Archive for November 6, 2008

Corporate Wellness Program Proposals

November 6, 2008 / Corporate Wellness / No comments

What is a Corporate Wellness Program Proposal?

You probably have seen the term many times and wondered what exactly does it mean. A Corporate Wellness Program Proposal is a proposal put together by a wellness consultant that makes suggestions for what type of Corporate Wellness Programs you should choose, what tools you will need to accomplish your corporation’s wellness goals, and costs associated with it.

Corporate Wellness Program Proposals Assist Human Resource Departments

A Corporate Wellness Program Proposal is a great thing to have in hand when HR Departments go to upper management to request funding for a Corporate Wellness Program. It will provide necessary stats and trends, background information, and costs that will enable the HR Department to fully present their case. Upper management will appreciate the preparedness and the research that has gone into your wellness request.

Corporate Wellness Program Proposals Lead to Better Corporate Wellness Programs

A well thought out Corporate Wellness Program Proposal can lead to a better Corporate Wellness Program, because the building blocks will already be in place. Corporate Wellness Program Proposals will guarantee that your corporation gets the proper Corporate Wellness Program established. Corporate Wellness Programs can vary greatly, but when your employees ask, you can tell them that they generally include the following:

Walking programs which provides employees with incentives to take their walking breaks at their worksite.
Company teams, workplace yoga classes and massage therapists at the worksite.
Nutrition advice, weight-loss and healthy cooking classes, stress management sessions, and either a Corporate Wellness Program resources column in the employee newsletter or a wellness newsletter.
Stairwell initiatives to show how stair-walking can enhance health.

Category: Wellness Programs / Tags:

Wellness Challenges Encourage Corporate Wellness Program Participation

November 5, 2008 / Corporate Wellness / No comments

Wellness Challenges Are Popping Up Everywhere

Wellness Challenges are definitely hot right now and they are encouraging more and more people to get healthy and live better. Whether it is a city or a school or a social group or even a whole state, competitive spirits are being ignited by the challenge to be the healthiest team. The Wellness Challenges are usually about a six months to a year in length and they are made up of several teams, these teams all get points for physical activity, selecting healthy foods, and just making better life and health choices overall.

The best part about Wellness Challenges is even though there really is only way “real” winner; everyone that participates in the challenge is a life winner.

Wellness Challenges provides incentive to Get Healthy

Establishing a Wellness Challenges in your office is a great way to get employees to participate in your established Corporate Wellness Program. Have employees form teams and receive points for everything from attending a corporate Wellness Fair to getting a health risk assessment to beginning an exercise regimen. At the end of the year, the teams will win prizes based on the number of points they have accumulated.

Wellness Challenges Enhance Corporate Health

Not only will Wellness Challenges enhance the health of your employees, it will enhance the overall health of the corporation by providing benefits such as reduced injuries, reduced frequency of worker’s comp, reduced health care costs, better employee attendance, and better corporate morale.

Like we said earlier, everyone is a winner in a Wellness Challenges!

Category: Wellness Programs / Tags: ,

Corporate Wellness Programs Discussed at World Health Assembly

November 4, 2008 / Corporate Wellness / No comments

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 Corporate Wellness Programs to be promoted and implemented worldwide.

Importance of Corporate Wellness Programs

The report states 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.

Corporate Wellness Programs are Effective Tools

The report states that Corporate Wellness Programs are found to be effective in improving health-related risk factors, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. The report also states that Corporate Wellness Programs will enhance the health of employees, enhance the corporate image, enhance employee morale, reduce employee absences and sick leave, increase employee productivity, and reduce corporate health care expenses.

Corporate Wellness Programs Monitoring

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

Category: Wellness Programs / Tags: ,

Corporate Wellness Program ROI

November 3, 2008 / Corporate Wellness / No comments

Corporate Wellness Program ROI: Fact or Fiction?

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

Corporate Wellness Program ROI: The Bottom Line

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

However, the businesses that have taken the time to determine the Corporate Wellness Program ROI of their Corporate 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 Wellness Program ROI Alliance

Corporate Wellness Program ROI is such an important aspect of today’s corporate culture, that several large businesses 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 Corporate Wellness Programs.

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

Corporate Wellness Programs Components

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

Employee assistance Program
Disease Management Programs
Fitness and exercise Programs
Health risk assessments
Worksite health care Programs
Personal wellness profiles
Preventive Health Testings and immunizations
Tobacco-cessation Programs
Telephone based Corporate Wellness Programs
Weight Management / Loss Programs
Self-Care Programs.

Category: Wellness Programs / Tags: ,

Summer Wellness

November 1, 2008 / Corporate Wellness / No comments

Wellness During the Summer

Wellness is important all year long; however if your employees haven’t gotten on the Wellness bandwagon, then now is the perfect time to get them there.

Summer is an ideal time of year to get back into shape and enhance overall Wellness. The weather is beautiful, employees can get outside and they are motivated by the thought of having to wear clothes with less coverage. Fitness, or lack of physical fitness, is apparent in the summer.

Wellness in the Summer has Advantages

There are many advantages to beginning a Corporate Wellness Program in the Summer. Employees are more likely to get outside and walk or participate in group activities during the summer than they are in the cooler months of the fall and winter. The summer months are also a great time to establish a Wellness challenge with your employees and celebrate the completion of the challenge with a participant picnic or cookout. Finally, it always seems easier to eat healthy during the summer with all the fresh vegetables and fruits that are available during this time.

Corporate Wellness Program Kick-off

We recommend following these steps when starting a Corporate Wellness Program in your office.

Pick a coordinator for the Corporate Wellness Program who is willing and able to see it through.
Ensure that you have the support of corporate leadership.
Establish a Wellness committee
Use a Corporate Wellness Program survey to uncover the obstacles and goals of your Corporate Wellness Program
Provide Health risk assessments
Analyze the Corporate Wellness Program and changes as needed
Do not forget to stress that the Corporate Wellness Program is for the workers. Corporate Wellness Programs have been found to prevent obesity, cancer, heart disease and hypertension. Taking part in in a Corporate Wellness Program that provides all that should be an easy decision for the corporation and for the employees.

Category: Wellness Programs / Tags:
  Recent Entries »