Employee wellness plans and employee wellness programs

Just how does a wellness program affect the corporation?

Health promotion programs undoubtedly benefit both the businesss and staff members. Numerous studies have found a direct link, showing that healthful staff members make happy staff members, as a result increasing productivity in the worksite.

Not only are personnel who exercise more apt to be productive, but they are more likely to stay with their organization long term. This saves corporations a great deal of money in application and turnover costs.

Healthcare costs in the USA doubled between 1990 and 2001. They are expected to double again by 2012. During this time, studies have shown that adult obesity has risen as high as 80 percent in some states. This is a startling statistic. for every 1 percent in BMI, a person’s health care costs increase by $120.

Not only is this costly for the corporation but it can also be deadly, greatly raising one’s chances of heart attack or stroke. Staff Members at risk for these two serious health conditions cost corporations thousands of dollars more each year than their healthful coworkers.

Knowing these troubling statistics permits businesses to take action.  The first step is to come up with a plan on how to fight these statistics in your worksite. Most adults in this country spend the majority of their time at work.

That is why wellness programs are so essential. Having access to an fitness facility and other healthful lifestyle options ought to be implemented in every organization. There really is no reason not to.

One study showed that implementing a health promotion program in the worksite, decreased sick leave by 28%, decreased the use of healthcare benefits by 26%, and decreased worker’s compensation claims by 30%.

Take a good look at some of these statistics. Your company cannot afford not to have a health promotion program.

Precisely how can our company increase participation in the corporate wellness program?

Having a corporate health promotion program in place can boost morale, improve health and fitness and increase productivity in the worksite. Now that you’ve taken the steps necessary to begin a corporate health promotion program, how do you get your personnel interested and willing to participate?

By implementing healthy consuming habits, exercise and offering incentives, your employees will not only sign up for the wellness program, but they will stick with it.

Does your corporation have an on-site gym that staff have access to? When not, offering free or discounted gym memberships to a local gym can be an effective method for getting staff to exercise. Whether the gym is on or off-site nonetheless, authorizing staff to use the facility during work hours, like on their lunch break, will increase the likelihood that they will exercise.

Rewarding employees’ achievements is another way to keep them motivated and living a healthful lifestyle. Establishing organization objectives like collectively walking a certain number of miles, supports team building. Offering incentives like gift cards, certificates of achievement, and even a day off work could be effective ways to keep participation levels up.

Since there will likely be less sick days being used because of disease, your organization might  be able to afford to offer a day off pass as an incentive. These incentives do not have to be expensive, just valuable to the employee.

Providing a healthy lunch once a week for staff members participating in the corporate health plan, is a great way to promote healthy eating. Offering an incentive of healthy, scrumptious, free food is one way to reward staff members for their efforts while supporting their new healthy lifestyle.

Having a corporate health promotion program in place will provide long term benefits to both the organization and the workforce. This is one corporate plan that is definitely worth your time and money!

Why should our corporation host a corporate health fair?

Do you work in your organization’s human resources department? Are you looking for events to plan for your corporation this year? When so, it would be a excellent idea to look into hosting a corporate health fair. Corporate health fairs are valuable to both the corporation and the worker because they promote overall health, awareness and prevention.

What kind of providers are at a health fair?

There are lots of providers to select from when bringing a corporate health fair to your organization.  The most popular providers include dentists, massage therapists, chiropractors, nutritionists and the American Red Cross. These few popular providers are a part of a long list available to attend health fairs.

Precisely how do we choose which vendors to include in the wellness fair?

While most providers are excellent for all employees, there are some providers available for organizations with a specific demographic. for example, if your organization has a lot of pregnant women or women of child bearing age, it could be a good idea to have a provider specifically talking about prenatal care.

If there are a lot of smokers at your corporation, you may want to have the American Lung Association present. Try to choose vendors that meet your employees’ needs. Remember that hosting a corporate wellness fair is meant to be beneficial to them.

When should we hold a wellness fair?

Anytime is a excellent time to host a health fair. Nevertheless, you may want to consider not scheduling around holidays or busy seasons so that you can maximize participation. Another excellent option is having the corporate health fair on a weekend and making it family friendly. Corporate health fairs help keep everyone healthy, consequently increasing work productivity.

Not only does hosting a corporate wellness fair promote health, it also builds friendship between peers, bettering team building and communication in the office. It is a win-win for both the employer and the employee!

Wellness programs have been proven to lower absenteeism, staff member turnover rates, and healthcare costs. It’s a key piece of a organization’s success.  The results of these wellness programs lead to higher productivity, which in the end leads to a more profitable business.

In order for these health promotion programs to run properly and produce results they must have a clear operating plan with an attainable and measurable goal.  The health promotion programs must also encourage all staff members to lead a healthful lifestyle while at work and at home.

Health promotion programs have been introduced to businesses all over the United States to make workers healthier and in turn happier. Organizations which implement these health promotion programs do so to varying degrees. Some simply offer literature about how to live a healthful lifestyle and reduce stress while at work.

A lot of organizations offer medical screenings and health risk appraisals for free during the year to help staff members understand what is going on with their health and what they can do to improve it.

At the top of the list, there are the organizations which providefree, on-site gyms and aerobics programs to be used at lunch breaks or after work. No matter what’s offered it would be a waste not to take benefit of these wellness programs.

It requires cautious planning and thought to start wellness programs. Once a wellness program is put into place it is very imperative that you reassess and analyze it a few times in order to reach the primary goal –  healthier workers.

All the health promotion programs that are put in place must be analyzed after a determined time frame to help the corporation understand what needs to be changed or kept in place to maintain employee health promotion.

Everybody knows today that working in corporate America could be a stressful situation. It seems that employees are expected to work longer hours and spend more time away from home. Long commutes and large amounts of work are taking its toll on U.S. office staff members. Something should be done; organization wellness is a good way to begin to help all those stressed out staff members.

Starting company wellness programs can help create a healthy culture. There must be an incentive program set up to drive interest to wanting to be more health conscious. Making good decisions that affect health now and in the future must be rewarded as individual’s goals are met.

There are a number of wellness program ideas that a company wellness program can help plan for. Some ideas include giving out maps of walking or jogging trails located near the workplace. It’s a good idea to post a steps gathered map on the workplace wall where all workforce can log their steps or miles.

Make sure to help encourage walkers, joggers,, and those who enjoy other forms of exercise to form workout groups to meet before work, during lunchtime, or after work.

In a organization environment, relationship development is also an area where aligning cultural touch points are necessary. Make sure to work culture affects health practices.

Staff Members will either form personal relationships in a bad way, like tobacco use in the break room, or they’ll form relationships doing something more physical like going for a round of golf for relaxation and developing friendships with fellow workers. Be sure to work ought to be done to create healthy venues to create expert friendships and relationships.

There are so many good benefits for a organization picking  to make organization wellness a priority. Employees who take part in health promotion programs are more likely to be the best workers.

Colleague relationships in the worksite are crucial that you creating a healthful lifestyle culture that lasts.  As an added bonus, overall job satisfaction is better if workers are feeling well and healthful while doing their work.

Company health promotion is one of the most essential investments that a organization will make. Companies which commence health promotion programs aren’t just investing in the physical wellness, safety, and psychological health of the employees, but are also taking precautionary steps by creating a more healthy atmosphere.

By starting a wellness program, corporations can easily improve the overall productiveness and can easily reduce costs on healthcare expenses. Frequently, corporations are concerned regarding the true wellness Return On Investment (ROI) but the reality is that by stimulating healthier lifestyles, corporations are creating healthier staff who’ll work more diligently and miss fewer days of work as a result of illness.

It is very important that companies not only offer company wellness solutions for their workforce, but that they also sustain continuing knowledge about wellness and safety techniques. Businesss need to keep up to date on health statistics and remain conscious of methods to motivate specific wellness issues like cigarette smoking cessation or weight loss.

It is often ideal for a business to talk with doctors who participate in medical Continuing Medical Education to ensure that they’re current with how they may assist their staff to maintain wellness.

In addition, if a corporation maintains an onsite health and fitness center, it’s necessary that the corporation employs person who’ve received the appropriate training and certification, which makes up the health and fitness center management, for assist staff with exercising safely.

Even though organizations may establish a comprehensive health promotion program with many choices, an incentive health promotion program is often necessary in order to encourage staff to actually participate in the programs.

Whether one is creating a company wellness Chicago or a company wellness small-town Nebraska program, the issue that corporations often have in common, is the lack of motivation of staff members to actually participate. Providing incentives for staff members, like a free lunch or gift cards, could  be simple enough rewards to encourage staff members to participate in company wellness.

Do you know the fastest-growing reason for employee assistance program (EAP) use since 2003?

It isn’t for substance abuse or depression. Actually, it’s financial in nature. Over the last five years, there’s been a stated 69% jump in employee employee assistance program use related to personal financial concerns.

The trend isn’t all that surprising in this era of salary freezes, high deductibles and cost-sharing of benefits premiums.

Statistics show that, for the first time since the Great Depression, the average American has negative savings â.” in other words, debt exceeds income â.” in a average month.

A lot of personnel are racking up high credit card debt, make the problem worse.

Troubling trends

Here are some ominous numbers from a recent staff member survey -

o  27% of respondents said they were “one major setback away from financial disaster”

o  22% say they were “worse off than last year, with less take-home income and more debt”

o  40% say their employer is “insensitive to their employees’ financial needs,” and

o  only 6 percent said they felt comfortable with their current financial situation and ability to manage their debts.

The majority of personal-finance related EAP use arises from concerns over debt management, household refinancing and/or failed investments.

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Permitting staff members to bring camera phones to work can carry hidden legal risks.

But should you tackle this issue aggressively or trust your staff to do the right thing?  Every business wants to create an environment where staff feel trusted by management. But there’s also the need to stay protected legally, and it isn’t always easy to balance the two.

The cell phone issue is namely delicate since most personnel carry them nowadays, and improper use at work is a non-issue for the vast majority. But there are always a few bad apples in every bunch.

Growing number of complaints

There has been an explosion of lawsuits â.” and complaints to upper-level management â.” about staff taking inappropriate photos at work with their cell phone cameras.

Most cases revolve around embarassing or expliclit photos of peers (sometimes but not always posted on the Internet or e-mailed to others in the office). However, a handful of lawsuits have arisen from personnel taking photos of confidential documents or other internal information.

As most benefits and HR veterans would tell you, the most valuable benefit an organization can offer its staff is a workplace where they feel trusted and valued. In contrast, it only takes one “joke” gone too far to stir up a hornet’s nest of trouble.  And no organization is immune from this risk.

Three options

One step every business ought to take is circulating a memo or having a face-to-face meeting with employees about the need to restrict camera phone use at work, says labor lawyer William Hannum.

This is the time to answer questions and make clear that the policy is a matter of a legal concern, not a case of Big Brother watching over employees’ shoulders. for added legal protection, you could want to create a formal camera phone policy to be written worker handbooks.

Some companys have gone so far as to take the step of banning camera phone (or personal cell phone) use at work and prohibiting individuals  from posting personal photos or videos from corporation computers.

Notwithstanding, these policies are difficult to enforce and run the risk of alienating the majority of personnel who use the devices responsibly.

As an alternative, a few firms that have not banned camera phones have had workers sign a policy that gives managers permission to review photos or videos on the phone if there’s a complaint. When you go down either of these routes, remember -

o  The policy ought to be enforced consistently

o  your policy must spell out specific steps for filing and analyzing  a complaint, and

o  The policy should clearly specify the disciplinary steps for violations.

The enforcement aspect is especially tricky. In cases where the phones are company property, corporations obviously have the right to control non-work use â.” which includes requiring workers to turn over the contents stored on the phone in cases of suspected abuse. Staff Members have no legal expectation of privacy in such cases.

Nevertheless, there’s a slippery slope when the phone is an employee’s property.  As a rule of thumb, employers ordinarily have the right to inspect the contents as they pertain to alleged inappropriate behavior within the worksite.

Where it gets tricky is dealing with behavior that takes places on the employee’s private time, but overlaps with the worksite (e.g., staff go out socializing at a bar after work, and potentially embarassing camera phone photos get spread around the worksite). Legal experts caution businesss to tread very carefully in these cases.

Where does your organization stand?

Does your organization have â.” or is considering a policy on worker camera phones? Do you think such policies are workable or even appropriate?

In my conversations with attendees at the SHRM conference in Chicago, HR and benefits managers appear to be divided on the issue.

In a value-based plan, the idea is to reward workforce for seeking treatments that promote wellness.

The more clinically viable the treatment, the less an worker compensates out of pocket for it.

Example –  Women over 40 and younger staff with a family history of breast cancer pay less for a each year mammogram than staff for whom the test isn’t as necessary.

Value-based plans often work better than high-deductible plans when used in combination with standard wellness program features like health risk assessments.

Five target areas

According to the May 2008 issue of Simply Well, there are four quality-of-care criteria that have emerged as key benchmarks of the quality of care – health care management, preventive screenings and treatments, member service and access to care.

Areas of care that are of particular concern -

o  Employees’ dependents receiving appropriate and timely childhood/adolescent immunizations

o  Breast cancer screenings for female medical plan enrollees, ages 52 to 64

o  Diabetic employees receiving hemoglobin A1C and LDL-C testing

o  Members receiving proper referrals and treatment for mental health issues (e.g., main care doctor refers a patient to a expert to ensure proper prescription and management of an anti-depressant medication)

o  Pregnant workforce receivig time and appropriate prenatal and postpartum care, and avoidance of antibiotic treatment in adults with acute bronchitis.

The quality of care for a lot of of the aforementioned issues can suffer when staff members foot too much of the bill out of their own pockets.

The hope for value-based plans is that personnel get some cost relief and obtain treatments that’ll reduce costs in the long run.

As scary as they seem at first glance, complying with HIPAA’s privacy rules can be relatively painless.

Contrary to common belief, the rules â.” with a few key exceptions â.” apply only to a fraction of the health information Benefits handles.

As long as the company remains legally “hands off” of employee’s private medical information, you can dodge most of the health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) bullet.

For HIPAA privacy purposes, your firm is considered “hands off” even when you obtain de-identified personal information, aggregate claims data and routine enrollment info.

Bottom line – When your organization’s healthcare plans are fully insured and the claims administered through a TPA, the insurance company â.” not your firm â.” bears the brunt of the health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) privacy compliance responsibility.

One major exception –  medical cafeteria plans. In most cases, you have two compliance options -

o  Process reimbursement requests first through your TPA, with the TPA making sure the claim qualifies below the terms of the cafeteria plan before your firm reimburses it, or

o  Develop a written cafeteria plan privacy policy, issue a notice to workforce, appoint a privacy officer and amend your plan documents.

Rarely affects FMLA

Many individuals  â.” including health care providers â.” misunderstand how HIPAA affects medical certifications for FMLA leave.  The key – HIPAA only applies to personal information that filters through your health plan, not certifications acquired from a physician.

Under FMLA, you’re allowed to obtain the minimum information you need to approve and administer leave. Likewise, health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) does not apply to most workers’ comp, return-to-work notices or disability claims.

Even so, it compensates to be careful how you ask for and use the information. Other state and federal privacy laws often protect the same kinds of info individuals  assume falls under health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA).

Following procedures

The health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) privacy rules are heavy on paperwork and procedure.

But if your firm follows  the info-gathering process spelled out in your medical plan documents, the health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA) privacy rules ought to present few major obstacles.