Yesterday we offered three ideas for getting started with a workplace wellness program:
- Assess your needs;
- Reduce unnecessary doctor and ER visits with a self-care program;
- Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
Today we’re offering three more. Try working on one project a week, and you’ll have the building blocks of a great worksite wellness program by the end of the summer.
4. Help your employees lose weight and stop smoking
You’re probably aware that smoking is one of the country’s top killers, taking 443,000 lives a year and imperiling 8.6 million more with serious illness. You may also know that overweight and obesity is a major risk for developing cardiovascular disease — the number one cause of death in the United States. It’s also a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, some cancers, and stroke.
When you help your employees quit smoking and lose weight, you promote health, prevent the development of chronic conditions, save health care costs for everyone and improve quality of life in a remarkable way. The best part? You don’t have to do it alone. There are so many options to choose from — group programs, guided self-help programs, online programs, telephonic health coaching. It’s up to you to decide what’s right for your organization — the important thing is that you make the choice to offer support.
5. Manage the spectrum
Some of your employees love steamed vegetables and running marathons. Others love fried food and movie marathons. Most probably fall somewhere in between. It’s important to reach everyone.
Employees with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and asthma, are considered high-risk, and carry health care costs from 100 to 500 times greater than costs for healthy employees. However, research shows that up to 20% of low-risk employees will move to a higher risk category within one year — and bring extra costs with them.
The goal? Prevent low-risk employees from becoming high-risk and help high-risk employees lower their risk. For best results, offer these components:
- Wellness management (for active, healthy people)
- Risk management (for those who may have risk factors like hypertension)
- Demand management (reducing unnecessary doctor and ER visits) and
- Disease management (for those who already have a chronic condition)
6. Create a culture of health
It’s one thing to ask your employees to step up their health for your bottom line.
But do you have healthy food options in your cafeteria, vending machines or at work meetings?
Are employees allowed (and encouraged) to take breaks to get some exercise?
Is yours a smoke-free workplace? Do you have bike racks onsite for cyclist commuters? Do you offer flu shots in the fall?
There are so many ways to send the message that health and well-being is important to your organization. You can start by making small changes to show that health is a priority.
We’ll delve into all of these issues (and so much more!) in the coming weeks. For now, good luck! And relax. It’s summer.
