All About Employee Wellness

Initially introduced by Halbert Dunn in the 1950’s, wellness became a popular buzzword during the late 1970’s and received considerable academic attention in the 1980’s.  Worksite Health Promotion Programs for employees became more widespread during the following decade, and credible evidence for their economic viability began to be published.  There have now been over 100 published studies on this topic and a number of systematic reviews.

Health risks increase expenditures.  Health Care Insurance expenditures escalate with both age and number of risks present.8,10   The number of risks is also strongly related to sick time absenteeism, Worker’s Compensation expenditures, STD, and reduced productivity (”presenteeism”).

Early Employee Health Promotion Programs were relatively basic and typically produced a return on investment (ROI) of less than one dollar for every dollar spent operating the program (ROI = <1:1).8 Such programs might be characterized as "fun-oriented".  Participation is entirely voluntary, and there is no particular focus on the reduction of specifically identified high risks.  Interventions and activities are not personalized, and there is no emphasis on the management of health costs.  These programs are typically site-based only, lack options to address all of the major behaviorally-related health risks, and lack multimodal presentation.  Minimal or no rewards and incentives are provided to employees for participation, and services to spouses and family members are not available.  Most such programs lack meaningful evaluation.  

More conventional programs are "activity-oriented" and have demonstrated an return on investment of between 1:2.5 and 1:3.5.8 These programs may have a greater emphasis on health and risk reduction, even though the efforts are relatively broad and not customized.  They may have some generalized emphasis on health cost management, even though not necessarily aimed at specific high risks.  Most are site-based and voluntary, with spouses included only rarely.  Modest incentives may be utilized to promote participation.  Formal assessment may be weak.

The newest and most economically viable programs are "results-oriented" and exemplify the health and productivity management model.  These programs consistently produce return rates of 1:4 or greater within a 12-24 month period.8   Such programs are strongly focused on the reduction of specifically identified elevated risks and the management of health expenditures.  They are generally voluntary, but use strong financial and other incentives/rewards to promote participation.  They are multi-component in nature (address all primary risks), and have both onsite and virtual modalities of operation.  The interventions are highly targeted and individualized, and offered to spouses as well as employees.

For businesses, the expense of offering medical insurance for their workers is of great importance.  Those expenditures have been growing at yearly rates between 6 percent and 14%. Chapman's 2007 systematic review published an average decrease in healthcare expenditures of 26.5 percent as a result of Company Health Promotion Programs.  His review covered 60 of the most scientifically valid studies, with an average of 3.77 years of study.

Rates of Absenteeism due to illness is another cost driver.  Chapman's review reports an average decline in sick time of 25.3%.   Cost for Worker's Compensation was reduced by 40.7%, and disability expenditures by 24.2%. There is also an emerging literature on the expenditures of presenteeism (reduced work rate).11,13  In one study, every risk reduced through a wellness program provideed a 9 percent decline in presenteeism (and a 2 percent decline in absenteeism).

Some businesses have achieved a zero percent rise in medical care expenditures across at least brief periods of time.10  Doing so requires 90-95 percent participation of the employee population in focused wellness pushes, with 75%-85 percent of the employees falling into the low risk category.10  Although robust efforts to reduce the risk status of those in moderate or high risk categories must be made, the needs of currently healthy employees must be addressed as well to avoid increases in risk-status.

Given the size of the federal workforce, important cost savings in the government's contribution to health care insurance premiums for employees might be achieved if a majority of that population were participating in active wellness programs.  Similarly, improvements in absenteeism, worker's compensation, disability, presenteeism, and turnover as a result of robust Employee Health Promotion Programs would yield substantial fiscal advantages for the government.

References

1.   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Company Health Promotion Programs:  A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5):296-320.
2.   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   The Role of Incentives in Health Promotion.  The Art of Health Promotion  2(3):1-8.
3.   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion:  Is it Really As Important as We Think?  The Art of Health Promotion  7(2):1-12.
4.   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Assessment of Corporate Wellness Programs Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.  The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-15.
5.   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Worksite Wellness Programs and Worksite Wellness Programs:  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6):  431-432.
6.   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   The Role of Health and Wellness Coaching in Employee Wellness Programs.   The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-12.
7.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive:  An Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Job Site Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   An In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9.   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research:  A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5): 341-349.
10.   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11.   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7): 746-754.
12.   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management Programs at the Job Site: Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13.   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  An Unhealthy America:  The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.
14.   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health:  Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces.   http://www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Business America is increasingly investing in employee wellness because it is good business.  In order to meet productiveness demands, companies must rely on a healthy, advantageous workforce to succeed in the highly competitive global marketplace.  Over a hundred research studies in both corporate and governmental settings have documented the economic benefits of Employee Health Promotion Programs, including reduced absenteeism, reduced injuries and workman’s compensation costs, reduced health care costs, reduced employee turnover, as well as better productiveness, greater worker satisfaction, and improved morale.1-10  

The more recent literature reflects improvements in wellness programming along with greater return on investment.  In general, the more focused and intensive the program, the greater profit realized.  To enhance their effectiveness federal government Company Health Promotion Programs may be able to incorporate some of the features described.  Employee wellness programs determined to have positive returns on investment frequently include the following features:

1.   Health and work rate management model
Programs characterized by this model focus attention on identification and reduction of specific risks or behaviors such as smoking, lack of physical exercise, excess weight, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, high Blood Pressure (BP), stress, depression, and so on.  High-risk staff members are specifically targeted for intervention, even though the most thriving programs also direct efforts towards healthy staff members in order to maintain their low-risk status.  This model emphasizes outcomes as opposed to simply offering wellness activities for their own sake.  

2.   Health risk appraisal
Use of a computerized health risk appraisal (HRA) instrument with individualized feedback and recommendations is almost universal in successful programs.  Staff Members take the questionnaire each year in many cases.  The HRA serves to increase awareness, provide direction, and arouse individuals to better specific behaviors.  In some cases, the personalized report is directly linked to appropriate resources related to identified risks.  Research indicates that the use of an HRA is effective if it is followed by some kind of educational or therapeutic intervention for identified risks.  It frequently serves as the entry point into wellness programs.

3.   Health Testing
Many programs combine the results of the health risk appraisal with measurement of each employee’s biometrics, including weight and Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure (BP), blood lipids, fasting glucose, and assorted other metrics.  Combining the results of the HRA with biological measures results in a more accurate risk profile.   Computer health risk appraisals often incorporate biometric data in their risk analysis.

4.   Incentives
employees are commonly given monetary or other significant rewards for completing an HRA, participation in a program or class, specific accomplishments such as stopping smoking, losing weight, or exercising, and for maintaining healthy status and/or behaviors.  In numerous cases the monetary rewards and incentives are associated with reductions in health care insurance premiums.  Some programs use disincentives as well as rewards and incentives, such as charging employees who smoke higher rates for their health care insurance contribution.

5.   High participation rates
Successful programs use incentives/rewards to drive participation rates up.  They also market their programs extensively, and may use contest or challenge strategies to heighten enthusiasm and advocate participation.

6.   Wellness coaching
workers with identified risks or desire to improve their health habits may be periodically coached via telephone by trained health and wellness coaches.  Health & Wellness Coaching helps workers set and achieve realistic lifestyle-related goals/objectives including those addressing stress, work life balance, smoking, weight, physical activity, and various behavior modifications.  Three or more sessions are generally available.  In some intensive programs, the coaching extends to actual disease management intervention for workers with identified elevated-risk diseases.

7.   Multiple formats
Programs may offer wellness content in online, paper, and seminar formats to backing stimulating variety and alternatives in order to accommodate the needs of all employees.  In addition to onsite physical activity and healthy eating activities, on-line programs, e-mail reminders and notices, printed newsletters and materials, and corporation sessions are common dissemination strategies.

8.   Senior Leadership reinforcement
Enthusiastic and successive endorsement by upper management is critical to achieving high rates of participation.  When senior executives are wellness role models themselves the effects of endorsement are enhanced.

9.   Frequent contact
Effective programs have common contact of some sort with every employee.  This may be through marketing efforts (e.g., posters, e-mail notices, reminders, or messages, etc.), bulletin boards, newsletters, employee meeting presentations, discussion in new employee orientation, supervisory sessions, etc.   The key is to enhance employee awareness of wellbeing and health opportunities and reinforce the corporate emphasis on wellness through common and multiple “touches”.

10.   Open enrollment
To bolster high participation rates employees must have simple access to the wellness programs and activities.  Open and uncomplicated enrollment processes achieve this.  Some businesses automatically enroll all employees and then allow those who do not wish to take part to “opt-out”.  This practice has been shown to boost enrollment rates in some settings.

11.   Family participation
Many programs encourage spouses and other family members to take part in the employer wellness activities and to adopt a healthy lifestyle along with the designated employee.  It is far easier for the employee to have a healthy lifestyle if his/her family does so as well.

12.   Smoking cessation
Because smoking and other tobacco use is the number one threat to health it is vital to offer employees effective and convenient assistance with quitting.  Access to tobacco cessation pharmaceuticals is frequently part of such programs.  In-house programs provide the most convenient access to these services, even though on-line or phone-based programs may be available as well.  

13.   Exercise
Regular physical activity is a core component of every wellness program.  Workers must be strongly encouraged to engage in regular physical activity.  Most programs provide either periodic or continuous worksite opportunities, and some locations have worksite gyms, swimming pools, walking trails, etc.  Discounted or paid memberships to community exercise facilities is a common alternative to worksite facilities.

14.   Weight management
Because obesity is a primary threat to health it is imperative that programs offer effective assistance with weight management.  Enthusiastic encouragement from management to shed excess weight is valuable.  Online programs, workplace programs, or discounted access to weight management programs in the neighborhood may all be available.  Long-term follow-up is vital for maintenance of weight loss.

15.   Stress management
Workplace stress is perhaps the most common complaint among employees and a major contributor to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), and low morale.  Almost all thriving wellness programs offer assistance with personal and worksite stress.  Some programs refer employees to outside resources for more genuine conditions like depression and anxiety disorders, but most offer online or frequent onsite general stress reduction programs.  Some businesses endeavor to structure the work environment to minimize stress, both physically and operationally.

16.   Wellness screenings/immunizations
workers are actively encouraged to complete recommended medical care screenings for Blood Pressure (BP), blood lipids, BMI, colorectal and breast cancer, and others.  Annual influenza immunizations are also encouraged.  Some sites offer these services at the workplace.  Incentives are often awarded for completion of these screenings/immunizations.

17.   Onsite medical care
Actual provision of onsite primary care medical services is a growing trend.  The rapidly escalating costs of medical care insurance for staff members has stimulated this trend.  Some companies have observed that it is less expensive to offer primary care services themselves than to fund those services through health care insurance.  On-Site care also reduces the amount of time staff members would otherwise spend away from the worksite getting such services.

References

1.   Aldana, Steven G.  (2001)   Financial Impact of Workplace Wellness Programs:  A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.   Am J Health Promotion 15(5):296-320.
2.   Chapman, Larry.  (1998)   The Role of Incentives in Health Promotion.  The Art of Health Promotion  2(3):1-8.
3.   Chapman, Larry.   (2003)   Biometric Screening in Health Promotion:  Is it Really As Important as We Think?  The Art of Health Promotion  7(2):1-12.
4.   Chapman, Larry.  (2005)   Meta-Evaluation of Company Wellness Programs Economic Return Studies: 2005 Update.  The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-15.
5.   Chapman, Larry.   (2006)   Employee Participation in Employee Health Promotion Programs and Employee Health Promotion Programs:  How Important are Incentives, and Which Ones work Best?   North Carolina Medical Journal   67(6):  431-432.
6.   Chapman, Larry, Lesch, Nancy, and Passas Baun, Mary Beth.   (2007)   The Role of Health and Wellness Coaching in Corporate Health Promotion Programs.   The Art of Health Promotion, July/August, 1-12.
7.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   Proof Positive:  An Analysis of the cost-Effectiveness of Job Site Wellness.  Northwest Health Management Publishing, Seattle, WA.
8.   Chapman, Larry.  (2007)   An In-Depth Look at the Economic Evidence for Rewarding Health Behavior Change.   Workshop presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
9.   Edington, Dee.   (2001)   Emerging Research:  A View from One Research Center.  American Journal of Health Promotion 15(5): 341-349.
10.   Edington, Dee W.  (2007)   Health Management as a Serious Business Strategy.  Presentation at the World Research Group “Rewarding Healthy Behaviors for Health Plans and Employers” Conference, Orlando, FL, January 23-24.
11.   Pelletier, Barbara, Boles, Myde, and Lunch, Wendy.  (2004)  Changes in Health Risks and Work Productivity.   Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 46(7): 746-754.
12.   Pelletier, Kenneth R.  (2005)   A Review and Analysis of the Clinical and Cost-Effectiveness Studies of comprehensive Health and Disease Management Programs at the Worksite: Update VI 2000-2004.  JOEM 47(10)1051-1058.
13.   DeVol, Ross, Bedroussian, Armen, et. al.  (2007)  An Unhealthy America:  The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease.  Report released by the Milken Institute.   www.milkeninstitute.org.
14.   Partnership for Prevention.  (2008) Investing in Health:  Proven Health Promotion Practices for Workplaces.   http://www.prevent.org/images/stories/2008/investinginhealth_finalfinal.pdf.

Evaluations determine the outcome of a Corporate Wellness Program. They help you discover if your objectives were met. It is a good idea to add an assessment component to your Corporate Wellness Program.

Evaluations may conclude that some interventions didn’t work well. You may learn that a popular Workplace Wellness Program expenditures too much and didn’t really affect employees’ health. While these may not be the outcomes you hoped for, without this information you might continue ineffective interventions. Having this information will help you advance better solutions. When your results are good, it’s magnificent! You can spread the word to workers and management that your program is achieving its goals/objectives.

Three major areas of an evaluation

• Company Wellness Program structure – The basic framework of the program
• Corporate Health Promotion Program process – How well the program is run
• Worksite Health Promotion Program outcomes – Whether the program met the set objectives

Common questions used to evaluate a Employee Wellness Program

Company Wellness Program Structure Questions

• What is included in the Corporate Wellness Program? What is the intervention?
• Where does the Corporate Health Promotion Program take place?
• How is the Corporate Health Promotion Program delivered? What content is included?
• Who manages the Corporate Wellness Program?

Worksite Health Promotion Program Process Questions

• How many people take part?
• Do participants complete the Company Health Promotion Program?
• Are participants satisfied?
• Which aspects of the Employee Health Promotion Program are best attended?

Workplace Wellness Program Outcome Questions

• Does the Company Health Promotion Program better knowledge about health concerns?
• Does the Workplace Health Promotion Program modify behavior?
• Does the Employee Health Promotion Program save the business money?
• What is the return on investment (ROI)?

• Ascertain through an employee survey what incentives/rewards they value.
• Determine what incentives and rewards the corporation can provide as well as what the budget will allow.
• Ensure that every attendant who achieves a objective receives some recognition.
• Avoid offering rewards and incentives for the “best” or the “most.”
• Avoid using food as a reward.
• Use incentives to promote your Company Wellness Program, through logos and branding.

Incentives promote employees to adopt beneficial behaviors or maintain an existing beneficial behavior that may potentially help the employee stay healthy and live longer. Adopting beneficial health behavior is fundamentally what wellness is about.

Incentives can be used to stimulate participation rates, help people complete a Company Health Promotion Program, or help people shift or adhere to healthy lifestyles. Providing incentives and rewards and rewards will send an important message to the staff members that your corporation is committed to supporting them with improving their health. It also plays a important role in motivating people to participate.

Tips on how to choose appropriate incentives and rewards:

• Identify through an employee survey what incentives/rewards they value.
• Identify what incentives the employer can support as well as what the budget will allow.
• Be sure that every participant who achieves a objective receives some recognition.
• Avoid offering rewards and incentives for the “best” or the “most.”
• Avoid using food as a reward.
• Use rewards and incentives to encourage your Workplace Health Promotion Program, through logos and branding.

When creating a accross the board Company Health Promotion Program, make sure that it consists of a variety of awareness, lifestyle change, supportive environment programs, policies and activities that target risk behaviors, and the needs and interests of the workers. It will be important to review and revise existing policies governing such areas as smoking sections and the employee cafeteria.

Tips on designing a Worksite Health Promotion Program:

• Design activities based on your intended goals/objectives discussing the specific needs of your staff members. Focus on those topics that are of greatest interest to your staff members and the greatest needs of your employer, in that order. Avoid topics with narrow appeal.
• Keep it simple. Design the Company Health Promotion Program so it’s easy for the participants to know and track.
• Integrate a combination of activities to include awareness, educational, and behavior components.
• Choose activities in which every employee can take part.

Suggestions for your Company Wellness Program:

• Challenges. Activities that focus on practicing a desired behavior that continues for 4-8 weeks and focuses on specific issues (such as physical exercise, diet, or stress management).
• Learning experiences. This includes courses, videos, and classes.
• Behavior changes (such as smoking cessation). You may or may not offer interventions at the workplace. Still, you should bolster individuals to make lifestyle changes that they want to make even without an external incentive.
• Education on disease management. By way of example, support and education groups for diabetes, elevated Blood Pressure (BP), etc.
• Learing new skills. By way of example, CPR and first aid.
• Preventive screenings like Blood Pressure, blood lipids, and vision.

Source: Adapted from the Building Healthy Texans Worksite Wellness Toolkit.

Develop goals and objectives

Goals are general standard procedures that explain what you want to achieve. Objectives define strategies or steps to take to attain the identified intention.

A wellness program must have a “destination”. Use the outcome of your surveys and your wellness committee’s mission statement as guides. Consider these ideas:

• Focus on making health information and learning resources readily available to workers
• Focus on group activities so employees can work together to support and promote healthier lifestyles
• Organize a wellness program that is visible to both workers and to your customers
• Focus on written policies and ground rules
• Set objectives for your wellness program.

Review Guidelines for Writing Goals.

Goals Should Be

Specific – A goal is specific when it supplies a description of what will be accomplished. It will state exactly what the corporation intends to accomplish. It must be written so that it can be easily and clearly communicated. A specific goal will make it easier for those writing objectives and action plans to address the following questions:

• Who is to be involved?
• What is to be accomplished?
• Where is it to be done?
• When is it to be done?

Measurable – A intention is measurable if it is quantifiable. To determine if your intention is measurable, ask questions such as: How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable – You can attain most any intention you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable.

Realistic – Realistic, means “do-able.” The objective needs to be realistic for your company and where the company is at the moment. A objective to take out all the high fat items in the snack machines may not be realistic for your company right now; a better objective would be to substitute some of the chips, candy bars and pies for pretzels, yogurt and dried fruit.

Timely – Finally, a objective must have a timeframe: for next week, in three months, by age 35. It must have a starting and ending point. It ought to also have some intermediate points at which progress can be assessed. Limiting the time in which a objective must be accomplished helps to focus effort toward its performance. If you do not set a time, the responsibility is too vague. It tends not to happen because you feel you can begin at any time. Without a time limit, there’s no urgency to begin taking action now.

Successful wellness programs are designed to meet the needs and interests of the workers. Ask workers what they are interested in, and what needs they have. People are more willing to participate and support wellness efforts if they are involved in the decision-making process.

When developing a survey, keep the following hints in mind:

• Ask mostly closed form questions, especially if you will be sending the survey to a big number of employees. Closed form questions offer specific choices and are easy to tabulate.
• Invite comments, opinions and recommendations, or ask open-ended questions at the end of the survey. Open-ended items are more difficult to summarize.
• Include a brief explanatory cover letter with the survey with the signature of the corporation president. Make sure to include a statement about confidentiality and anonymity.
• Ask a group of representative staff members to review the survey before it is distributed. Find out if the questions will be understood by staff members and won’t be objected to.
• Include demographic information at the beginning, or end of the survey (gender, age, shift, site, department, etc.).
• Conduct a random drawing for a valued incentive item for all those who returned the survey. This could boost the response rate.

One rule to consider concerning surveys is if you have fewer than 500 staff members, everyone ought to receive one. The benefit of everyone receiving a survey can be important. If you have over 500 staff members, a sample of the work population from each department will suffice. The higher the response, the more valid and reliable the results. A minimum response of 40% to 50% is considered important.

A essential first step in organizing your company’s wellness program is the formation of a Corporate Wellness Program Committee. The focus of the Corporate Wellness Program Committee is to plan, reward, and start the program. The Corporate Wellness Program Committee establishes continuity, motivation, and broad ownership of the program as well as provides an excellent vehicle for communication.

So who ought to be on the Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee? Consider appointing the following people/departments to your Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee:

• Upper Management within your organization
• Union representatives
• Human Resources (HR) department
• Employee Assistance Program(EAP)
• Information technology
• Communications
• Health and safety department
• staff members interested in wellbeing and health

Building a successful Company Wellness Program requires employee time as well as money. Some larger companies may spend 20 hours per week for three to six months preparing all the steps prior to initiating a Company Wellness Program.

Anywhere from 4 to 10 people meeting monthly equals a Corporate Wellness Program Committee. A mission statement for the Corporate Wellness Program Committee must be developed by the second meeting. This way, everyone knows what the Corporate Wellness Program Committee is working toward.

Once a wellness program has been established, the committee’s size and meeting schedule may differ. Still, no fewer than 4 members ought to meet at least quarterly so the group – and the wellness program – does not fade away.

Support from senior staff is critical to building a efficacious wellness program! Visible senior staff support is one of the most vital factors in the success of a workplace Workplace Health Promotion Program. Management executives are responsible for making sure that the company meets its objectives. They can provide additional assistance by assisting you to link your Workplace Health Promotion Program objectives to company outcomes, thereby positioning Workplace Health Promotion Program as a fundamental part of the company.

It is significant to establish support and excitement for the program from all levels of the employer including upper management, mid-level management, and grass-root workers.

The challenge for any Worksite Wellness Program coordinator is convincing senior staff about the potential value of Worksite Wellness Program to the business and conceptualizing how Worksite Wellness Program pushes can influence the business in a meaningful manner. The American Journal of Health Promotion is a great resource to support you with obtaining convincing information on the benefits of a Worksite Wellness Program.

Corporate Health Promotion Program support from management can come in countless different ways:

• Involvement in the wellness program planning process
• Distribution of funding for the wellness program
• Support for time given to the wellness program
• Participation in wellness programs
• Administration by management, such as the distribution of a letter of backing for the program.
• Flexibility of employee schedules to accommodate wellness activities

The first step in planning your wellness/Corporate Wellness Program is to know your organization and how Corporate Wellness Program will fit into the current structure. By researching your organization’s history with similar programs and eliciting feedback from co-workers, you can discover the best solution for your organization.

Corporate Health Promotion Program: Research Questions

• Find out if Company Wellness Program has been done in the past. If so, what worked and what did not?
• Was it widely accepted?
• Was programming thriving? Why or why not?
• What does your corporation hope to gain from implementing a Corporate Wellness Program?

Answers to these questions will help you start the process of creating a culture of wellness within your business. It is imperative that you evaluate the environment before starting a program.