Corporate Health Promotion Program: Small Steps

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 01-12-2008

Why use small steps toward behavior change?

Small steps give participants immediate feedback on the changes they make towards better health. Measuring these small steps is also an excellent way to collect interim Company Wellness Program effectiveness data.

Company Wellness Program small steps make a big difference

Small steps for Company Wellness Program participants
• Walk to work.
• Use fat free milk instead of whole milk.
• Each day think of two things you are grateful for.
• Do sit-ups while you watch TV.
• Drink water before a meal.
• Take 10 deep breaths to relieve tension.
• Eat half your dessert.
• Skip second helpings and buffets.

Measuring small Company Wellness Program steps
• Use short pre- and mid-point surveys to ask:
• How many glasses of water do you drink a day?
• How often you do eat fast food?
• How often do you skip a meal?
• How often do you engage in physical activity?
• How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat each day?

Use the results to show participants how their health behaviors are changing for the better.

• Ask participants to rate their health status and/or stress levels before and after an intervention.
• Add up individual (or team) steps and mark the progress on a map towards a far away destination.
• Be innovative! Do not rely only on weight loss, BMI, or cholesterol tests as health status progress indicators or behavior change feedback.

Wise words for taking small Company Wellness Program steps

• The first wealth is health. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle)
• The victory is not always to the swift, but to those who keep moving. (CDC)
• There are 1440 minutes in every day…schedule 30 of them for physical activity. (CDC)

Company Wellness Program Follow Up

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 30-11-2008

Why Company Wellness Program follow up?

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

Building follow up into your Company Wellness Program

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 participants a stamped envelope addressed to you, with a printed form listing the information you will need.

Keep it structured
• Tell participants right from the beginning that you will be doing follow up after the Company Wellness Program is finished. Be specific about the information you will collect.
• If you need to do hands-on measurements, find out if participants 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 participants 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.

Keep it catchy
• Give participants 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 participants 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.

Innovative Company Wellness Program marketing

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 29-11-2008

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

Innovative marketing can increase awareness of your Company Wellness Program for:
• Potential Company Wellness Program participants
• Upper Management
• Line and medical personnel
• Potential partners and volunteers

Innovative Company Wellness Program marketing ideas

Involve Upper Management in your marketing Company Wellness Program as often as possible.
• By way of example: invite Upper Management to judge a Company Wellness Program logo contest.

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

Work closely with personnel in the home office.
• Submit articles about your Corporate Health Promotion 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 home 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 Company Wellness Program
• Use real workers in your advertising: enlist the help of successful Company Wellness Program participants or use Employees and other post personnel for your marketing materials, when possible.
• Start “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?
Make use of technology
• Use post television and radio resources.
• Use email whenever you can.
Don’t just market your Company Wellness Program to potential participants, 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.

Company Wellness Program Data

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 28-11-2008

What is Company Wellness Program data?

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

Why should you care about Company Wellness Program data?

Information tells the Wellness story. Information is the tangible proof of a Wellness Program’s impact.

Building data into Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Why bother with Company Wellness Program Data?

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

Where to begin collecting Company Wellness Program data:
• MAKE A PLAN to collect the data: decide what, when, and how data will be collected.
• Determine what data is ALREADY BEING COLLECTED.
o By way of example: use dairy sales data in the dining facility 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 Company Wellness Program data.

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

Present this information at their monthly/quarterly meetings.
• Use innovative follow-up strategies to get data. Telephone 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 Company Wellness Program participants.
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 Company Wellness Program to readiness.

Keys to Effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 27-11-2008

Collaboration and Effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Why should you collaborate?

Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Company Wellness Program resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.

How can you build collaboration into a Corporate Health Promotion 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 Company Wellness Program 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 Company Wellness Program will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the workers closest to Company Wellness Program 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?”
• Locate someone who has done the same type of Company Wellness Program before and ask their advice. (Hint: the Company Wellness Program has a list of many Wellness POCs.)
• Plan NOW to show Company Wellness Program effectiveness. Identify who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Company Wellness Program is working.

Get Set…
• Step back and look at your Company Wellness Program 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 Company Wellness Program benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
• Emphasize to potential partners how this Company Wellness Program will provide benefit to them.

And Go…
• Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you start a Corporate Health Promotion 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 offering a regular flow of information. Invite Upper Management participation in the Company Wellness Program 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 Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs – The Good and The Bad

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 26-11-2008

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: The Good
• A sampling of return on investment (ROI) for Corporate Health Promotion 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 Health Promotion Programs have realized a 28 percent reduction in sick leave, a 26 percent reduction in adjunctive healthcare costs and a 30 percent 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 return on investment (ROI) for every dollar spent due to a 20 percent reduction in rates of absence. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top Of The Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
• Corporate Health Promotion 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 corporation, gave workers 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 Health Promotion 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 corporations are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
• Three hundred corporations have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more aggressive Corporate Health Promotion Programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will begin lowering worker paychecks by $10.00 for every worker who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 29.9 because not enough workers 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 corporation’s antismoking policy violated his civil rights. The corporation has a policy against hiring workers who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, The New York Times,July 22,2007.)
• worker 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 workers 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 rates of absence 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 workers to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and worker.The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.

Company Wellness Program ROI

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 25-11-2008

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

Statistics do show that Corporate Health Promotion Programs increase worker morale, improve the ability to attract and retain key workers, all while having more alert and productive workers. Some Company Wellness Program return on investment (ROI) statistics of note:

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

Gold’s Gym Employee Wellness

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 24-11-2008

Staff members breathe life and value into your corporation.  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 corporation without having to leave the chair.  The “advances” affect physical and mental health in a disastrous manner ultimately affecting your corporation’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.  Organization 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 reduced productivity can be alleviated with a Company Wellness Program that energizes and motivates tired workers.  Boredom, repetitive motion injuries and workplace tiredness can only be combated with physical and mental stimulation.

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

• Lowering health insurance and compensation costs through reduced need for medical services
• Increasing productivity
• Lowering rates of absence
• Increasing morale
• Lowering stress

On top of improving the health of your staff, a broad-based Company Wellness Program shows your workers you care about their well-being.

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

Incorporating all phases of fitness training (strength, core, cardiovascular, flexibility), performing broad-based fitness assessments, designing personalized fitness initiatives, and dynamic group training initiatives.  We take pride in our talented, professional workers who provide innovative and effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs for diverse workforces.

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

To motivate your workers to exercise, eat better, and lose weight, you could invest heavily in facilities, equipment, and staffing to develop worksite Corporate Health Promotion Programs for workers, thereby hopefully creating a healthier, more productive workforce.  However, the problem with company fitness facilities is that workers 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 Health Promotion Programs provides attractive discounts for corporations to train at our professionally coordinated facilities.  When your corporation becomes a member of our Corporate Health Promotion Program, your workers are eligible for savings off of our regular training rates.  No matter what size of corporation you keep, we have a Company Wellness Program to keep it healthy, happy, and working strong.

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

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: corporation Flu Shots

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 23-11-2008

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. Each year about 200,000 workers in the U.S. are hospitalized and about 36,000 workers 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 workers 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 percent to 90 percent 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 workers need a flu vaccine.
Fact: Children and adults 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

Advantages of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

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Posted by Company Wellness | Posted in Company Wellness | Posted on 22-11-2008

Advantages of Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Easy to Find

Employer’s are learning that Corporate Health Promotion Programs is an effective way to increase productivity, improve worker health, reduce healthcare costs and reduce rates of absence.

A report published in 2003 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlighted how important it is for corporations to incorporate Corporate Health Promotion Programs as part of their company strategy. The report asserts that chronic diseases which are largely preventable place a heavy toll on corporation, 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 recently published article, American Cancer Society CEO John Seffrin reported two thirds of cancer deaths in the U.S. could be prevented through lifestyle changes in diet, physical fitness, cancer screening and “especially” tobacco use. A well-designed Corporate Health Promotion Programs initiative serves the best interests of workers and corporations alike.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: ROI

Ron Goetzel, a nationally recognized expert in the field of health management, data assessment and applied research, said in a recently published interview that with an investment of $100 to $150 per worker per year in Corporate Health Promotion Programs, an employer can expect an average return on investment (ROI) of approximately $3 for every $1
invested ($300 to $450 savings per worker per year).  Goetzel says, however, that these returns are not typically realized until two to three years into the Corporate Health Promotion 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 workers after they get sick, rather than a ‘health care’ system which focuses on keeping healthy workers 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 corporations that offer broad-based programs to promote worker health and grants for small corporation.

Advantages of Wellness Progams: Getting Started

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

• Provide incentives for participation.
• Start a wellness informational campaign.
• Schedule wellness seminars on diabetes, nutrition, physical fitness and cholesterol.
• Start initiatives such as fitness, sleep diary, smoking cessation and injury prevention.
• Provide onsite chair massages or simple stretching exercises to do at the desk.
• Alter snack machine options to offer healthier, low-fat snacks and drinks.
• Actively promote worker participation in all Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

A successful Company Wellness Program can boost corporation morale, enhance productivity, reduce organizational conflict, attract superior workers and reduce the rate of worker turnover. The case for starting a Company Wellness Program is well worth the effort.