Health Promotion Programs.

Wellness Programs are excellent for waistlines and your bottom line

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. for a long time, employers have understood the benefits associated with keeping staff well - increased productivity from lowered absenteeism and lowered disability claims.

For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many businesses realized double-digit healthcare costs last year, businesses ought to consider Health Promotion Programs as a way to keep workforce healthful.

But just how important are these wellness programs to employees? How often are they willing to take part in wellness programs designed to positively impact their wellness? Who do workforce trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were lately garnered from a published study  commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 personnel nationwide about their perceptions of Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these wellness programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and almost 60 percent consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current business.

Employee retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building wellness programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented personnel and to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Wellness wish list

Workers appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85 percent of survey respondents cited stress management as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include health screening programs (84 percent), exercise/fitness programs (84 percent), health insurance education (81 percent) and disease management seminars (80 percent).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes as a result of computer work and worksite violence.

Starting a Wellness Program

With such a wide range of health concerns, a key goal for employers is locating a way to proactively address the health needs of the biggest number of personnel, and effectively change unhealthful behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and disease.

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, fliers or brochures present an easy solution. But it is crucial that you remember that different people  require different formats for learning.

A good rule of thumb -  provide information in a selection of learning formats such as videos, brochures, health-related quizzes, display boards, brown bagger presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle - getting people  to sign on to a health promotion program. While survey respondents indicated health promotion programs are important, just six out of 10 (60 percent) announced that they participated in the health promotion programs at their companies.  The other 40% cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a extensive, structured health promotion program using a creative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective health promotion program advertising and marketing.

By investing in an organized health promotion program headed by a qualified health care expert such as an on-site nurse, corporations can give staff the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result - employees become savvier health care consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health.  And healthier employees make for a healthier bottom line.