The rising cost of healthcare is pinching the pockets of employers everywhere. Medical costs, insurance claims and prescription costs are skyrocketing out of control. Health care costs in America doubled from 1990 to 2001 and are expected to double again within the next five years1.
Fortunately, most of those costs are caused by preventable diseases. Unfortunately, most people don’t have the resources or education to prevent them.
Poor food choices and little or no exercise can lead to many debilitating physical conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Smokers and those who abuse alcohol also increase their risk of developing serious health ailments. This translates into increased costs for everyone, not just those leading unhealthy lives.
Promoting health in the workplace makes sense. We spend more of our waking hours at work than anywhere else. Successful organizations depend on productivity, efficiency and cost effectiveness. A workplace wellness program will enhance this success by:
- Improving quality of workplace life: employee morale and job satisfaction will increase; all employees will have opportunities to interact, encouraging a cooperative, committed workforce; and of course, employee health and wellness will improve.
- Short and long-term benefits: lower absentee rates, lower health care costs and disability insurance premiums, fewer disability days and lower stress levels.
- Encouraging a positive, respectful corporate culture: employees will know the company cares about them as individuals, not just as workers, and that their services they provide are appreciated.
Sounds great, right…so how do you get started? First, an organization must have a reason for implementing a workplace wellness program. Your insurance costs may be spiraling out of control. Or maybe your employees are using more and more sick days. Whatever your motivation, the program can be accurately tailored to your situation and budget. A company with 15 employees will most likely have very different motivations and budgets than a company with 15,000 employees.
Second, the organization will have their employees take a HIPAA compliant Health Risk Assessment (HRA). Based on their goals and reasons for implementing the program, the HRA will address issues that are appropriate to the company’s situation. The HRA is essential to the design of the program; employees should be encouraged to participate.
Third, an aggregate and anonymous report will be created from the HRA responses, which will then be used by the workplace wellness administrator and the client company to design a program appropriate for the situation and risks evident. Results will be compiled for the group as a whole. This allows the identification of problem areas for the company that can be appropriately addressed in the design of the program.
Fourth, the program will be implemented at the client company. There are several factors that will determine the level of success the client has with their employees and the program.
- Goals: State clear values and expectations for employees. With goals, they will have a clear direction and know what is expected of them.
- Accountability: Let employees feel in control of their situations. A positive workplace experience has a direct relationship with health.
- Incentives: Whether employees are competing for points among teams, “well days” or monetary rewards, incentives can greatly increase the number of participants in a program.
- Stress Management: Reducing stress is a fundamental part of any workplace health program.
- Commitment: Organizational culture must be committed to a healthy environment. It is necessary in both the physical and interpersonal areas of the work environment.
Fifth, the client company must continually reevaluate their program and periodically have HRA “checkups”. As the program progresses, health risks, lifestyles and behaviors will change. A successful program will grow and change with the client’s employees.
Kristen Jones, Infinite Wellness Solutions 3300 Reynolda Road Winston Salem, NC 27106. Kristen@infinitewellnesssolutions.com
Infinite Wellness Solutions is an integrated provider of web-based health and productivity management programs designed to lower healthcare costs by improving overall health. The products and programs offered by Infinite Wellness Solutions are purposely selected or developed to help an employer improve employee health and wellness.
1 Steven G. Aldana, The Culprit and the Cure: Why Lifestyle is the Culprit behind America’s Poor Health and How Transforming That Lifestyle Can Be the Cure
