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.

What is a Wellness Proposal?

You probably have seen this term many times and wondered what exactly it means. A wellness proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness company, such as EmployeeWellnessUSA.com, that makes suggestions for what type of wellness programs you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s wellness goals, and costs associated with it.

Wellness Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A wellness proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a wellness program. It will provide necessary stats and trends, background information, and costs that will enable the HR Department to fully present their case. Upper management will appreciate the preparedness and the research that has gone into your wellness request.

Wellness Proposals Lead to Better Wellness Programs

A well thought out wellness proposal can lead to a better wellness program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Wellness proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper wellness program established. Wellness programs can vary greatly, but when your employees ask, you can tell them that they generally include the following:

• “Walking Wellness,” which incentivizes employees to take walking breaks around the vicinity of their workplace.
• Company sports teams, yoga classes and massage therapists at the workplace.
• Dietary advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either an employee wellness resources column in the employee newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
• “Take the stairs” initiatives to show how stair-walking can improve health.

How to Get a Wellness Proposal

You can get a wellness proposal by contacting an Employee Wellness USA corporate wellness representative. They will ask you all sorts of questions regarding your corporate goals, employee goals, budgets, etc, to assist them in putting together your personalized wellness proposal. The best of all, at Employee Wellness USA, it’s FREE. So what are you waiting for?

Workplace Obesity: The Facts

Workplace obesity has become one of the fastest growing health care problems in America. It is well known that America is considered one of the, if not “the”, heaviest countries in the world. This is largely in part due to fast food, un-healthy snacks and a very sedentary lifestyle. However, what many people are not aware of is that the rate of obesity in our country has doubled in the last 30 years and this weighs heavily on a company’s bottom line.

According to a new report from The Conference Board, Weights and Measures: What Employers Should Know about Obesity, obese employees cost private employers an estimated $45 billion annually. Here are some of the report’s findings:

• Obesity is associated with a 36% increase in spending on healthcare, more than smoking or problem drinking.
• 34% of adult Americans fit the definition of “obese”
• Obesity related health problems are costing American companies billions of dollars annually in medical expenditures and work loss.

Workplace Obesity: How Employers Can Help

With the increase in obesity and employer costs associated with it, it is more and more imperative to establish a way to assist employees with their healthy living choices. Wellness Programs can help employers help their employees. By providing assistance with health screening, health risk assessments and by conducting employee wellness surveys; wellness programs allow the employer non-invasive ways to communicate their concerns about their employee’s health.

EmployeeWellness.com suggests establishing a Walking Wellness program to assist your employees in meeting their weight-loss goals. Walking Wellness is a program designed to get your employees away from their desk and get them outside for a little exercise. Keep it fun by having contests, setting up weight-loss teams and having organized healthy picnics.

If you have any questions about how to get your employees moving, and therefore saving them and your company money, please feel free to contact one of our wellness experts.