Posts from — November 2008

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 Workplace Wellness Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Workplace 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.

Workplace Wellness Programs are Effective Tools

The report notes that Workplace 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 Workplace Wellness Programs will improve the health of staff members, improve the corporate image, improve employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate health care expenses.

Workplace Wellness Programs Monitoring

Finally, the report mentions that to have a successful Workplace Wellness Program, monitoring and evaluation through Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) and health outcomes are essential and should be included in the Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative implementation. The evaluations ensure that the Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative developed meets the proper needs of the staff members. Staff Members should be reevaluated on an on-going basis to make sure the Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative is still working, or to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made.

Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI: Fact or Fiction?

Workplace Wellness Programs … do they offer a strong return on investment? This is a question that we are sure goes through ever corporation’s mind. HR Magazine addresses the Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI topic in their June 2008 issue.

Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI: The Bottom Line

According to the article, titled “Finding Wellness’ Return on Investment,” determining Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI is not an easy thing to do for businesses because it involves a lot of different variables and time.

However, the companies that have taken the time to determine the Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI of their Workplace Wellness Programs have found that it is quite significant. Not to mention, the Wellness program’s effect on the improvement of employee health and the slowing of the rate of their employee health care expenses.

Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI Alliance

Corporate Health and Wellness Initiative ROI is such an important aspect 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 Workplace Wellness Programs.

The alliance, formed by Henry Ford Health Systems, BMW of North America, Kraft Foods Global, Schlumberger Limited and MasterCare Worldwide, strongly believes in showing the value of Workplace Wellness Programs and want to develop a standard for how Workplace Wellness Programs are measured.

Workplace Wellness Programs Components

According the alliance, the following components should make up an corporate-offered employee Workplace Wellness Program:

Employee assistance Programs (EAPs)
Disease Management Program
Fitness and exercise Programs
Health Risk Assessments (HRAs)
Onsite health care Programs
Personal wellness profiles
Preventive Health Screenings and immunizations
Tobacco-cessation Programs
Telephone based Workplace Wellness Programs
Weight Management / Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.