Creating a Corporate Wellness Program
Over the past several years, corporate wellness programs have gained popularity across organizations both large and small. With the New Year approaching, employees are making resolutions to shed excess pounds, making it the ideal time for companies to begin implementing these types of programs. Furthermore, the workplace is an ideal setting for promoting healthy habits and instituting disease prevention, since most employed Americans spend the majority of their time at work.
Starting a Wellness Program
The first thing companies should do before starting a wellness program is designate a committee or person to lead the effort. This wellness committee, or person, should conduct an in-depth needs analysis based on the demographics of the organization. In doing so, employees should be given the opportunity to provide feedback on what programs would bring them the most value. By soliciting feedback from the main stakeholders there is a greater chance that people will be motivated to participate in the program.
Additionally, work to develop some specific “corporate wellness” goals your company would like to achieve and then build the program around these goals. For example, is the purpose of your program to improve morale, or to cut costs in health care expenses? With clear objectives, the success of the program can be evaluated and measured, much like any other business initiative.
Wellness Program Components
Once you’ve set your goals and determined which programs your employees would benefit from, you can start your wellness program by instituting a pilot program that can gradually be expanded over time.
Some ideas for components of a good wellness program include:
-Encourage fitness activities at work - Start a walking program where employees walk for a specified amount of time per week. In addition to slimming down, they’ll also have the ability to speak with their fellow co-workers in a more relaxed setting.
-Provide health club memberships – Partner with a local gym to provide discounted membership rates for your employees.
-Provide employees with a list of health-related resources – Make a list of resources where they can find stress management classes, fitness programs, and nutrition seminars. You can also include this information in your company newsletter, on your company’s intranet site or enclosed with their paychecks.
-Provide access to healthy snacks – Providing healthful alternatives in the vending machines will help employees satisfy their cravings with less calories and fat.
-Encourage employees to get out for lunch – Employees shouldn’t have to eat lunch at their desks during their lunch hour. A break from the physical and mental work environment can help relieve stress and improve productivity.
-Create wellness reminders – Post reminders around the office to encourage employees to take scheduled breaks and do office stretches.
-Offer smoking cessation programs - By quitting smoking, your employees will save on health care expenses and enjoy general well-being.
-Pay attention to ergonomics – Make sure that your employees have adequate lighting and comfortable work stations. Doing so can reduce your workers’ compensation risk, help eliminate strain-related injuries, and improve morale and productivity.
Wellness program benefits
There are multiple benefits associated with instituting company-wide wellness programs, including:
-Health insurance savings – For many companies, medical costs can consume half of corporate profits – or more. According to the Washington Business Group on Health, obesity alone costs employers approximately $12.7 billion each year in health care costs, medications, paid sick leave and life insurance policies.
-Illness prevention – Preventing illness is far more cost-effective than treatment for an existing illness, a benefit that helps employers and employees alike.
-Economic benefits to the company – Wellness programs reduce absenteeism, on-the-job injuries, workers’ compensation costs, and disability-management costs.
-Improved morale – According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) job stress has become increasingly common and costly problem. By encouraging and facilitating healthy habits in the workplace, you can help employees cope with stress and in turn become happier, healthier and more productive.
-A valuable recruitment tool – Having a wellness program in place will make your company more attractive to potential candidates, providing you with an advantage over other companies.
Bottom line: when companies commit to implementing a workplace wellness program, their employees gain access to tools that help them build happier, healthier lifestyles, making them happier, healthier employees.
Elizabeth Rice, SPHR
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/creating-a-corporate-wellness-program-706947.html
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Comments
Why do you blame the poor and obese Black women for their situation..read NOW?
If I was God I swear would flood this earth again and just wash away the filth of this world…
I am so disgusted by the arrogance of people. Why do people think its okay to make fun of the obese Black woman in the grocery store, at work, or in the mall?
Did you ever stop to think that while you are drinking your 10 dollar Green Smoothie…coming back from your corporate sponsored wellness program ( the gym) that if you were in her situation YOU would not be able to do any better?
Lets break it down for a second…
Most cities do NOT provide free recreational and wellness programs especially for women and working moms.
Its expensive to obtain gym memberships…and those who do have them are sponsored by their wellness programs at work..how many Black women have access to this???
Do you truly expect her to leave her children at home and go jogging alone…at night? Daycare is expensive enough without the additional hours…
Healthy food all the time is truly only affordable for the affluent. Especially now…grocery stores are HELL bent in making sure that only rich people can afford the organic fruits and vegetables.
All of the sensible, wholesome and healthy eateries are located in the most affluent parts or town.
This is a sin and damn near demonic for a supposedly first world nation to have such health discrepancies within the population. Even in the most impoverished nations fresh fruits and vegetables are always available to the masses…
We dont even realize the disaster we are creating in this nation…
Ohh not to forget the everyday stress of being a poor/middle class dark skinned obese black woman.
I am focusing on them for a reason.
Why not focus on not just obese but all women? Lets include men and children..why not the universe?
Diluting the issue drives us further from the point..thanks.
Untiss…you definitely do not save money on a fmailoy of four buying grains, fruits, and vegetables…
Family* I mean…
Lol…I am making a point about a specifically targeted group of people. I know there are obese people in ALL races…but obese Black women are rediculed the most and racists try to make them look like the MAJORITY of our population..thats why my focus is on them.
Obese white women do not effect the reputation of all white women worldwide..
Why did you make it a point to only focus on "obese Black women"? There are obese women of every race and I don’t think only focusing on one group is going to help the situation.
There are many poor and middle class people and they aren’t just Black. No matter what your race is, if you want to remain healthy, you will find ways to make it work. If one can’t afford gym memberships, taking walks, etc then you better invest in some workout DVDs. Once you add up all the money you’re spending on cheap fast food, you’ll realize that buying healthy alternatives from the grocery store will leave you better off financially and healthwise {btw–coupons do exist, it’s like people are ashamed to use them}. There are more White people living in poverty than Blacks, simply because their population is bigger. The reason you would only pinpoint Black women…I don’t know. Yeah, let’s make sure all the Black women’s health needs are met and let the other races who live in poor/middle class areas go on the back burner. What does that sound like to you?
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Whats your point? Talk about obese white woman next time their are more of them.
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It’s always someone else’s fault isn’t it? How convenient and pathetic.
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It doesn’t take a gym membership or any equipment to do cardio workouts. Also, I cut out all of the "bad foods" and started eating grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, and mainly chicken, and I actually save money, just buy what is on sale. Also, don’t make it out like Black women are the only obsese women.
rice and chicken with some types of green is one of the cheapest meals you can make. Agian buy on sale, there is always buy one get one free deals in produce. Maybe people would have more money if they didn’t eat as much and look for excuses not to be a smart shopper.
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i don’t blame blacks for their actions, because they are subhuman animals. the bible refers to them as "beasts with hair" and "beasts who talk." Obviously, you don’t blame a cow for overeating, so why should you blame a coon for doing the same?
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Excuses abound.
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it’s cheap to be fat. you can get a fast food meal for $4 dollars. healthier meals are more expensive.
but why are you perpetuating all the negative stereotypes of a black woman? obese, broke, single mother.. oh please.
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Okay totally Not being sarcastic but are You a Poor obese Black woman????? If you are I am sorry I laughed at you(okay that part was sarcastic I don’t laugh at Really obese people its sad and deadly
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ah yes, everything is biased against black people and only the rich can afford common groceries. black people shouldnt have to work for anything am i right? am i right?
also yes. in impoverished nations everybody can eat. starvation doesnt exist.
i never considered what the world view of someone with a far below average iq would look like if put on paper. now i know, thanks to you. whats it like to be functionally retarded? and to be half ape? and to know that both i and my race are superior to you in every way? that must suck.
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there are plenty of exercises you can do at home, yes the good vegetables and fruits are expensive but its all about making good choices. i feel sorry for the kids because obese parents turn there kids obese also
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Obesity and poverty are not "black" things. Obesity is a matter of eating healthy and exercise. Poverty is a matter of saving money. I’m very poor and formerly obese and neither is something you can’t stop. If you don’t want to poor you can always go to community college or trade school. If you don’t want to be fat you can always walk to the grocery store and buy vegetables.
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Honey, after reading this post. You can believe there is someone out here who is proud of you
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