Drug Education and Intervention in the Workplace

Business Physical Activity Programs Plans Improve Employee Health and Wellness

Instituting a Company Health Promotion Program improves the health of workers, lowers employee absenteeism and saves the employer money, too. Learn more about initiating an Company Health Promotion Program in the office.

Benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs

• A business investment of $100-$150 per employee each year to take part in an Worksite Health Promotion Program can save corporations $300 to $450 for each employee every year, according to Ron Goetzel, Director, Cornell University Institute for Health and Productivity Studies. The savings are able to take a few years to actualize, says Goetzel, and are seen in decreased health expenditures.
• The Wellness Councils of America reported a $24 return for every $1 invested on a Employee Health Promotion Program for small corporations.
• According to a 2005 survey by The Art of Health Promotion, companies who instituted Company Health Promotion Programs realized a 30 percent decline in medical and absenteeism expenditures in less than 4 years.

A successful Worksite Health Promotion Program starts with Upper Management. Corporation owners ought to lead by example, taking part in their company’s exercise program and working closely with a wellness coach. Upper Management ought to make sure workers are well knowledgeable about their wellness efforts, posting weight loss results or smoking cessation results on company intranet or bulletin boards for everyone to see.

Corporate Wellness Programs that Really Work

• Encourage staff members to kick start their own wellness programs by visiting their doctor. A complete physical should include information about blood glucose, cholesterol levels and general health.
• Target specific health-related problems in a corporate exercise program. Information about how to fight obesity, smoking, alcoholism and prescription abuse should be at the forefront of an Workplace Wellness Program, along with related conditions.
• Hire a wellness coach to instruct workers on how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• Reward workers for taking part in company wellness plans. Let workers accrue health & wellness points that they have the potential to redeem for prizes. Make the prizes healthy, too- a free massage, private training session with the company’s wellness coach or health food gift certificate encourages even healthier lifestyle choices.
• Acknowledge employee wellness and health leaders in organization newsletters, in posted bulletins and on the organization intranet.

Employee Wellness Programs Yield Big Results

For corporation owners who want to expand employee participation in a Company Wellness Program, consider Johnson & Johnson’s approach. Faced with only 26% of employees participating in their employee wellness and health program, Johnson & Johnson offered employees a $500 discount on medical insurance expenditures if they completed a health risk profile. The number of employees participating in the Johnson & Johnson corporation exercise program jumped after they provided the incentive — to more than 93%.

Ron Goetzel encourages those looking to pitch a corporate fitness program to Senior Management to use basic facts about the benefits of Employee Wellness Programs as part of their argument. Keep it simple, and share results from other company’s employee wellness plan success stories.