Benefit Trend: Financial Wellness

Employers are recognizing a mind-body relationship that needs to be addressed in order to continue to improve employee health, lower associated employee health care costs, and improve productivity. For years, stress was a known trigger for many physical ailments. Recently, financial stress has been identified as a prevalent condition among US employees. If you haven't implemented a financial wellness program, consider these facts.

A recent study found 52 percent of employees are stressed about their financial situations and in millennials the number is even higher – sixty-four percent are stressed about finances. Almost half of employees surveyed responded that they are distracted by their finances at work and spend at least three hours at work each week dealing with personal finance issues. 

The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found that credit cards, debt, saving for retirement, saving for a child’s education expense, and meeting basic household needs are the top financial stressors for many individuals. Approximately one quarter of employees rely on credit cards to purchase necessities they would not otherwise be able to afford – and this issue occurs at high income levels as well as at low income levels.

The number of employees coping with financial challenges continues to increase yearly. Employers are starting to introduce financial education and support options much the same way as they offer worksite health and wellness programs. Financial counseling can come at a price to employers, but, if appropriately designed with standards to measure program success, employers will start to see an increase in employee productivity and ROI. 

Much the same as wellness programs, organizations should tailor a financial wellness plan for its employees’ needs. Programs can be offered as group educational forums, individual online sessions, or personalized coaching sessions with financial professionals. Finally, employers need to determine what aspects of the employee financial program will be mandatory and whether incentives for participation will be offered.      

Wellness Workdays provides financial wellness programs to a number of employers and works with employees from diverse backgrounds and income levels. Contact us to learn more about our programs and how we can help your employees get on the track to financial fitness.

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Nutrition Is Key to Employee Wellness

March is National Nutrition Month – a great time to highlight some of the benefits of good nutrition. At Wellness Workdays, we strongly believe that nutrition is the key to good health. Making healthy behavior changes and eating nutritious food is an essential component of our worksite wellness programs. We hire master’s level registered dietitians to educate employees on the many benefits of nutrition and incorporate the importance of dietary choices throughout our programs.

The facts are undisputable. Chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity are among the most common, costly and preventable of all health problems. About half of all adults have one or more chronic health conditions and one in four adults have two or more chronic health conditions. Treating individuals with chronic diseases accounts for eighty-six percent of our nation’s healthcare costs.

Good nutrition can help prevent chronic conditions. Nutrition is one of the four health risk behaviors that cause much of the illness related to chronic diseases. The other three behaviors are lack of physical activity, tobacco use and drinking too much alcohol. 

There is a strong correlation between an employee’s diet and their medical costs. Worksite wellness programs can provide the education and resources employees need to make healthy changes, and employers that incorporate nutrition into their wellness programs can prevent costly medical conditions.

According to the PwC Health Research Institute, evidence is mounting that supports the need to implement nutritional advice and apps into employees’ everyday lives. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that approximately 40 percent of American adults are obese and 24 percent have at least one diet-related medical condition. In addition, 38 percent of adults report they eat fruit less than once a day and 23 percent report they eat vegetables less than once a day

Luckily, consumer awareness of the importance of nutrition is increasing. PwC’s Health Research Institute 2016 Consumer Survey found that most consumers want more advice about weight management and help with diet-related medical conditions. Consider adding a focus on nutrition to your wellness program. Wellness Workdays can assess and evaluate the diet-related needs of your population and develop nutrition-related programs to improve employee health. Our programs are developed using evidence-based conclusions from research in nutrition and worksite wellness.

Nutrition is a key driver of healthcare costs. Implementing programs to change employee behavior and lifestyle choices can prevent chronic conditions and expensive health issues. Contact us for more information.

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3 Key Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs

There may always be individuals who don’t believe worksite wellness programs provide a return on investment (ROI), but those individuals are missing out on major benefits for their employees. While ROI is important, and a well-designed program can deliver a solid return, keep in mind that worksite wellness programs are all about employees. These programs generate invaluable results and have a real impact on bringing teams together, fostering trust, and boosting morale and motivation.

Bringing teams together. In the 2015 Mental Health America report, which included close to 2,000 respondents, 80 percent said they’re inclined to work alone because of an unhelpful or hostile work environment. Wellness programs can help solve this problem by encouraging team building. Programs can be designed to encourage social, physical and intellectual interaction among employees. Fun, team-based challenges can bring employees closer together and improve workplace relationships.

Fostering trust between employees and leaders. Wellness programs do more than improve relationships between employees; they also increase trust between employers and employees and this can increase employee engagement and productivity. A 2015 survey of nearly 2,000 employees completed by Quantum Workplace and Limeade found that respondents were 38 percent more engaged and 18 percent more likely to put in extra effort when they felt their employers cared about their well-being. When employers are unable to foster caring and trust, employees are more likely to become disengaged and look for a new job. Investments in health and well-being make people feel valued – an unquantifiable benefit that goes a long way.

Boosting employee morale and motivation. An organization’s mission and values are meant to set a course for the company so that each employee knows they are working towards a common goal. However, according to the 2015 Achievers survey, 57 percent of employees reported they are not motivated by their company’s mission. Employees who don’t think their work is meaningful are less motivated, which leads to decreased productivity and engagement. A well-designed worksite wellness program can reinforce a company’s mission and values and foster a renewed sense of purpose. A wellness program that serve as a hub for everything – volunteering, team building, culture and energy – rather than simply focusing on physical activity – is the key to an inspired and aligned workforce. Participating in charity walks, fundraisers and other events reminds employees that work is a community. Additionally, allowing employees time to participate in volunteer activities of their choice fosters autonomy and a renewed sense of purpose.

Worksite wellness programs can bring people together, boost morale, keep employees motivated and drive positive behavior.  Employers should continue to assess ways to inspire and align their entire workforce toward similar goals. Wellness Workdays has developed innovative, engaging programs for organizations that extend beyond physical health. Contact us to learn more.

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Evaluating Your Worksite Wellness Program: ROI or VOI?

An important step in the development of each worksite wellness program is setting goals and determining how you will measure results. This will help you determine whether your program is meeting your objectives and will provide insight about changes you can make to improve results.

Organizations can use two methods to evaluate the investment in their health and wellness programs. The first, return on investment (ROI), evaluates the amount of money a company spends on wellness compared to the amount of money it saves on healthcare costs. This form of evaluation is focused on the tangible return – money – and a measurable outcome that directly relates with the original investment. When evaluating a program using ROI, it’s clear whether the return or the investment is of greater value.

The second evaluation tool, value on investment (VOI), measures the overall value received on the financial investment while also including the abstract value received from the investment. Because VOI is not as tangible a measure, the types of outcomes may differ from the initial investment and can sometimes be difficult to compare.  When using VOI, it can be a challenge to determine whether the value or the investment is of greater value. Despite this challenge many organizations have started to use VOI to evaluate their wellness programs because it includes the invaluable benefits of employee health – increased morale, reduced sick days, decreased turnover and higher productivity as well as the financial savings on healthcare costs.

In deciding which evaluation measure to rely on, take a look at your corporate culture, your wellness program goals, and the size and style of your program. Your program goals can help  you determine how success should be defined. Does your program have a “people” focus, a “productivity” focus or another type of focus that lends itself to using either ROI or VOI? Next, define the size of your wellness program. Smaller programs are slightly more difficult to measure because a large sample is not available to accurately demonstrate financial comparisons. Lastly, take a look at your wellness program style. Is the focus on overall employee wellbeing or only on physical health? Is it activity or education based? The answers to these questions can help you determine whether a ROI or a VOI evaluation makes the most sense for your organization.

Whether taken together or independently, ROI and VOI are important tools that can help you evaluate the success of your worksite wellness program. Wellness Workdays helps clients evaluate each and every program we implement. If you are looking for additional insight or need help evaluating your initiative, contact us.

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Leverage Data to Strengthen Your Wellness Program

Good data offers the best information for corporate wellness managers to create and drive worksite wellness programs, policies and incentives. Getting the right kind of data and knowing how to obtain the appropriate data is an important component of your wellness program.

In most mid-to large-sized organizations, data sources can be found in-house through human resources, benefits, occupational health, safety, risk management and employee assistance programs. External sources such as third-party medical claims administrators or vendors who provide health risk appraisals, biometric screenings, health coaching, online activity courses or incentive programs are also great sources for data.

When making a data request, give consideration to the scope of the request -- timeframe, target population and geographic location. For instance, requesting three years of aggregate, organizational level medical claims will provide a better year-to-year trend of specific health claims than simply requesting data for the past year. 

Information technology applications can gather all the necessary data into statistical formats that are helpful to HR and benefits professionals. The data generated can be leveraged to provide decision makers with actual numeric values to achieve specific health management goals, such as:

• Analyzing medical claims to assess gaps in a population’s health care so that wellness programs can be developed to target these areas.
• Assessing changes in health risk factor levels and medical costs associated with these risks.
• Calculating the cost-avoidance that a wellness program has produced over a set time period.
• Analyzing the financial viability of a proposed wellness center expansion.
• Demonstrating to senior management that improving employees’ health has also improved the organization’s health cost management.
• Assessing current trends in the prevalence of health risk factors and chronic conditions to determine the potential impact of targeted population health management initiatives on avoiding future medical and lost productivity costs.

There are a number of analytical tools that can help you develop a comprehensive, customized wellness strategy and evaluate the results of your program. Gathering all relevant data from reliable, quantifiable sources will help you leverage information to drive programs, policies and incentives. Wellness Workdays helps organizations gather data prior to implementing a wellness program. We use the data to develop programs that target a population's needs and interests. Contact us to find out how we can help you gather and analyze data for your wellness program.

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Beat Rising Healthcare Costs with a Robust Wellness Program

Employers should be prepared for continued healthcare cost increases and implement cost-saving wellness programs for employees. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the average premium this year for employer-provided health insurance coverage for an individual is $6,400 and $15,500 for a family.  The cost is expected to rise by five percent each year over the next ten years.  By 2025, health insurance coverage could reach $10,000 for an individual and $24,500 for a family.

Worksite wellness programs have proven to be effective in not just lowering health premiums and costs associated with unhealthy employees, but, also improving employee productivity, reducing absenteeism associated with illness, and improving employee attitudes and quality of life. Below are some of the reasons that worksite wellness programs will help combat the rising cost of health insurance.

Substantial cost savings. Worksite wellness can lead to a better bottom line. The return on investment has been well documented through decades of research in this area and ranges from $1 saved for every dollar spent to $6.50 saved for every dollar spent. From negotiating better health care premium rates to identifying cost avoidance by moderating your medical trends, companies can experience savings in a variety of ways.

Increased productivity and engagement. The seven most common chronic diseases—cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, pulmonary conditions, and mental illness—are all caused or worsened by obesity and are costing employers $1.1 trillion in lost productivity. Research shows that much of this cost can be avoided. Companies with worksite wellness programs experience an eight percent increase in employee productivity. And employees like wellness programs. Well-designed programs provide access to experts for nutrition and fitness advice, convenient health screenings, and programs for mental and fiscal health. These initiatives make employees feel like their employers care, which can boost engagement and, potentially, productivity. 

Fewer missed work days. One meta-analysis of 42 corporate wellness studies found a 25 percent reduction in absenteeism and sick leave and a 32 percent reduction in workers compensation and disability costs.

Happier employees. Happy and healthy employees feel better about work and are less likely to look for a job elsewhere. Having a worksite wellness program sends a strong signal to employees that the organization’s concerns extend beyond the financial bottom line.

Find out how Wellness Workdays can help you implement a comprehensive wellness program that will save you money, increase productivity, lower absenteeism and create happier, healthier employees.

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Healthcare Consumerism Boosts Wellness Program Demand

Today’s health care plans encourage employees to become educated consumers – empowering them to choose benefits that work for them rather than presenting a limited set of options. Increased employee involvement in health care benefits decisions generates more awareness and understanding of the effects of a healthy lifestyle – and as a result employees are more vested in their lifestyle choices.

Worksite wellness programs have become an attractive choice for employees who want to see improvement in their health and the cost of their health care. Rather than waiting until something goes wrong to find out if it’s covered by health insurance, many employees are becoming more aware of the full range of benefits their employers offer – from wellness programs to other proactive health improvement resources.

The healthcare consumerism movement has given a boost to worksite wellness programs making them more appealing to a diverse range of employees from different demographics and occupations. Customizable plans are in high demand. Employers can work with their wellness vendor to create their own incentive programs, health goals, customized challenges, resources and activities. The more successful wellness plans are the ones that offer unique challenges, provide multiple alternatives to appeal to multiple groups of people and focus on the emotional empowerment of employees.

Wellness participants often save substantially when engaged in wellness programs. With improved health habits, employees have fewer sick days, fewer health-related insurance expenses, and often the possibility of earning wellness discounts by participating. Employers also save money due to lower health care claims, increased productivity and higher morale.

Wellness Workdays works with employees to make certain they are aware of all of the resources available through their health and benefits package and encourages employees to take advantages of the resources their employer is offering. We find that this coordination of benefits is a win-win for everyone. We also offer custom wellness programs that provide your employees with well-being initiatives that are tailored to your population. This increases participation and engagement rates and leads to better outcomes.

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3 Steps to Achieve a Culture of Health

Organizations with a culture of wellness are better able to recruit and retain top talent and, according to new research, are more profitable. Engaging your employees is crucial to sustaining a strong wellness program and developing this culture. And while wellness programs were originally developed to reduce health care costs other priorities have emerged, including boosting productivity, reducing stress, increasing financial wellness, improving employee loyalty and attracting talent.

C-level Commitment and Participation
To develop a strong wellness culture, a top down approach is needed. Company leadership must be involved and visible, and executives and managers need to set the stage for health and well-being. Upper level management should make time to participate in wellness activities and encourage their employees do the same. A successful corporate wellness programs relies heavily on corporate leadership and participation – and the ones who do it well are able to create robust programs that get results.

Measure the Value on Investment (VOI)
With management involved and participating, you are well on your way to developing a successful program. But how will you measure success? Interestingly, many companies have begun to measure a wellness program’s VOI instead of relying solely on the traditional ROI. VOI may focus on improving morale, attracting or retaining talent, reducing accidents or improving job satisfaction. Attention to VOI can, over time, increase ROI.  The industry standard for ROI is for every dollar invested in a corporate wellness program, you should receive three dollars in return over a three to five year period. However, companies are finding that by increasing VOI, ROI will also increase – and in a shorter period of time.

Outcomes-Based Programs
When creating your program, keep in mind that the most successful wellness programs are outcomes-based programs. Employees who participate in an outcomes-based program are more likely to have strong lifestyle changes. The biggest and most successful wellness outcome employers are experiencing is weight loss. Weight loss and weight management are the biggest part of the value on investment employers cite in their success.




The Wellness Workdays team works with companies across the country to develop and implement customized programs that utilize best practices for developing a culture of health. Contact us to find out how we can help your company improve the health and well-being of your most valuable asset.

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Three Factors Determine Wellness Program Success

Worksite wellness programs can reap strong ROI and have positive financial benefits on employers’ health care costs. According to recent research, the economic success of these programs is dependent on three factors:

• Establishing clear goals or expectations for the program over a defined period of time
• The primary focus of the program (disease management vs. lifestyle programs)
• Using best practices to enhance overall program success

Goals
An employers' goals can focus on concrete measures such as reduced health care utilization, which can be measured; or softer measures, such as greater productivity, increased presenteeism or higher morale, which are harder to quantify.

Program Focus
Wellness initiatives generally focus on two areas, as mentioned previously: disease management and lifestyle programs. Both play important roles in employee well-being; however, with regard to ROI, current research from the RAND Corporation suggests that disease management programs have demonstrated significant savings, while lifestyle programs show a lower level of direct return.

Looking at the ratio of reductions in health care costs to program cost, RAND determined that the overall ROI for worksite wellness programs is $1.50, whereas returns for the individual components differ dramatically. The ROI for disease management programs is $3.80 but drops to $0.50 for lifestyle management initiatives.

While RAND researchers do not think lifestyle management programs are worth the investment, other highly regarded professionals such as Leonard Berry, who wrote “What’s the Hard Return on Employee Wellness Programs?” for the Harvard Business Review, disagree. Berry notes: "Although some health risk factors, such as heredity, cannot be modified, focused education and personal discipline can change others, such as smoking, physical inactivity, weight gain, and alcohol use — and, by extension, hypertension, high cholesterol, and even depression. The results are worth the effort." Other researchers have found that the ROI from lifestyle interventions accrues over time and needs to be measured in the long term, noting that employers need to get ahead of illnesses to control and manage employee healthcare costs.

Best Practices
Most researchers agree that ultimately the success of a wellness program lies in adoption of best practices including: the development of a wellness culture supported by all levels of management through visible participation, effective and creative communications with employees that are continually refined and delivered through diverse media, offering a variety of accessible activities and pursuits, and ongoing programmatic assessment with methods for employee input.

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Tips to Drive Worksite Wellness Engagement

Sometimes employers roll out fabulous worksite wellness programs and then have a difficult time getting employees to participate.  What steps do you need to take to ensure that your program gets high engagement rates? At Wellness Workdays we work with organizations to develop a strategic, branded communications plan for every wellness program. However, this is only one tactic to drive engagement. There are a number of additional strategies that should be employed to increase participation and get workers excited about your program. A recent article in the New York Business Journal highlights additional best practices

Customize the presentation of the wellness program.
Sitting face-to-face with employees is a highly effective way to find out what their concerns are and what they are interested in. Some organizations use videoconferencing and others host brown bag lunch sessions to start discussions about wellness programs.

Meet employees at their starting point.
Employees come in all shapes, sizes and ages. In any one organization, some employees are avid exercisers while others have no interest in exercise.  Some employees are knowledgeable about nutrition while others don’t know what information to look for on food labels. Each individual’s health and wellness needs are different and employers should offer programs that meet varying needs.

Recognize that changing behavior is hard.
Employers should not be discouraged.  It takes a long time to break bad habits. Wellness programs should be viewed as a continuum and not just a once and done situation. Employers should be prepared to continually educate, encourage and bring employees on the journey. About 75% of health care costs are related to lifestyle, including diet, sleep and exercise habits, so it is in an employer’s best interest to be patient and resilient when implementing any workplace wellness plan.

Sell the wellness program to senior level executives with solid data.
Numbers have a profound effect on CEOs and top management. For example, a highly-engaged workforce in a wellness program can lower workers’ compensation costs by 39 percent. Once the health, productivity and financial connection is made, many senior executives will support the implementation of a worksite wellness plan and will be avid participants, helping to drive engagement.

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Benefits of Adding Wellness to Your Workplace

A growing library of over 200 scientific-based studies cite the beneficial aspects of introducing a wellness program at your workplace. These studies show that not only will wellness initiatives promote healthful habits, but they will also produce a positive return on investment (ROI).

The environment at any workplace, positive or negative, will impact employees. Considering that adults spend the majority of their waking hours at work, it is beneficial to promote a positive, encouraging work environment. This goal is made increasingly more accessible by the implementation of a worksite wellness program.

Worksite wellness programs benefit employees by increasing their overall well-being, while also promoting healthy eating, weight loss, increased physical activity, decreased stress levels and greater stamina. Employers can also benefit. Research shows that employers can enjoy reduced health care costs, lower rates of illness and injury, higher productivity, a boost in morale, and enhanced recruitment of future employees. In 2002, the US Department of Health and Human Services reported that workplaces with physical activity programs boasted lower health care costs, lower short-term sick leave and an increase in employee productivity.

Bottom Line: Worksite wellness initiatives are known to promote healthier behaviors among employees and employers, and recent studies show that these programs exude positive benefits across the board. Implementation of a wellness program can help employees make sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes while also fostering a positive environment in the workplace. 

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Tips for Creating a Successful Worksite Wellness Program

A successful worksite wellness program will improve the health of employees and increase an employer’s return on investment. If you are thinking of implementing a wellness initiative or are interested in revamping your current program, there are certain elements to consider in order to develop a successful wellness culture:

Health should be viewed as a fundamental business value. The health and wellness of employees should be integral in any corporate mission statement.

Survey your employees and gather information about their interests, their time limits and their goals. This will go a long way in helping you design a program that is well utilized.

Make sure upper management is on board and participates in programs. The most successful wellness programs are ones where executives are visible participants and proponents of the wellness programs.

Market and brand the wellness program in a way that attract employees and highlight the goals of the program. Use different forms of communication to frequently promote current and upcoming wellness programs and events (i.e., email, social media, posters and newsletters).

Find employee leaders and ask them to take on a team captain role, inspiring others to join the program.

Introduce biometric screenings and personal health assessments to determine the health risks prevalent in your workforce. This, along with the survey results, will help you develop appropriate programs. These tools are also a great way to measure year-over-year changes in your workforce (i.e., weight, BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol).

Offer a variety of activities for health and wellness that target the needs of employees. Include incentives to encourage employees to achieve healthy lifestyles.

Review cafeteria menus and vending machines for healthy meals and snacks. Wellness should be an overall theme throughout the office – not just something that is done one-hour a week in a seminar.

Reflect and review any data measures and reports generated as a result of the programs. The goal is a positive workplace with healthy employees. Be ready to make changes if needed to achieve overall wellness. 

Wellness Workdays helps employers assess, develop, implement and evaluate comprehensive, strategic worksite wellness programs that target the specific health needs of each population. For more tips on creating a successful wellness program, email us.

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Wellness Is Not a Competition

“The Biggest Loser” television show has had a long run. It is popular with viewers who tune in weekly to watch the successes or failures of individuals who compete to lose weight by questionable dieting and exercise regimens. Initially, it may seem like a great idea to develop a weight-loss competition as part of your wellness program. As you can imagine, however, there is a lot that goes on during the program that is not captured by the cameras, and the show has caught the attention of health professionals who are concerned with the notion of weight loss as a competition.
 
While obesity is a known cause of many health-related diseases and conditions, employers who use weight loss as a reward or create weight-loss competitions, could be causing more harm than good. Below are four reasons that weight loss contests should not be held in the workplace as part of a worksite wellness program are:

There is a false assumption that in order to achieve optimal health, anyone with a BMI or weight above what is considered the ideal range should lose weight. While BMI and weight are important, other measures such as cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, heart rate, lung capacity, bone density, and strength are also indicators of good health.

There is a misconception that if a person is determined enough they can lose weight and keep it off simply by eating less and exercising more. This way of thinking creates an unhealthy relationship with food, which can have damaging psychological effects such as self-loathing and depression and lead to eating disorders. 

The type of behavior encouraged by weight loss contests is unsustainable for long-term wellness. Restrictive eating and rigid exercise regimens require substantial time, energy and willpower and can be dangerous. Losing weight using inappropriate methods such as fasting, skipping meals and/or eliminating major food groups have proven to be unsuccessful methods to lose and maintain weight loss.

The weight cycle can become never-ending. Repeated weight gain and weight loss are both physically and emotionally harmful and counterproductive to well-being. The cycle can create self-loathing and leave employees feeling out of control around food.

Weight management is important for overall health so in order to have a meaningful impact, programs should be sustainable in the long-term. Programs should include both nutrition education and exercise initiatives. These efforts can help create positive feelings and the self-efficacy necessary for enjoying and sustaining healthy eating and regular physical activity. The ultimate goal shared by employers and employees is improved health, productivity and quality of life.

Wellness Workdays provides weight management programs for a number of employers. Our Nutrition for a Lifetime program consistently gets rave reviews from employees. We also offer a more comprehensive and targeted class for employees who are at risk for metabolic syndrome – a cluster of risk factors that puts individuals at a significantly increased risk for heart disease and diabetes. The Build a Better You program focuses on educating employees to make healthy lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of chronic disease and focuses on overall well-being, from nutrition and weight loss to stress and strength training.  

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Healthy Workplace, Healthy Employees

Can healthy practices at your workplace help you maintain a healthy weight? The average American works at least forty-seven hours per week. Spending so many of our waking hours at the office makes the workplace a prime location for wellness intervention.

A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health studied the impact of workplace environment on the employee’s diet, physical activity level and body mass index (BMI). The researchers collected data on 1,538 people who answered surveys while in middle or high school during 1998 and 1999. Ten years later, the participants were asked to answer another survey. At the second survey, the average age of the participants was twenty-five years old. The surveys assessed each participant's height, weight, typical diet, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and specifics about their workplace food, environment and location.

Results demonstrated that employees who identified three or more healthy factors at work, such as exposure to healthy foods in the break room or ease of being active, were less likely to be obese than those working at jobs with fewer healthy factors. About 17 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that encouraged healthy lifestyle habits, whereas 24 percent of employees were obese in workplaces that did not promote healthy practices. Workplace characteristics independently associated with weight-related outcomes included soda availability, proximity to a fast food outlet, living close to work, and perceived ease of eating a healthy diet or being active at work.

Bottom Line: Heavy workloads and approaching deadlines often cause employees to skip exercise or grab a meal that is convenient, rather than healthy. Employers can create an environment for their employees that promotes healthy lifestyle practices. If you're not sure where to start, a worksite wellness company can design a custom-tailored wellness program specific to the needs of your employee population.

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Losing Sleep Over Your Sleep-Deprived Workforce?

Sleep is the most overlooked element to a healthy body and mind. About 60-million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and insomnia. While many employers offer diet and exercise plans to improve well-being, sleep is now viewed as another critical component in employer-based health and wellness programs.

Wellness programs that include a sleep education component will be a priority for approximately 20 percent of all companies that offer health and wellness programs. Employers are in a unique position to influence sleep and the health while recouping some of the $63 billion annually lost due to a fatigued workforce. Insomnia and lack of adequate sleep affects safety, decision-making, absenteeism, presenteeism (attending work while ill or tired), work site injuries and driving accidents, and can result in expensive mistakes. Sleep-related healthcare claims continue to rise and include payments for doctors’ visits, hospital stays, prescriptions and over-the-counter drugs. Prolonged sleep deprivation contributes to chronic disease, obesity, depression, cancer, diabetes and mortality.

According to a University of California-San Francisco study, only three percent of the adult population performs well after a minimal amount of sleep. The body has a delicate system that regulates the drive to be awake and to sleep. Ignoring these urges and resisting the temptation to close our eyes can lead to sleep deprivation and common sleep disorders. While a portion of employees may have conditions that interfere with sleep such as sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or prescribed medications, sleep techniques can be used by employees to aid in proper rest.

The National Sleep Foundation has a variety of tips and suggestions for employers when incorporating sleep improvement education in wellness programs. To start, employees should take a sleep self-assessment using sleep diaries to track and measure sleep patterns while noting sleep environment, daily activities, foods eaten and bedtime routines. Then, small modifications can be used to improve rest and sleep wellness. Employers can encourage employees to power down, set aside electronics and allow bodies and minds to restore.

Employers can introduce employees to solutions for sleep troubles including cognitive behavioral therapy, room environment modification, low blue-light exposure controls, pre-bedtime activities that promote proper sleep, appropriate food and drink, stress and anxiety management, and relaxation tools and techniques. Once employees have information and methods to modify sleeping habits, they can experience life-changing results within a matter of days and weeks.  

Wellness Workdays offers sleep education sessions as part of its comprehensive wellness programs. Contact us to find out what we have done for employers across the country and how we can help you create a well-rested and productive workforce.

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Trending: Employers Focus on Overall Employee Well-Being

As you evaluate your worksite wellness program this year, or start to make plans to implement one in 2016, read the Workplace Wellness Trends survey prepared by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans. While traditional initiatives such as health risk assessments and wellness challenges continue to be popular, there is a growing trend to add newer, innovative benefits including mental health coverage, financial education, collaborative workspaces, free wearable tracking devices, standing/treadmill desks and encouraging vacation time use. Employers are looking beyond physical wellness and focusing on the overall well-being of their employees.

The survey found that the top traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Flu shots (71 percent)
• Smoking-cessation (54 percent)
• Health risk assessments (51 percent)
• Health screenings (50 percent)
• Wellness/fitness challenges (42 percent)

The top non-traditional wellness initiatives include: 

• Vacation time/encouraging time off (66 percent)
• Mental health coverage (63 percent)
• Tuition reimbursement (63 percent)
• Community charity drives (57 percent)
• On-site events/celebrations (50 percent)

The survey notes that “organizations are offering wellness initiatives for different reasons—59 percent offer wellness primarily to invest in/increase worker health and engagement, while 41 percent primarily aim to control/reduce health-related costs.” The employers offering wellness programs are getting results. Ninety-three percent of companies that analyze their wellness ROI achieve a positive return on their investment. The survey reports that the average ROI per $1 spent is $3. The organizations that track more specific wellness efforts report improved engagement (54 percent), reduced absenteeism (45 percent), and a positive impact to their organization's bottom line (38 percent). 

If you are looking to implement a wellness program or need help enhancing an existing program, contact us. We take a comprehensive approach to wellness that is custom-tailored to your organization. We have worked with numerous companies to develop innovative programs that utilize cutting-edge wellness trends and research that positively impact the bottom line.

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