When choosing a program from a provider you ought to ask the following questions –
• How many worksites have done the program?
• What kinds of employee population was the program offered?
• What educational materials are used?
• Will the program meet the needs of employees?
• What are the techniques used to [...]
When staffing your wellness program you need to consider whether to hire a wellness staff or contract with wellness experts from outside your organization.
Small and medium size worksites don’t ordinarily have a wellness specialist on staff. If your worksite is in this category, you will need to contract with providers outside your corporation.
Large corporations have [...]
An annual plan for the major wellness programs and activities is a useful management tool. This is an excellent wellness committee task. Often an activity and wellness theme per month is offered to workers.
Some organizations select to follow a National Health Observances calendar which offers advantages. the materials developed by these various national health organizations [...]
A Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} is sometimes used paired with a medical testing. an HRA is a computerized assessment tool which looks at an individual’s family history, health status, and lifestyle.
An HRA seeks to identify precursors associated with premature death or serious illness and quantifies the probable impact for each individual.
An HRA instrument is derived [...]
The most common screening performed in wellness programs is heart health assessment.
The screening can include a written heart health test, blood pressure (BP) measurement, cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol test, glucose (blood sugar), weight, educational materials specific to diet, nutrition, exercise, cholesterol, smoking, and weight.
The health professional conducting the screening then provides a consultation and helps set objectives with [...]
The backbone of wellness programming at the worksite is health testing. It’s the first major activity a company should do when first beginning a wellness program.
Health testing is often used combined with the administration of a Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} .
The most effective way to screen is to utilize a health professional trained in wellness [...]
Objectives are broad-based statements about what the program is expected to do. the goal of the wellness program is to enhance the health of the individual and the organization. Objectives like mission statements provide direction in a program.
Goals are specific and provide a means of measurement of the program to determine effectiveness. There are two [...]
Wellness committees are important in that they develop a sense of ownership in the program, and facilitate various tasks involved in wellness programming at the workplace.
The committee must be composed of a cross-section of staff members representing various occupations, levels, and subgroups with the organization.
A common mistake is filling the committee with the most [...]
Effective wellness programs recognize the importance of building a supportive cultural environment. the workplace culture includes shared values/heartfelt beliefs about what’s important. It includes social standards of expected and accepted behavior called “cultural norms.”
It includes coworker support from family, friends, and coworkers. This support can help one adopt healthy lifestyles. Tools are available to audit [...]
Effective wellness programs attempt to create healthy workplace climates. A healthy workplace climate is one which encourages teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment of the individual.
People have a sense of community, a shared vision, and a positive outlook. Policies promote and support wellness efforts within the workplace.
• Effective programs identify ways that business policies and organizational traditions [...]
Corporate Wellness Programs