Employee Health Promotion Initiatives: The Grand Slam

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to most researchers and Employee Health Promotion experts.

But if you have skeptics in your organization who are questioning the time and expense of beginning an Employee Health Promotion Program, you may be wary too. Aren’t staff member Health Promotion Programs subject to the adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch”?

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Don’t Have To Be Expensive

Fortunately, staff member Health Promotion Programs don’t require a big investment. Like any other corporate project, mismanagement and “death by committee” can inflate the cost of staff member Health Promotion Programs, but it’s hard to spend too much time and money on them. After all, staff member Health Promotion Programs are mostly informational in nature. Flyers, e-mails, maps, and Employee Health Promotion Health and Wellness Fairs can only cost so much. There’s no expensive, specialized Employee Health Promotion Program machinery.

Employee Health Promotion statistics on successful programs are particularly persuasive. Unlike many cost-saving measures, staff member Health Promotion Programs actually add to staff member satisfaction – but they also reduce Medical Insurance premiums and staff member absenteeism.

What are some common staff member Health Promotion Programs?

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives run the gamut, depending on your workplace demographic, from exercise for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Here are some examples of staff member Health Promotion Programs:

ergonomic safety
cardiovascular disease education and testing
staff member safety
health risk assessments
walking wellness programs
drug testing

Employee Health Promotion Study Shows Millions Lost Due to Illness

Employee Health Promotion was shown to be a huge economic boon for businesses in a recently-released joint report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly three million productive workers in labor markets worldwide add up to a lot of money. The Employee Health Promotion study estimates that China will lose $558 billion, India $237 billion, and Russia $303 billion in national income from 2005 to 2015 due to only three chronic diseases: heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

Lack of Employee Health Promotion A “Huge Expense”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control also reports that chronic disease accounts for approximately 75 percent of yearly staff member healthcare costs in the U.S., which constitutes a huge expense for businesses. And the Public Health Foundation of India estimates that its country will lose 18 million potentially productive years of life by 2030, a statistic no nation can afford, let alone a developing one.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives the Answer

A sustainable solution to these challenges cannot be solved by medical benefits alone. Workplace commitments to Employee Health Promotion are also crucial. Companies are advised to implement workplace health screenings for their workers, as well as look into a comprehensive health management program. These and other precautions are good secret weapons against the economic pitfall of unhealthy workers.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives – With Perks

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives don’t always stir the blood of workers, even though they’re designed to do just that. How do you get workers to enroll in Employee Health Promotion Initiatives – and stay enrolled?

The brochures for these programs tout the benefits to workers and businesses. Employee Health Promotion statistics show that there are tangible benefits. Employee Health Promotion Initiatives actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive corporation, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing gift rewards to workers who participate in Employee Health Promotion Initiatives. The gift reward program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment incentives in Employee Health Promotion Initiatives?

Undoubtably businesses that don’t work in the incentives industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every corporation can throw that kind of money at health management resources – and not every corporation has the built-in cost savings as a business that specializes in providing incentive programs.

For certain rich incentives like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many workers’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many workers uncomfortable with health management and exercise, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Employee Health Promotion Initiatives. So where does that leave businesses who are unwilling or unable to offer incentives for health management program enrollment?

Successful Employee Health Promotion Initiatives motivate workers – before and after signup

Health management program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get workers to take that critical first step. Even the best incentives can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Employee Health Promotion Initiatives and wavering support. Make sure to run good Employee Health Promotion surveys before you build your Employee Health Promotion Initiatives so staff member input and needs are being met by your Employee Health Promotion Initiatives. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, workers will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Employee Health Promotion benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your employer and your co-workers.

Employee Health Promotion 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 Employee Health Promotion Initiatives to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Employee Health Promotion 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.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives are Effective Tools

The report states that Employee Health Promotion Initiatives are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Employee Health Promotion Initiatives will improve the health of workers, improve the corporate image, improve staff member morale, reduce staff member absences and sick leave, increase staff member productivity, and reduce corporate healthcare costs.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Monitoring

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

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives and Healthcare Costs

Employee Health Promotion 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 offered 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. businesses can expect to see an increase of 10% in healthcare costs.

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

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives for Healthier Lifestyles

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives do offer an option for small businesses. The corporations can offer discounted co-pays and deductibles to those workers that fully participate in the provided Employee Health Promotion 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 workers, the reduce the overall healthcare costs for the corporation. Just one lengthy hospital stay can almost deplete a small business’ healthcare budget.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives and Your Bottom Line

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives offer many advantages to a corporation’s bottom-line. Health Promotion Statistics from Prudential Insurance show a benefit expense of $312 per individual enrolled in a Employee Health Promotion 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 healthcare costs overall.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Bring Healthier Bottom-lines

Employee Health Promotion 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.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives are part of corporation Culture

The Employee Health Promotion 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 workers dedicated to the Employee Health Promotion Program and the wellness of the workers, who receive workplace massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Employee Health Promotion Program, which workers 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 workers 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 fitness levels and be a non-smoker. Smoking cessation classes are part of the Employee Health Promotion Program.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Bring Big Savings

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

<h2>Employee Health Promotion Initiatives offer Long-Term Benefits</h2>

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

<h3>Employee Health Promotion Initiatives offer Assistance</h3>

Insurance-based products offer workers the opportunity, according to the article by Jay Green, to save money on their premiums if they follow certain steps, including performing an internet-based health assessment, visiting their doctor, 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 reduce health costs in the future.

Employee Health Promotion Initiatives offer 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 workers are more likely to stay active in an onsite staff member Wellness Program.

<h3>Employee Health Promotion Initiatives Get Results</h3>

Finally, the article states that businesses with an effective Employee Health Promotion Program can expect to see “500 percent reduce absenteeism, 400 percent fewer disability claims, and 350 percent reduce healthcare costs.” These are numbers that are very hard to argue with.