Posts Tagged ‘Workplace’

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Health Promotion : Corporate Health Promotion Becomes CEO Issue – How to Reduce Workplace Health Costs.

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

The Partnership for Prevention was formed to encourage Fortune 1000 businesses to consider making workforce health a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) issue and adopt strategies to promote avoidance and wellness.

After several years of double-digit rate increases for health insurance, companies are realizing that among the best ways to slow the cost increases is to have employees take more responsibility for both costs and health options.

A majority of corporations surveyed feel that the best way for lowering costs is financial incentives to encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Almost 100 percent of corporations surveyed say that healthcare costs will be a vital or meaningful concern over the next five years, as reported by a recent survey by United Benefit Advisors.

More businesss are adopting higher deductible health plans with HRA’s or HSA’S, health promotion programs, and expanded disease management (DM) programs for control ever-increasing health care costs.

Failure to deal with these issues can be disastrous for an business. Wayne Sensor, CEO of Alegent Health recently stated, “I think that we’ve built a healthcare machinery we cannot afford. I think we are choking the economic engine of America.”

In his October 2005 newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil stated, “I think rising health- care costs are becoming the major economic issue in our nation”. Obesity costs California corporations billions of dollars each year.

Projected costs for 2005 may reach 28 billion dollars for direct and indirect health costs, staff member’s compensation, and lost productivity. California has experienced one of the fastest growing rates of obesity of any state.

According to California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe, “The obesity epidemic is more than a public health crisis, it’s an economic crisis.” What’s frightening is that most people  do not even realize that they’re obese, which is defined as only 20% above normal weight.

There is a excellent need for more education on weight and resulting illnesses, and the workplace is an ideal venue. Health Promotion education and programs can result in a meaningful return on investment and, if structured properly, can produce causes a very short period of time.

Although many businesss have attempted some form of health promotion program in the past, results from those efforts have been disappointing.

In many cases, the healthier workers participated for incentives, like gym memberships, but those who needed it most didn’t take advantage of the program in a meaningful way.

Corporations are looking at ways to encourage more workers to purchase into the wellness movement.

A recent webinar hosted by Human Resource (HR) Executive Magazine and presented by Carlson Marketing and Advertising Group titled, “Healthier Employees; Healthier Bottom Line –  Engaging Workers is the Missing Link in Managing Healthcare Costs,” drove this point home.

This session provided actionable advice on how businesses are achieving higher impact with their wellness investments by focusing on employee engagement. It also highlighted how you can develop an Economic Engagement Model to forecast the potential impact for your organization.

Corporations can simply no longer ignore the issue of their employee’s unhealthy lifestyles and must act to engage them in a meaningful health promotion program to reduce medical costs, absenteeism and lost productivity.

Employees also benefit as they derive better health and greater satisfaction in both their personal and expert lives. the alternative is being caught in a non-competitive position and severely impacting the bottom-line of the corporation.

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Safety Concerns

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Make safety a key concern when planning exercise in your workplace.  An accident or injury will not “sell” the program and may end up costing the employer. This section will help you take the necessary steps to avoid an accident or injury.

Points to Consider

Using Certified Experts

Hire professionally certified instructors to lead fitness classes (whether on or offsite) or to run workplace brown bagger sessions.  It’s also a good idea to ask the instructor for references.

When you hire instructors, make sure that your insurance protects both the instructor and your organization.

Risk Management

Whether we like it or not, liability is an issue these days.

Risk management plans don’t have to be complicated or expensive. for example, part of the plan might require that employees complete fitness appraisals and sign statements accepting the possible risks involved in exercise.

It compensates to be prepared. Safety and emergency policies and procedures reduce the risk of loss both to individuals and to your organization.

Ask employees to sign a waiver when participating in both onsite and offsite activities. for liability reasons, employees must understand the risks involved in participating in the activity and understand that they’re waiving their right to sue.

The employee should not be asked to sign the waiver just before the activity. the waiver might  be invalid when workers claim that they didn’t fully understand the risks.

Other Safety Tips

Here is a list of some other safety tips to keep in mindwhen planning physical activity.

Look at the environment where employees are active –

• Sidewalks should be clear of ice and snow, away from falling debris or snow, and have obviously marked curbs and safe crosswalks.

• Stairwells must be well-lit and in good condition and have handrails and safety features, so that employees are not locked out of floors.

• Fitness facilities should have proper flooring, good ventilation, and access to water and an emergency telephone.

Offer medical testing for staff members participating in activities –

• PAR-Q

• PAR-MEDX for Pregnancy

Below are some other important safety factors –

• First-aid kit and automated external defibrillator on site.

• Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place and practised.

• Commercial grade fitness equipment (not donated, “hand me down” equipment).

• Documented equipment inspection and maintenance schedule.

• Orientation of equipment and programs done by certified professional with a exercise background.

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Safety Concerns

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Make safety a key concern when planning exercise in your workplace.  An accident or injury will not “sell” the program and may end up costing the employer. This section will help you take the necessary steps to avoid an accident or injury.

Points to Consider

Using Certified Experts

Hire professionally certified instructors to lead fitness classes (whether on or offsite) or to run workplace brown bagger sessions.  It’s also a good idea to ask the instructor for references.

When you hire instructors, make sure that your insurance protects both the instructor and your organization.

Risk Management

Whether we like it or not, liability is an issue these days.

Risk management plans don’t have to be complicated or expensive. for example, part of the plan might require that employees complete fitness appraisals and sign statements accepting the possible risks involved in exercise.

It compensates to be prepared. Safety and emergency policies and procedures reduce the risk of loss both to individuals and to your organization.

Ask employees to sign a waiver when participating in both onsite and offsite activities. for liability reasons, employees must understand the risks involved in participating in the activity and understand that they’re waiving their right to sue.

The employee should not be asked to sign the waiver just before the activity. the waiver might  be invalid when workers claim that they didn’t fully understand the risks.

Other Safety Tips

Here is a list of some other safety tips to keep in mindwhen planning physical activity.

Look at the environment where employees are active –

• Sidewalks should be clear of ice and snow, away from falling debris or snow, and have obviously marked curbs and safe crosswalks.

• Stairwells must be well-lit and in good condition and have handrails and safety features, so that employees are not locked out of floors.

• Fitness facilities should have proper flooring, good ventilation, and access to water and an emergency telephone.

Offer medical testing for staff members participating in activities –

• PAR-Q

• PAR-MEDX for Pregnancy

Below are some other important safety factors –

• First-aid kit and automated external defibrillator on site.

• Emergency Action Plan (EAP) in place and practised.

• Commercial grade fitness equipment (not donated, “hand me down” equipment).

• Documented equipment inspection and maintenance schedule.

• Orientation of equipment and programs done by certified professional with a exercise background.

Health Promotion : Workplace Physical Activity Programs – Keys to Success.

Monday, June 7th, 2010

To make a difference in the lives of your fellow staff members, you first need to understand that getting active is not simply a matter of choice. Some things are within our individual control, but others are shaped by the people  and circumstances in which we live and work.

It’s Easier to be Active When…

• We know what to do and have the confidence, skills and opportunity to do it.

• It’s fun. “Working out” at the fitness club does not appeal to everyone. Activities need to reflect what people  enjoy.

• Our friends, family or colleagues are active with us (or at least support us).

• We feel safe, thanks to well-lit streets or stairwells.

• Sidewalks, walking/bicycling trails, parks and gyms are nearby.

• We’ve money to pay for equipment, instruction or memberships.

• We can walk, bike or take public transit to work.

• Active options such as taking the stairs, having stretch breaks at meetings and going outside at lunchtime are “normal” in the workplace.

• Managers support and recognize worker efforts. Better yet, they participate.

• We can juggle our work hours to fit in physical activity.

Think about how you might create some of these conditions in your workplace. By taking these steps, you will make it more likely that workers both want and are able to be active during the workday.

Workplace physical activity programs that focus only on person have limited success. Research studies show that reaching people  in various ways gives the best chance of long-term success.

A strategy directed at multiple levels is also called an “ecological approach.”

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Kinds of Analysis.

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

The kind of examination you pick depends on when you do it and the kind of information you collect.

This section describes when to use three types –  formative, process and summative examinations.

During the Planning Stage

Use formative examinations in the planning stages to ensure that your program is based on solid information. These examinations also help you to create effective and appropriate materials and procedures.

Examples of formative analysiss include –

• records of management commitments to the program

• worker interest surveys

• workplace environmental assessments

• pre-testing of program materials

During Your Initiative

A process evaluation is used when the initiative is underway. These evaluations help you –

• track what is going well and what isn’t (and how to revise your program)

• find out if you’re reaching the workers you want to reach

• describe the initiative to others

• monitor who is participating in the initiative

During or After Your Initiative

Summative analysiss happen when the initiative is already in place or completed. Use this kind of analysis to measure what staff members like about the initiative and what may be improved.

All three kinds of examinations are useful. the examination you pick depends on the time and financial resources you have available.

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Examination Guide.

Friday, June 4th, 2010

What Do You Want to Achieve?

Think about why you are assessing  and what your investigation is going to measure.

If you’re attempting to find out whether an initiative has been successful, see when you followed your mission statement and met your goals and goals.

If you don’t have a mission statement or objectives or objectives, decide with management and your employee committee how your organization will measure success.

For  instance, you are able to measure success by changes in –

• Physical measures (e.g., strength, flexibility, waist circumference of employees).

• Psychological measures (e.g., employee morale, satisfaction levels, stress levels).

• Productivity measures (e.g., decrease in absenteeism rates, increased employee productivity).

Thinking About Employees

If you are considering making improvements to the initiative, think about whether the initiative is still relevant and appropriate for staff members. Find out if there are any barriers to participation in the program or to participation in exercise during the workday.

As workers are the ones participating in the program, it’s important to give them a chance to provide feedback on the exercise initiative.

Selecting an Examination Method

Decide on your analysis method. Both measurable results (e.g., absenteeism rates or questionnaire responses) and descriptive results (e.g., one-on-one interviews or focus groups) could be used to evaluate.

The method you choose will depend on the time and funding available and what you want to measure.

Determining How to Do the Examination

Plan when and where you will do your investigation (and who will be analyzed). for more information, read the “Types of Examinations” section on this website.

You could want to pilot test your examination (e.g., with members of the worker committee) before sending it out to employees. the worker committee might also want to evaluate the initiative’s planning process.

Doing the Evaluation

• Compare your results to baseline information (i.e., examination results from before the launch of your initiative). When you do not have this information, save your examination results to compare with later results.

You can also look at other information you might have, like worker satisfaction survey results.

• Analyse and share meaningful and easy-to-understand results with management and workers.

• Investigation results could be used to improve the current exercise program and/or to develop new programs in future.

Health Promotion : Workplace Physical Activity Programs – Developing an Action Plan.

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Before launching your Workplace Physical Activity Program, summarize the information you’ve accumulated and plan your next steps.

At this point, you have

• gained support from management for the Workplace Physical Activity Program

• formed an staff member committee

• analyzed what’s possible in your workplace

• found out what staff members want and need in a Workplace Physical Activity Program.

Based on this information, you are now ready to develop your action plan to elevate exercise at your workplace.

With the employee committee, take the following steps.

• Combine the results of the staff member survey with the workplace environmental assessment, and report to management and employees.

• Prioritize the possibilities at each of the “levels” (individual, social, organizational, community, policy) in the workplace listed in “Keys to Success”. for  instance, suppose a big group of staff members show an interest in biking to work.

Since these people  may want to shower and change after their commute each day, you may give showers and changing facilities priority in your workplace. Bike racks could also be important for making employees’ bicycles secure during the workday.

• Consult the list of practical suggestions found this website.

• Create a mission statement (one which aligns with your corporation’s overall mission statement) to define your purpose and help guide your process. Setting goals and goals will help you achieveyour mission statement.

• Put together a plan or blueprint addressing what you have learned. Make program and activity recommendations with timelines, identify resources and assign responsibilities. Revisit the list of tasks outlined in “Step 2 –  Forming an Worker Committee.” Seek management approval to move ahead.

• Once your initiative is in place, it’s important to promote it to staff members. Organizing a launch is a good way to do this. A formal launch also demonstrates management commitment. If staff members don’t know about the initiative, they cannot take advantage of it!

• Decide what you need to track to show that you’ve reached your objectives. Measure these factors before you start. This way, when you evaluate later, you’ll know when there has been a change.

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Employee Interest Survey.

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

To succeed in encouraging exercise during the workday, you must find out what staff members need and want. They’re the people  whose behaviour you are trying to influence, so it’s critical to understand their needs and gain their support.

The Staff Member Interest Survey

Ask staff members questions that allow you to assess such key characteristics as age, gender, social relationships, family responsibilities and current exercise participation.

It’s important to know this information so that your exercise initiative meets employees’ needs. Staff Members aren’t going to participate in something they are not interested in.

Ask workers what they want, and then implement changes that fit with their needs and working conditions. for  instance, workers may not want to do activities that make them sweat, because they don’t want to shower at work.

Ask staff members what the organization could do to make it easier for them to be more physically active during the workday. When there’s a common trend throughout your organization, a single change could affect a lot of people .

For  instance, suppose a large group shows interest in bicycling to work. They could want to shower and change after their commute. You could give priority to installing workplace showers and changing facilities. Secure bike storage could  be important as well.

If you’re launching a program that requires going outside, begin in the spring. By the time winter comes around, participation is already a habit.

Involving staff members is key to increasing exercise participation rates. Individuals  are more willing to participate in and support exercise programs when they’re involved in decision making.

The following tips will help you produce your own employee interest survey –

• Keep it short (no longer than 10 minutes to complete).

• Let staff members know why you’re doing the survey.

• Rather than using all open-ended questions, which can be long and challenging to analyze, ask people  to select from a drop-down list of possible responses.

• Ask for comments and suggestions in one open-ended question at the end.

• Make it confidential and anonymous. Don’t request information that may identify a individuals.

• If you are including a list of potential programs or environmental changes, make sure your workplace has the facilities and resources to offer them.

Health Promotion : Workplace Exercise Programs – Committees and Opportunities.

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Workplace Physical Activity Programs –  Forming an Employee Committee

Although support from the top is critical to a successful initiative, support from other employees is also important.

Once you get the go-ahead from management, identify others who are interested in the project and form a committee to help determine the next steps.

Depending on the size of your workplace and the amount of staff time management is willing to contribute, this committee could  be advisory or may plan and carry out the initiative.

The committee could include staff members from HR, occupational health and safety and finance. It’s also a good idea to involve staff from other areas who have an interest in promoting physical activity.

Terms of reference will define the boundaries of the project. for  instance, it’s important for the committee to have clearly defined and understood tasks. Possible tasks include the following –

• Evaluating your workplace environment

• Carrying out an staff member interest survey.

• Developing a mission statement and goals and goals.

• Writing a physical activity or wellness policy declaring the organization’s commitment to physical activity.

• Brainstorming program ideas.

• Promoting, communicating and marketing and advertising the initiative.

• Coordinating specific activities.

• Deciding how the initiative will be investigated.

• Continually evaluating  what’s or isn’t working and adjusting the plan.

Before making plans to encourage exercise during the workday, it’s important to find out what’s “doable” in your workplace.

You don’t want to increase employee expectations by offering something that’s impossible due to funding or space limits.

For example, it’s not realistic to suggest putting in a fitness facility if there’s no room for it. be open, however, to creative ways around limitations.

Workplace Exercise Programs –  Locating out What’s Possible in Your Workplace

Check with recreation departments or fitness facilities for maps of the local walking trails or underground pedways. Excellent walking trails may  be right around the block from your workplace.

Below are some questions to help you assess your workplace –

• What facilities or opportunities does your work space offer that make it easier to be physically active during the workday? for example, do you have stairs, bicycle racks, showers, space for a exercise facility, factory walking lanes?

• What nearby facilities or opportunities could staff members use to be more physically active during the workday? Are you close to sidewalks, walking trails, community centers, bicycle lanes for active commuting and/or exercise facilities?

• What resources are available?

• can the initiative access funds, personnel, space, equipment, facilities?

• What’s the structure of your organization? for  instance, consider staff size, working hours, number of sites, unusual shifts, length of lunch breaks and ability to use flex time.

Health Promotion : Workplace Physical Activity Programs – Management Support.

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Gaining management support is critical to the success of a exercise initiative.

Whether the changes you’d like to make involve the work environment, overall policies or specific programs, successfully implementing your ideas depends on management support.

Support from management is vital for three reasons –

• You need their agreement to involve staff members in a workplace initiative.

• When management pays attention to and supports an initiative, workers also see the initiative as worthwhile.

• Management has the power to give work time and money to support the initiative.

It’s important to keep management involved throughout a physical activity initiative, but at three points you will need support for –

• an overall concept, including a go-ahead to assess what employees want to do within the limitations of your workplace environment.

• A detailed plan (based on the assessment above) coupled with resources to carry out the plan.

• Evaluating the initiative to improve it along the way or to advocate for continuing or expanding the initiative.

Approaching Management

Before approaching management to gain initial support for promoting physical activity during the workday, do your homework.

• Prepare a corporation case obviously outlining how the organization will benefit by promoting physical activity during the workday.

• List the individual, social and corporate advantages of exercise and the advantages of being active during the workday.

• Present some general ideas about what the program might include. See the Success Stories and Ideas sections on this website to highlight what other workplaces have done.

Expect questions such as the following from management –

• How will this help our company?

• How can we motivate workers to participate?

• How much will it cost to run this program or make this change?

• How are we going to know a year from now if this was a good use of time and resources?

Ask managers about the range of activities they’d support. Often managers have ideas of their own they’d like to see acted on to improve the workplace.

Do not forget to include middle managers when gaining support for your initiative. They may be very helpful when you need volunteers to lead teams in corporate physical activity challenges.

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