Corporate America is increasingly investing in worker health promotion because it’s good corporation. In order to meet productivity demands, corporations must rely on a healthful, productive workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.
Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental establishings have documented the economic benefits of staff member health promotion programs, including reduced absenteeism, reduced injuries and workman’s compensation costs, reduced healthcare costs, reduced staff member turnover, as well as increased productivity, greater staff member satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10
The more recent literature reflects improvements in health promotion programming along with greater return on investment. In general, the more focused and intensive the program, the greater benefit realized.
To enhance their effectiveness federal government employee health promotion programs may be able to incorporate some of the features described. Worker health promotion programs shown to have positive returns on investment often include the following features –
1 Health and productivity management model
Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors such as smoking, lack of exercise, excess weight, unhealthful diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, depression, and so on.
High-risk workers are especially targeted for intervention, although the most successful programs also direct efforts towards healthful workers for maintain their low-risk status. This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.
2 Health risk (assessment|appraisal}
Use of a computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal} instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is nearly universal in successful programs. Employees take the questionnaire yearly in many cases.
The Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} serves to raise awareness, provide direction, and motivate person to improve specific behaviors. In some cases, the customized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.
Research indicates that the use of an Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} is effective when it is followed by some type of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks. It often serves as the entry point into health promotion programs.
3 Biometric analysis
Many health promotion programs combine the results of the health risk (assessment|appraisal} with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) , blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.
Combining the results of the Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} with biological measures causes a more exact risk profile. Computerized health risk (assessment|appraisal}s often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.
4 Health Promotion Program Incentives
Employees are frequently given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a program or class, specific accomplishments like stopping smoking, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthful status and/or behaviors.
In many cases the monetary incentives are associated with reductions in health insurance premiums. Some programs use disincentives in addition to incentives, like charging staff members who smoke higher rates for their health insurance contribution.
5 High health promotion program participation rates
Successful programs use incentives to drive participation rates up. They also market their programs extensively, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.
6 Health Promotion coaching
Employees with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits could be periodically coached via telephone by trained wellness Coaches.
Coaching assists staff members set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related goals including those addressing stress, work life balance, tobacco use, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.
Three or more sessions are generally offered. In some intensive programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management (DM) intervention for staff members with identified high-risk illnesses.
7 Multiple formats
Programs might offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to provide stimulating variety and alternatives in order to accommodate the needs of all staff members.
In addition to onsite physical activity and healthful consuming events, on-line programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and workplace classes and workshops are common dissemination strategies.
8 Senior level management support
Enthusiastic and frequent endorsement by upper-level management is crucial to achieving high rates of participation. When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.
9 Frequent contact
Successful programs have frequent contact of some sort with every employee. This could be through advertising efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, staff meeting presentations, discussion in new employee orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.
The key is to enhance worker awareness of wellness opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through frequent and multiple “touches”.
10 Open enrollment
To encourage high participation rates staff members must’ve easy access to the health promotion programs and activities. Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.
Some corporations automatically enroll all workers and then allow those who don’t wish to participate to “opt-out”. This practice has been proven to increase enrollment rates in some settings.
11 Family involvement
A lot of programs encourage spouses and other family members to participate in the business wellness activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle along with the designated worker. It is far easier for the worker to have a healthy lifestyle if his/her family does so as well.
12 Tobacco use cessation
Because smoking and other smoking is the number one threat to health it’s critical to offer staff members effective and convenient assistance with quitting.
Access to smoking cessation pharmaceuticals is often part of such programs. In-house programs provide the most convenient access to these services, although on-line or telephone-based programs could be available as well.
13 Physical Activity
Regular physical activity is a core component of every health promotion program. Staff Members must be strongly encouraged to engage in regular physical activity.
Most programs provide either periodic or continuous on-site opportunities, and some locations have on-site fitness clubs, swimming pools, walking trails, etc. Discounted or compensated memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to on-site facilities.
14 Weight management
Because obesity is a major threat to health it is imperative that programs offer effective assistance with weight control. Comprehensive encouragement from upper management to shed excess weight is important.
Web-Based programs, worksite programs, or discounted access to weight control programs in the community may all be available. Long-term follow-up is vital for maintenance of weight loss.
15 Stress management
Workplace stress is perhaps the most common complaint among employees and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.
Almost all successful health promotion programs offer assistance with personal and workplace stress. Some programs refer staff members to outside resources for additional serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer online or frequent on-site general stress reduction programs.
Some companies endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.
16 Medical testings/immunizations
Workers are actively encouraged to complete advised medical screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, BMI, colorectal and breast cancer, and others.
Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged. Some sites provide these services at the worksite. Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.
17 Onsite health care
Actual provision of onsite primary care medical services is a growing trend. The quickly escalating costs of medical care insurance for employees has stimulated this trend.
Some corporations have found that it is less costly to provide main care services themselves than to fund those services through medical insurance.
Onsite care also lowers the amount of time staff members would otherwise spend away from the worksite getting such services.
References
1 Aldana, Steven G. (2001) Financial Impact of Health Promotion Programs – A Extensive Review of the Literature. Am J Health Promotion 15(5) – 296-320.
2 Chapman, Larry. (1998) the Role of Incentives in Wellness. The Art of Health Promotion 2(3) – 1-8.
3 Chapman, Larry. (2003) Biometric Screening in Health Promotion – is it Really as Important as We Think? the Art of Health Promotion 7(2) – 1-12.
4 Chapman, Larry. (2005) Meta-Evaluation of Employee Health Promotion Economic Return Studies – 2005 Update. The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.
5 Chapman, Larry. (2006) Employee Participation in Employee Health Promotion and Health Promotion Programs – How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best? North Carolina Medical Journal 67(6) – 431-432.
6 Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth. (2007) the Role of Health Promotion Coaching in Employee Health Promotion. the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.
7 Chapman, Larry. (2007) Proof Positive – an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Health Promotion. Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8 Chapman, Larry. (2007) an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change. Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Businesss” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9 Edington, Dee. (2001) Emerging Research – A View from One Research Center. American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5) – 341-349.
10 Edington, Dee W. (2007) Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy. Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11 Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy. (2004) Changes in Health Risks and Make sure to work Productivity. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) – 746-754.
12 Pelletier, Kenneth R. (2005) A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of robust Health and Disease Management (DM)Programs at the Worksite – Update VI 2000-2004. JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13 DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. Al. (2007) an Unhealthful America – the Economic Burden of Chronic Condition. Report released by the Milken Institute. www.milkeninstitute.org.
14 Partnership for Prevention. (2008) Investing in Health – Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces. http – //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.
