by Wellness Programs on February 6, 2009
Collaboration and Effective Workplace Wellness Programs
Why should you collaborate?
Active, ongoing partnerships and cooperative efforts multiply Worksite Wellness Plan resources in order to better serve Employees and their families.
How can you build collaboration into a Workplace Wellness Program?
Get Ready…
- Brainstorm a list of every potential Wellness partner you can think of. Be creative!
- Be a politician: introduce yourself to everyone BEFORE you need their help.
- Develop a plan to get Senior Management support from as high up the chain as possible. Ensure that to include specific ways that your Worksite Wellness Plan will impact force readiness.
- Determine how YOU can help your organizations (not just what they can do for you).
Be Steady…
- Get input from everyone that your Worksite Wellness Plan will affect. Make a special effort to talk to the workers closest to Worksite Wellness Plan implementation (those with “boots on the ground”).
- The most frequently asked questions should be: “What would you suggest?” and “How do you think this would work best?”
- Find someone who has done the same type of Worksite Wellness Plan before and ask their advice.
- Plan NOW to show Worksite Wellness Plan effectiveness. Identify who may ALREADY BE COLLECTING information that will show the Worksite Wellness Plan is working.
Get Set…
- Step back and review your Worksite Wellness Plan from a potential partner’s point of view.
- Brainstorm questions your collaborators might have, and have the answers ready.
- Be ready to frame your “selling points” in terms that are important to each specific partner.
- Put the Worksite Wellness Plan benefits in language your collaborators will understand.
- Emphasize to potential partners how this Worksite Wellness Plan will provide benefit to them.
And Go…
- Build as many partnerships as you can BEFORE you implement a Workplace Wellness Program.
- Make your partnerships a two-way street: always let your collaborators know what you can do for them – then follow-up and do what you say you would do.
- Maintain Senior Management support by providing a regular flow of information. Invite Senior Management participation in the Worksite Wellness Plan and special events whenever possible. (Hint: they make great judges if you have a contest.)
- Provide regular feedback to your collaborators.
- Don’t hog the spotlight: let your collaborators share in the visibility of the Workplace Wellness Program.
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by Wellness Programs on February 5, 2009
Workplace Wellness Programs at the business level are beneficial, right? Wellness statistics clearly show that such Workplace Wellness Programs are not only cost-effective to the organization but can assist the employee in developing a healthier lifestyle. With the rising cost of medical care, Workplace Wellness Programs simply make sense. So where does the problem come in? Let’s examine the topic from both perspectives.
Workplace Wellness Programs: The Good
• A sampling of return on investment for Workplace Wellness Programs: Bank of America: 600%; General Motors:370%; Pepsico: 300%; Citibank: 465%; and the Washoe County School District leading the pack at a whopping 1,560%. (Campbell,J., Wellness Improvement Experts, www.wellnessimprovementexperts.com, Albuquerque, New Mexico.)
• Companies with Workplace Wellness Programs have realized a 28% reduction in sick leave, a 26% reduction in adjunctive medical costs and a 30% reduction in disability and workers compensation costs. (Health Affairs, Volume 21, No.2, March, 2002.)
• The Washoe county School District in Northern Nevada realized a $15.60 return on investment for every dollar spent due to a 20% reduction in rates of absence. (Hardy,A. (2005). At the Top Of The Class. WELCOA’s Absolute Advantage Magazine, 5(1), 14-20.)
• Workplace Wellness Programs provide the structure, encouragement, incentives and ongoing support that many individuals need in order to make lifestyle changes.
• Employees also realize returns on their efforts. FiServ, a financial services technology organization, gave employees who filled out a health risk assessment a significant discount on their medical insurance premium. (Holland, Kelley, The New York Times, July 22, 2007.)
Workplace Wellness Programs: The Bad
The flip side of the argument centers on basic human rights. Do we want/need our employer to tell us to eat our veggies or lose 30 pounds? Some businesses are doing just that and at least one lawsuit has resulted because of it.
• Three hundred businesses have requested assistance from a national employment and labor law firm to institute more aggressive Workplace Wellness Programs.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Clarian Health, based in Indianapolis, Will begin reducing employee paychecks by $10.00 for every employee who has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of greater than 29.9 because not enough employees were utilizing their wellness services.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
• Scott Rodrigues filed a suit against his prospective employer, Scotts Miracle-Gro, because he believed the organization’s antismoking policy violated his civil rights. The organization has a policy against hiring employees who smoke and Mr. Rodrigues’drug screen was positive for nicotine.(Holland, Kelley, The New York Times,July 22,2007.)
• employee advocates are concerned that health discrimination may not be covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act.(Cornwell, Lisa, Associated Press, Albuquerque Journal, September 10,2007.)
Penalizing employees by hitting them where it hurts the most, in their pocketbook, does not appear to be a favorable approach to molding human behavior.
Such tactics may result in improved resentments and retaliation, primarily in the form of rates of absence and presenteeism (decreased productivity on the job.) Voluntary, incentive-based initiatives, such as the one in the Washoe County School District, can and do produce results. A positive attitude on the part of management along with an opportunity for employees to have a stake in the decision-making may yield the greatest dividends to both employer and employee.The motivation and resolve needed to change unhealthy lifestyle habits can best be derived from the basic tenets of encouragement, respect and support.
