Key Factors in Corporate Wellness Plan

In today’s society there are many primary factors that influence people’s health behaviors. Look at the following list in maintaining participation in your program:

1. TIME. Staff members are busy, so the more you can work activity and healthy eating into their existing schedules, the better your chances for success. Example: A walk at lunch doesn’t take away from existing time, it just uses it differently. Also look at the time of the day and length of any activity you might be promoting, since both time components may be factors.
2. ACCESS. How accessible is your Corporate Wellness Program. Is it onsite or at a nearby site? Do you offer access at breaks or outside of normal work hours?
3. KNOWLEDGE. Staff members need to know “Why” they are participating (the benefits) and also will need information about the “How to” in areas that are not commonly known.
4. COST. Make sure that you can provide no cost or decreased cost Corporate Wellness Programs will help participation rates. Coupled with incentives for participation, rates of participation will likely increase dramatically.
5. INCENTIVES. Some individuals need incentives to get started in a Corporate Wellness Program. A full list of Corporate Wellness Plan incentive options can be on the website.

Key Time Periods in Corporate Wellness Plan

Good habits are often difficult to develop. There tends to be some critical times when individuals drop out or fall off of a physical activity or diet program. The first key time zone seems to be around 6 weeks. If individuals can start and stay consistent with a program through the first 6 weeks, they have made a fairly serious commitment to incorporate the habits into their lifestyle. The second key time is at about 6 months. Those who made it past 6 weeks may get bored and/or distracted from their program after several months. If individuals can get past 6 months and sustain behavior through a full set of weather seasons, they have a very good chance of making the changes permanent.

Look at these time periods and think about how you can “boost” your workers to get them past these critical time markers. Promoting individual or group “challenges”, using incentives, or increased publicity/marketing are a few of the things you can do to help get your workers through these key time periods

Goal Setting for Corporate Wellness Plan

Setting goals has been shown to lead to better participation and more individuals making a strong commitment. Whether it be a team goal of walking the equivalent of once around your state or an individual goal of so many miles or minutes of activity, the fact that there is something concrete to shoot for increases the likelihood individuals will stick with the program.

Buddy Systems or Team Goals for Corporate Wellness Plan

The social aspects of improving one’s health cannot be underestimated. Many research studies point to tight social groups being the backbone for a successful campaign because each individual has a commitment to something bigger than themselves and besides, it’s just more fun for the majority of individuals. Build your program around some type of teams or partners and see what happens.

Team “Campaigns” for Corporate Wellness Plan

Some individuals like competition and others don’t. Nevertheless, a worksite wide campaign has the advantage of keeping the message more visible and alive. Encourage campaign participation, but make it voluntary so that those who prefer that type of motivation can join while others can take part in their own way and at their own pace. If the idea of a campaign seems like too much work, consider tapping into existing campaigns where someone else provides resources for you.

Incentives for Corporate Wellness Plan

Incentives are often helpful in maintaining or raising interest. Significant incentives such as cash or medical insurance rebates have proven to be very strong motivators for worker participation. However, even smaller incentives can be beneficial. Listed below are some sample incentives:
• Achievement awards. Verbal praise and a pat on the back are motivational to some, but a token of recognition of achievement may offer more. A colorful certificate to congratulate an worker for achieving a health-related goal is one example.
• Public recognition. Announced recognition at campaign mid-point or wrap-up festivities.
• Food. Include some healthy foods to kick-off, revitalize or wrap up a wellness campaign.
• Entertainment. Events serve a purpose in jump-starting, reenergizing or wrapping up a campaign. Having entertainment of any kind can boost morale.
• Merchandise. There is a long list of merchandise incentives, including sports equipment and small gift certificates to use at local merchants.
• Monetary rewards. Nothing says incentive better than cash. Worksites that have used cash or rebates as an incentive have shown much higher participation rates.
• Time off. Maybe the next best incentive to cash, or for some individuals even better. This type of incentive makes good business sense if the number of absences drops significantly and attendance is used as one of the criteria.

• Look at the “what if’s?”
• What if your classroom space is suddenly no longer available?
• What if you can’t hold the Health and Wellness in the usual place?
• Have a ‘Plan B’ (or even Plan C or Plan D) in mind for when the “what if’s” happen.

• Build a team that can help with the Corporate Wellness Plan
• Who else could teach the health education class if the regular instructor cancels at the last minute?
• Know what areas of expertise your staff has besides their ‘main’ job. By way of example, find out who has excercise instructor credentials besides just the physical therapist.
• Don’t wait for a crisis before you build a network of individuals that you can call on.

• Be ready to roll your sleeves up
• Jump in to fill a gap if you need to.
• YOU may have to help restock the milk case in the dining facility when the Dairy Month ‘Milk Mustache’ contest results in raised sales during lunch.

• Be willing (and ready) to respond to feedback about the Corporate Wellness Plan
• Get participant feedback while the Corporate Wellness Plan is ongoing. Then be ready to adapt to those suggestions.
• By way of example, if kids in a pediatric obesity Corporate Wellness Plan fight the idea of completing exercise logs, then get a verbal summary of their activity for the week instead.

• Simplify Corporate Wellness Plan
• If part of your Corporate Wellness Plan is not working, try making that part less complicated.
• By way of example, if getting follow-up information is not going the way you planned, then make the process to get information easier OR decrease the number of pieces of information that you collect.

• Use lemons to make lemonade
• What do you do when the Corporate Wellness Plan doesn’t turn out exactly as you planned? Look for what did turn out. Often, the ‘unexpected outcomes’ produce positive results.
• By way of example, one company’s database to collect sick call data was made obsolete by a regional system. However, the company database was able to be used in a different way to track vaccination information that enhanced delivery of care to Employees.

Small steps give participants immediate feedback on the changes they make towards better health. Measuring these small steps is also an excellent way to collect interim Corporate Wellness Plan effectiveness data.

Corporate Wellness Plan small steps make a big difference

Small steps for Corporate Wellness Plan participants
• Walk to work.
• Use fat free milk instead of whole milk.
• Each day think of two things you are grateful for.
• Do sit-ups while you watch TV.
• Drink water before a meal.
• Take 10 deep breaths to relieve tension.
• Eat half your dessert.
• Skip second helpings and buffets.

Measuring small Corporate Wellness Plan steps
• Use short pre- and mid-point surveys to ask:
• How many glasses of water do you drink a day?
• How often you do eat fast food?
• How often do you skip a meal?
• How often do you engage in physical activity?
• How many servings of fruits and vegetables do you eat each day?

Use the results to show participants how their health behaviors are changing for the better.

• Ask participants to rate their health status and/or stress levels before and after an intervention.
• Add up individual (or team) steps and mark the progress on a map towards a far away destination.
• Be creative! Do not rely only on weight loss, BMI, or cholesterol tests as health status progress indicators or behavior change feedback.

Wise words for taking small Corporate Wellness Plan steps

• The first wealth is health. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• We are what we repeatedly do. (Aristotle)
• The victory is not always to the swift, but to those who keep moving. (CDC)
• There are 1440 minutes in every day…schedule 30 of them for physical activity. (CDC)

Corporate Wellness Plan was shown to be a huge economic boon for companies in a recently-released joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Nearly three million productive staff members in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Corporate Wellness Plan research study estimates that China will lose $558 billion, India $237 billion, and Russia $303 billion in national income from 2005 to 2015 due to only three chronic diseases: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Lack of Corporate Wellness Plan A “Huge Expense”

The American Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly staff member health care costs in the American, which constitutes a huge expense for companies. And the Public Health Foundation of India estimates that its country will lose 18 million potentially productive years of life by 2030, a statistic no nation can afford, let alone a developing one.

Corporate Wellness Programs the Answer

A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits alone. Workplace commitments to Corporate Wellness Plan are also crucial. Companies are advised to begin workplace Health Screenings for their staff members, as well as look into a comprehensive health management program. These and other precautions are good secret weapons against the economic pitfall of unhealthy staff members.

1. Improved Morale – When the organizational culture begins to change as a result the Corporate Wellness Program, you and your staff members may actually begin to see and feel a new level of energy within the business. Ultimately, one of the most ambitious objectives of any comprehensive Corporate Wellness Plan is to attempt to influence the attitudes and actions of the business’s most valuable resource — its staff members.

2. Reduced Turnover – As we all know, staff member 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 staff member turnover pose, many companies are looking to Corporate Wellness Programs as an additional perk that can help to prevent staff members from jumping ship.

3. Raised Recruitment Potential – In the midst of a very tight labor market, companies are forced to pull out the stops in order to recruit new talent. In some instances, Corporate 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 business 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, Corporate Wellness Programs can play an important role in lowering rates of absenteeism.

5. Medical Care Cost Containment – The majority of companies don’t create a Corporate Wellness Plan with cost containment in mind. However, cost containment for certain health problems should be considered a viable goal by many companies.

6. Improved Employee Health Status – One of the greatest advantages of a well-designed Corporate Wellness Plan is the promise of enhanced health. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests well-designed Corporate Wellness Programs can successfully impact such behaviors as tobacco use, high-risk alcohol use, seatbelt use and more.

2. Participatory planning – A Corporate Wellness Plan should be undertaken in partnership with the workforce. Employees 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 Corporate Wellness Program. Planning must also include processes for maintaining communication with all staff and building their commitment to the process. Establishing Corporate Wellness Plan steering committees to guide interventions during the planning and delivery of worksite health promotion programming increases worker awareness, participation, and satisfaction. Employee committees can identify perceived staff member 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 Corporate Wellness Programs and activities. Ways to maximize staff member input and involvement might include interest surveys, focus groups, and peer counsellors.

3. Primary focus on staff members’ needs – A Corporate Wellness Plan should meet the needs of all staff members, 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 staff members, and the business’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 provided at different levels. Participation and commitment can be improved if a group of employees has the opportunity to address a specific modifiable risk factor of their choice.

4. Optimal use of on-site resources – Planning and implementation of Corporate 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, Human Resources, 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 organization mission, vision, and values, supporting both short- and long-term objectives. These consistent policies must affirm the value of staff member health and a commitment to engage staff members in health enhancement. Corporate Wellness Plan 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 Corporate Wellness Plan 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 – Corporate 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 organization culture will normalize program participation.

8. Corporate Wellness Plan Assessment – Project management should flow through needs analysis, establishing priorities, planning, implementation, continuous monitoring, and assessment. Assessment 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 Corporate 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.

The Corporate Wellness Plan Vision

A Corporate Wellness Plan vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the purpose and objectives of your business’s commitment to starting a Corporate Wellness Program. Taking the time to clarify and describe your business’s Corporate Wellness Plan vision can provide a focus and a consistent direction for your Procedures for years to come. The vision statement reminds leaders and staff members of the link between staff member health and the business’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and powerful Corporate Wellness Plan vision for your business’s culture of wellness:

• What do you want your Corporate Wellness Plan to accomplish?
• How do you plan to accomplish it?
• How does this Corporate Wellness Plan mission support or further the business’s mission?

A sample Corporate Wellness Plan vision statement might be . . .

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

The Corporate Wellness Plan Brand

In the same way that your business’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your Procedures toward starting a Corporate Wellness Plan will benefit from being easily recognizable to staff members:

• A consistently used Corporate Wellness Plan brand on all communications sends a message to staff members that the commitment to a culture of wellness is here to stay.
• A Corporate Wellness Plan brand institutionalizes the culture and makes it more likely to withstand changes in staff and budget.

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

Option 1: Have a Corporate Wellness Plan contest

1. Announce the Corporate Wellness Plan contest guidelines and deadline.
2. Have the Health and Wellness Committee review the ideas submitted, and select a name.

If, for example, your organization, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial construction business, you might receive the following Corporate Wellness Plan ideas from staff members:

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

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

Premier Elements: Building health builds wealth

3. Select a Corporate Wellness Plan logo to go with the name.

The Corporate Wellness Plan logo is an important piece of the branding

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

Option 2: Health and Wellness Committee determines the name and brand

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

1. Establish a Corporate Wellness Plan champion

In a small business, there may be a single leader who is the clear choice to champion the Corporate Wellness Program. In a larger business, look for an executive with the authority to influence others in the highest levels of the organization regarding the Corporate Wellness Program. The Corporate Wellness Plan champion need not be the fittest member of leadership. Rather, look for a Corporate Wellness Plan leader with the disposition to be a visible and vocal supporter of worksite policies that encourage healthy behaviors. Organizations with multiple sites can consider whether it would be useful to have an executive Corporate Wellness Plan champion at each site.

2. Find existing Corporate Wellness Plan allies

There may already be a number of individuals within your business who recognize the value of a Corporate Wellness Program. Think about who those individuals are in your business; consider areas such as occupational safety, union representatives, risk management, medical officers, and human resources when looking for a Corporate Wellness Plan ally. Secure their stated support for the Corporate Wellness Program. Corporate Wellness Plan support could include contributions of staff time or expertise, financial resources, agreement to endorse/support policy and environmental changes, or agreement to participate in, and voice their support for, changes in the worksite that will help to build a culture of wellness.

3. Build a business case for the Corporate Wellness Plan

There is a reason that more and more employers are finding a way to promote the health of the employees via a Corporate Wellness Plan and policies: A Corporate Wellness Plan makes good business sense. staff members with healthy behaviors, on average, are more productive when at work (higher presenteeism)1 and incur lower health care costs than staff members with less healthy behaviors.2,3 As a result it would be foolish not to have a Corporate Wellness Program.

4. When developing a Corporate Wellness Plan use what you know about leadership styles and the decision-making process within your business

Every business is different. Build leadership support for the Corporate Wellness Plan in the way that makes the most sense for your business. Think about the following as you plan how to approach leadership for Corporate Wellness Plan support:

• What are the current pressures and priorities facing executives? How could a Corporate Wellness Plan and a healthier workforce support those priorities?
• How do your leaders rather receive data: written documents? verbal presentations?
• What types of Corporate Wellness Plan information are likely to influence decisions? Do they want data and Corporate Wellness Plan statistics specific to your business, or are state or national data sufficient? Are your leaders more influenced by internal factors or by what competitors are doing?
• Who would your leaders see as a reliable messenger for this Corporate Wellness Plan information? Does someone from the risk management area carry more clout than someone from the human resources area?
• How do decisions get made in your business? Informal committee meetings? Formal or informal meetings between executives? Plan accordingly and you increase the odds that the Corporate Wellness Plan will become a reality.

5. Maintain Corporate Wellness Plan support once you have it

Once you have appropriate Corporate Wellness Plan support, ensure that you maintain it by regularly updating your leaders on the health of the employees and progress toward starting a culture that promotes health. Ask upper management how often they want to receive Corporate Wellness Plan progress reports.

Source Information:
1 Bunn, JOEM, 2006, 48:10.
2 Foldes, Bland, An et al. Modifiable Health Risks and Short-Term Health Care Costs. BC/BS of Minnesota internal research, submitted for publication.
3 Anderson, 2000, American Journal of Health Promotion, 15:1.