Posts from — September 2008

(Adapted from The Health Promotion First Act prepared by David Anderson, Ph.D., StayWell Health Management)

Employee Lifestyles Impact Employee Health

•    Approximately 40 percent of all deaths in the United States are premature (at least 900,000 deaths annually) and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as tobacco use, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, misuse of alcohol and drugs, and accidents. Other contributors to early death include genetic predisposition (30 percent), social circumstances (15 percent), poor access to quality health care (10 percent), and environmental  exposures (5 percent).
•    Unhealthy lifestyle is the primary contributor to the six leading causes of death in the U.S. – heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases, accidents, and diabetes – which collectively account for over 70 percent of all deaths.
•    People with healthier lifestyles live an average of 6 to 9 years longer,  postpone disability by 9 years and compress disability into fewer years at the end of life.
•    The prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults rose to 30 percent in 1999-2000, a 33 percent increase from a decade earlier,  and the prevalence of diabetes also rose by 33 percent during approximately the same period (1990 to 1998).
•    About two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, 55 percent do not get enough physical activity,  26 percent are completely inactive,10 and only 25 percent eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables  If diet/physical activity patterns continue worsening at their current rate, these behaviors will soon surpass tobacco use as contributors to mortality.
•    Among young people, the prevalence of overweight has more than quadrupled in the past 20 years to 16 percent,  daily participation in high school physical education classes has dropped from 42 percent in 1991 to 28 percent in 2003,  more than 60 percent eat too much saturated fat, and almost 80 percent do not eat recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables.
•    Lifestyle diseases disproportionately affect women, racial and ethnic minorities, the poor and seniors:
•    The prevalence of diabetes among African Americans is about 70 percent higher than among white Americans, and the prevalence among Hispanics is nearly double that for white Americans.
•    Women comprise more than half of the people who die each year of cardiovascular disease.
•    Chronic conditions significantly limit daily activity for 35 percent of persons over 65 years of age.

Financial Impact of Lifestyle

•    It is estimated that lifestyle-related chronic diseases account for 70 percent of the nation’s health care costs,  which translates to over 11 percent of the entire U.S. gross domestic product.
•    Two comprehensive scientific reviews identified 83 peer-reviewed studies reporting that people with unhealthy habits have higher health costs.
•    Research conservatively estimates that high health risks (high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc) account for at least 25 percent of total health costs.
•    Recent research indicates a direct relationship between modifiable lifestyle risks and reduced worker productivity, and relevant data suggest that the costs to corporations in lost productivity due to poor employee health may be substantially more than the direct health and disability costs.
•    Unhealthy lifestyles frequently lead to chronic disease, many of which cannot be cured and require years or decades of expensive treatments. Below are estimated annual costs of selected unhealthy lifestyles and chronic diseases including obesity,  smoking,  hypertension,  diabetes,  stress,  and inactivity.

Company Wellness Programs Improve Health and Yield Major Savings

•    Comprehensive scientific reviews identified 378 peer-reviewed studies showing that Company Wellness Programs improve health knowledge, health behaviors, and underlying health conditions.
•    Research has demonstrated that lifestyle modification may frequently be more effective and cost-effective than health intervention in reducing morbidity  and mortality.
•    Several scientific reviews indicate that Company Wellness Programs reduce health costs and rates of absenteeism and produce a positive return on investment.  The most definitive review of financial impact reported that:
•    18 studies indicated that these programs reduce health costs, and 14 studies indicated that they lower rates of absenteeism costs.
•    13 studies that calculated benefit/cost ratios all showed the savings from these programs are much greater than their cost, with health cost savings averaging $3.48 and the rates of absenteeism savings averaging $5.82 per dollar invested in the programs.
•    Medical costs are expected to exceed 16 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2005 and to grow at 7.2 percent annually through 2015, when health expenditures will account for 20 percent of GDP:
•    Per capita health costs in the U.S. are the highest in the world and more than double the median for OECD countries,  yet the United States ranks 26th in terms of healthy life expectancy.
•    Medicaid is the second largest item in most state budgets, and its portion of the total budgets is increasing each year.
•    Rising health costs for U.S. corporations continue to outpace general inflation, averaging 12 percent per year for the past 10 years.   This trend is causing a tremendous financial hardship on U.S. corporations.

1. Senior management involvement in the Company Wellness Program- Evidence of enthusiastic commitment and involvement of senior management helps workers understand their corporations’ serious commitment to health.  Staff Members need to perceive that their senior management, supervisors, and coworkers have positive attitudes toward health since these factors have all been associated with improved employee health status.   Management-related factors have been shown to contribute more to success than the content of the intervention.

2. Participatory planning - A Company Wellness Program should be undertaken in partnership with the workforce.  Staff Members from all levels of staff should be actively engaged in the health and management aspects of the project as well as all on-going processes of any Company Wellness Program.  Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their commitment to the process.   Creating Company Wellness Program steering committees to lead interventions during the planning and delivery of worksite health promotion programming improves worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction. Employee committees may identify perceived worker interests regarding educational programming, determine work site-specific characteristics that may affect the intervention or influence participation, and suggest the best methods for promotion and delivery of Company Wellness Programs and activities.  Ways to maximize worker input and involvement might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors.

3. Primary focus on workers’ needs - A Company Wellness Program should meet the needs of all workers, regardless of their current level of health and recognize the needs, preferences, and attitudes of different groups of participants. Program designers should consider the major health risks in the target population, the specific risks within the particular group of workers, and the employer’s needs.   In other words, interventions should be tailor-made to the characteristics and needs of the recipients.   This means that varied programs must be offered at different levels.   Participation and commitment may be increased if a group of workers has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable risk factor of their choice.

4. Optimal use of on-site resources - Planning and implementation of Company Wellness Programs should optimize use of on-site personnel, physical resources, and organizational capabilities.   For example, whenever possible, initiatives should use on-site health and safety, management, work organization, communication, HR, and other specialists.   Well-qualified external leadership may be introduced when in-house expertise is lacking.

5. Integration - An overall worksite health policy should be developed.  The policies governing the health of the employees must align with the corporate mission, vision, and values, supporting both short- and long-term goals. These consistent policies must affirm the value of worker health and a commitment to engage workers in health enhancement.  Company Wellness Program Procedures should be integrated into a company’s regular management practices and eventually should be formally incorporated into the company’s corporate plan  with adequate resources attached to them.

6. Recognition that a person’s health is determined by an interdependent set of factors - Any Company Wellness Program must address multiple components of an individual’s life:
•    the worksite physical and psychosocial environment;
•    their personal resources such as social support, sense of empowerment, etc.; and
•    their lifestyle practices influencing health.

7. Tailoring to the special features of each worksite environment - Company Wellness Programs must be responsive to the unique needs of each worksite’s procedures, organization and culture.   Integrating health behaviors and program participation into the existing corporate culture will normalize program participation.

8. Company Wellness Program Evaluation - Project management should flow through needs analysis, setting priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and assessment.   Evaluation must include a clearly-defined range of process measures and outcomes  as well as mechanisms for monitoring the impact of non-intervention worksite changes such as plant closure, major worksite re-organization, and new technology on staff health.

9. Long-term commitment - To sustain the benefits of the Company Wellness Program, the worksite must continue the initiative over time, reinforcing risk-reduction behaviours and adapting the programs to ongoing personal, social, economic, and worksite changes.

Introduction to Company Wellness Programs

Risky health behaviors by workers cost a company. Changing those behaviors can save the employer money and increase the worker’s productivity.

Because work gives an worker a stable setting and support system, Company Wellness Programs can have a great impact on reducing high-risk behaviors. This impact results in lower health claims cost, less rates of absenteeism, and less short-term disability.

Company Wellness Programs may include:

Awareness Rasing Programs: Health and wellness newsletters, health topics covered in payroll stuffers, healthy emails.

Health Risk Assessment: Employee health screenings, wellness fairs, health rist assessments.

Educational Programs: Lunchtime wellness presentations, guest speakers at staff meetings.

Skill Building: Healthy cooking demostrations, activity challenges, CPR instruction opportunites, stress management classes, weight management classes.

Interventions: Massage, smoking cessation, and skills to help you get the most out of your doctor visit.

Physical environment: Healthy items in the vending machines and cafeterias, clean air practices, ergonomics, bike racks, flex time, welllit stairways.

Evaluation: Employee needs assessment, baseline Company Wellness Program assessment measures, ongoing Company Wellness Program assessment of overall effectiveness.

Why Offer Company Wellness Programs

The typical employer spends about $8,000 a year on an employee’s healthcare. This includes medical insurance, disability and worker’s compensation. As these costs climb, medical insurance is expected to rise at least 10 percent per year.

A 1999 study showed that businesses using Company Wellness Programs had a return on investment from $1.49 – $13 in benefits per dollar spent. The amount depended on the nature of the Company Wellness Programs used. (S. Aldana, American Journal of Wellness, 2001; 15:296-320)

One study showed that a “stop smoking” component to Company Wellness Programs may save between $404 -$40,829 per employee, depending on the age and sex of the worker.

The Company Wellness Programs at Traveler’s Company included a self-care book, a newsletter, single-topic brochures, and videotapes. The Company Wellness Programs saved the company $7.8 million in employee benefi t costs, decreased doctor visits, and it reduced rates of absenteeism by 1.2 days per worker per year. The estimated Company Wellness Programs ROI was $3.40 per dollar spent.

In 1998, the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) reported a study of 46,026 workers from six large corporations for three years. Staff Members with an inactive lifestyle had 10 percent higher costs; workers with depression had 70 percent higher costs.

Benefits of Company Wellness Programs

Increased Productivity - The Canada Life Assurance Company realized a 4 percent rise in productivity after starting an employee fitness program.

Increased Job Satisfaction - According to employee opinion surveys conducted by the Silverstone Group about thier Company Wellness Programs, workers’ morale increased, which helped support a more creative work setting.

Enhanced Recruitment & Retention - In the midst of a tight labor market, Company Wellness Programs could be a important tool to draw new recruits.

Decreased Absenteeism - Canada Life Assurance Company’s rates of absenteeism dropped 42 percent among workers in the Company Wellness Programs.

Decreased Workers Comp & Disability - In one year, Boeing Company’s number of back injuries decreased by 34 percent. Six million dollars was saved by tracking injuries as they occurred.

Managed Health Care Costs - Golden, Colorado Adolf Coors Company’s Company Wellness Programs returned $6.19 for every dollar spent.

Why have Company Wellness Program goals?

Company Wellness Program goals take your employer’s priorities for employee health improvement and make them specific and measurable. Well-defined Company Wellness Program goals provide direction for selecting Procedures and a basis for which to measure progress.

Writing Company Wellness Program goals

Writing Company Wellness Program goals is not complicated or difficult. It does require some thought, about your employer’s Company Wellness Program vision for a culture of health and they should be:

• Specific Company Wellness Program Goals
• Measurable Company Wellness Program Goals
• Attainable Company Wellness Program Goals
• Realistic Company Wellness Program Goals
• Timely Company Wellness Program Goals

Specific Company Wellness Program Goals: What is the specific outcome your employer is looking for? “Reduce smoking among workers” is more specific than “Improve the health of workers.” You may wish to write some goals about specific outcomes (reducing smoking among workers) and other goals about specific progress (implementing a tobacco-free campus policy or reducing the price of fresh fruit in the cafeteria to 25 cents a piece).

Measurable Company Wellness Program Goals: Making your goals measurable provides a means of evaluating your progress and success. There is a saying: “what gets measured, gets done.” Measurable goals can be powerful motivators for your employer. “Provide more time for workers to be physically active” is much less measurable than “implement a daily 15-minute walking break into the schedule of all workers.” “Increase the number of workers who want to quit smoking” is less measurable than “increase enrollments in the stop-using tobacco program to 120 workers per year.”

Attainable Company Wellness Program Goals: Determine goals that challenge your employer to change and that will demonstrate a real commitment to the health of the employees. At the same time, set goals that are achievable. Goals that are set too far out of reach can be overwhelming and may become a barrier rather than a motivator.

Realistic Company Wellness Program Goals: Write goals that are do-able, given the skills, time, finances and overall strategy of the employer. A realistic project may push the skills and knowledge of the people working on it but it shouldn’t break them.

Timely Company Wellness Program Goals: When do you hope to achieve the goal? Next week? Next year? Without a timeframe, the goal is still vague and is much less likely to galvanize resources and energy within your employer.

“Reduce the percent of workers who use tobacco from 20 percent to 10 percent” is much less of a challenge than “By the end of 2010, reduce the percent of workers who use tobacco from 20 percent to 15 percent”.

If your employer is interested in measuring the impact of your Company Wellness Program efforts in future years, you’ll want to gather relevant baseline data on the health and health behaviors of your worker population.

Company Wellness Program Data on your worker population

Health Risk Assessments

Some health plans offer corporations free web-based health risk assessments (HRA), complete with summary aggregate reports. If your health plan does not offer a free HRA, you could pay for an HRA either through your health plan or through a third party vendor.

To encourage taking part in an HRA, assure workers of confidentiality and consider offering incentives and rewards for completing the assessment. The higher the participation rate, the more likely that the aggregate data will accurately represent the behaviors and risks of your worker population.

Company Wellness Program Health Surveys

You can get a general sense of workers’ health-related attitudes and behaviors using a “lowtech” paper survey. As with a health risk assessment, workers will be more likely to respond to a survey if there is an incentive and if they are confident that their responses are confidential. Remember that without widespread participation you’ll only get a “feel” for worker behaviors rather than a statistically accurate picture.

Company Wellness Program Focus Groups and Informational Interviews

The information you can collect from focus groups or informational interviews with workers is an important supplement to the anonymous survey or HRA data. Listening to workers discuss their attitudes, values, receptivity and barriers related to health provides a wealth of information on which to base decisions on how to improve your employer’s Company Wellness Program. Company Wellness Program focus groups are especially useful for getting information from hard-to-reach worker populations, such as those for whom English is a learned language.

Keep Company Wellness Program focus groups small (8-19 workers, ideally all of a similar job class). If possible, offer incentives and rewards such as movie tickets or lunch, to recruit participants. Develop a list of open-ended questions in advance and allow 60-90 minutes for the discussion.

Informational interviews are an alternative to Company Wellness Program focus groups. The Company Wellness Program coordinator of your health improvement Procedures or selected members of the Company Wellness Program Committee can conduct one-on-one interviews with workers in a variety of positions to better understand their attitudes, interests and barriers related to a) health behaviors and b) the worksite policies, environments and practices.

Population data

If data on the employee population are not available, you can use state or national data to estimate the prevalence of risk behaviors among workers.

In addition to looking at the health behaviors of workers, take a good look at your employer. The following questions can help you identify opportunities for your employer to support and encourage healthy behaviors among workers.

A strong foundation for employee health improvement

1. To what extent does the senior management in your employer actively and visibly support the Company Wellness Program?

__ No support for the Company Wellness Program
__ Support, but not at senior level
__ Support at senior level, but not visible to workers
__ Strong and visible Company Wellness Program support
Comments:

2. Is the Company Wellness Program tied to your employer’s mission statement?

__ No
__ Yes, the Company Wellness Program is tied to business plan OR mission statement
__ Yes, the Company Wellness Program is tied to both business plan and mission statement
Comments:

3. Is there an worker within your employer whose job responsibilities include Company Wellness Program coordination?

__ No
__ Yes, but has little time available to dedicate to Company Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to Company Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least one full-time position dedicated to Company Wellness Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to wellness AND has a background that includes Company Wellness Program qualifications
__ Yes, our employer has at least one full-time position dedicated to health improvement AND the worker’s background includes Company Wellness Program qualifications
Comments:

4. Does your employer have an active wellness committee with diverse representation?

__ No (does not have a Company Wellness Program Committee, or has a committee that doesn’t meet)
__ Yes, we have a Company Wellness Program Committee, but with limited representation
__ Yes, we have a Company Wellness Program Committee with widespread representation
__ Yes, we have a Company Wellness Program Committee with widespread representation AND committee involvement is part of each representative’s job responsibilities
Comments:

5. Does your employer have an annual budget for Company Wellness Program expenses? (Company Wellness Program expenses may be associated with offering a health assessment, paying for behavior change programs/coaching programs, covering incentives and rewards that encourage healthy behaviors, subsidizing healthy food options, communications and activities around specific health topics, fitness centers/walking paths, etc).

__ No
__ Yes, but funds are earmarked for Company Wellness Programs (e.g. only for Weight Watchers or fitness discounts) and do not meet all existing Company Wellness Program needs
__ Yes, funds are available to meet current Company Wellness Program needs
Comments:

6. Does your employer have a plan for engaging workers in the Company Wellness Program?

__ No
__ Yes, we have a communications plan for our Company Wellness Program
__ Yes, we have a communication plan AND we offer meaningful incentives or rewards (such as premium discounts or debit cards) for the Company Wellness Program to engage in healthy behaviors.
Comments:

A data-based approach to the Company Wellness Program

7. Does your employer have clearly stated Company Wellness Program goals and priorities for employee health improvement?

__ No
__ Yes
__ Yes, data (e.g. HRA, claims, productivity) are the basis for defining Company Wellness Program goals or priorities
__ Yes, data AND evidence-based best practices are a basis for defining Company Wellness Program goals or priorities
__ Yes, data and best practices are basis for defining Company Wellness Program goals or priorities as well as measuring Company Wellness Program progress (assessment)
Comments:

8. Has your employer completed a Health Risk Assessment?

__ No
__ Yes, but more than 2 years ago
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a participation rate of less than 50 percent
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a 50 percent - 79 percent participation rate
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved an 80 percent or greater participation rate
Comments:

A worksite environment that supports healthy behaviors

9. Does your employer’s tobacco reduction strategy reflect best practices?

(Check all that apply)
__ A no-smoking policy that includes both buildings AND grounds
__ 100 percent coverage for the cost of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy
__ Employee access to – and strong promotion of — a tailored stop-smoking program
Comments:

10. Does your employer provide opportunities (time and places) for physical activity during the work day?

__ No
__ Yes, indoor places for physical activity (on-site fitness center) OR outdoor places for physical activity (walking paths)
__ Yes, both indoor AND outdoor places for physical activity
__ Yes, indoor and outdoor opportunities AND employees can use work time for physical activity
Comments:

11. Does your employer promote healthy eating by providing access to fruits and vegetables?

__ No
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available at the worksite (in vending machines, break areas, or cafeterias)
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available and discounted at the worksite
Comments:

Benefits that support employee health improvement

12. Does your employer provide workers with self-care resources?

(Check all that apply)
__ Distribution of self-care books
__ web-based access to health information
__ Nurse advice line
Comments:

13. Which of the following preventive services are covered at 100 percent by your employer’s health benefits?

(Check all that apply)
__ Vision screening
__ Hearing
__ Immunizations (per CDC/ACIP recommendations)
__ Radiology
__ Laboratory services
__ STD screening
__ Preventive health examination for adults
__ Cancer screen (includes: colon, cervical, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers)
__ Contraceptive management
Comments:

14. Which of the following are included in your employer’s pharmacy benefit?

(Check all that apply)
__ Mail order or other 90-day supply option for medications
__ Specialty pharmacy network
__ Incentive-based tiered formulary design
Comments:

15. Do your employer’s health benefits provide coverage for behavioral health (such as depression, mental illness, counseling, stress management, and chemical dependency)?

__ Yes, at the same level as health benefits
__ Yes, but at a reduced level (less coverage) than health benefits
__ No coverage for mental or behavioral health

Why it’s important and how to do it

The Company Wellness Program Vision

A Company Wellness Program vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the purpose and goals of your employer’s commitment to starting a Company Wellness Program. Taking the time to clarify and describe your employer’s Company Wellness Program vision can provide a focus and a consistent direction for your Procedures for years to come. The vision statement reminds leaders and workers of the link between worker health and the employer’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and powerful Company Wellness Program vision for your employer’s culture of health:

• What do you want your Company Wellness Program to accomplish?
• How do you plan to accomplish it?
• How does this Company Wellness Program mission support or further the employer’s mission?

A sample Company Wellness Program vision statement might be . . .

To have workers who perform at their best and who enable XYZ Corporation to be an industry leader in printing quality and customer service (employer’s mission), XYZ Corporation is committed to providing opportunities for healthy behaviors during the workday (how) in order to encourage workers not to smoke, to be active, and to eat healthfully (what).

The Company Wellness Program Brand

In the same way that your employer’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your Procedures toward starting a Company Wellness Program will benefit from being easily recognizable to workers:

• A consistently used Company Wellness Program brand on all communications conveys to workers that the commitment to a culture of health is here to stay.
• A Company Wellness Program brand institutionalizes the culture and makes it more likely to withstand changes in staff and budget.

Do what you can to engage workers in starting the identity (brand) for your employer’s Company Wellness Program. Not only are they more likely to accept the name, it’s also a great way to announce to workers the employer’s Company Wellness Program commitment. Here are two possible approaches to involving workers:

Option 1: Have a Company Wellness Program contest

1. Announce the Company Wellness Program contest guidelines and deadline.
2. Have the Company Wellness Program Committee review the ideas submitted, and select a name.

If, for example, your business, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial construction business, you might receive the following Company Wellness Program ideas from workers:

• Cornerstone: Feeling well is what it’s all about
• Premier Elements: Building healthier workers
• Custom Build: Building health builds wealth
• Building Health: Designing better worker health

After reviewing the entries, your Company Wellness Program Committee determines that it likes the name “Premier Elements” and the subtitle “Building health builds wealth”. Your committee awards the “name the Company Wellness Program contest” prize to the two workers, those who submitted the pieces of the name that represent the final product.

Premier Elements: Building health builds wealth

3. Select a Company Wellness Program logo to go with the name.

The Company Wellness Program logo is an important piece of the branding

• Review any ideas submitted for Company Wellness Program logos.
• If you’re fortunate to have a graphic design professional at your business, enlist her or his help with developing the Company Wellness Program logo!
• As an alternative, select a piece of clip-art that fits with the Company Wellness Program name you’ve selected. For example, the business referenced above might look for a symbol that conveys building, health and wealth.

Option 2: Company Wellness Program Committee determines the name and brand

1. Have your Company Wellness Program Committee brainstorm Company Wellness Program names.
• To get ideas flowing, ask members to write down all health-related words and words associated with your employer or industry.
• Try clustering words together as in the construction business example above.
2. Once your Company Wellness Program Committee has narrowed down the possibilities to about three ideas, have committee members vote to select a name for your culture of health.
3. Select a Company Wellness Program logo to go with the winning name.
4. Announce the employer’s Company Wellness Program and the corresponding Company Wellness Program name. Explain that employees on the advisory committee chose the name.

Sample Company Wellness Program meeting agendas and topics for discussion

Is your employer’s Company Wellness Program Company Wellness Program Committee new?  Has it existed on paper but been inactive for a while?  In either case, some of the following may be appropriate agenda items for your first Company Wellness Program meetings.   You may also want to revisit these topics annually.

•    Clarify roles of Company Wellness Program Committee members
­    Are members responsible for implementing changes or recommending changes?
­    How long are members’ terms on the Company Wellness Program Committee?
­    How will new members be selected?

•    Determine Company Wellness Program Committee meeting frequency and processes
­    Determine dates, times, and locations.
­    Determine how agendas will be set.
­    Plan for recording and distributing meeting notes.

•    Plan Company Wellness Program communication with leadership
­    Does a leader sit on the group or does the coordinator report on progress (and to whom)?
­    How frequently do leaders want reports on Company Wellness Program progress?

•    Select a name and brand for your employer’s Company Wellness Program

•    Create a vision statement for your employer’s Company Wellness Program

•    Identify existing allies Company Wellness Program for promoting worker health within your employer
­    Who do Company Wellness Program Committee members know who could be relied on to support worksite changes required to develop a culture that promotes health?

•    Brainstorm challenges your employer may face in working to develop facilities, policies and Company Wellness Program practices that promote worker health
­    What do committee members regard as opportunities? How about potential Company Wellness Program obstacles?

•    History of past Company Wellness Program efforts
­    If relevant, summarize past Company Wellness Program efforts. Discuss what your employer learned from those efforts.
?    What has the employer tried over the last few years?
?    What has worked well?
?    What hasn’t worked well?
?    How, if at all, was success of previous Company Wellness Program efforts measured?

A representative Company Wellness Program Committee is a cornerstone of a successful Company Wellness Program, regardless of the size of the employer.

Membership of your Company Wellness Program Committee

Aim for a committee of a manageable size (no more than 15 members, depending on your employer’s size). Your Company Wellness Program Committee should represent all employee groups (e.g., full-time and part-time workers, managers and front-line staff, salary and hourly workers, union representation, HR, marketing or communications, legal, and occupational health/safety).

Here are some additional considerations:

• Company Wellness Program Committee members can be selected by leadership or can be selected from among volunteers.
• Determine in advance how long Company Wellness Program Committee members will support and how new members will be selected. Balance the need for continuity with the need to bring fresh ideas and energy to your employer’s Company Wellness Program.
• It’s not important, or even desirable, to have your healthiest workers on the Company Wellness Program Committee. Ideal Company Wellness Program Committee members are those who best can represent their peers, motivate others and support the implementation of the Company Wellness Program.
• Consider offering an incentive or recognition to Company Wellness Program Committee members. It legitimizes their positions and encourages participation. Some employers that have implemented stipends have generated enough worker interest that the selection of Company Wellness Program Committee membership becomes a competitive process. The Company Wellness Program Committee responsibilities become a formal component of the member’s job accountabilities.

Role of your Company Wellness Program Committee

In some employers the Company Wellness Program Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Company Wellness Program. In other employers, the Company Wellness Program Committee plays an advisory role. In either case, the group members can be asked to:

• Attend regular meetings of the Company Wellness Program Committee.
• Help establish a vision and name for the employer’s Company Wellness Program.
• Represent their peer group by sharing ideas, needs, concerns and feedback from their work areas and colleagues about proposed Company Wellness Program Procedures, policies, and programs.
• Offer feedback on the possible barriers to proposed Company Wellness Program Procedures and offer suggestions for addressing those barriers (e.g., how does a proposed policy fit with the schedules of workers?).
• Suggest effective Company Wellness Program communication Procedures and solutions to challenges. For example, what is the best way to communicate with workers who work the third shift? How will workers react to a proposed message from leadership?
• Be a voice of support for a culture of health, carrying the message from the Company Wellness Program Committee to their work areas and colleagues.

Functioning of your Company Wellness Program Committee

Meet. Schedule regular Company Wellness Program Committee meetings on paid work time. Your Company Wellness Program Committee may want to meet frequently at first, then slightly less frequently as your health improvement strategy is more established. If your Company Wellness Program Committee is new, it might be useful to ask members to provide information about themselves and their interests.

Communicate. Set up regular channels of communication with Company Wellness Program Committee members so they are up to date and engaged. An email list is frequently the easiest way to do this. Encourage communication to flow both ways: from Company Wellness Program coordinator to members and from members to coordinator.

Check-in. At least once a year, assess how effectively the Company Wellness Program Committee is functioning. Is the Company Wellness Program Committee serving its original purpose? Ask committee members for their feedback. Do they feel like their work is making a difference? Do they feel like their input is valued and taken into account when planning and implementing initiatives? Do they understand their expected Company Wellness Program roles and responsibilities? Are there members who want to rotate off of the committee? How will new members be selected?

Creating a Company Wellness Program need not be expensive, but will require the commitment of some financial resources. If possible, include the Company Wellness Program in your employer’s annual business plan and budget as you do for other efforts important to your employer’s success.

How much to budget for the Company Wellness Program?

There is no one-size-fits-all formula for starting a Company Wellness Program that results in improved employee health. Organizations differ in how much money they need and how much they can make available for the Company Wellness Program. Consider the following common expenses in developing an adequate Company Wellness Program budget:

• Company Wellness Program staffing costs (either internal salaries or consultant fees)
• Company Wellness Program data collection costs (including health risk assessment costs, if relevant)
• Company Wellness Program incentives and rewards for healthy behaviors (such as discounts on premiums for non-smokers)
• Costs of Company Wellness Program Procedures to be implemented (such as costs of covering tobacco quit medications or costs of subsidizing healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines)
• Company Wellness Program administrative and communications expenses

In times of tight finances, be prepared to justify your requested Company Wellness Program budget. Arm yourself with data on potential short- and long-term outcomes of the proposed Company Wellness Program Procedures. Itemize the Company Wellness Program expenses of past initiatives and share projected expenses for initiatives planned for the upcoming year.

Sustaining Company Wellness Program Funding

A dedicated Company Wellness Program line item in your employer’s budget makes it more likely to be regarded as a need, rather than as a “nice-to-have” amenity that could be cut when funds run low.

One of the best Procedures for ensuring continued financial support for the Company Wellness Program is frequent communication to leadership, including:

• How many workers have you reached through the Company Wellness Program? Has morale increased? Have health risks decreased, e.g., fewer workers using tobacco, more workers active?
• How well are you managing the Company Wellness Program resources you’ve been given? Where and how has your budget been spent? Keep track of the staff time required for each initiative and be able to present the numbers at any time.
• Anecdotal Company Wellness Program success stories from workers. Don’t underestimate the power of a good story to put a human face on your success.

Additional sources of Company Wellness Program Funding

If required, have the individuals responsible for starting a Company Wellness Program look for ways to supplement available internal funds. Are there grants or other funding available that can help support your Company Wellness Program ? What community Company Wellness Program resources could you use to meet some of your needs?