Corporate Wellness BlogCorporate wellness and employee wellness blog

Corporate Wellness Initiatives in Prevention of NCD’s

The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”

The report calls for Corporate Wellness Initiatives to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Corporate Wellness Initiatives

The report states that NCD related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of NCD’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.

Unhealthy diets, excessive caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of NCD’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives are Effective Tools

The report states that Corporate Wellness Initiatives are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Corporate Wellness Initiatives will improve the health of staff members, improve the corporate image, improve staff member morale, reduce staff member absences and sick leave, increase staff member productivity, and reduce corporate health care expenses.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Corporate Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through health risk assessments and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Corporate Wellness Program implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Corporate Wellness Program developed meets the proper needs of the staff members. Workers should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Corporate Wellness Program is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

Corporate Wellness ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Corporate Wellness Initiatives … do they offer a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever organization’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the corporate wellness ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Corporate Wellness ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Corporate Wellness ROI is not an easy thing to do for companies because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the companies that have taken the time to determine the Corporate Wellness ROI of their Corporate Wellness Initiatives have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Corporate Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of staff member health and the slowing of the rate of their staff member health care expenses.

Corporate Wellness ROI Alliance

Corporate Wellness ROI is such an important part of today’s corporate culture, that several large companies have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Corporate Wellness Initiatives.

The alliance, formed by BMW of North America, Henry Ford Health System, Kraft Foods Global, MasterCard Worldwide and Schlumberger Limited, strongly believes in showing the value of Corporate Wellness Initiatives and want to develop a standard for how Corporate Wellness Initiatives are measured.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-provided staff member Corporate Wellness Program:

Disease Management Initiatives
Employee assistance Initiatives
Fitness and exercise Initiatives
Health risk assessments
Onsite health care Initiatives
Individual wellness profiles
Preventive health screenings and immunizations
Tobacco-cessation Initiatives
Telephone based wellness Initiatives
Weight loss and weight management Initiatives
Wellness educational opportunities and information
Self-Care Initiatives.

Wellness Increases during the Summer Time

Wellness is important year-round; however if your staff members haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon, then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal season to get back into shape and improve overall Wellness. The weather is beautiful, staff members can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage. Fitness, or lack of physical fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to starting a Corporate Wellness Program in the summer. Employees are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they are in the cooler months of the fall and winter. The summer months are also a great time to establish a Wellness challenge with your staff members and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a participant picnic or cookout. Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Corporate Wellness Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps to getting a Corporate Wellness Program started in your office.

Pick a coordinator for the Corporate Wellness Program who is willing and able to see it through.
Make sure that you have the support of the corporate leadership.
Formulate a Wellness committee of leaders
Perform an Employee Health Promotion survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your Corporate Wellness Program
Establish a good starting point through health risk assessments
Build the Corporate Wellness Program that fits your goals
Constantly analyze the Corporate Wellness Program and make improvements and adjustments as needed
Corporate Wellness Initiatives offers Benefits
Remember to stress to staff members that the Corporate Wellness Program is for them. Corporate Wellness Initiatives have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension. Taking part in in a Corporate Wellness Program that offers all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the staff members.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives and Medical Care Costs

Corporate Wellness Initiatives are important now more than ever. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, with the troubles in the economy it seems that the costs of employer provided health care keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change. The article states that during the year 2008, American companies can expect to see an increase of 10% in health care costs.

This increase in health care costs is causing some small companies to reduce their staff member health benefits or get rid of them altogether.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives for Healthier Lifestyles

Corporate Wellness Initiatives do offer an option for small companies. The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those staff members that fully participate in the provided Corporate Wellness Program. Full participation means getting health screens, receiving a health risk assessment, and then working with their wellness coordinator to work towards a healthier lifestyle.

The healthier the staff members, the lower the overall health care costs for the corporation. Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ health care budget.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives and Your Bottom Line

Corporate Wellness Initiatives offer many advantages to a organization’s bottom-line. Health Promotion Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Corporate Wellness Program compared to an expense of $574 per staff member that wasn’t enrolled. Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less health care costs overall.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Bring Healthier Bottom-lines

Corporate Wellness Initiatives are a healthy investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska. CNN reported on this 565 staff member corporation located in Lincoln, Nebraska and their serious and committed investment in their staff member’s wellness.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives are part of corporation Culture

The Corporate Wellness Initiatives, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln industries, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The corporation has three full-time staff members dedicated to the Corporate Wellness Program and the wellness of the staff members, who receive worksite massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Corporate Wellness Program, which staff members are not required to participate in, is that they receive quarterly checkups where assessments are completed on their weight, amount of body fat and flexibility. Based on these health assessments, the staff members are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”. To become platinum level, where you receive a corporation-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain physical fitness levels and be a non-smoker. Smoking cessation classes are part of the Corporate Wellness Program.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Bring Big Savings

The Corporate Wellness Program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries. By having healthier staff members, they have seen an average of $2 million in savings in health care costs per year. The savings don’t stop there, since instituting a Corporate Wellness Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Becoming Popular

Corporate Wellness Initiatives are becoming popular outside the workplace, showing the ever-increasing importance of disease prevention and health risk management. Private insurance companies, as well as state Medicaid and Medicare offices are working on ways to improve the health of the people they insure in hopes to save money in the long run. They are finding that mini-Corporate Wellness Initiatives are definitely the way to go.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Help with Early Intervention

According to an article that appeared in The Indianapolis Star, companies, insurers and government agencies are turning to “early intervention to change the behavior of those struggling with common but dangerous health conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, heart failure and coronary heart disease.”

The tactics that they incorporate to improve their beneficiaries’ wellness postcard reminders for different lab tests or check-ups; and possibly even phone calls from nurses to work with the patients to make sure that they are taking their medicines properly and following the lifestyle changes that were suggested by their health care provider.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Offer Quality Benefits

There are more benefits to a Corporate Wellness Program than just the cost savings that an employer or a state agency will see; there is the benefit to the actually patient. The patient is going to get the motivation and the incentive to get better or to manage their health and their health risks by having to answer to someone, whether that someone is a full-time wellness staff member at their corporation or a nurse affiliated with their insurance corporation.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives offer Long-Term Results

Corporate Wellness Initiatives, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices: Corporate Wellness Initiatives or Medical Insurance products that aim to lower costs if healthy habits are followed. Both options are good, but only one will really offer long-term medical benefits for your staff members and lower costs over the years.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives offer Help

Insurance-based products offer staff members the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an online health assessment, visiting their medical provider, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle. These plans usually involve one coach call to the staff member during the first 90 days. We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a individual’s lifestyle.

It is the overall change in a individual’s lifestyle, as well as disease prevention that will lead to lower health costs in the future.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives offer convenient health risk assessments and health screening for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure. As the article states, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and staff members are more likely to stay active in an workplace staff member Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Wellness Initiatives Get Results

Finally, the article states that companies with an effective Corporate Wellness Program can expect to see “500 percent lower absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent lower health care costs.” These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.