Wellness Programs

An employee has a heart attack. Besides concern for the personand the loss of productivity, you can’t help but worry about yourinsurance rates, especially with premiums already skyrocketing 15percent a year or more. Prolonged illness is a nightmare foremployers and employees.

Having a healthier work force can reduce your insurance costswhile improving your company’s productivity. A “nip it in the bud”approach that targets high-risk employees can help them managechronic conditions–high cholesterol, hypertension and soon–before they turn into bigger, costlier, problems. And with theemphasis today on fitness and healthy habits, people are glad toget some help in sticking to their resolutions to eat better andexercise.

There are a number of ways you can help employees with acorporate wellness program, including:

• Health club memberships. You can probably negotiatediscounts or even barter an even swap for memberships for employeesin local health clubs.
• Free screenings. If you have more than a few dozenemployees, local hospitals and health organizations will be happyto come out and screen your employees for high blood pressure,elevated cholesterol and other ailments.
• On-site health education. Health-conscious employeeswill appreciate having a nurse or health counselor come in to giveoccasional lunchtime presentations on smoking cessation, goodnutrition, managing stress, coping with alcohol abuse and otherhealth-related topics.

Of course, the biggest obstacle to making wellness programs workis getting employees to participate. Some programs may be seen ascareer-busters. Your employees may think “If I sign up for thediabetes seminar, I’ll get off the promotion route because you’reafraid my health won’t withstand it.” Employees may also bediscouraged to participate if a sign-up sheet for depressionassessment or HIV screening is posted where everyone can see.

To encourage participation, start by protecting your worker’sprivacy. Make sure health information that can be linked tospecific employees can’t be accessed by anyone in the company.Sign-ups should be strictly confidential.

You might also think about offering incentives for signing up,from decreasing employees’ co-pays and offering extra time off togiving gifts and bonuses. Start educating employees about how muchhealth care costs the company–a conversation that still isn’tmaking it out of most boardrooms–and send a message that you valuegood health by creating a work environment that encourages it.