The Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) is out with a story regarding the 10 Steps to a Healthier Employee Population in 2009. Just in time for the new year, this list gives great tips for getting healthier employees by promoting employee wellness next year.

The article points out the three major benefits of employee wellness. Cost savings is the first benefit, and the NEHRA says employee wellness can simply lead to an improved bottom line, with companies experiencing savings a variety of ways. The next major benefit of an employee wellness program is fewer missed days of work. With obesity able to cause or worsen things like cancer, heart disease, mental illness and stroke, the NEHRA says it’s costing workplaces in lost productivity — to the tune of $1.1 trillion. A lot of this cost, says the NEHRA, can be avoided. Lastly, the story notes that the third major benefit of employee wellness is happier employees. A happy, healthy worker is less likely to seek out a new job, plus they feel better about work.

Those employers who are interested in implementing employee wellness programs and seeing healthier employees in 2009 are encouraged to take action to make it happen. The NEHRA has a few tips for doing this, like providing a monthly newspaper or recipe, starting a walking group and bringing fitness to them. They also advise creating a monthly theme, where guest speakers and seminars could happen that would relate to that theme.

2009 will be here before you know it, so waste no time if you’re thinking about implementing an employee wellness program at your business. Employee wellness programs not only improve a business’ bottom line, but they can improve employee morale, boost productivity and help corporations save money. At the same time, there are benefits to the employees. It’s really a win-win situation for everybody.

To get a free wellness proposal for your company and find out more, don’t hesitate to contact Employee Wellness USA. An investment in employee wellness is one that can truly pay off.

Companies that have instituted employee wellness programs talk about the improvements they’ve noticed around their workplace in a recent article from InsuranceNewsNet.com. Of those improvements, they mention that they’ve noticed employee morale and camaraderie has gone up.

It’s no secret that employee wellness programs lead to a better workplace when they’re implemented correctly. Business are always looking for ways to improve productivity and the bottom line. Also, experts have pointed out that employee wellness programs keep health insurance premiums reasonable for corporations.

In the article, they talk about how suggesting to employees that they need to exercise can “nudge against privacy concerns,” so they instead have to figure out how to get people to want to be healthy. Easier said than done, sure, but it’s worth trying.

One company, for example, added an online wellness program to their insurance, which allowed participants to redeem points they accumulated for prizes like TVs and magazine subscriptions. This system paid off more than they probably ever imagined when one woman got a physical and a mammogram and found out she had breast cancer. Since it was caught so early, she is expected to recover.

Another thing employee wellness programs can help with is absenteeism. Though, as the article points out, presenteeism can be just as bad as absenteeism when employees show up for work when they’re sick. Some do it because of their work ethic, while others may do it because they just can’t afford to miss the day. But presenteeism affects the bottom line just as absenteeism does.

To help with this problem, one recycling company started offering a half-day medical clinic every other week, where employees could drop in to get minor problems like a sore throat checked out by a doctor. This was beneficial since employees didn’t have to take a half-day or full day off of work to go to the doctor. The company says this measure has helped to control their insurance costs as well as help with productivity.

A fascinating article in the Rocky Mount Telegram talked about how earlier this week at a seminar in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, experts got together to discuss the benefits of healthy workers. These experts talked about how employee wellness programs increase productivity and keep employees healthy, which also means health care costs paid by businesses are kept low.

Benefits of healthy workers include decreased days of calling in sick and higher productivity and efficiency, and healthy workers can even keep health insurance premiums at bay.

Still, to get the benefits of healthy workers, these employee wellness programs need to be implemented successfully. And what’s very important, noted the experts at the seminar, is that there be incentives that make participation appealing to the employees. While this may sound expensive, it actually doesn’t have to be, said the experts. Incentives can be something as simple as a gift card or a T-shirt.

Other ways to make an employee wellness program successful in order to see the benefits of healthy workers include:

• Offering an ergonomically efficient workplace that reduces the risk of employee injuries
• Encouraging workers to take the stairs by painting the steps
• Creating an environment that encourages exercising while taking a break
• Tracking workers’ steps with a pedometer, then raffling off prizes monthly for people who take a certain amount of steps

An expert on the panel remarked that employee wellness programs typically help keep health insurance premiums reasonable. Another expert suggested to keep in mind that you should try to make employee wellness programs fun, and change up what you’re doing in order to find what works.

The benefits of healthy workers are undeniably valuable to businesses as well as employees. If you’d like to start offering an employee wellness program at your business, contact EmployeeWellnessUSA today to get started with an evaluation of your business. You will also get a free wellness proposal to assist you in your approval efforts.

An employee wellness investment is good even during a financial crisis, says a recent article from MarketWatch.com. Since the financial crisis has companies looking for ways to cut costs and increase productivity, an employee wellness investment just makes sense.

Companies are realizing the benefits that come along with an employee wellness investment as they take note of how employee health care costs are a risk to the growth and profitability of a business. The article points out how investing in employee wellness may be a moderate up-front expense, but it is no doubt an investment with a demostrable ROI.

Employee wellness and corporate wellness programs deliver results. Great for both employees and employers, employee wellness programs can offer lower employee absenteeism and lead to fewer injuries and provide better productivity. It can also result in fewer worker’s compensation claims and disability claims. What’s more is that employee wellness programs can increase morale and improve employee retention. Workers will appreciate getting employee wellness as a part of their overall compensation package.

Though the financial crisis has many companies evaluating their budgets, they could overlook a simple way to cut costs: an employee wellness investment. With so many advantages for employees and employers, it’s really a win-win situation for everybody.

Start Investing in Employee Wellness

Start investing in employee wellness today by calling one of our healthcare management representatives. From there, you can get started with an evaluation of your company along with a free wellness proposal to help you in your approval efforts. An employee wellness investment is one that can really pay off.

Corporate wellness programs improve the bottom line. We here at Employee Wellness USA have always known that workplace wellness programs are beneficial to both employees and management. We’re just glad to see others realizing it as well.

There is a great article in the Kansas City Post this week about how corporate wellness positively impacts a corporations bottom line.

The article points out that corporations are coming around to the realization that a healthier workforce is a more productive workforce. Corporations are beginning to understand that by investing in the health of their workforce, they are actually investing in themselves. According to The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, corporations see a return of 3 to 6 times their investment in health and wellness programs.

Because of this, corporate wellness incentives, such as health and wellness program incentives and disease management incentives are up significantly this year.

Does your employer offer employee wellness benefits? If not, you should discuss these recent statistics showing how a small investment in worker health could actually turn a profit. Employers love hearing about how to make more profit!

If you need help convincing your employer, give us a call. With years of experience working developing employee wellness programs for major corporations, we can offer help guiding corporations to the most beneficial programs available both for the employees and the corporations themselves. We even offer free wellness proposals, so they have nothing to lose!

Wellness Programs Becoming Popular

Wellness programs 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-wellness programs are definitely the way to go.

Wellness Programs Help with Early Intervention

According to an article that appeared in The Indianapolis Star, employers, 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.

Wellness Programs Offer Quality Benefits

There are more benefits to a 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 employee at their company or a nurse affiliated with their insurance company.

Wellness Programs are Customized for Your Company

EmployeeWellnessUSA.com understands all the benefits that a wellness program can provide to the employer and to the employee and is here to help you get a custom corporate wellness program started today.  Call one of our wellness experts today and answer their questions so that they can put together a free wellness proposal for you and your company.

Employee Wellness and Healthcare Costs

Employee wellness programs 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 healthcare keep continuing to grow and it doesn’t seem like it is going to change.  The article states that during the year 2008, U.S. employers can expect to see an increase of 10% in healthcare costs.

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

Employee Wellness for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee wellness programs do provide an option for small businesses.  The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those employees that fully participate in the offered 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 employees, the lower the overall healthcare costs for the corporation.  Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ healthcare budget.

Employee Wellness and Your Bottom Line

Employee wellness programs provide many advantages to a company’s bottom-line.  Corporate wellness statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per person enrolled in a wellness program compared to an expense of $574 per employee that wasn’t enrolled.  Coors Brewing Company showed a positive side-effect of participant absenteeism dropping by 18%, thus greater production and less healthcare costs overall.

Employee Wellness is Smart Business Decision

With the down economy and the increase in healthcare costs, deciding to implement a wellness program is a smart business decision.  Not to mention, it is very simple to do with the help of our wellness representatives.  They will work with your staff in putting together the best and most appropriate wellness program for your employees.  Contact them today to receive your free wellness proposal and start cutting your healthcare costs.

Wellness is Increased during Summer

Wellness is important year-round; however if your employees 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, employees can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage.  Fitness, or lack of 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 employees 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.

Wellness Program Kick-off

If you are ready to start an employee wellness program and take advantage of the summer months, than EmployeeWellnessUSA can help you.  We recommend following these steps to getting a wellness program started in your office.

• Pick a coordinator for the 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 wellness survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your wellness program
• Establish a good starting point through health risk assessments
• Build the program that fits your goals
• Constantly analyze the program and make improvements and adjustments as needed

Wellness Programs Provides Benefits

Remember to stress to employees that the wellness program is for them.  Employee wellness programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension.  Participating in a program that provides all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the employees.

Wellness’ Return on Investment

Wellness Programs … do they offer a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever corporations mind. HR Magazine addresses the wellness return on investment topic in their June 2008 issue.

Wellness Programs: The Bottom Line

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

However, the corporations that have taken the time to determine the ROI of their wellness programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the wellness program’s effect on the improvement of employee health and the slowing of the rate of their employee health care costs.

Wellness’ alliance for ROI

Wellness is such an important part of today’s corporate culture, that several large corporations 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 wellness programs.

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 wellness programs and want to develop a standard for how wellness programs are measured.

Wellness Program Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-offered employee wellness program:

• Disease Management programs
• Employee assistance programs
• Fitness programs
• Health risk assessments
• On-site medical programs
• Personal wellness profiles
• Screenings and preventative care
• Smoking-cessation programs
• Telephonic wellness services
• Weight management programs
• Wellness education and communication
• Work/Life balance programs.

EmployeeWellnessUSA can assist you in creating an Employee Wellness Program that includes all the above components, as well as others that fit the needs of your employees. Please contact one of our wellness professionals to receive a free wellness proposal.

Employee Wellness 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 workplace wellness programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Wellness

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.

Employee Wellness is Effective Tool

The report states that workplace wellness programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that wellness programs will improve the health of employees, improve the corporate image, improve employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate health care costs.

Employee Wellness Monitoring

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

Start an Employee Wellness Program

Employee Wellness USA can get your company started on the right track to reducing the risks of non-communicable diseases within your staff. Please contact one of our health representatives and they will be more than happy to assist you with putting together a free wellness proposal.