Best Health Practices And Worksite Wellness Program

Employee health and wellness definition. According to Chenoweth (n. d.) “the health status of your employees directly influences their work behavior, attendance and on-the-job performance . . . improving employee well-being will result in a more productive workforce” (p. 1). The purpose of an employee wellness program is to promote healthier employees who because they are healthy are happier more productive employees (Danna & Griffin, 1999). Wellness programs have positive outcomes for both the employer and the employee (Danna & Griffin, 1999). According to Chenoweth (n. d.) “for wellness initiatives to succeed, they must be an intrinsic part of an organization’s culture” (p. 1).

General motors have a great wellness program that keeps their workforce healthy. They use a program called LifeSteps which helps employees identify controllable health risk.

Benavides noted that “wellness programs are not a quick fix solution to years of employee disregard for their health condition. In most cases at least a two year window is necessary to begin to see positive results. In any case, it is an option that provides a sustainable way to lower health care costs and improve the physical and mental well being of employees.” Under Obama’s Affordable Care Act, $15 billion over 10 years and another $2 billion each year to follow was allotted for healthcare and evidence-based outcomes (to generate and fund such wellness incentives as this paper proposes). Likewise, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allotted $160 billion total toward healthcare and wellness with $650 million specifically granted to address chronic disease strategies.

Introduction: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains different policies that are pertinent to expanding health care access when needed, re-shaping insurance and market system, extending the health workforce, reducing the financial burden, and improving quality of care and life. Moreover, the aim of the new law is not only to help people when they get sick, but also to support them to enjoy the diverse initiatives and blessings of public health and preventive medicine and incentives to adopt a better and healthy life.1 Based on this fact, the wellness programs are among many of the policies under the provision of prevention/wellness of the ACA that focus on building a healthier nation by expanding the coverage for preventive services at the workplaces and thus reducing the health care cost.1,2

SHRM reported that “82% of organizations with a wellness program rated their initiatives as somewhat or very effective in improving employee health. Three-quarters (77%) indicated their wellness program was somewhat or very effective in reducing health care costs”. Thus, wellness benefits have increased over the past 20 years. SHRM’s report also indicated that the “most common wellness benefits were wellness tips and information sent to employees at least quarterly (63%), a wellness program (61%), and on-site seasonal flu vaccinations (54%). Additionally, more organizations offered rewards or bonuses for completing certain health and wellness programs, a standing desk, an on-site fitness center and an on-site nap room”. By having an effective wellness program, health care costs can be reduced for both the employer and employees. As a result, employees are depending on their employer to provide them with different money saving alternatives to reduce their health

Now there are new ideas that health programs should be expanded and possibly include the idea of “wellness” programs. Taking care of wellness includes mental and social health which were aspects that were not necessarily involved with health programs in the beginning. The positive impacts in taking care of wellness benefits the employee through empowerment of knowledge and support while improving where the common worker spends most of their time. Employers have a vested interest because of improvement in employee performance and attitude, the financial return, and making their company a well-known place to work. There is an open opportunity for companies to improve their wellness programs through company changes and better health programs. So the real question is how can the improvement of overall health and wellness of the employee impact the business and what kind of program should be implemented to encourage employees to take advantage of it?

Commenting about these findings is Dr. John Howard of the NIOSH who said, "Traditionally, practitioners have looked at 'wellness' and 'health promotion' in isolation from occupational health concerns arising out of work itself. Increasingly, however, in the face of spiraling medical costs, health professionals and scientists recognize that it makes sense to address health issues holistically. One area that

Company wellness programs may be the answer to help company managers and employees live an overall better lifestyle. Wellness “is understood to reach physical health to encompass a more holistic mind-body approach that also considers good mental and emotional health” (Walsh, 2015). The purpose of the wellness program is to go further than the physical appearance and help from the inside out. Helping the inside of the body to become healthier is more beneficially to us. I propose to research the increase in productivity within the workplace as well as the overall health impact wellness programs have on employees.

Health and wellness in the workplace is crucial to business success. Healthy employees are more productive and they cost less. The quality of health is intimately connected to the quality of life. Companies that promote healthy lifestyle habits for employees to improve their health, often take the success of the company to heart and are likely to be absent less often for health related reasons. Employers are now offering a wide range of wellness initiatives; such as health risk screenings and assessments, healthy food choices in cafeterias and vending machines; weigh management programs on-site at employers' expense, subsidized or discounted off-site fitness courses, smoking cessation programs,

Recently, wellness programs, the fitness industry, celebrity wellness and self-help experts have brought wellness into the mainstream. The traditional medical establishment has begun shifting the focus to wellness and prevention. In 2013, First Lady, Michelle Obama who is an advocate for youth health and wellness started ‘Let’s Move’, a campaign that promotes physical activity for children. “Wellness," is now embedded in our modern vocabulary. Although company wellness programs have often been viewed as a nice perk, it was certainly not viewed as imperative to the business of a company. Today, smart companies realize there is much to be gained by recognizing the part wellness plays to the bottom line. With the help of new tax incentives and grants provided under the new health care legislation, organizations can reduce skyrocketing health care costs by investing in wellness programs that address the physical and mental health of their employees.

Poor health and wellness can contribute to high absenteeism, negatively affected outputs along with high staff turnover rate. Workplace wellness programs are a combination of educational, organizational and environmental activities designed to support behavior conducive to the health of a business’s employees and their families (Owens, 2006). There does not appear to be a standard set of initiatives that a wellness program must include, by definition, instead each company creates its own program with components it selects.

Workplace Wellness Programs (WWP) are those programs set-up by employers to help their employees improve their health and wellbeing. These programs encourage individual behavior change, in addition to helping reduce stressors in the workplace that can have negative effects on health behaviors (Andersen et al., 2015). Key features of wellness programs are health-risk assessments and screenings for high blood pressure and cholesterol; behavior modification programs, such as tobacco cessation, weight management, and exercise; health education, including classes or referrals to online sites for health advice; and changes in the work environment or provision of special benefits to encourage

Wellness programs can be provided by employers as a service under discretionary benefits. Employers began implementing wellness programs to promote and maintain employees’ physical and psychological health in the 1980s (Martocchio, 2014). There are several different wellness programs that companies may provide to their employees such as stress reduction, nutrition and weight loss, exercise and fitness activities, and health-screening programs (Martocchio, 2014). According to the survey conducted by the Rand Corporation on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, currently 80 percent of employers offer nutrition and weight activities, 72 percent offer exercise and fitness programs, 77

“Employers also want healthy employees in order to avoid absences, enhance productivity, and improve morale,” (Mujtaba, 2013, p.193). Mujtaba et. al (2013) examined corporate wellness programs specifically within the American workplace. Texas and Florida are the two states with the highest percentage of individuals under the age of 65 without health insurance because the cost is too high. As a result, many employers are implementing workplace health and wellness programs in hopes to lower the costs of their health care plans. An average cost Mujtaba et. al (2013) has found for operating a workplace health and wellness programs per participant range from $50.00 - $150.00 annually. Although, studies have shown if the employee participates in the health and wellness programs, the cost for health insurance plans decrease anywhere from $100.00 - $500.00. Another aspect discovered was “these workers tend to be more productive, have fewer rates of absenteeism, and use less of their health insurance resources,” (Mujtaba et al., 2013, p.193). Due to the implementation of workplace health and wellness programs avast, there are strengths and weaknesses for each unique programs generated. Although, it is apparent the cost per health insurance plan per employee has effectively been lowered after participation in the programs, employees have led healthier lifestyles, and Mujtaba et. al (2013) has discovered the increase in employee productivity as well.

From the last 15years mechanical improvement rapidly increases in the workplace and due to that employee physical activity reduces as employee tend to live a sedentary lifestyle which has a harmful effects on health and for that concern company have taken initiative in thinking of employee health. American business and industry have started enlarging awareness of the importance of