Wellness Plans

Effective Wellness Plans

Corporate America is increasingly investing in wellness plans because it is good business.  In order to meet productivity demands, businesses must rely on a healthful, productive workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.

Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental establishments have documented the economic advantages of wellness plans, including decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries and workman’s compensation costs, decreased healthcare costs, decreased worker turnover, in addition to increased productivity, greater worker satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programs along with greater return on investment.  In general, the more focused and intensive the health promotion program, the greater benefit realized.

To enhance their effectiveness federal government staff member health promotion programs could  be able to incorporate some of the features described. Wellness plans 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 like tobacco use, lack of physical activity, excess weight, unhealthful diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, depression, and so on.

High-risk personnel are especially targeted for intervention, although the most successful health promotion programs also direct efforts towards healthful personnel 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

Use of a computerized health risk appraisal  instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is nearly universal in successful wellness plans. Employees take the questionnaire annually in many cases.

The HRA serves to elevate awareness, provide direction, and motivate individuals 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 (HRA) is effective when it’s followed by some kind of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It often serves as the entry point into health promotion programs.

3   Biometric analysis

A lot of wellness plans combine the results of the health risk assessment with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and BMI , blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.

Combining the results of the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) with biological measures leads to a more accurate risk profile.   Computerized health risk assessments often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.

4   Health Promotion Program Incentives

Workers are frequently given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a wellness program or class, specific accomplishments such as stopping tobacco use, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthy status and/or behaviors.

In many cases the monetary incentives are associated with reductions in health insurance premiums.  Some wellness programs use disincentives as well as incentives, such as charging workers who smoke higher rates for their health insurance contribution.

5   High wellness program participation rates

Successful health promotion programs use incentives to drive participation rates up.  They also market their health promotion programs extensively, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.

6   Wellness coaching

Employees with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits may  be periodically coached via telephone by trained wellness coaches.

Coaching assists workforce set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related objectives including those addressing stress, work life balance, use of tobacco, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.

Three or more sessions are normally offered.  In some intensive wellness programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for workforce with identified high-risk illnesses.

7   Multiple formats

Programs may offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to provide stimulating variety and alternatives for accommodate the needs of all personnel.

In addition to on-site exercise and healthful consuming events, on-line wellness programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and workplace courses and seminars are common dissemination strategies.

8   Upper-level management support

Enthusiastic and frequent endorsement by senior level management is vital to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.

9   Frequent contact

Successful wellness plans have frequent contact of some sort with every employee.  This might  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 workforce must’ve easy access to the wellness programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.

Some organizations automatically enroll all staff members and then allow those who do not wish to participate to “opt-out”.  This practice has been proven to improve enrollment rates in some settings.

11   Family involvement

Many wellness plans encourage spouses and other family members to take part in the organization wellness activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle along with the designated worker. It’s far easier for the worker to have a healthy lifestyle when his/her family does so as well.

12   Smoking cessation

Because use of tobacco and other use of tobacco is the number one threat to health it is vital to offer staff members effective and convenient assistance with quitting.

Access to tobacco cessation pharmaceuticals is usually part of such wellness programs.  In-house wellness programs provide the most convenient access to these services, although on-line or telephone-based wellness plans could  be available as well.

13   Physical Activity

Regular exercise is a core component of every wellness program. Staff Members must be strongly encouraged to engage in regular exercise.

Most wellness programs provide either periodic or continuous onsite opportunities, and some locations have onsite fitness centers, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or compensated memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to onsite facilities.

14   Weight management

Because obesity is a major threat to health it is critical that programs offer effective assistance with weight control. Comprehensive encouragement from senior level management to shed excess weight is important.

Web-Based wellness programs, workplace 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 reduction.

15   Stress management

Workplace stress is perhaps the most common complaint among workers and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.

Nearly all successful health promotion programs offer assistance with personal and worksite stress.  Some programs refer workers to outside resources for additional serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer internet based or frequent on-site general stress reduction programs.

Some businesses endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.

16   Biometric screenings/immunizations

Staff Members are actively encouraged to complete advised health testings 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   On-Site health care

Actual provision of onsite primary care medical services is a growing trend.  The rapidly escalating costs of medical care insurance for staff members has stimulated this trend.

Some organizations have found that it’s less costly to provide primary care services themselves than to fund those services through health insurance.

On-Site care also lowers the amount of time staff would otherwise spend away from the worksite getting such services.