by Workplace Health on February 9, 2009
The 61st annual World Health Assembly is taking place this week in Geneva, Switzerland and at this assembly; the World Health Organization (WHO) is presenting its report titled “Preventing Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity.”
The report calls for Employee Wellness Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.
Importance of Employee Wellness Programs
The report notes that Non-Communicable Disease related deaths have surpassed transferable disease related deaths and have become the leading global killers. Examples of Non-Communicable Disease’s are heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In 2005, 60% of worldwide projected deaths were caused by non-communicable diseases. They are predicting that this health trend will continue through at least 2030.
Diet, caloric intake, lack of physical activity and tobacco use are the major risk factors in the cause of Non-Communicable Disease’s. Now more than ever, the understanding of the importance of health and wellness is crucial.
Employee Wellness Programs are Effective Tools
The report notes that Employee Wellness Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also notes that Employee Wellness Programs will improve the health of workers, improve the corporate image, improve staff member morale, reduce staff member absences and sick leave, increase staff member productivity, and reduce corporate health care expenses.
Employee Wellness Programs Monitoring
Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Employee Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments and health outcomes are critical and should be included in the Workplace Health Promotion Plan implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Workplace Health Promotion Plan developed meets the proper needs of the workers. Employees should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Workplace Health Promotion Plan is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.
by Workplace Health on February 8, 2009
Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI: Fact or Fiction?
Employee Wellness Programs … do they provide a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever organization’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.
Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI: The Bottom Line
According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI is not an easy thing to do for corporations because it involves a lot of different variables and time.
However, the companies that have taken the time to determine the Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI of their Employee Wellness Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of staff member health and the slowing of the rate of their staff member health care expenses.
Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI Alliance
Workplace Health Promotion Plan ROI is such an important part of today’s corporate culture, that several large companies have come together to form the Alliance for Wellness ROI, Inc. According to the HR Magazine article, The Alliance for Wellness ROI was specifically created to address the lack of consistency in proving the value of Employee Wellness Programs.
The alliance, formed by BMW of North America, Henry Ford Health System, Kraft Foods Global, MasterCard Worldwide and Schlumberger Limited, strongly believes in showing the value of Employee Wellness Programs and want to develop a standard for how Employee Wellness Programs are measured.
Employee Wellness Programs Components
According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-offered staff member Employee Wellness Program:
Employee assistance Program (EAP)
Disease Management Programs
Fitness and physical activity Programs
Health Risk Assessments
Worksite health care Programs
Personal wellness profiles
Preventive Health Screening and Biometric Testings and immunizations
Smoking-cessation Programs
Telephonic Employee Wellness Programs
Weight Management / Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.
