Corporate Wellness Programs

What Are Corporate Wellness Programs?

Corporate 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 staff members benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has improved loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

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

Types of Corporate Wellness Programs

Corporate Wellness Programs: Lunchtime Wellness Presentations

The easiest Corporate Wellness Programs are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly seminars 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 Corporate Wellness Plan is usually arranged through Human Resources, the medical department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before determining topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of staff member polling to see what topics people are interested in. This can 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 Corporate Wellness Program.

Corporate Wellness Programs: Health Risk Assessments

An employer can provide comprehensive Health Risk Assessments for staff members. Health Risk Assessments are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, tobacco use, 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 staff members 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 Corporate 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 seminar about what happens in an accident when you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Corporate Wellness Programs: smoking Cessation

smoking cessation programs are very popular components of Corporate 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 staff members to attend a smoking cessation group in the community. Costs for the smoking cessation group can be offset by the employer after staff members complete the program.

Corporate Wellness Programs: Stress Management

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

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

Corporate Wellness Programs and Work/Life Programs

Many employers 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 Corporate Wellness Programs because they help your staff members handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing stress.

Corporate Wellness Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Corporate Wellness Programs. By helping staff members 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 Corporate Wellness Programs that are integrated and effective.

Time Management and Corporate Wellness Programs

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

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all staff members or all positions; however, in many worksites, they are underused. Either your Human Resources 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 companies 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, providing smoking cessation classes can help. But it’s also important to create a no smoking policy.

When staff members 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.