This year, 75 percent of employers
nationwide are offering wellness programs to their employees, according to a national survey by The Hay Group. The
number continues to grow because wellness programs are both good for health
and good for business. Numerous studies
show they improve productivity, provide
solid return on investment and are popular
with employees.
The degree to which companies attain
these benefits depends on the program
and how it is managed. Smart Business
spoke with Sally Stephens, RN, president of Spectrum Health Systems, for
tips on successful program design and
management.
What does a workplace wellness program
entail?
In its simplest form, workplace wellness can be viewed as having two key
focuses: organizational wellness and
personal wellness. Organizational wellness involves managing business functions and employee well-being to allow
the organization to be more resilient to
environmental pressures. Personal wellness involves managing psychological
and physical issues in response to environmental stress, including work environment.
Workplace wellness covers a broad
range of different types of programs and
services — from offering flu shots to
designing benefit plans that incorporate
comprehensive health risk and demand
management strategies.
Do companies make common mistakes in
implementing wellness programs?
One of the most common mistakes is
when companies take a reactive approach. Detection and prevention activities allow the company to focus on identifying health concerns and issues before
they become problematic.
Prior to the implementation of a wellness program, it is important to collect
baseline data for the outcomes measurements. Having the wellness program aligned with and part of the corporate
business strategy will ensure its effectiveness. The program must have short-term, mid-term and long-term goals to
demonstrate sustainable value.
Organizations should approach health
as an investment rather than a cost. The
organization must be willing to provide a
receptive environment and support for
positive health and well-being.
How do employees and companies benefit
from the program?
From a management perspective, wellness programs have the potential to
decrease absenteeism, reduce medical
claims, and improve employee productivity, recruitment and retention. For maximum impact on employee health, a comprehensive wellness program should focus
on increasing awareness, supporting
health management or personal change,
and promoting healthy work climates.
Several researchers have studied the
impact of exercise on job performance.
NASA, for example, found that the productivity of non-exercising office workers decreased 50 percent during the final
two hours of the work day, while exercisers worked at full efficiency all day.
This amounts to a 12.5 percent difference in productivity between the two
groups.
Are wellness programs cost-effective?
Research studies consistently conclude that employee wellness programs
based on sound design strategies can
reduce health risk in most employee
populations and result in significant economic benefits to the organization.
Research also shows that the magnitude
of the results is positively impacted by
the extent of the programming. Barring
unforeseen external events, an employer
can realistically expect a cost-benefit
result of 1:2 to 1:6.7 or higher.
A review of corporate wellness programs conducted by Goetzel et al.
reported that comprehensive disease
management programs yielded the highest return on investment. Their findings
suggest the need for health education,
early detection, and appropriate interventions and health programs to maximize returns from investments in wellness programs.
What tips do you have for companies that
want to start a program?
- Secure the support of top management.
- Appoint a wellness team to oversee
the efforts. - Collect some form of data through
assessments, screenings, etc. - Create a simple plan and set simple
goals. - Choose the appropriate interventions.
- Create a supportive environment.
- Carefully evaluate outcomes.
SALLY STEPHENS is the founder, owner and president of
Spectrum Health Systems. Reach her at (317) 573-7600 or
[email protected].
