Corporate Health and Wellness

Objectives are broad-based statements about what the wellness program is expected to do.  The goal of the wellness program is to enhance the health of the individual and the company. Objectives like mission statements provide direction in a wellness program.

Goals are specific and provide a means of measurement of the health promotion program to determine effectiveness. There are two kinds of goals, process and outcome.

Process objectives state the activities that need to occur to achieve a desired outcome.

Examples of process objectives are -

o  Number of participants screened

o  Number of participants in and completing health promotion programs

o  Satisfaction of wellness program participants

o  Number of participants who were medically referred and saw their physician

o  Number of promotional activities

o  Number of participants seen in follow-up

Example of outcome goals are -

o  Number of participants who improved fitness level

o  Number of participants who decreased cholesterol level

o  Number of participants who lost weight, body fat

o  Number of participants who quit tobacco use

o  Number of participants with high blood pressure who decreased their blood pressure

o  Number of participants whose initial level of alcohol consumption put them at-risk who are no longer at-risk

o  Number of participants with risk factors who saw their physician and are being treated for high blood pressure (BP) or cholesterol years later

Health Promotion committees are important in that they create a sense of ownership in the health promotion program, and facilitate various tasks involved in health promotion programming at the worksite.

The committee ought to be composed of a cross-section of workforce representing various occupations, levels, and subgroups with the business.

A common mistake is filling the committee with the most health/fitness-conscious individuals  in the business. Don’t rely solely on volunteers to fill a committee. Make certain that your committee members have enough power in the business to run an effective wellness program.

The wellness committee is made up of workers from the workplace. It oversees the health promotion program and assists carry it out.

The committee should meet about once a month to review the previous month’s activities and plan future ones. When the health promotion program is just beginning, the committee may meet on a weekly basis until things get going.

Committee members do not carry out medical procedures, counsel patrons, or handle confidential health information. Health Promotion specialists perform these tasks.

In general, the committee’s duties fall into three areas -  planning, promoting, and assisting to run health promotion programs.

Planning the health promotion programs can include -

o  Finding space for activities

o  Planning and organizing workplace-wide events like contests

o  Evaluating reports prepared by the health promotion program staff and making recommendations

Marketing the health promotion program can include -

o  Recruiting personnel to take part in screening and health promotion programs

o  Encouraging workers to participate in follow-up counseling

o  Organizing promotional strategies using newsletters, signs, bulletin boards, computers, and other media available within the workplace

Assisting to run the health promotion program can include -

o  Establishing up equipment for various activities

o  Helping to conduct workplace-wide activities

o  Monitoring all activities and evaluating  the performance of the expert staff

o  Acting as wellness mentors to fellow workforce

The size of the wellness committee are going to be dependent on the size of the corporation. Choose members by asking day management to nominate or appoint workers.

Make an announcement through flyers, memos, and meetings to recruit potential members. Explain the purpose of the committee, duties and responsibilities, and the time commitment.

Recognize your wellness committee volunteers. Allow them to participate in health promotion programs at a decreased cost. Hold appreciation breakfasts/lunches/dinners.

Print names of committee members on corporation communications about the wellness program.

Purchase special T-shirts, caps, and buttons for them. Write letters to supervisors saying that you appreciate the member’s service. Create awards certificates for members.

The following could be used as a guide for committee size -

o  Less than 300 employees   2 to 4

o  300 to 1,000 employees   4 to 6

o  1,000 staff or more   6 to 12

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 healthful life choices. Tools are available to audit a company.

The long-term success of any health promotion program is dependent on the corporate culture.

Some healthful culture signs in a company are -

o  Staff Members communicate openly

o  Leaders support diversity and opinion

o  Workers have fun

o  Policies support wellness

o  Staff Members are encouraged to grow

o  Staff Members work together as a team

o  Employees’ skills and talents are matched to their jobs.

o  Flexible work schedules are available

o  Corporations consider employees as their most asset

Effective health promotion programs try to develop healthful worksite climates. A healthful worksite climate is one which encourages teamwork, cooperation, and empowerment of the individual.

Individuals  have a sense of community, a shared vision, and a positive outlook. Policies promote and support wellness efforts within the worksite.

o  Effective health promotion programs identify ways that business policies and organizational traditions encourage wellness.

o  Effective health promotion programs work at the group and organizational level to build support for healthy lifestyle options.

o  Effective wellness programs set clear target objectives and objectives for the health betterment of the worksite.

An initial biometric screening can include a recent survey of employees’ interests as part of the assessment. Successful health promotion programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the personnel.

The information you need to get from a recent survey depends on the scope of your health promotion program. A sample survey may be acquired in the HOPE Publications Web site.

If you plan to adapt this sample survey or develop your own survey, keep the following hints in mind -

o  Ask primarily closed-choice questions, especially when you will be sending the survey to a big number of employees. Closed-choice questions provide specific options and are easy to tabulate. You could want to use a computer for data entry and analysis.

o  Invite comments, suggestions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.

o  Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the company president. Be sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.

o  Ask a group of representative workers to review the survey before it’s distributed. Find out when the questions will be understood by workers and won’t be objected to.

o  Include demographic information at the starting or end of the survey. Consider various ways that you could analyze the responses by demographic characteristics (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).

When considering who should get the survey, a simple rule is if you have under 500 staff members, everybody should receive one.  The public relations advantage of everybody receiving a recent survey may be significant.

Over 500 personnel, a sample of the work population will suffice. A sample saves on costs and time. You might want to consider consulting with a statistician to determine an appropriate sample size for your worksite.

Needs surveys are confidential and anonymous; they do not request information that may identify a individuals.

Getting support from upper management is critical to the success of the wellness program.

One way to do this is to survey managers (see forms) and conduct interviews with decision-makers in the corporation. You can use the surveys here or make up your own.

If you decide to do your own, keep the survey short. It shouldn’t take more than ten minutes to complete.

The interview process can also serve as a means of educating management. Give concise fact sheets on the advantages of wellness programs for management.

When surveys and interviews are completed, tally the surveys and write brief summaries of the interviews. Give these reports to management.

Once completed present a brief executive summary to management. Highlight several interesting findings that can be used immediately to make decisions about the wellness program.

Utilize charts and graphs to make your points. Prep a detailed report for wellness committee members itemizing each response. Give a short article about the survey in the corporation newsletter.

The higher the response the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40 percent to 50 percent is acceptable.

Robust health promotion programs involve all staff, deal with all major health risks, offers choices, and target both the staff and the workplace environment; provide periodic analysis of its results.

Extensive health promotion programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the worker as long as he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and investigation.

Planning comprehensive health promotion programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, choosing  wellness providers, establishing goals/objectives for the health promotion program, advertising/promoting the health promotion program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality.

Implementation of comprehensive wellness programs consist of five major tasks -

1   Health screening and referral

2   Follow-up and counseling workforce

3   Follow-up with doctors

4   Health betterment programs

5   Organizing workplace-wide activities.

Examination involves monitoring health promotion programs to determine if it’s working and to help you refine it. Measuring success shows what you have achieved, helps justify costs, and provides information for executive management to support continued health promotion programming.

Extensive health promotion programs involve all employees, deal with all major health risks, offers choices, and target both the employees and the worksite environment; provide periodic examination of its results.

Extensive wellness programs emphasize follow-up and offers support for the employee since he/she is employed. Studies have shown this approach to be highly successful. Key components are planning, implementation, and examination

Creating robust health promotion programs involve performing a needs and interest assessment, appointing a wellness committee, picking  wellness providers, establishing goals/objectives for the health promotion program, marketing/promoting the health promotion program, and establishing procedures to ensure confidentiality

Implementation of comprehensive health promotion programs consist of five major tasks -

o  Health testing and health risk assessment

o  Follow-up and counseling employees

o  Follow-up with doctors

o  Health betterment and disease avoidance programs

o  Organizing workplace-wide wellness program activities.

Analysis involves monitoring health promotion programs to figure out when it’s working and to help you refine it.

Measuring success shows what you’ve achieved, assists justify costs, and provides information for upper-level management to support continued wellness programming.

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.

Health promotion programs for staff members became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability started to be published.

There have now been over 100 published studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks increase costs.  Medical and health insurance costs escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   the number of risks is also strongly related to sick leave absenteeism, Employee’s Compensation costs, short-term disability, and reduced productivity (”presenteeism”).

Early employee wellness programs were relatively basic and typically produced a Return On Investment (ROI) of less than one dollar for every dollar spent operating the wellness program (Return On Investment (ROI) = <1 - 1).8

Such health promotion programs may  be characterized as “fun-oriented”.  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of particularly identified high risks.

Interventions and activities aren’t personalized, and there’s no emphasis on the management of health care costs.  These health promotion programs are ordinarily site-based only, lack options to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.

Minimal or no incentives are provided to workforce for participation, and services to spouses and family members aren’t available.  Most such wellness programs lack meaningful evaluation.

More conventional health promotion programs are “activity-oriented” and have shown an Return On Investment (ROI) of between 1 - 2.5 and 1 - 3.5.8 These health promotion programs might have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, although the efforts are relatively broad and not personalized.

They may have some generalized emphasis on health care cost management, although not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.

Modest incentives might  be utilized to encourage participation.  Formal evaluation might  be weak.

The newest and most economically viable wellness programs are “results-oriented” and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These wellness programs consistently produce return rates of 1 - 4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8

Such health promotion programs are strongly focused on the reduction of in particular identified high risks and the management of health costs. They are typically voluntary, but use strong financial and other incentives to promote participation.

They are multi-component in nature (address all major risks), and have both on-site and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and offered to spouses as well as personnel.

For organizations, the cost of providing health insurance for their workers is of excellent importance.  Those costs have been increasing at annual rates between 6 percent and 14 percent.

Chapman’s 2007 systematic review7 stated an average reduction in health care costs of 26.5 percent as a result of worker health promotion programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically precise studies, with an average of 3.77 years of study.

Absenteeism because of illness is another cost driver.  Chapman’s review7 reports an typical reduction in sick leave of 25.3%.   Cost for Employee’s Compensation was decreased by 40.7%, and disability costs by 24.2%.

There is also an emerging literature on the costs of presenteeism (reduced productivity).11,13  In one study, every risk reduced through a health promotion program yielded a 9 percent reduction in presenteeism (and a 2 percent reduction in absenteeism).11

A number of corporations have achieved a zero% increase in health care costs across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95% participation of the staff member population in focused health promotion programs, with 75%-85% of the workforce falling into the low risk category.10

Despite the fact that comprehensive efforts to lower the risk status of those in moderate or high risk categories should be made, the needs of currently healthful workforce should be addressed as well to avoid increases in risk-status.

Given the size of the federal workforce, meaningful cost savings in the government’s contribution to medical insurance premiums for staff can be achieved when a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.

In like manner, improvements in absenteeism, staff member’s compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover so of extensive worker health promotion programs would yield substantial fiscal benefits for the government.

References

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Health Promotion Programs -   A Extensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5) - 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) - 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion -   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Health Promotion  7(2) - 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Analysis of Employee Wellness Economic Return Studies -  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)  Staff Member Participation in Company Health Promotion and Health Promotion Programs -  Exactly how Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) -   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Wellness Coaching in Company Wellness.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive -   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Company Health Promotion.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Corporations” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research -   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) -  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Make certain to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) -  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease ManagementPrograms at the Workplace -  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et.  Al.  (2007)  an Unhealthy America -   the Economic Burden of Chronic Condition.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health -   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http - //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Corporate America is increasingly investing in staff member wellness because it is good business.  In order to meet productivity demands, companies must rely on a healthful, productive workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.

Over a hundred studies in both corporate and governmental establishings have documented the economic advantages of employee wellness programs, including decreased absenteeism, decreased injuries and workman’s compensation costs, decreased healthcare costs, decreased employee turnover, in addition to increased productivity, greater employee satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programming along with greater return on investment.  In general, the more focused and intensive the wellness program, the greater benefit realized.

To enhance their effectiveness federal government worker health promotion programs could  be able to incorporate some of the features described. Staff Member health promotion programs shown to have positive returns on investment often include the following features -

1   Health and productivity management model

Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors such as use of tobacco, lack of exercise, excess weight, unhealthful diet, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stress, depression, and so on.

High-risk workers are especially targeted for intervention, although the most successful wellness programs also direct efforts towards healthful workers to maintain their low-risk status.  This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.

2   Health risk assessment

Use of a computerized health risk appraisal  instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is nearly universal in successful wellness programs. Employees take the questionnaire annually in many cases.

The Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) serves to elevate awareness, provide direction, and motivate person to improve specific behaviors.  In some cases, the customized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.

Research indicates that the use of an Health Risk Assessment (HRA) is effective when it is followed by some type of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It often serves as the entry point into health promotion programs.

3   Biometric analysis

A lot of health promotion programs combine the results of the health risk assessment with measurement of each worker’s biometrics, including weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) , blood pressure, cholesterol, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.

Combining the results of the HRA with biological measures causes a more accurate risk profile.   Computerized health risk assessments often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.

4   Health Promotion Program Incentives

Workers are frequently given monetary or other meaningful rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a health promotion program or class, specific accomplishments such as stopping use of tobacco, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthy status and/or behaviors.

In many cases the monetary incentives are associated with reductions in medical insurance premiums.  Some wellness programs use disincentives as well as incentives, such as charging employees who smoke higher rates for their medical insurance contribution.

5   High health promotion program participation rates

Successful wellness programs use incentives to drive participation rates up.  They also market their wellness programs robustly, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and encourage participation.

6   Health Promotion coaching

Staff Members with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits could  be periodically coached via telephone by trained health Coaches.

Coaching assists staff set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related objectives including those addressing stress, work life balance, use of tobacco, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.

Three or more sessions are typically offered.  In some intensive health promotion programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for workforce with identified high-risk illnesses.

7   Multiple formats

Programs may offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to provide stimulating variety and alternatives in order to accommodate the needs of all employees.

In addition to onsite physical activity and healthful consuming events, on-line health promotion programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and worksite classes and workshops are common dissemination strategies.

8   Upper management support

Enthusiastic and frequent endorsement by senior management is crucial to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.

9   Frequent contact

Successful health promotion programs have frequent contact of some sort with every staff member.  This may  be through advertising and marketing efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, staff meeting presentations, discussion in new staff member orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.

The key is to enhance employee awareness of wellness opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through frequent and multiple “touches”.

10   Open enrollment

To encourage high participation rates staff members must’ve easy access to the health promotion programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.

Many companies automatically enroll all employees and then allow those who don’t wish to participate to “opt-out”.  This practice has been proven to improve enrollment rates in some settings.

11   Family involvement

Many health promotion programs encourage spouses and other family members to participate in the organization wellness activities and to adopt a healthful lifestyle along with the designated employee. It’s far easier for the employee to have a healthful lifestyle when his/her family does so as well.

12   Smoking cessation

Because smoking and other smoking is the number one threat to health it is crucial to offer staff effective and convenient assistance with quitting.

Access to smoking cessation pharmaceuticals is usually part of such health promotion programs.  In-house health promotion programs provide the most convenient access to these services, although on-line or telephone-based health promotion programs might  be available as well.

13   Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is a core component of every wellness program. Workers ought to be strongly encouraged to engage in regular physical activity.

Most health promotion programs provide either periodic or continuous onsite opportunities, and some locations have onsite fitness clubs, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or paid memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to onsite facilities.

14   Weight management

Because obesity is a major threat to health it is crucial that programs offer effective assistance with weight control. Comprehensive encouragement from upper management to shed excess weight is important.

Internet Based wellness programs, worksite programs, or discounted access to weight control programs in the community may all be available.  Long-term follow-up is vital for maintenance of weight reduction.

15   Stress management

Worksite stress is perhaps the most common complaint among workers and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.

Almost all successful health promotion programs offer assistance with personal and worksite stress.  Some programs refer staff members to outside resources for more serious conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer web-based or frequent onsite general stress reduction programs.

A number of businesses endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.

16   Health screenings/immunizations

Staff Members are actively encouraged to complete recommended biometric testings for blood pressure, cholesterol, Body Mass Index, colorectal and breast cancer, and others.

Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged.  Some sites provide these services at the worksite.  Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.

17   On-Site health care

Actual provision of on-site main care medical services is a growing trend.  The quickly escalating costs of medical care insurance for staff has stimulated this trend.

A lot of corporations have found that it’s less costly to provide main care services themselves than to fund those services through medical insurance.

Onsite care also decreases the amount of time workers would otherwise spend away from the workplace getting such services.

References

1   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Wellness Programs -   A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Wellness 15(5) - 296-320.

2   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   the Role of Incentives in Wellness.  The Art of Wellness  2(3) - 1-8.

3   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Wellness -   is it Really as Important as We Think?  the Art of Wellness  7(2) - 1-12.

4   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Examination of Employee Wellness Economic Return Studies -  2005 Update.  The Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-15.

5   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)  Employee Participation in Company Wellness and Wellness Programs -  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6) -   431-432.

6   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   the Role of Health Promotion Coaching in Corporate Health Promotion.   the Art of Wellness, July/August, 1-12.

7   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive -   an Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Corporate Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.

8   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   an In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

9   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research -   A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Wellness 15(5) -  341-349.

10   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Corporation Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthful Behaviors for Health Plans and Companys” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.

11   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Make sure to work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7) -  746-754.

12   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of robust Health and Illness ManagementPrograms at the Worksite -  Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.

13   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et.  Al.  (2007)  an Unhealthy America -   the Economic Burden of Chronic Illness.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.

14   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health -   Proven Wellness Practices for Workplaces.   http - //www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Analysiss determine the outcome of a Health Promotion Program. They help you determine if your goals were met. It’s a good idea to add an analysis component to your Health Promotion Program.

Examinations may conclude that some interventions did not work well. You may find that a popular Health Promotion Program costs too much and did not really affect employees’ health.

While these may not be the outcomes you hoped for, without this information you may continue ineffective interventions. Having this information will help you develop better solutions.

When your results are excellent, it is magnificent! You can spread the word to workers and upper-level management that your wellness program is achieving its objectives.

Three major areas of an examination

o  Health Promotion Program structure - the basic framework of the program

o  Wellness Program process - Exactly how well the program is run

o  Health Promotion Program outcomes - Whether the wellness program met the set goals

Common questions used to evaluate a Wellness Program

Structure Questions

o  What is included in the Wellness Program? What is the intervention?

o  Where does the Wellness Program take place?

o  Just how is the Wellness Program delivered? What content is included?

o  Who manages the Health Promotion Program?

Process Questions

o  Just how many people  participate?

o  Do participants complete the Wellness Program?

o  Are participants satisfied?

o  Which aspects of the Health Promotion Program are best attended?

Outcome Questions

o  Does the Wellness Program improve information about health issues?

o  Does the Wellness Program change behavior?

o  Does the Wellness Program save the organization money?

o  What is the ROI?

Download a sample health promotion program (http - //www.ibx.com/pdfs/custom/wellness_partners/services/turnkey_programs/walking/participant_eval.pdf) analysis from IBC’s Walking Towards Wellness program.

o  Identify through an employee survey what incentives they value.

o  Identify what incentives the company can provide in addition to what the budget will allow.

o  Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

o  Prevent offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

o  Prevent using food as a reward.

o  Use incentives to promote your health promotion program, through logos and branding.

Incentives encourage workforce to adopt positive behaviors or maintain an existing positive behavior that may potentially help the staff member stay healthful and live longer. Adopting positive health behavior is fundamentally what wellness is about.

Incentives can be used to increase participation rates, help individuals complete a Health Promotion Program, or help individuals change or adhere to healthful behaviors.

Providing incentives and rewards will send an important message to the staff that your organization is committed to assisting them with improving their health. It also plays a significant role in exciting individuals to participate.

Tips on how to select appropriate incentives -

o  Identify through an staff member survey what incentives they value.

o  Identify what incentives the business can provide in addition to what the budget will allow.

o  Ensure that every participant who achieves a goal receives some recognition.

o  Avoid offering incentives for the “best” or the “most.”

o  Prevent using food as a reward.

o  Use incentives to promote your Wellness Program, through logos and branding.