A recent article in the Herald-Citizen, a Tennessee publication, talks about how the Cookeville Regional Medical Center has implemented an employee wellness program that’s working out very well. The director and vice president of human resources at the medical center noted that it’s all about the incentives when it comes to employee wellness programs.

With incentives, employee wellness programs can be fun and rewarding. They motivate employees to want to join in. Some incentives can include paid days off work, discounts on insurance, bonuses, money and more. One incentive may appeal more to one employee wellness program participant, but it seems safe to say every participant has their eye on one of the rewards. Especially with the holiday season, many of the participants of CRMC’s Employee Wellness program found the paid time off, money prizes and bash back off health insurance to be very appealing. Some say that the employee wellness program is an extra push that helps them meet their health goals, and that’s certainly a big reward.

This is a yearly event for CRMC, and they note that some find it comforting to have it happen each year. Some participants go up and down with their goals, while others improve a bit each year. Simply participating in the program provides employees encouragement to be healthier and stick to it.

The article points out how investing in the lives of employees can be a good thing, as they are one of the many assets of an organization. Implementing an employee wellness program can help improve morale and health. It can also lower health insurance costs and improve a company’s bottom line.

If you’re interested in starting up an employee wellness program at your place of business, contact Employee Wellness USA to find out your next steps and get a free wellness proposal.

A recent article in LJWorld.com talked about how wellness programs are increasing in popularity, since it’s a way for companies to cope with rising health care costs. Cutting costs by changing insurance companies or changing plan designs have already been tried, as businesses have been doing all they can. But, as the article points out, five years ago companies began to realize that 70 percent of costs having to do with health care are due to preventable conditions. Smoking, Type II Diabetes, obesity — these are all preventable conditions, and they are estimated to cause illnesses that cost the U.S. health care system about $100 billion every year.

According to the article, around 85 percent of United States businesses have wellness programs. Companies are working to make their wellness programs more effective by offering incentives, for example. Employers realize that good wellness programs can help save them money. Not to mention, wellness programs can improve productivity and help cut down on absenteeism.

Spotlighted in the article was the wellness programs put in place by the Kansas Health Policy Authority were designed to promote healthy lifestyles and personal responsibility and therefore control costs. Because of their initiative, the Kansas Health Policy Authority was awarded for their innovative strategies from the Institute for Health and Productivity.

One of the things included in the wellness program was incentives for smokers to quit smoking and for non-smokers to continue being non-smokers. Another part of the plan included an outreach for people who suffer from chronic health conditions.

This wellness program is available to nearly 76,000 people and was expanded this year to include things like health screenings and health coaching. They offered an incentive — a $50 gift card — to participate in a health screening and wound up with over 15,000 people taking them up on that offer. After people participated in the health screening, the hope was that they’d take that information to a health coach in order to get some support behind them.

Another wellness program mentioned in the article is going on at Lawrence Paper Co., a company with 280 employees. An on-site clinic is part of their wellness program, and it can provide things like lab work, shots, wellness checks and prescriptions two days per week. This has helped save employees time and money, and the company has seen their health care costs lowered already.

Start a Wellness Program at Your Business

Start a wellness program at your business — it’s a win-win situation for everyone. Employees get improved health and higher morale, and employers see lower health care costs and higher productivity. Contact Employee Wellness USA today to find out more and to get an evaluation of your company.

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.

Wellness Incentives Bring Big Returns

Wellness incentives pay off and they pay off well, according to an article that appeared in Industry Week.
“Companies that are using a health management program are saving $2,850 per employee,” stated the article.  That amount is definitely a wellness incentive for the company.

Wellness Incentives Encourage Employee Health

Companies that are choosing to offer wellness incentives are seeing the benefits to their bottom-line, as well as the ability to keep healthcare costs down for their employees.  Thus wellness programs and incentives offer a win-win situation for any corporation.

According to the article by Adrienne Selko, companies like Nature Sunshine, who doesn’t charge their employees for health insurance and benefits and would like to keep it that way, are asking employees to join their wellness program if they want to continue not paying for their health benefits.

With 95% of their employees enrolled in their corporate wellness program, Nature Sunshine estimates that they have saved $5.5 million in the five years they have had the program.  Not to mention, Nature Sunshine’s employee’s health has improved drastically with a 61% improvement in scores on their health assessments.

Wellness Incentives are Win-Win

Corporate wellness programs have several advantages aside from reduced healthcare expenses for the company and the employee.  Corporate wellness programs also lower employee absenteeism, lead to fewer injuries and fewer worker’s compensation and disability claims, provide better productivity, increases morale and improves employee retention, as well as gives the ability to offer wellness as part of an employee’s overall compensation package.

Wellness Incentives for Happy Employees

The article provided an example of a wonderful employee wellness program that was instilled by Gallatin Steel.  First off, it starts with a Health Risk Assessment and a 50% deduction in health insurance premiums for any employee that takes the health risk assessment.  Next, the company built and offers free to their employees, a jogging track and a 24/7 fitness center that is staffed with a personal trainer.   Finally, the employees are offered a $1,000 per year reimbursable healthy lifestyle stipend to spend on trainers, vitamins, weight loss programs, etc.

Wellness Incentives can Start Today

To begin offering your employees wellness incentives and to establish a corporate wellness program at your company, pick up the phone and call one of our healthcare management representatives.  They can get you started with an evaluation of your company and a free wellness proposal to assist you in you approval efforts.

It really is that simple … really.

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 Provide Long-Term Results

Wellness programs, according to an article in Crain’s Detroit Business, come in two choices:  workplace wellness programs or health insurance products that aim at lower costs if healthy habits are followed.  Both options are a good choice, but only one will really provide long-term health benefits for your employees and lower costs over the years.

Wellness Programs Offer Assistance

Insurance-based products offer employees 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 physician, and agree to adopt a healthy lifestyle.  These plans usually involve one coach call to the employee during the first 90 days.  We wonder if these brief wellness encounters will actually change a person’s lifestyle.

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

Onsite workplace wellness programs, like the ones that EmployeeWellnessUSA works with you to establish in your place of business, offers convenient health risk assessments and screening tests 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 employees are more likely to stay active in an onsite employee wellness program.

Wellness Programs Get Results

Finally, the article states that companies with an effective employee 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.

If you are ready to start seeing those numbers in your company, contact one of our wellness experts today.  They are there to answer all of your questions, as well as provide you with a free wellness proposal.

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.

Wellness Programs

Wellness programs are a healthy investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska.  CNN reported on this 565 employee company located in Lincoln, Nebraska and their serious and committed investment in their employee’s wellness.

Wellness Programs are part of Company Culture

The wellness program, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln industries, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.  The company has three full-time employees dedicated to the wellness program and the wellness of the employees, who receive on-site massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Wellness Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the wellness program, which employees 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 employees are then ranked from platinum all the way down to “non-medal”.  To become platinum level, where you receive a company-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain fitness levels and be a non-smoker.  Smoking cessation classes are part of the wellness program.

Wellness Programs Bring Big Savings

The wellness program has been a wise investment for Lincoln Industries.  By having healthier employees, 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 wellness program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Wellness Programs are the Right Investment

EmployeeWellnessUSA.com was established to help companies like Lincoln Industries see the rewards and savings a wellness program can bring.  Employee wellness benefits everyone’s bottom-line with a decrease in loss wages due to illness or injury, employees see the ROI from their time and commitment.

Wellness proposals are available free of charge from EmployeeWellnessUSA and offer insight into the wellness program that is right for your company.  Contact one of our wellness representatives today and start seeing a healthier bottom-line.

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.