Posts from — October 2008

Company Wellness Programs begin and end with individual health. Individuals, after all, are able to make decisions about maintaining and / or improving their health and wellbeing. Employee Company Wellness Programs must therefore provide the tools and resources required to assist and motivate individuals to actively participate in the program.

Individual health is only one component of starting worker Company Wellness Programs. Below you’ll find some things to assist you in your efforts to develop a healthy atmosphere for you and your coworkers.

Encouraging Your Employer to Begin an Company Wellness Program

This is the first step in starting a Company Wellness Program. In recent times more and more corporations are starting to see the value of promoting and supporting the health of their workers. Partnership for Prevention, a nonprofit organization, has released a sourcebook called “Healthy Workforce 2010″ (http://www.wellnessproposals.com/pdfs/tool_kits/healthy_workforce_2010.pdf). This sourcebook is an excellent resource containing information on:
•    Benefits of Company Wellness Programs
•    Suggestions on where to begin
•    Tools like surveys and assessment forms

These resources are for both corporations and workers to lead the development and assess the effectiveness of their new Company Wellness Program. Offer it to your employer as a place to begin or read it yourself and present your ideas.

Taking Part in Company Wellness Programs

Once you have an worker Company Wellness Program established, taking part fully in all aspects of the program is important. Many of us know that we need to more actively engage in Company Wellness Programs to improve our health, yet have difficulty finding and taking the time to do so. These simple steps can jumpstart your participation in an worker Company Wellness Program:
•    Review the offerings that interest you and that you need for health  improvement.
•    Schedule time to go to the presentation or service.
•    Actively following through with recommendations from the program.
•    Make a decision now to improve your health. You will feel better today and tomorrow and the next day for actively moving towards wellness.

Here is a list of potential Company Wellness Programs that might be available to you at work:
•    ergonomic evaluations and training classes
•    lactation rooms and classes
•    prenatal education
•    quiet rooms for relaxation
•    stress management programs
•    fitness facilities
•    chair massage
•    nutritional information
•    onsite primary healthcare services
•    child care facility or resources and referral service
•    smoking cessation programs parenting classes
•    elder care resource and referral service
•    cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose screening programs
•    flu vaccination
•    weight management and / or weight loss programs
•    healthcare consumerism programs
•    employee assistance programs
•    wellness coach / health coach programs
•    onsite mammography

More information to follow in my next posting about Employee Company Wellness Programs

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Company Wellness Programs, a business saves $3 to $5 in health and safety costs. Businesses that invest in Company Wellness Programs reap the financial incentives through savings on healthcare costs, disability pay, rates of absenteeism, turnover and safety problems.

worksites have already proven to be a great place to promote wellness. After all, people spend more time at work than doing anything else. Eighty-two percent of the U.S. population is linked in some way to a worksite. Therefore, providing Company Wellness Programs is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Company Wellness Programs in Small Businesses

Unlike large businesses, small businesses frequently lack the resources to provide Company Wellness Programs to their workers. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by medical insurance costs and have the highest rates of substance abuse. Employee well-being and physical or mental illness can also be more disruptive in a small business environment. Company Wellness Programs in small businesses also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Company Wellness Programs can pay. Statistically, even if there are only 100 people in a business:

• 60 sit all day to do their work
• 50 don’t wear their safety belts regularly
• 50 feel they’re under moderate stress
• 35 are overweight by 20 percent or more
• 30 smoke
• 27 have cardiovascular disease
• 25 or more have high cholesterol (over 200 mg/dl)
• 10 are heavy drinkers
• 10 have high blood pressure
• 5 have diagnosed diabetes and another 5 have undiagnosed diabetes
• 7 use marijuana
• 1 uses cocaine

Bottom Line Company Wellness Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the healthcare costs incurred by working adults can be attributed to modifiable health risks (e.g., diet, exercise, tobacco use, etc.) Fortunately, there is a way to hold back the trend. Growing research links an individual’s lifestyle behaviors to their health risk.

The good news is Company Wellness Programs can:

• Decrease healthcare costs
• Decrease workers’ compensation claims
• Decrease worker rates of absenteeism
• Improve worker productivity
• Improve worker morale

The bottom line is that Company Wellness Programs can benefit any size business — small or large.

There are a number of reasons why a Company Wellness Program is beneficial.

1. Enhanced Morale - When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Company Wellness Program, you and your workers may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the employer.  Ultimately, one of the most ambitious goals of any complete Company Wellness Program is to attempt to sway the attitudes and actions of the employer’s most valuable resource — its workers.

2. Reduced Turnover - As we all know, worker replacement costs can be quite high for any kind of business.  The effort and expense associated with running employment ads, reading applications, checking references, interviewing qualified candidates, hiring and training a new employee can be a serious burden on any business.  In light of the challenges that high worker turnover pose, many businesses are looking to Company Wellness Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent workers from jumping ship.

3. Increased Recruitment Potential - In the midst of a very tight labor market, businesses are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent.  In some instances, Company Wellness Programs can prove to be a very valuable tool in sealing the deal.

4. Reduced Absenteeism - When an employee misses work in a business setting, the entire employer is forced to absorb his/her responsibilities.  Even in the event of the occasional absence caused by things like colds and the flu, work can back-up and tensions can build.

Even worse is a long-term absence caused by a major health event that requires hospitalization and/or rehabilitation.  By preventing certain types of illness caused by poor lifestyle habits, Company Wellness Programs can play an important role in reducing rates of absenteeism.

5. Health Care Cost Containment - Most businesses don’t begin a Company Wellness Program with cost containment in mind.  However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many businesses.

6. Enhanced Employee Health Status - One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Company Wellness Program is the promise of improved health.  There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Company Wellness Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as smoking, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

It is important to measure the effectiveness of all Company Wellness Programs. There are several very simple ways to measure Company Wellness Programs:

How many attended the corporate health and Company Wellness Program, and was there participation or a visible level of interest?

Use a short and simple pen and paper assessment that people fill out at the end of the Company Wellness Program /presentation. Statements that are rated on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree) will give valuable information. Ask about:
•    The value of the Company Wellness Programs to the individual
•    The style of the presenter
•    The presenter’s knowledge of the topic
•    The level of knowledge gained by the worker
•    Other areas that would be of interest for future Company Wellness Programs

Examples of Questions about Company Wellness Programs

•    This program provided me with information and/or skills I will use.
•    The presenter was knowledgeable about the subject matter.
•    There was adequate time for questions.
•    The methods used to present the information were effective.

Open-ended questions about Company Wellness Programs may include:
•    The best component of this Company Wellness Program was…
•    The component that needed improvement was….
•    I would attend another Company Wellness Program by this speaker…
•    Topics I would like to see included in other presentations or Wellness Programs…

This would be a process assessment that reviews how well the Company Wellness Programs were implemented. It is also important to look at health outcomes and cost outcomes of Company Wellness Programs.

More in-depth information about the cost-effectiveness of Company Wellness Programs can be found by analyzing data before and after Company Wellness Programs concerning healthcare claims, workers’ comp claims, sick time, productivity levels, etc. Health outcomes for Company Wellness Programs can be measured by looking at health claims and sick time.

It is also important to look at the impact of Company Wellness Programs on family members. For example, smoking by pregnant mothers may lead to the birth of a severely impaired child. This could cost an employer or health plan hundreds of thousands of dollars, an expense that could have been avoided with well-designed Company Wellness Programs.

You can also compare the cost per worker of running the Company Wellness Programs to the savings per worker. One assessment of Company Wellness Programs involving 20,000 to 25,000 workers at New York City-based Citibank showed a return of $6.70 for every dollar the business invested in Company Wellness Programs. The findings were based on a study of health costs and rates of absenteeism.1

An ongoing assessment of your Company Wellness Programs should be performed each year and additional periodic evaluations of Company Wellness Programs should be conducted on an ad hoc basis. An ad hoc assessment of your Company Wellness Programs might be initiated by a variety of triggers. For example, at the end of flu season, a business might want to measure its flu shot program.

Employee retention is a challenge. Company Wellness Programs can help. offering perks such as incentives to exercise, healthy food, and stress management and weight loss programs at work is a way to maintain your workers satisfied.

Attracting new employees are also a challenge, and anything you can do to “stand out” from other workers is to your advantage. Remember, salary isn’t everything. Often, the possibility of flex hours or a discount at the local gym may be the deciding factor for a future worker. Once again, Company Wellness Programs to the rescue!

How Are Company Wellness Programs Administered?

Whether running small Company Wellness Programs in-house or using outside corporate wellness businesses to oversee the whole thing, program promotion is of utmost importance. You may have a great speaker come in to talk about a very “hot topic,” but if no one knew about it, it was a waste of the speaker’s time and your money.

Corporate Company Wellness Program setup and promotion go hand and hand. Depending on the size of your business, it may be handled by one person or an entire corporate wellness team. You may even have an worker who is interested in physical fitness and would love to organize some educational wellness presentations and activities.

Other workers may have areas of interest and would be willing to set up some educational programs. Especially for smaller corporations, once you have chosen your events and activities, it is best to set up a calendar with a schedule of events. Then publish the entire calendar as well as announcing each individual event as it comes up.

Access to Company Wellness Programs

To make access easy, offer a wide range of Company Wellness Programs and activities that can fit into everyone’s schedule. For example, some workers may find it difficult to get to a presentation at work or make a commitment for 8 weeks of the Weight Watchers at Work program. However, they will take advantage of a reduced rate at the gym and will borrow tapes from the health and wellness library.

If you have shifts, don’t forget to schedule events for the after 5:00 group. Nothing will undermine Company Wellness Programs more quickly than promoting great activities that are only convenient for first shift workers.

Sometimes, Company Wellness Programs can take advantage of “special situations” that happen and which offer an excellent opportunity for worker education and support, at little or no expense to the employer. Not only do these situations help workers personally, but also they are an opportunity for the employer to be seen in a positive light. For example:

A company had several workers with cancer, as well as a number of workers with family members with cancer. Their HR staff had received numerous questions about what to say to a coworker with cancer, as well as hearing about how difficult it was for the caregivers to manage work and home demands. They thought that it would be a great idea to initiate a lunchtime monthly “discussion/support group” to talk about the struggles, frustrations, and fears that people were facing. This activity was included under the umbrella of Company Wellness Programs that the company offered.

The group was facilitated by a rep from the Employee Assistance Program, but it was not a therapy group, nor was it promoted as such. It was informal and workers came as they could fit it into their schedules.

Did it solve all their problems? Of course not, but it did give them a place to vent, talk, and get some information and support. It was a powerful statement from the employer saying, “We care about you and we’d like to help you with this,” and the workers were very grateful. Effective Company Wellness Programs clearly convey this type of message to their workers.

Another employer had an worker who was autistic and frequently exhibited some odd or unusual behaviors. He had some significant difficulties and had to be out of work for several months. As time came for him to return, coworkers became anxious about what to expect.

The employer had someone come in to talk about autism and how best to deal with a person with the disease. It was a general discussion, and there was no discussion of the worker’s personal information. However, coworkers felt much more prepared to handle his return.

An worker with epilepsy told her coworkers about her condition in case she had a seizure. The employer then had someone from an epilepsy advocacy group come in and educate workers about the illness and what to do.

You may believe taking steps like this are not the responsibility of the employer, that it is not your business. But physical and mental illnesses affect just about everyone and are natural components of Company Wellness Programs.

Staff Members who are preoccupied and worried about someone having a seizure or catching HIV from a coworker are not focused and productive. When you spend time informing and supporting workers, you not only have productive workers, you also have their respect.

Company Wellness Programs are also an effective way to educate workers/parents about substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, depression, mental illness, learning disabilities, and other issues that affect adults, children, and teens. Arming parents, other relatives, and concerned friends with information is a way to prevent problems in the future, for themselves and their children.

Staff Members may not be comfortable attending Company Wellness Programs entitled “Substance Abuse and You” or “Dealing With Depression,” fearing they have “self-identified” just by their presence. However, when much of that same information is billed as “Teens and Substance Abuse” or “Recognizing the Signs of Depression in Teens,” there may be a full house for the presentation.

Once this happens, the levels of awareness are raised. An employee who is concerned that he or she is actually depressed can attend and gain life-saving information. Using this type of approach in Company Wellness Programs goes beyond raising awareness among parents whose children are struggling with personal problems.

Mental health topics are frequently difficult to introduce. There is still some stigma attached to being “mentally ill” or having alcohol problems. A benign way to bring information into the worksite is to use Company Wellness Programs and the National Screening Day programs. These are dates that have been set aside annually to increase awareness about various problems. They include:

• Alcohol Abuse and Addiction (April)
• Anxiety Disorders (during Mental Health Month in May)
• Depression (October)
• Eating Disorders (February)

There is a wealth of information available web-based that can be made available to your workers at no cost as part of your Company Wellness Programs. All it takes implement this into Company Wellness Programs is some type of notification in the form of an e-mail with an introductory statement and some links.

Local mental health clinics, medical schools, and hospitals usually provide free employee health screenings on designated days so that anyone can come in, take a test, and get information and a referral for care if appropriate. You could arrange with a local provider for a block of time for your workers to participate in the screenings, or talk to them about coming into the worksite to provide them.

What Are Company Wellness Programs?

Company Wellness Programs are designed to promote and support employee health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that workers benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As corporations become more aware of the importance of employee health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Company Wellness Programs may rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, improved attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Company Wellness Programs

Company Wellness Programs: Lunchtime Wellness Presentations

The easiest Company Wellness Programs are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly presentations during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may provide these. This type of corporate health and Company Wellness Program is usually arranged through HR, the health department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before selecting topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of worker polling to see what topics people are interested in. This may be as simple as an e-mail to all staff asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design a complete corporate health and Company Wellness Program.

Company Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments

An employer can provide complete Health Risk Assessments for workers. Health Risk Assessments are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, smoking, alcohol use, frequency of exercise, family history of disease and illness, etc.). This is usually done in conjunction with employee health screening for things like cholesterol and blood sugar screening.

Once the Health Risk Assessments are scored, the results are shared with workers along with suggestions for changes. The employer is able to get aggregate statistics that will show trends that he or she may want to address. For example, if a lot of people have high blood pressure, the employer may consider an educational seminar, biweekly onsite blood pressure readings, and low-salt, low-fat selections in the cafeteria or snack machines as interventions to include in the corporate health and Company Wellness Program.

If the Health Risk Assessments show that there is a “trend” toward not wearing seatbelts, perhaps having the State police come in and give a presentation about what happens in an accident when you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Company Wellness Programs: smoking Cessation

smoking cessation programs are very popular components of Company Wellness Programs. Often, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association will come in to run a group. Another option is for workers to attend a smoking cessation group in the community. Costs for the smoking cessation group can be offset by the employer after workers complete the program.

Company Wellness Programs: Stress Management

Stress is a major area of concern for corporations. Stressed out workers get sick more frequently, make more errors, and generally do not perform up to capacity. As a result, Company Wellness Programs frequently take steps to address employee stress. There are many ways to address stress within your Company Wellness Programs, and the beauty of these ideas is that everyone can benefit from them.

Certainly, stress management presentations are educational and informative and should be included in any corporate health and Company Wellness Program.

Company Wellness Programs and Work/Life Programs

Many corporations offer a work/life program that offers assistance with things from finding day care for a child or elderly parent and information on obscure college scholarship funds to information on which PC to buy and where to find someone to walk your dog. These programs fit into Company Wellness Programs because they help your workers handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing stress.

Company Wellness Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Company Wellness Programs. By helping workers address personal/mental health problems and concerns, an Employee Assistance Program can go a long way toward improving overall health and productivity. Representatives from your Employee Assistance Program can also work closely with you to design Company Wellness Programs that are integrated and effective.

Time Management and Company Wellness Programs

Time is one of our most precious commodities, and anything you can do as an employer to help your workers manage their time is going to be welcome. Although not traditionally thought to be part of Company Wellness Programs, offering flextime and telecommuting are two ways to lower stress and increase productivity.

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all workers or all positions; however, in many worksites, they are underused. Either your HR manager or an outside consultant can help you design a program. If you belong to a business group or Chamber of Commerce, you may find assistance there. Also, talk to colleagues who are doing this in their businesses to see how it is working.

The Culture of Wellness

Employee wellness has to be part of your company culture, not just something you throw in as an afterthought. It isn’t a Band-Aid, but rather a thoughtful piece of your business strategy. For example, if productivity is down due to smoking breaks, offering smoking cessation classes can help. But it’s also important to establish a no smoking policy.

When workers feel valued, they are more loyal and tend to work harder. They take pride in their work and talk about what a great company they work for. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

Even the best and most innovative corporations are experiencing the impact worker well-being on their organizations’ performance.  The bad news is that many of these corporations are unaware of the extent to which less-than-optimal worker health and well-being is impacting workforce capacity and performance.  The goods news is that there is an increasing body of research and practice than may help corporations mitigate this frequently unseen issue and develop significant opportunities for improved workforce attraction, retention and performance!  This article focuses on how employeral leaders may improve physical and financial worker wellness in the worksite.

The Problems of Chronic Disease

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60 percent of deaths in 2005 could be attributed to chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes).1  The largest attributing factors to the chronic diseases include smoking, physical activity, and diet.2  The costs of these diseases are staggering.  For example, if there were a 10 percent reduction in mortality from heart disease and cancer, it could save the US $10.4 trillion annually.3  Further the WHO projects that over 80 percent of the US population will be either considered overweight or obese by the year 2015.

The Problems of Financial Distress and Dissatisfaction

As hard as it may be to fathom, a 2004 study found that 67 percent of U.S. Workers are dealing with Personal Financial Issues.4 In another study, it was found that these issues may exist in all segments of any workforce, regardless of income, education, or position level.5 Couple these facts with our workforce reality:

* The workforce is aging and demand for professionals in many industries continues to exceed the supply – and will for the foreseeable future.
* Due to the shortages of quality personnel the stress on our current workforce is increasing.
* With these workforce shortages, most corporations cannot continue to pay spiraling market prices for professionals.
* Lastly, those personality attributes that make many professionals great caregivers or service-providers also tend to make them less apt to focus on matters of personal financial management.

The ROI

There are significant reasons why corporations should employ Procedures to implement Company Wellness Programs for their workers:

* Improve Productivity including reductions in healthcare and workers compensation claims, rates of absenteeism, and presenteesism;
* Reduce employer paid healthcare and re-insurances premiums; and
* Improve worker, physicians and patient satisfaction; and
* Improve staff retention and productivity.

A recent Towers Perrin case study6 found that a ten percentage point improvement on worker engagement was linked to a 4.6 percentage point improvement on customer satisfaction and revenue growth and labor cost improvements equal to a 2.8 percent impact on controllable margin.

What all this shows is that offering Company Wellness Programs and incentives and rewards is more than just “the right thing to do.”  Rather, there is a profound business case.  As workforce capacity and engagement increase, a bottom-up cultural change takes place in your employer.  These changes drive improvements in customer satisfaction, productivity, rates of absenteeism, and presenteesism – all of which drive improvements in profitability.

The Course of Change

As an employer, you may have a tremendous impact on the health of the community.  Here are a few suggestions on how you may engage your workers (possibly include flowchart):

1. Define the Plan – Determine if you have the internal resource availability and knowledge to develop a formal Company Wellness Program.  Many organizations, due to confidentiality legal and other reasons, select to engage outside partners to manage these processes.
2. Communication – Once you have developed the plan, communicate the plan to all workers – using multiple media and approaches.
3. Lead by Example –Begin Company Wellness Programs at the top (walk the walk).  Allow yourselves the opportunity to go through a health risk assessment and a financial assessment.  If you can, communicate your results and your action steps to staff.
4. Develop incentives and rewards for Staff Participation – Here are a couple of financial incentives and rewards you may provide staff that are low cost and optimally have a return on investment:

1. Pay workers to take a risk assessment
2. Lower employee contributions to health plan for those with reduced risk of chronic disease and correspondingly increase employee contribution to health plan for those with increased risk of chronic disease

5. Offer Personal Risk Assessment Counseling – Offer resources that can meet one on one with each worker to understand their health risks and opportunities
6. Eliminate Trans-Fat from Your Dietary Offerings – If you have onsite food facilities, and haven’t been required by legislative statute, you should eliminate trans-fatty oils from the worker and customer meals
7. Eliminate Smoking Areas for Staff Members – More and more organizations, including large cities, are now banning smoking on their facilities.
8. Offer Proper Monitoring Programs – Probably the hardest component of the plan, the ongoing monitoring is critical.  Some organizations are large enough to own or build wellness centers – but even then, many workers feel uncomfortable in using them.  Typically the users of wellness centers are those least in need.  The good news is that there are many external and web-based tools and options that are available today.
9. Encourage Other Local Businesses to Offer Company Wellness Programs.  In some cases (e.g. hospitals), there are options where this may even generate revenue and/or deepen relationships with the communities you support.

Legal Considerations

When thinking about a Company Wellness Program, one must take into account certain requirements under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code (Code) and the Public Health Service Act (PHSA). All three laws were amended by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) to provide for improved portability and continuity of health coverage. HIPAA also added Code section 9802, ERISA section 702 and PHSA section 2702, each of which prohibits discrimination in health coverage based on health status.

To be a bona fide Company Wellness Program, the plan must meet the following requirements:

* An individual’s total incentive must be limited. A limit of 10 percent to 20 percent of the total cost of employee-only coverage may be appropriate, according to the DOL.
* The program must be reasonably designed to promote good health or prevent disease.
* The incentive must be available to all similarly situated individuals. The program must allow any individual for whom it is unreasonably difficult because of a health condition to meet the Company Wellness Program standard (or for whom it is medically inadvisable to attempt to meet the Company Wellness Program standard) an opportunity to meet a reasonable alternative standard.

1 2005 Preventing chronic disease:  A important investment. World Health Organization
2 2007 Working Towards Wellness:  Accelerating the prevention of chronic disease.  World Economic Forum
3 2007 The Value of Health and Longevity.  Kevin M. Murphy and Robert H. Topal, University of Chicago
4 2004 Employer/Employee Equation Research on Worker Types, Preferences and Engagement Issues – Concours Group, Age Wave and Harris Poll
5 1997 Neal E. Cutler, Ph.D
6 2003 Talent Report: New Realities in Today’s Workforce – Towers Perrin

Company Wellness Programs that support workers and the environment that they work in have been shown to be a good return on investment. Company Wellness Programs may be extensive and sometimes expensive. However, there are ways for small corporations to make positive changes at little or no cost.

Company Wellness Program: Physical Fitness/Weight Management Programs

1. Allow access to on- and off- worksite gyms and recreational activities before, during, and after work hours.
2. Offer and encourage participation in after work recreation or leagues.
3. Offer cash incentives or reduced insurance costs for participation in physical activity and/or weight management or maintenance activities.
4. Offer shower and/or changing facilities onsite.
5. Offer outdoor exercise areas such as fields and trails for worker use.
6. Offer bicycle racks in safe, convenient, and accessible locations.
7. Offer onsite fitness opportunities, such as group classes or personal training.
8. Offer an onsite exercise facility.
9. Set up programs that have strong social support systems and incentives and rewards, such as:
o Buddy or team physical activity goals
o Programs that involve workers and family
o Programs to encourage physical activity, such as pedometer walking challenges
o Explore discounted or subsidized memberships at local health clubs, recreation centers, or YMCAs
10. Offer flexible work hours to allow for physical activity during the day.
11. Support physical activity breaks during the workday, such as stretching or walking.
12. Host walk-and-talk meetings.
13. Map out onsite trails or nearby walking routes and destinations.
14. Have workers map out their own biking or walking route to and from work.
15. Post motivational signs at elevators and escalators to encourage stair usage.
16. Offer exercise/physical fitness messages and information to workers.
17. Offer or support recreation leagues and other physical activity events onsite or in the community.
18. Begin worker activity clubs such as walking or bicycling clubs.
19. Offer onsite child care facilities to facilitate physical activity.
20. Sponsor a bike to work day and reward workers who participate.
21. Set up a box and solicit fitness and health tips.

Company Wellness Program: General Health Education Programs

1. Have a current policy outlining the requirements and functions of a comprehensive worksite Company Wellness Program.
2. Have a wellness plan in place that addresses the purpose, nature, duration, resources required, participants in, and expected results of a worksite Company Wellness Program.
3. Orient workers to the Company Wellness Program and give them copies of the physical activity, nutrition, and tobacco use policies.
4. Promote and encourage worker participation in the physical activity/fitness and nutrition education/weight management program.
5. Offer health education information to workers.
6. Have a committee that meets at least once a month to oversee the Company Wellness Program.
7. Offer regular health education presentations on various physical activity, nutrition, and wellness-related topics. Ask voluntary health associations, healthcare providers, and/or public health agencies to offer onsite education classes.
8. Host a health fair as a kick-off event or as a celebration for completion of a wellness campaign.
9. Designate specific areas to support workers such as diabetics and nursing mothers.
10. Conduct preventive wellness screenings for blood pressure, body composition, blood cholesterol, and diabetes.
11. Offer confidential health rist assessments.
12. Offer onsite weight management/maintenance programs for workers.
13. Add weight management/maintenance, nutrition, and physical activity counseling as a member benefit in medical insurance contracts.

Company Wellness Program: Tobacco Cessation

1. Establish a company policy prohibiting tobacco use anywhere on the property.
2. Offer prompts/posters to support no tobacco use policy.
3. Policy supporting participation in smoking cessation activities during duty time (flex-time).
4. Offer counseling through an individual, group, or telephone counseling program onsite.
5. Offer counseling through a health plan sponsored individual, group, or telephone counseling program.
6. Offer cessation medications through medical insurance.