate Wellness Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Corporate Wellness Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve employee health, lower healthcare costs and reduce absenteeism.

A report published in 2003 by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for companies to incorporate Corporate Wellness Programs as part of their organization strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on organization, including lower productivity and higher health insurance costs.

The Department of Health and Human Services estimates that $1.66 trillion was spent on medical care in 2003 and it attributes a majority of those costs to chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity and asthma. Sadly, the money allocated for preventing or controlling these conditions is negligible.

In a recent article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Corporate Wellness Programs initiative serves the best interests of staff members and companies alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Return On Investment

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data assessment and applied research, said in a recent interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per employee per year in Corporate Wellness Programs, an employer can expect an average ROI of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per employee per year).  Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically realized until two to three years into the Corporate Wellness Program.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Tax Breaks

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has been an outspoken proponent in seeking legislative solutions for a strained healthcare system.

“As a nation, we have a ‘sick care’ system that is focused on helping staff members after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy staff members healthy,” he says.

Harkin introduced the Healthy Lifestyle and Prevention (HeLP) America Act of 2004. One of the initiatives under Title II – Healthier Communities and Workplaces, provides tax credits to companies that offer comprehensive programs to promote employee health and grants for small organization.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

Implementing a Corporate Wellness Programs can be accomplished with simple, low-cost strategies.

• Provide incentives for participation.
• Create a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Create initiatives such as fitness, sleep diary, tobacco use cessation and injury prevention.
• Provide onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Change vending machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote employee participation in all Corporate Wellness Programs.

A successful Corporate Health Promotion Plan can boost organization morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and lower the rate of employee turnover. The case for starting a Corporate Health Promotion Plan is well worth the effort.

Technological and demographic transformations are changing the nature of work in our society. As these changes occur the comprehensive model of Corporate Wellness Programs described above will evolve and continue to develop. If current trends continue, the workers of tomorrow will be older, more racially and ethically diverse, increasingly female, and will often be located off-site. In the later case, technological advances are making it possible for more and more professionals to conduct their work from their homes. Thus the very character of the worksite will change and so must our efforts to deliver Corporate Wellness Programs. As an example, in the future it is likely that a great deal of health education programming will be delivered through personalized interactive multimedia formats, conveniently supplied to any number of staff members through telecommunication systems.

As technological innovations increase in the workplace, Corporate Health Promotion Plan professionals will face new health related challenges. In the past, some have assumed that technology would make workers more efficient, thereby allowing staff members to work less, while being more productive. In reality, increases in technological innovation have simply allowed more of us to take our work with us where ever we go and feel guilty for not being increasingly productive.

This trend may absorb greater amounts of leisure time that is normally devoted to recreation and relaxation. Subsequent increases in stress and fatigue will ensure the continued need for effective Corporate Wellness Programs.

When considering the scope of Corporate Wellness Programs described in this article, many will think of substantial investments made by large companies. The reality is that 60% of individuals working in the United States work for a organization of less than 100 staff members (U. S. Bureau of Census, 1988). Due to economy of scale, it has been difficult and expensive for small organization owners to supply adequate healthcare insurance as well as prevention programming for workers.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan professionals must understand this challenge and develop the means to overcome these obstacles. The evidence is clear that much more could be done to advance the health of our society through the workplace. As change agents, health educators must work to empower companies and staff members through education of the benefits of Corporate Wellness Programs.