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 Programs: A Long-Term Committment

“Corporate Health Promotion Programs” – what does that phrase mean to you? To many of us, it evokes an array of ambivalent thoughts — the fitness center membership we barely used, the nagging ankle injury from last year’s company picnic, the backaches, the bratwurst we had for lunch, the love handles and of course, the fad diets that failed us or that we failed. Usually, Corporate Health Promotion Programs is a guilt trigger that causes us to feel remorse about our bodies and the health management we know we should be doing for them.

Unfortunately we live in a society where our survival is dependent on sitting at a desk, not hunting game, picking berries and sprinting away from wolves. We also live in such luxury, nutritionally, that we can gain weight steadily without being wealthy. Cardiovascular disease, obesity and bad nutrition cause the majority of of the heath issues that weigh down staff member attendance and erode a company’s productivity.

Ironically the poorest societies in the world – the ones furthest from the conveniences of modern life – often have the fittest, most physically hardy members. And as for the animal kingdom — don’t look there for commiseration. In the wild, it is extremely rare to find an animal that suffers from our kind of wellness issues.

Prescription Drug dependency degrades Health and Wellness

It doesn’t help that Americans are descending into a deadly love affair with drugs — and drug testing won’t help you with these drugs.

For example, Greg Critser’s book Generation RX details how Americans spend about $180 billion dollars on Prescription Drugs annually, with the estimated 2011 tally at a whopping $414 billion. The average number of Prescription Drugs per U.S citizen in 2004 stood at twelve.

Twelve! That means that your average staff member is taking 14, 18, or even more than 20 medications in an attempt to improve their Health and Wellness.

Is this effective, though? Critser is not convinced that the prescription medications help United States health. In fact, he points out a bevy of negative consequences for America’s legal drug addition, which include drug interactions, liver damage, and the legions of people who now depend on prescription medications to deal with ordinary trials and stresses.

An organization has the potential to improve Health

It’s not all bad news, though. Occupational Health Screening and Biometric Testings and well-designed Corporate Health Promotion Programs can help you fight the downward spiral for you and your staff members. In fact, good Corporate Health Promotion Programs – like a strong walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs initiative – can literally save lives and reduce the symptoms that cause workers to turn to prescription medications in the first place.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: The Grand Slam

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are as close to a grand slam proposition as you’ll find, according to the majority of researchers and Corporate Health Promotion Plan experts.

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Don’t Have To Be Expensive

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

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

What are some common Corporate Health Promotion Programs?

Corporate Health Promotion Programs run the gamut, depending on your worksite demographic, from physical activity for health patients to nutritional initiatives that encourage workers to replace unhealthy snack foods with healthy fare like dried fruit and shelled nuts.

Following are some examples of Corporate Health Promotion Programs:

ergonomic safety
cardiovascular disease education and testing
staff member safety
Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals
walking Corporate Health Promotion Programs
drug testing

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: An Attainable Goal

Was Wellness on your company’s new year’s resolutions list? Here we are a little over midway into the third month of 2008, the time when resolutions start to falter if they haven’t lost momentum completely. Has your Worksite’s wellness resolution fallen by the wayside? If so, there are still ways to get back on track.

One Wellness tip comes to us from the YMCA of Greater Des Moines, reported from the Jersey Shore. Rod Shirk, the YMCA’s chief financial officer, participated in the organization’s first executive Corporate Health Promotion Program, which registered his cholesterol as higher than normal. That prompted him to get a physical, which showed high levels of a prostate-specific antigen that often indicates prostate cancer. The outcome? His doctors caught a life-threatening illness just in time.

Thanks Corporate Health Promotion Program.

So of course, Shirk is a huge proponent of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. He says, “For us here at the YMCA, if we are telling people to be healthy, we had better set a good example for our workers.”

Wellness Decreases Health Care Costs

Though cases like Shirk’s dramatic cancer save are the most desirable effect of Corporate Health Promotion Programs, it isn’t the initial draw for companies. They do it to lower health care costs, and there’s no doubt that Corporate Health Promotion Programs do just that. Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics show that Corporate Health Promotion Programs return anywhere from $2.30 to $10.10 per dollar spent on wellness. “Health care costs should go down as people think about changing their diets and getting more active,” Shirk says.

The Corporate Health Promotion Plan savings aren’t just in the Health Insurance department. Human resource departments report that Corporate Health Promotion Programs also reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.

Still, companies have been loath to invest that elusive Wellness dollar despite the well-documented returns. A Principal Financial Group and Harris Interactive survey found that only 10% of small- to medium-size companies have made onsite Health Screening and Biometric Testings – like the one that saved Shirk’s life – available to their workers.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are an excellent investment, at least according to Lincoln industries in Nebraska. CNN reported on this 565 employee company their committed investment in their staff member’s wellness.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are part of company Culture

The Corporate Health Promotion Programs, according the story, has been in place for 16 years at Lincoln, and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The company has three full-time workers dedicated to the Corporate Health Promotion Plan and the wellness of the workers, who receive onsite massages and a round of instructor-led stretching before they start their shifts.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Assessed

According to CNN, one of the stipulations of the Corporate Health Promotion Program, which workers are not mandated 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 company-paid climbing trip, you must achieve certain fitness levels and be a non-smoker. Smoking cessation classes are part of the Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Bring a Big Savings

The Corporate Health Promotion Plan has been a smart investment for Lincoln Industries. By having healthier workers, 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 Corporate Health Promotion Program, workers’ compensation claims have gone from $500,000 per year down to less than $10,000 per year.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are proven to increase productivity and lower health care costs. For a business, that makes a difference in the bottom-line. Today, more than 81% of America’s businesses with 50 or more staff members have some form of Corporate Health Promotion Plan with the most popular being exercise, tobaccos cessation classes, back care programs, and stress management. The majority of corporations offer Corporate Health Promotion Programs simply because they think the benefit is worth the cost. Yet business leaders continue to ask themselves how to control huge annual increases in health insurance premiums and health care costs.

For many companies, health costs can consume half of corporate profits or more. Some employer’s look to cost sharing, cost shifting, managed care plans, risk rating, and cash-based rebates or incentives and rewards. But these methods merely shift costs. Only Corporate Health Promotion Programs stand out as the long-term answer for keeping staff members well in the first place.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are an example of health care reform that works. Results from America’s finest companies, summarized here, are reason enough to consider providing Corporate Health Promotion Programs. This investment in your most important asset – your staff members – can have a positive impact on your bottom-line.

Corporate Health Promotion Plan Statistics:

Providence Everett Medical Center, a member of the Wellness Councils of America, in Everett, Washington, saved an estimated 3 million or a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 3.8 over 9 years of an outcomes-based Corporate Health Promotion Program. By providing financial incentives and rewards ($250 – $325) to staff members who meet specific organizational and staff member health initiatives the Corporate Health Promotion Plan continues to meet cost containment expectations in the area of health care use, sick time, injuries, while improving health habits and self-care practices.

During the first 4 years of the Corporate Health Promotion Plan there was a 28% average reduction in health care utilization compared to nine other Providence hospitals that were used as a control group.

Du Pont saw that every dollar invested in their Corporate Health Promotion Plan returned $1.42 over two years in decreased rates of absenteeism costs at Du Pont Co. (Well worksite Gold in Delaware). Absences from illness unrelated to the job among 45,000 blue-collar employees dropped 14% at 41 industrial sites where the Corporate Health Promotion Plan was offered, compared with a 5.8% decline at 19 sites where it was not.

The Travelers Corporation claims a $3.40 return for every dollar invested Corporate Health Promotion Programs, yielding total corporate savings of $146 million in benefits costs. Sick leave was lowered 19% during the four-year research study. In addition to improving the overall health of 36,000 staff members and retirees by decreasing poor health habits and increasing good ones, The Travelers realized cost savings by decreasing the number of unnecessary visits to a doctor and emergency rooms. In a similar but smaller research study, members of a Travelers fitness center Corporate Health Promotion Plan were absent from work significantly fewer days than non-members.

The Corporate Health Promotion Plan at Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Company, based in Las Vegas, cost $76.24 per staff member during the two years it has been in operation. Over half of the 1,600 staff members participated in the Corporate Health Promotion Program. Participants significantly lowered cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight and experienced 21% lower lifestyle-related claim costs than non-member. Resulting savings: $127.89 per member in the Corporate Health Promotion Plan with a benefit to cost ratio of 1.68 to 1.

Superior Coffee and Foods, a Bensenville, Illinois-based subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation, attributes impressive results to the success of the business’s complete Corporate Health Promotion Program. Superior showed 22% fewer admissions to a hospital, 29% shorter hospital stays, and 42% lower expenses per admission when comparing costs for this division’s 1,200 staff members with costs for other divisions. Long-term disability costs were down by 40%.

With health costs per staff member at $6,000, nearly twice the national average, Union Pacific Railroad introduced their Corporate Health Promotion Plan to its 28,000 staff members, mostly union and blue collar, in 19 Western and Southern states. Beginning with a modest health self-care initiative at an annual cost of $50 per person, the Corporate Health Promotion Plan achieved a net savings of $1.26 million. In addition, a voluntary Corporate Health Promotion Plan to help staff members lower health risks projected a cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.57 after one year. Staff Members in a treatment group lowered their risk of high blood pressure (45%) and high cholesterol (34%); others moved out of the at-risk range for weight problems (30%); and 21% stopped smoking.

Average health costs of high-risk Steelcase staff members- those whose lifestyles include two to four health risks such as tobacco use, little exercise, overweight- are 75% higher than those of low-risk staff members. But high-risk staff members at this Grand Rapids, Michigan-furniture manufacturing business who enhanced their health habits through the company’s Corporate Health Promotion Plan and became low risk cut their average health claims in half thus lowering their health insurance costs by an average of $618 per year. If all high-risk staff members (20% of the total staff member population) in one location changed their lifestyles to become low risk, the projected savings could total $20 million over three years.

Staff Members at Berk-Tec, a small manufacturing business in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, learned self-care techniques and lowered their business’s health care costs in one year. By using a self-care guide, the 938 staff members and their family members made smart health decisions and saved $21.67 per employee and dependent a nearly 18% reduction in costs. By combining reductions in doctor visits and emergency room use, the business saved $39.06 per employee a 24.3% decrease in costs over the previous year.

A health claims-based research study of 72,000 people insured through 285 Wisconsin school districts found a decreased demand for health services among those with access to Corporate Health Promotion Programs and self-care programs. Reductions in health services results in savings for the Wisconsin Education Insurance Group of as much as $4.75 for each $1 spent, higher savings were found in the group receiving access to a 24-hour phone-based nurse advice line, a self-care reference book, and health education materials.

CIGNA’s Healthy Babies prenatal Corporate Health Promotion Plan delivered an average savings of $5,000 per birth by providing expectant mothers with educational materials and rewarding early and regular prenatal care. And 80% of participants had normal births without complications compared with 50% for non-member.

With savings estimated to be as high as $8 million, the California Public Staff Members’ Retirement System sent its 55,000 retirees a health risk appraisal followed, in some cases, with individualized reports and letters and self-care materials to encourage change and help reduce health risks among retirees and at the same time reduce the health care claim costs. In another research study, Bank of America retirees in California who chose the full Corporate Health Promotion Plan and demand reduction program showed a decrease in total direct and indirect costs of 11% compared with an increase of 6.3% for those who completed only a simple health questionnaire.

With decreased health care claims, health costs decreased 16% for workers in the City of Mesa (Arizona) who participated in the complete Corporate Health Promotion Program. The city realized a return of $3.60 for every dollar invested in the wellnss program for the city workers.

To prevent back injuries among its workers, a county in California targeted white- and blue-collar employees, offered classes and fitness training. As a result, there was a significant increase in staff member morale, lowered worker’s comp claims, health costs and sick days related to back injuries producing a net cost-benefit ratio of 1 to 1.79.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Benefits

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide Long-Term Benefits

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

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide Help

Insurance-based products provide 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 medical provider, 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 lower medical cots in the future.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs provide convenient Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals and health testing for things like diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure. As the article notes, these have initial start-up costs, but the savings accrue over time and workers are more likely to stay active in an worksite staff member Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs Get Results

Finally, the article notes that companies with an effective Corporate Health Promotion Plan 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.

What Are Corporate Health Promotion Programs?

Corporate Health Promotion Programs are designed to promote and support employee health and wellness through education and awareness programs primarily based at the worksite. The program is a win-win in that staff members benefit from learning and staying well, and the employer has increased loyalty and less rates of absenteeism.

As corporations become more aware of the importance of employee health on productivity, there is increased interest in encouraging and supporting healthy lifestyle choices. Employer costs for Corporate Health Promotion Programs may rapidly be offset with fewer work-related injuries, enhanced attendance, less turnover, and increased morale.

Types of Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Lunchtime Wellness Seminars

The easiest Corporate Health Promotion Programs are one’s where the employer arranges to have quarterly seminars during lunchtime on topics such as stress management, nutrition, and exercise. A local mental health clinic, hospital, or the Employee Assistance Program (Employee Assistance Program) may provide these. This type of corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Plan is usually arranged through HR, the health department, or the safety manager. Participation is generally voluntary.

Before selecting topics for wellness presentations, it is a good idea to do some type of staff member polling to see what topics people are interested in. This may be as simple as an e-mail to all staff asking for suggestions or as formal as having an outside group come in to conduct interviews and design a complete corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals

An employer can provide complete Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals for staff members. Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are detailed questionnaires that covers all areas of behavior (seatbelt use, tobacco use, alcohol use, frequency of exercise, family history of disease and illness, etc.). This is usually done in conjunction with employee biometric testing for things like cholesterol and blood sugar screening.

Once the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals are scored, the results are shared with staff members along with suggestions for changes. The employer is able to get aggregate statistics that will show trends that he or she may want to address. For example, if a lot of people have high blood pressure, the employer may consider an educational seminar, biweekly worksite blood pressure readings, and low-salt, low-fat selections in the cafeteria or snack machines as interventions to include in the corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Program.

If the Health Risk Assessments / Health Risk Appraisals show that there is a “trend” toward not wearing seatbelts, perhaps having the State police come in and give a seminar about what occurs in an accident when you don’t have a seatbelt on would change some behavior.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: tobacco Cessation

tobacco cessation programs are very popular elements of Corporate Health Promotion Programs. Often, the local chapter of the American Cancer Society or American Lung Association will come in to run a group. Another option is for staff members to attend a tobacco cessation group in the community. Costs for the tobacco cessation group can be offset by the employer after staff members complete the program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs: Stress Management

Stress is a major area of concern for corporations. Stressed out employees get sick more frequently, make more errors, and generally do not perform up to capacity. As a result, Corporate Health Promotion Programs frequently take steps to address employee stress. There are many ways to address stress within your Corporate Health Promotion Programs, and the beauty of these ideas is that everyone can benefit from them.

Certainly, stress management seminars are educational and informative and should be included in any corporate health and Corporate Health Promotion Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Work/Life Programs

Many corporations offer a work/life program that offers assistance with things from finding day care for a child or elderly parent and information on obscure college scholarship funds to information on which PC to buy and where to find someone to walk your dog. These programs fit into Corporate Health Promotion Programs because they help your staff members handle many of the things that are taking up work time and increasing stress.

Corporate Health Promotion Programs and Employee Assistance Programs

An Employee Assistance Programs are integral parts of effective Corporate Health Promotion Programs. By helping staff members address personal/mental health problems and concerns, an Employee Assistance Program can go a long way toward improving overall health and productivity. Representatives from your Employee Assistance Program can also work closely with you to design Corporate Health Promotion Programs that are integrated and effective.

Time Management and Corporate Health Promotion Programs

Time is one of our most precious commodities, and anything you can do as an employer to help your staff members manage their time is going to be welcome. Although not traditionally thought to be a component of Corporate Health Promotion Programs, providing flextime and telecommuting are two ways to decrease stress and raise productivity.

These programs take thought and planning and are not appropriate for all staff members or all positions; however, in many worksites, they are underused. Either your HR manager or an outside consultant can help you design a program. If you belong to a business group or Chamber of Commerce, you may find assistance there. Also, talk to colleagues who are doing this in their companies to see how it is working.

The Culture of Wellness

Worker wellness has to be a component of your company culture, not just something you throw in as an afterthought. It isn’t a Band-Aid, but rather a thoughtful piece of your business strategy. For example, if productivity is down due to tobacco breaks, providing tobacco cessation classes can help. But it’s also important to develop a no tobacco policy.

When staff members feel valued, they are more loyal and tend to work harder. They take pride in their work and talk about what a great company they work for. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce.

Walking Health Promotion Programs are some of the most popular Employee Health Promotion Initiatives. They set the bar for entry fairly low – most anyone can walk around the block or their building – and walking health promotion programs also offers 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 little sunshine can be a big stress reliever – and stress is the #2 leading cause of absenteeism, according to Employee Health Promotion statistics.

As a first step to beginning your Employee 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 Employee Health Promotion Program 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 workplace and make sure people know about walking health promotion programs by using your office communication channels – newsletters, announcements, corporation meetings. Keep it fun by building weight-loss teams, setting up races or organizing healthy picnics and athletic activities around the walking health promotion programs route.

Here are some other walking 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 wellness program 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 workplace.
Reinforce the walking wellness program message by regularly mentioning it during staff member meetings
Set up a health-related benefit that walking health promotion programs participants can use for health-related expenses.