Worksites do not exist in a vacuum. They are part and parcel of the community in which they are located. Successful corporate administrators are cognizant of the need for positive community relations and should do what is necessary to promote good will. What better way to bridge relationships than by utilizing existing community Corporate Health Promotion Plan services and initiatives whenever possible (e.g., voluntary, private and public health agencies) and providing health related services back to the community. Since the community is also the home of the worker, an effective mode of health promotion is through programming directed at the larger community. Sponsorship of community related health fairs is one example more are listed below.

• Encourages worker/employer involvement in the community
Blood drives
Sponsorship of fund raising for community schools and social services
Community recycling initiatives
Youth league sports sponsorship
Job training initiatives
• Media and public relations initiatives advertising a healthy organization image
• organization newsletters and press releases on health issues to local media
• Environmentally sound use of waste disposal and community resources

At times Corporate Health Promotion Programs have been instituted as public relations vehicles intended to enhance the corporate image with little concern for improvements in worker health. Companies who are truly committed to enhancing worker health and wellness, are corporations who have worked to include Corporate Health Promotion Programs into the organization’s mission statement. With this commitment, policies and procedures can be written to address short and long term goals of raised worker health, productivity, and morale. These policies and procedures are critical to the establishment of supportive organizational cultures conducive to worker health and wellness.

• Active worker involvement in Corporate Health Promotion Plan committees and organization decision making
• Availability of flextime work schedules
• No tobacco use policy
• Drug use policy and screening
• Motor vehicle seatbelts and the use of other protective/safety equipment
• Sexual harassment policy
• Family leave initiatives
• Consistent and frequent awards and recognition of worker work efforts

The environmental conditions of the worksite can be divided into both physical and psychosocial domains, both of which influence the climate and culture of a worksite. The cultural norms of a worksite have been identified as powerful determinants of worker health and behavior (Baum, 1995). Ultimately, workers benefit most from a healthy, supportive; eustressful worksite community was they feel valued and respected. Since adults spend approximately one third of their waking hours at work, one would hope that workers view work as less of a necessity and more of an enjoyable experience.

The climate of a worksite is also more conducive to enhancing health and human performance when the environment is safe, clean, aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically engineered. While some occupations maybe inherently dangerous (e.g., fire fighter, military personnel) all broad-based Corporate Health Promotion Programs should control exposure to unhealthy conditions including: hazardous chemicals, noise, temperature, radiation and other risky conditions. Program examples include:

• Corporate Health Promotion Programs grounded in supportive cultural change strategies
• Environmental and safety compliance measures
Lighting
Ventilation
Heating
Control of toxic substances
Noise
Universal precautions
• Ergonomically designed workstations
• Sanitary, clean, well maintained worksite
• Recycling promoted initiatives
• worker & management training in emergency procedures

An worker’s psychological health can never be neglected in a broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. Originating out of a need for alcohol abuse interventions in the worksite, today’s employee assistance programs (EAP) encompass assessment and counseling for substance abuse and dependency, stress related disorders, family conflicts and other personal issues.

Evidence of the need for such initiatives is wide spread. In a national survey conducted by the Northwestern Life Insurance Company (1992) 46% of workers reported that their job was very stressful, 34% thought about quitting their jobs because of worksite stress, and 14% did leave their job because of stress. Alcohol and substance abuse problems and issues of worksite violence and harassment are common areas of concern. For many the only viable treatment solution is the Corporate Health Promotion Program. Exemplary Corporate Health Promotion Programs will include:

• Personalized assessment of worker concerns
• Treatment choice assistance
• Emphasis on prevention and treatment
• Personal and family counseling initiatives
• Treatment for addictions:
Drugs
Alcohol
Gambling
• Crisis intervention initiatives
• Stress management
• Ongoing support groups
• Management and worker training to identify individuals at risk.
• After treatment care

Small and large corporations carry a significant proportion of the provision of health care for families in this country by providing health care insurance for their workers. With the escalating increase in health care cost many corporations are attempting to slow the increase of health care insurance premiums by providing innovative cost control initiatives. Greater emphasis is being put on primary prevention to keep workers healthy and secondary prevention to identify and treat health conditions before they can become serious.

At some workplaces, workers are being encouraged to take greater responsibility for their health related behaviors through risk rated incentive packages. Linking wellness to worker benefits of gain sharing and co-payment cost reductions will provide new opportunities requiring efforts of collaboration between the human resource managers and the Corporate Health Promotion Plan specialists. These two sets of experts may also work together for the ongoing evaluation of cost effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs.

In conjunction with the above initiatives the majority of large corporations also have a nurse or physician on staff to dispense worksite medical and preventive care. Some initiatives have also found it cost effective to provide their own physical therapy programming to assist injured and infirm workers in regaining optimal functioning. A broad-based selection of health related worker services and benefits would include the following:

• Free or low cost health screenings provided on site by organization clinical personnel or through outside contractors:
Serum cholesterol
Colorectal cancer testing
Blood pressure testing
Mammography
Vision and hearing testing
Diabetes
• Referral and follow-up procedures (e.g., Hypertension, Cholesterol, Cancer)
• Provision of first aid and emergency care
• Disease control and prevention initiatives
• Onsite Child and adult care services
• Pre-retirement and financial planning
• Ongoing learning/educational opportunities
• Coordination of organization picnics and outings
• Parent-child work visitation initiatives
• Workers compensation/rehabilitation

physical fitness and nutrition initiatives have demonstrated effectiveness in delaying the onset of worker morbidity while enhancing self esteem, stress management and general feelings of well being. Although many physical fitness and nutrition initiatives are instructional in nature, they should go beyond educational initiatives by providing enabling supports for the adoption of healthy behaviors. Quality Corporate Health Promotion Programs encourage and facilitate participation in daily physical activity for all workers, and when possible retired workers and family menbers. This is accomplished through access to fitness facilities, (preferably on site) and properly supervised physical fitness classes. In addition a broad-based program will provide opportunities for Personalized physical fitness and nutrition prescriptions from certified experts. Commitment to the model is demonstrated through occupational food services and sales consistent with healthy nutrition. Specific initiatives to include: • Strength / Resistance training • Flexibility conditioning initiatives • Healthy cooking classes • Aerobic conditioning initiatives • Diet analysis and planning assistance • Physical rehabilitative initiatives • Weight/body fat control initiatives • Team and individual recreational sports initiatives • Physical fitness assessments and initiatives

Health education is easily integrated into all the areas of comprehensive Corporate Health Promotion Programs and it is unlikely that any of the areas could survive without an educational component. It is a primary element of every primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention program and a method of promoting wellness and optimal health. A broad-based health education program must be based on theoretically and scientifically sound principles to ensure effectiveness.

Successful health education initiatives will incorporate adult learning theories and encourage active member involvement in all facets of program planning and implementation. Health education efforts should emphasize skill development and the adoption of health enhancing behaviors while being accessible to all workers, their families and retirees. Methods of delivery may include; one on one instruction, group presentations, seminars, workshops, educational media lending library and health literature distribution. Program examples may include:

• Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
• Personalized health prescriptions and behavior change assistance
• CPR and first aid training
• Nutrition education initiatives
• Stress management
• tobacco use cessation initiatives
• Cancer and heart disease education
• Blood borne pathogens education initiatives
• Sexual assault prevention initiatives

• Prenatal care and Postnatal
• Safety education initiatives
• Self care initiatives
• Healthy back initiatives
• Family centered initiatives
• Supplies of literature and educational media available for worker loan

As the field of Corporate Health Promotion Programs continues to evolve, so will the need to define the dimensions of a broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. A representative model includes the following Corporate Health Promotion Program components; health education initiatives, worker health services and benefits, physical fitness and nutrition initiatives, Corporate Health Promotion Plan policies and procedures, counseling and employee assistance programs, a safe and healthy work environment, and the integration of company and community resources.

A broad-based approach to Corporate Health Promotion Programs will maximize the impact of all interventions by increasing communication between administrators, workers, and worker families, while encouraging the adoption of a healthy worksite climate and culture. Philosophically, this model supports the ideals of worker wellness and optimal health by encouraging worksites to go beyond initiatives designed to only reduce health care costs, prevent disease, or maintain health.

A primary factor in the utility of this model is the integration and overlap of responsibilities for Corporate Health Promotion Programs by various departments and individuals outside and inside the company. As the structure of the worksite continues to change, in the future this dynamic model can be used to evaluate and plan for Corporate Health Promotion Programs that are truly broad-based in nature.

A Comprehensive Model For Corporate Health Promotion Programs

According to the National Survey of Worksite Health Promotion Activities (1992) 81% of corporations in the United States with 50 or more workers have some form of Corporate Health Promotion Programs activity. This result puts us in proximity of the Healthy People 2000 (1990) objective of 85% by the year 2000. Why are corporations getting into the organization of Corporate Health Promotion Programs? The three most common reasons cited for employer interest in Corporate Health Promotion Programs are the desire to control spiraling health care costs, to encourage a healthy productive work force, and as a method of boosting the morale of workers and the image of the company (O’Donnell, 1994).

As the motivations behind Corporate Health Promotion Programs differ, so do the extent of a Corporate Health Promotion Programs efforts. A program may consist of distributing the occasional health pamphlet on the warning signs of cancer to workers, or it may comprise an elaborate and strategically planned Corporate Health Promotion Plan targeted to the specific needs of a company and its workers. Research indicates (O’Donnel & Harris, 1994) that some Corporate Health Promotion Programs have been more effective than others in improving health status, but what would a truly broad-based model of Corporate Health Promotion Programs consist of?

Close your eyes and imagine yourself working for the healthiest organization possible. What characteristics or Corporate Health Promotion Plan strategies would make that organization so healthy? Examine it from a holistic perspective. What does that organization do to enhance the spiritual, emotional, social, physical and intellectual aspects of worker health? How does that organization develop effective health policies and relevant programs that impact all workers? Finally, how does that organization demonstrate its belief that workers are the organization’s most valued asset?

It is unlikely that any one component of a Corporate Health Promotion Plan will be accountable for the positive health outcomes of all workers. Corporate Health Promotion Plan have evolved from the occasional fitness center for the exclusive use of organization executives, or the sporadic worker safety program, to a wide range of health enhancing services and initiatives. Corporate Health Promotion Plan experts frequently speak of the importance of cultural change and the need to institutionalize Corporate Health Promotion Programs in today’s worksite. This goal can only occur through a broad-based and integrated approach that impacts on workers through numerous channels.

Walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs are some of the most popular Corporate Health Promotion Programs. They set the bar for entry fairly low – most anyone can walk around the block or their building – and walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs also provides workers with a good way to break up the afternoon doldrums and interact in a casual, more social environment with other workers. Just leaving your desk for a few minutes every day for a walk can be a big stress reliever – and stress is the second leading cause of absenteeism, according to Corporate Health Promotion Plan statistics.

As a first step to beginning your Corporate Health Promotion Program, we recommend that you have a designer draw up an attractive map of your corporate campus or vicinity. Plan out and test a few short walks of varying distances, and using a pedometer and watch, figure out how long each walk is in time and distance. Have a little fun with your walking Corporate Health Promotion Plan by equating each walk with a common office activity of the same duration, like a writing a one-page status report or filling out a common form. Post the map in the office and make sure people know about walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs by using your office communication channels – newsletters, announcements, company meetings. Keep it fun by building weight-loss teams, setting up races or organizing healthy picnics and athletic activities around the walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs route.

Following are some other walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs tips from Tom Weede, author of The Entrepreneur Diet: The On-the-Go Plan for Fitness, Weight Loss, and Healthy Living:

Make sure to link the walking Corporate Health Promotion Plan to work objectives. Employees need to be reassured that these walks are part of their responsibility to be healthy and productive. They’re not personal errands that need to be compensated for by longer days at the office.
Keep healthy snacks in the office.
Reinforce the walking Corporate Health Promotion Plan message by regularly mentioning it during staff member meetings
Set up a health-related benefit that walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs participants can use for health-related expenses.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics tell a clear story – Corporate Health Promotion Plan Programs are effective , and they save companies money.

You should take note of these interesting Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics:

Some 25 percent of United States companies were running Corporate Health Promotion Programs in 1996.
Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics depict a savings of $2.30 to $10.10 for every $1 spent on Corporate Health Promotion Programs.
Coca-Cola’s fitness program recouped $500 per year per staff member, despite the fact that only 60% of their staff was enrolled.
A Ipsos-Reid Corporate Health Promotion Plan statisics paper in 2004 found the three major preventable causes of staff absenteeism to be mental health (anxiety and/or depression), stress and a bad relationship with a supervisor.
Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics from Prudential Insurance reveal a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in their wellness system, but $574 per non-enrolled staff member.
At the Coors Brewing Co., Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics illuminate a savings of $5.50 per $1 spent on fitness, with a positive side-effect of member absenteeism dropping by 18%.