Company Wellness Programs

As the field of Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives continues to evolve, so will the need to clearly define the dimensions of a broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. A representative model includes the following Corporate Health and Wellness Program components; health education initiatives, staff member health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition initiatives, Company Health and Wellness Program policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources.

A broad-based approach to Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives will maximize the impact of all interventions by increasing communication between administrators, workers, and staff member families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite culture and climate. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of staff member wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A key factor in the utility of this model is the integration and overlap of responsibilities for Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81% of companies in the United States with 50 or more workers have some form of Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are companies getting into the business of Corporate Health Promotion Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives are the desire to control spiraling health care costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a way of boosting the morale of workers and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).

As the motivations behind Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to workers, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Company Health and Wellness Program targeted to the specific needs of a company and its workers. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives consist of?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest business possible. What characteristics or Company Health and Wellness Program strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that business do to enhance the physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual aspects of staff member health? How does that business develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all workers? Finally, how does that business demonstrate its belief that workers are the business’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one single of a Company Health and Wellness Program will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all workers. Company Health and Wellness Program have evolved from the occasional fitness center for the exclusive use of business executives, or the sporadic staff member safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and initiatives. Company Health and Wellness Program experts often speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: The Grand Slam

Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to the majority of researchers and Company Health and Wellness Program experts.

But if you have skeptics in your company who are questioning the time and cost of beginning an Corporate Health Promotion Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t employee Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives Don’t Have To Be Costly

Fortunately, employee Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives don’t require a big investment. Like any other business project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of Corporate Health Promotion Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Company Health and Wellness Program Health and Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Company Health and Wellness Program machinery.

Company Health and Wellness Program statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives actually add to employee satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and employee absenteeism.

What are some common Corporate Health Promotion Programs?

Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives run the gamut, depending on your worksite demographic, from exercise for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Following are some examples of Corporate Health Promotion Programs:

 ergonomic safety
 cardiovascular disease education and testing
 employee safety
 Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
 walking Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives
 drug testing

Studies suggest that for every $1 invested in Corporate Health Promotion Programs, a company saves $3 to $5 in health and safety costs. Employers that invest in Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives reap the financial incentives through savings on health care 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 Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives is a great way to reach a substantial number of people in your area.

Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives in Small Companies

Unlike large corporations, small corporations often lack the resources to provide Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives to their employees. However, they may be the most in need of such services. Small businesses are the hardest hit by health 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. Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives in small corporations also makes sense because small firms employ the majority of working citizens.

Regardless of the size of a business, Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives can pay. Statistically, even if there are only 100 people in a company:

• 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% 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 Health and Wellness Program Benefits

At least one quarter of the health care 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 Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives can:

• Lower health care costs
• Lower workers’ compensation claims
• Lower employee rates of absenteeism
• Improve worker productivity
• Improve employee morale

The bottom line is that Corporate Health Promotion Initiatives can benefit any size business — small or large.