Health And Wellness In The WorkplaceHealth And Wellness In The Workplace

Creating an active Workplace Wellness Program Committee supplies opportunities for both upper management and employee involvement in the program.  The Wellness Committee should be a team of employees and managers who formally meet to plan activities to encourage healthier employee lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Worksite Wellness Program Committee:

• Evaluating needs & interests
• Brainstorming program ideas
• Planning activities
• Developing communication plans
• Promoting programs to co-employees
• Serving as champions of the Employee Health Promotion Programs
• Assisting with evaluation  

Your Employee Wellness Program Committee should be representative of all levels of the business.  Consider all areas of the workforce – multiple sites, shift workers, diversity (race, gender, ethnicity), and departments.   It’s also significant to consider who will chair or co-chair the Employee Wellness Program Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a Employee Wellness Program manager or occupational health professional, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the advantages of a health professional.  

Depending on your business size and resources, if you already have a business Safety Committee you may want to think about making it the Safety & Worksite Wellness Program Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite employees to take part.  

The number of Worksite Wellness Program Committee participants is dependent upon the size of your employer; however, you need a sufficient number of participants to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, usually at least 4 participants and maximum of 12 to 15 participants.  It’s important to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those employees already practicing healthy lifestyles.  

Depending on your worksite, consider representatives from the following areas:

• Employee representatives from a cross section of different departments,
• Senior Leadership
• Health and safety professional(s),
• Human resources consultant(s),
• Employee benefits representative or someone from finance,
• Your Employee Assistance Program(EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for more information on EAPs
• Occupational health employee (if applicable).

Establish an effective Company Health Promotion Program Committee!  The Company Health Promotion Program Committee should meet frequently with a planned agenda and action items.  Effective Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and objectives.  Participants must believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is significant, benefits the organization and co-staff members, and they are appreciated for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for examples of what other companies have implemented.

As with any program, the two most important elements for the performance of your wellness program are upper management backing & employee involvement.  Senior Leadership establishes the vision and supports the resources from which action plans flow.  Genuine backing from senior personnel also lends credibility to the wellness program.  It is critical that upper management be visible supporters and role models for your Corporate Health Promotion Program.

staff members need to be involved on several echelons so that they feel ownership of the wellness program.  Staff Members are the program stakeholders!  All staff members should have an opportunity to provide input and feedback through needs & interest surveys and program assessment tools.  The information gathered should be used to plan programs that target those needs and interests to ensure participation, buy-in, and reinforcement.

There are several methods to identify employee needs and interests such as:

• Directing Employee Focus Groups
• Talking About Wellness Interests During Department meetings
• Distributing and Summarizing a Needs & Interest Survey
• (Including|Allowing for|Making sure to include} a Time to Give Suggestions on Each Evaluation Tool  

Any one or combination of several techniques will make sure that the wellness program meets what workers want.

Step 3 provides additional information on determining wellness program needs.  But first, adopting a Employee Health Promotion Program Committee can help you involve upper management & workers, determine need, and plan your wellness program.

A key to a efficacious Workplace Health Promotion Program requires management commitment and employee participation.

Company Health Promotion Program Step 2: Create a Company Health Promotion Program Committee

An active Workplace Health Promotion Program Committee sees to employee participation, supports buy-in, management support, and maintains a crew that is prepared to take action to integrate wellness programs.

Corporate Wellness Program Step 3: Gather Data to Determine Key Needs and Expectations

The next vital component is to base the Worksite Health Promotion Program on the needs and interests of your corporation and its employees.

Corporate Wellness Program Step 4: Establish Goals and Objectives

Goals and objectives are the maps to guide you where your program needs to go.   These are the foundation for planning and evaluating activities to see to it that your wellness program will meet your special needs.

Employee Health Promotion Program Step 5: Design a Detailed Action Plan

There is no such thing as over-planning!  The best of intentions can get lost, overstepped, or forgotten in the absence ofadequate planning, and then it would be all for naught.

Employee Health Promotion Program Step 6: Choose and Begin a Plan

Armed with the needs assessment information, a Worksite Health Promotion Program Committee, objectives it’s now time to put your plan into action!

Company Health Promotion Program Step 7: Monitor and Review Your Company Health Promotion Program

Assessment is a necessary step to keep a program focused, as well as to ensure that the program is reaching its goals/objectives or achieving the desired results.

In Summary

These Seven Steps outline considerations for a accross the board approach to establishing an effective wellness program.  Can you implement components of wellness activities without following these steps?  Certainly, but you may not have the sustainability or ability to see desired outcomes.  Following the Seven Steps does not have to be difficult or burdensome.  A very simple approach can achieve a efficacious wellness program!

Therefore, to ensure a successful wellness program remember the key components as you plan your program or better your current program:

• Senior Leadership Support & Employee Participation
• Active Employee Wellness Program Committee
• Employee Health Promotion Program is Based on Employee Needs & Interests
• Worksite Health Promotion Program Goals and Objectives are Determined
• Detailed Corporate Wellness Program Action Plan Based upon Resources & Budget
• Corporate Health Promotion Program Implementation & Internal Marketing
• Evaluation of Workplace Health Promotion Program Outcomes

The program design options depend on the goals and objectives and desired outcomes of your program.  If your goal is to help employees change behavior, reduce risk factors, or save medical care money then your wellness program would be designed to accomplish those outcomes and a budget would be necessary to support that design.  

There are different wellness program design levels depending on desired outcomes and budgets.  Each level has advantages and disadvantages.  The intentions or results are quite different, are not interchangeable in terms of obtaining similar results, and therefore should not be confused.  For example, scheduling activities such as an employee wellness fair or lunchtime education sessions, or having brochures available do not usually result in behavior change, but may expand awareness on a topic.  If the objective is behavior change then a different design is required, such as Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs and Business Support.  The outline below outlines the wellness design levels with a brief explanation.

Awareness Programs:  At this level a employer makes health information available and accessible to workers.  This type of program often includes handouts on a variety of issues, wellness articles in newsletters, bulletin board displays, e-mail health messages, etc.   Also, most health & wellness fairs are designed as awareness programs with vendors providing information and providing wellness screenings to workers.  

Awareness programs are inexpensive and do not require extensive employee or organization time commitments.  Still, these programs do not usually result in behavior change.  Growing awareness isn’t usually enough to generate lifestyle changes for most Americans, unless used to arouse workers to register for a program being available at the organization or neighborhood on the topic.  An example of this would be offering information on the deleterious effects of smoking and inviting workers who smoke to register for a tobacco cessation class.

Education Programs:  Educational programs frequently support more information on a topic and are able to also provide time for questions & answers, but are similar to awareness programs.  An example is lunch-n-learn sessions on a health related topic.  These cost the organization a bit more than awareness programs; however, they are still inexpensive and do not require a whole lot of time for planning or attending a session.  Again, expanding awareness and offering information may not yield the desired behavior modification unless ongoing reinforcement or incentives are also planned.

Lifestyle/Behavior Change Programs:  These programs are designed as 4 to 12 weekly sessions or workshops to support health & wellness education, address barriers and support opportunities to practice the desired skills.  Behavior change programs therefore require more business resources, cost more, and also require more employee responsibility, time and effort.  The results are often the desired positive lifestyle change, which if sustained can lead to potential cost savings.  

Examples are smoking cessation classes, weight loss and weight management meetings, or an ongoing physical activity program.

Environmental and Business Support:  Environmental reinforcement is frequently considered the highest and most valuable level to include when beginning your wellness program in order to support and maintain healthy behaviors.  These types of design options include policy changes such as:

• Creating a tobacco-free workplace
• Designating a walking path,
• Establishing onsite fitness centers,
• Ensuring healthy snack machines selections,
• Offering healthy diet choices in the cafeteria, and/or
• Establishing flex-time policies.  

Other examples include subsidizing healthy vending machines or cafeteria choices; reimbursing health club or weight loss and weight management program memberships; or providing insurance incentives for healthy lifestyles.

Ideally, the wellness program design would include some of each of these options.  The more integrated the approach, the more successful the results will be.  By way of example, a company can have tobacco cessation information available; can schedule a one hour awareness session on the harmful effects of smoking and how to quit; can enable an worksite tobacco cessation program, supply self quit smoking kits, or support workers to catch a area program; and/or on an environmental support level can establish a smoke-free workplace and grounds, offer lower healthcare insurance for non-smokers, or support pharmacological quit smoking aids for free.

Workplace Health Promotion Program: Components for Success

There are many key parts that have to be considered to see to the performance of your Company Health Promotion Program or Company Health Promotion Program.  These include:  

• Upper Management Support & Employee Participation
• Active Corporate Health Promotion Program Committee
• Program is Based on Employee Needs & Interests
• Goals and Objectives are Determined
• Detailed Action Plan Based upon Resources & Budget
• Program Implementation & Internal Marketing
• Evaluation of Outcomes and Program

Major benefits of healthy workers include:

• Lower Health Care costs
• Reduced Injuries
• Lowered Absenteeism
• Increased Morale and Loyalty
• Increased Productivity
• Reduced Use of Medical Care Benefits
• Lowered Workers’ Comp/Disability
• Positive Image in Community
• Lowered Turnover
• Improved recruitment for able employee

What is NOT Having a Employee Health Promotion Program Costing Your Business?  

Consider the health risk factors that are increasing chronic diseases for adults:

• 59 percent of American adults are overweight or obese
• Greater than 60 percent of American adults do not get regular exercise
• Greater than 75% of Americans do not eat the minimum recommendations for fruits and vegetables
• Heart disease is the most common cause of death and the leading cause of death in smokers
• 26% of staff members stated they were frequently or very frequently burned out or stressed by their occupation  

Medical Care expenditures are Increasing:  Medical Care costs are at a record high of $1.7 trillion with no signs of holding steady, let alone going down.  The average cost of annual medical care spending is over $5,000 per person and including dependents almost $10,000.  Recent data shows that medical care related expenditures now cost North Carolina employers thousands of dollars per employee, each year.

Most Illnesses Can Be Prevented:  Although it sounds unbelievable, experts state that avoidable illness makes up 60% – 70% of the entire burden of illness in the U.S..   In North Carolina, it is estimated that more than 53% of all deaths are avoidable, and that 2/3 of all avoidable deaths are due to tobacco use, physical inactivity, and poor nourishment.

Stress Levels are Increasing:  As corporation resources dwindle and employers adopt leaner work practices, the effects of absenteeism and lost productivity have a greater effect.  In a recent national poll, 78% of the population described their jobs as stressful, and the majority believe that stress levels have increased over The last ten years.  In addition, high levels of corporation stress can negatively affect a corporation by increasing injuries, absenteeism, and medical expenditures while decreasing productivity.  Simple solutions such as stress management education, flexible work schedules, quality social interaction, and increased participation in corporation decision-making can better stress levels in the workplace.

What is the Initial Cost and Time Investment for a Corporate Health Promotion Program?

The cost depends on the type of Employee Wellness Program implemented.  There are several options to promote employee health with pros and cons of each.  The program design depends on the goals/objectives of the wellness program, the corporation resources, and the area resources available.  

Enhancing nutrition, expanding physical movement levels, managing stress or discussing work life balance concerns, and reducing/eliminating tobacco use, are primary strategies for preventing many of the most common preventable chronic diseases. The possibilities of how your company addresses these concerns are endless and can range from expanding employee awareness, which may include purchasing a few handouts on a variety of topics, and measuring walking distances around your facility, to adopting company support such as funding a full-time occupational health consultant or building an workplace fitness center.  

When well-planned and based on your goals and objectives, any of these programs can help you succeed.  Refer below to Company Health Promotion Program Design Options for additional ideas.

A Workplace Health Promotion Program is an inclusive program to assist and support workers in implementing healthier lifestyles.  This could possibly include growing employee awareness on health issues, scheduling behavior change programs, and/or implementing employer policies that support health-related objectives.  Programs and policies that promote increased physical activity, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and healthy meal selections are a few examples.  

Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is more than physical fitness.  In addition to physical fitness, the ranges of good health include:

   • Spiritual Dimension of Wellness,
   • Emotional Dimension of Wellness,
   • Social Wellness,
   • Intellectual Dimension of Wellness

These dimensions are frequently illustrated as a “life wheel” with examples of health dimensions that include fitness, diet, purpose in life, monetary planning, social connections & support systems, stress management, mind-body health, career planning and ongoing learning.   The key to personal health is keeping the “life wheel” in allignment.  A comprehensive workplace wellness program addresses most, if not all, of these dimensions.

Why Workplace Wellness Programs?

staff members invest a whole lot of time working, and the reality is that our traditional work-week is growing.  In fact, the everyday American now works about 47 hours every week.  Plus, technologies such as modems, laptop computers, cellular phones, voice and email have made vague the line between life and work.  These realities diminish the amount of time that the average individual is able to spend on wellness and health pursuits, and yet staff members are predicted to be top of their game when at work.

A current study from the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses observed that workplace wellness or Employee Health Promotion Programs are thriving in supporting workers to make beneficial health changes due to several factors such as convenience, environmental reinforcement, and co-worker or social acceptance.  

What’s the Association between Wellness and the Workplace?

Programs and policies that promote healthy lifestyles are able to make a sizable difference on employee wellness AND effect the organization’s bottom line.  Studies have found that for each dollar invested by employers in Workplace Wellness Programs/wellness programs, there were savings between $1.49 to $4.91 with a average savings of $3.14*.  In organization jargon, that’s more than a 3:1 minimum ROI – a number that is hard to overlook, and a best practice that ought to warrant serious consideration from employers.  In fact, a Workplace Wellness Program literature review posted in Health Promotion Practitioner Journal found:

   • 19 studies observed a 28.3 percent decrease in sick time
   • 16 different studies shown a 5.6:1 ROI
   • 23 showed a 26.1% decrease in medical expenditures
   • 4 found a 30% decline in direct health care and workers’ compensation claims

There is little doubt that a all-inclusive wellness program created to meet an enterprise’s specific needs can save money by lowering absenteeism, reducing medical care costs, reducing employee turnover, and increasing productivity.

• The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2003

Following cost, poor employee program engagement and inadequate talks and substructure are listed as the greatest challenges for employers administering any health benefi t program.22

By law, businesses are required to explain any benefits or explicit conditions of employment to all staff members – this is called “due process,” and it usually takes the form of a packet of information that new staff members are asked to review and sign during orientation or, in the case of existing staff members, a brief communication during open enrollment periods.

Corporations that only participate in the minimally required due process communication of a Corporate Wellness Program, however, do a disservice to the plan and the organization.

Opinions about Medical Care in companies represent one of the largest disjoins between management and staff members. In discussing the need for savings, most companies (70%) believe their employer effectively communicates about rising Medical Care costs, while only 34% of staff members feel rising Medical Care costs impact their business’ ability to succeed.23 When it comes to behaviors, 74% of companies believe their staff members should be held largely accountable for improving, managing and maintaining health, yet only 4% of companies think that staff members participate in these activities.

Under the proposed rules, the four requirements to be a bona fide Worksite Wellness Program are:

- The total reward that may be given to an individual is limited. The departments invited comments on the appropriate level of the reward, suggesting that a limit of ten percent to twenty percent of the total expense of employee-only coverage may be appropriate.
- The program must be reasonably designed to promote great health or prevent disease for people in the program.
- The reward must be available to all similarly situated individuals. More specifically, the program must allow any individual for whom it is unreasonably diffi cult due to a medical condition to meet the Corporate Wellness Program standard (or for whom it is medically inadvisable to attempt to meet the Corporate Wellness Program standard) an opportunity to satisfy a reasonable alternative standard.
- All plan materials describing the terms of the program must disclose the availability of a reasonable alternative standard.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration

As Northwestern Memorial’s Kathryn Krivy says, “The most fundamental failure in any Corporate Wellness Program is not communicating. You need to tell people what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. You have to get workers engaged and inform them of what’s going on.”

A properly createed Corporate Health Promotion Program is designed to save a company more money with greater participation. Nevertheless, a company must match its focus on program design with an equally strategic investment in efforts to engage staff members in the initiatives.

Lay out your case – Despite widespread recognition of increasing Health Care costs, workers remain skeptical that the problem impacts employer operations. In fact, only 53% of workers even believe what their employer communicates about the subject.24 Organizations need to be more candid and forthcoming about the amount they spend on Health Care and how that relates to larger budgetary constraints and potential investments.

Says Motorola’s Saenz: “We share with workers that we have been able to maintain Motorola’s Medical Care spend trend below national average over the past decade due to their participation in our various Company Health Promotion Programs. This transparency is necessary to keep reminding people the reasons for our actions.”

An effective strategy is to focus on the cost savings and central health benefi ts to the employee and not the employer. By personalizing the information in this way, it creates a win-win scenario instead of presenting the program as a sacrifi ce on the part of the employee. Information must be presented through multiple channels, constructed in a way that makes sense to all levels of workers, and provided to workers, dependents and retirees.

Make it your own – Every Employee Health Promotion Program will be different, and should reflect the culture of a employer. While program areas will be determined by analyzing employee health risks, the actual offerings should be shaped by the nature of the employer. Younger, more active employee communities may be attracted by different programs than an older or technicaloriented employee. Additionally, a global employer with mobile employees will have different needs than a employer with one central location.

As noted earlier regarding PepsiCo’s HealthRoads, one strategy is for businesses to brand their Corporate Wellness Programs. Union Pacifi c Railroad (HealthTracks), General Motors (LifeSteps) and Caterpillar (Healthy Balance) all adopted this approach to help create recognition and a larger meaning around their efforts. Having a branded plan helps staff members and other stakeholders see the larger goals of the Corporate Wellness Program, instead of focusing on isolated offerings.

Say it loud, say it proud – As a potential cost-saving initiative, Workplace Health Promotion Programs ought to be given the same executive support and internal commitment as any comparable business effort. Companies ought to not approach wellness as simply a preventive, financially-motivated program, but rather as an opportunity for the business to distinguish itself and become more competitive.

Jeffrey Treem, analyst, Edelman Change and Employee Program Engagement Group, says that effective communication about Company Health Promotion Programs should be integrated into existing organization communication channels and vehicles. “This comprises executive communication to external stakeholders,” he notes, “because this sends a powerful message back to staff members about the priority of the programs. Company Health Promotion Programs should not be treated as merely an additional employee perk, but rather an innovative and strategic effort to cut costs and create a healthier work environment.” Talk among yourselves – The most powerful champions of any Company Health Promotion Program will be the participants.

Corporations ought to find ways to facilitate discussions about the program among workers. This could take the form of support groups, interactive media and the sharing of success stories.

Nevertheless, since Employee Health Promotion Programs touch on potentially private health problems, it is significant communication remains positive and inclusive, while not pressuring staff members. Discussion of wellness problems ought to be voluntary, though corporations may consider providing rewards and incentives for those willing to contribute. Motivation and information from peers is likely to carry more credibility and significance than messages from management.

———-

Even in an at-will employment environment, people are still guarded from discrimination (including wrongful termination) by virtue of belonging to a protected class. Prior to implementing a Workplace Health Promotion Program, companies need to be aware of the relevant legal restrictions and the potential impacts these measures can have on benefi ts and employee behavior programs.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 – Prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

This means that standards and offerings need to be applied equally (or possibly proportionally) to all protected classes. In other words, if a company is offering access to fitness centers, it must ensure that men and women have equal access to facilities. Companies must also consider whether a person who may live in areas heavily populated by one race, religion or ethnicity also have access to facilities and programs. The easiest way to address this concern is to support onsite Corporate Wellness Programs whenever possible. This not only ensures equal access, but according to Northwestern Memorial’s Krivy, also expands participation.

Organizations must also be aware that particular health problems may disproportionately affect protected classes. Health Risk Assessments and any incentives/rewards put in place may must be personalized to account for non-lifestyle related differences.

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) – Protects men and women who perform substantially equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination. Benefits, incentives/rewards and programs need to be applied equally to men and women. A business cannot set a weight goal for men and not for women, even though a business can set health parameters by work function. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) – Protects people who are 40 years of age or older from discrimination based on age.

Policies not only need to be available to individuals of all ages, but program goals/objectives, restrictions and incentives/rewards need to be designed with age appropriateness. While older employees (or retirees and dependents) may inherently pose a higher health risk, their conduct must be judged in terms of demographically appropriate measures.

Title I and Title V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) – Prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities in the private sector, and in state and local governments. Similar to other workplace offerings, any Workplace Wellness Programs, such as a fitness center or health clinic, would have to make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities.

One area of uncertainty is whether corpulent employees qualify as disabled. The issue is complicated because weight is caused by several factors (genetics, environment, behavior), some of which may be out of the employee’s control. Generally, for employees to qualify for disability based on weight, the condition must signifi cantly impair their physical or mental ability to perform their job. This determination would need to be made by a qualifi ed physician. Although this label may affect the types of incentives and rewards and program requirements provided, it likely would not affect the overriding implementation of behavioral-focused initiatives.

Civil Rights Act of 1991 – Provides monetary damages in cases of intentional employment discrimination.

This legislation permits people to sue organizations for improper treatment. Compensation can be in the form of actual damages such as lost or expected wages, compensatory damages for a situation that causes public embarrassment, or even punitive damages meant to send a message to a employer for egregious or habitual violations.

While these laws govern all business activities, there are even more stringent restrictions with regard to Medical Care problems. Most policies, communications and data collection regarding employee health are governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). Under HIPAA organizations cannot deny eligibility for benefits or charge a higher premium on the basis of:

• Health status
• Medical condition (including both physical and mental illnesses)
• Claims experience
• Receipt of medical care
• Medical history
• Genetic information
• Evidence of insurability (covers activities such as riding a motorcycle, skiing, snowmobiling and other similar pursuits)
• Disability

Still, because wellness programs may not involve health care treatment or be insurance related, and may instead be confined to behavioral initiatives, HIPAA’s nondiscrimination provisions do not totally apply. To address this, in 2001 the U.S. Department of Labor, the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services jointly issued a proposed regulation to help clarify the lawful provisions of a “bona fi de Wellness Program” in the context of HIPAA’s existing language (See Box p. 14). Although the regulation is not yet final, corporations that comply with the measure will be viewed by the government as making a good-faith effort to avert discrimination in wellness programs.

Robust Worksite Health Promotion Programs are still relatively new to corporate America and the legal implications of implementation and enforcement are not completely known. By their very nature, these programs potentially expose companies to discrimination lawsuits, disengaged employees and harmful public relations. However, companies that make a good-faith effort to comply with current Health Care-related laws, find ways to involve employees, and communicate strategically, will be able to minimize these risks while finding plenty of room to develop a creative and effective Worksite Health Promotion Program.

For many companies, a smoking ban would not even apply to all staff members. That is because currently 30 states and the District of Columbia prevent companies from banning off-duty smoking.21 Additionally, 13 states prevent companies from banning alcohol use away from work. Only six states have broad statutes that prevent companies from prohibiting any lawful behavior. Michigan is the only state that expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of weight, however the cities of San Francisco and Santa Cruz, Calif., also have this provision (San Francisco makes exceptions for police offi cers, fi refi ghters and the San Francisco 49ers football team). When creating Workplace Health Promotion Programs, companies ought to keep in mind local statutes as well as established common law.

Savings of Voluntary Employee Wellness Program = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (expense of program)
Savings of Incentive-based Workplace Wellness Program = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (cost of program + cost of incentives/rewards)
Savings of Mandatory Worksite Health Promotion Program = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (expense of program + expense of policy-related turnover + expense of limited talent pool)

Constructing Corporate Wellness Program policies in a employer that employs unionized workers can pose unique challenges. Corporate Wellness Programs may be perceived by some unions as a condition of employment and therefore would be subject to collective bargaining between the parties. Nonetheless this postion can represent an opportunity for both groups, as a policy agreed upon between union leadership and management is likely to be received more favorably by workers. The United Auto Workers and General Motors worked together to create and position a joint Corporate Wellness Program which has successfully reached more than 800,000 participants. (See Case Studies, UAWGeneral Motors LifeSteps Corporate Wellness Program, p.21).

Unless specifically stated otherwise, most employer-employee relationships in the United States are governed by the principle of at-will employment. Under this system a employer, or the employee, can terminate the relationship without any needed showing of cause. This at-will standard gives private companies tremendous authority in governing the behavior of staff members. In this environment, companies can Finding Wealth Through Wellness 10 creatively design Corporate Health Promotion Programs based upon their specifi c corporate culture. Corporate Health Promotion Programs generally take three main forms:

Voluntary Corporate Wellness Programs – The most popular form of employee Corporate Wellness Program, in most cases they are made available to workers but participation (or lack thereof) is not linked to any type of consequence. Due to ineffective communication, frequently workers are either unaware of these offerings or confuse them with insurance-based medical care. Incentive-based – Corporate Wellness Programs based on incentives reward workers for participation in Corporate Wellness Program activities. Incentives usually comprise decreased Healthcare premiums, health club membership or customized support offerings. In these programs, employees’ behavior can be linked to a particular reward.

Mandatory Workplace Wellness Programs – Some organizations require, or ban, certain health-related behaviors. These can take the form of mandatory Health Risk Assessments for workers and restrictions on smoking or alcohol use. While mandating behavior is an effective method to eliminate high-risk behavior, the cost savings must be gauged against the potential message sent to existing and prospective workers. Given that workers are already under various levels of scrutiny in the workplace, individuals may resist attempts by organizations to regulate off-duty behaviors. In Addition, some workers may fi nd it diffi cult to comply, forcing organizations into the uncomfortable situation of punishing an otherwise advantageous employee.

In the short-term a mandate-based Workplace Health Promotion Program can lead to an increase in turnover, as employees either choose to leave or are fi red for noncompliance. In the long-term, the policy may prevent the employer from hiring an otherwise qualifi ed applicant, or may serve as a deterrent for individuals considering the employer. Limits in recruiting, for instance, led CNN to rescind a 13-year ban on hiring smokers.18

Employers need to make sure that Corporate Wellness Programs are aligned with the values and culture that lead organization operations. If a organization emphasizes trust and individual responsibility, then a mandate-based program will likely cause more dissension than it would in a organization that already heavily regulates organization conduct. Moreover, a work environment with a sizable disengaged population will likely have poor participation in a voluntarybased program. When calculating cost savings, corporations need to take a wider view and consider the effects on long-term employee engagement.

In 2005, Michigan-based insurance benefits provider Weyco instituted a smoking ban for all of its nearly 200 employees. Staff Members are subject to random testing and if they fail a mandatory breathalyzer test, they will be fi red. It is believed that Weyco is the first company to use testing to enforce a smoking ban – most employers ask employees to self-report behavior. Four employees (more than 2% of the total workforce) left Weyco as a result of the policy. A year prior to the ban the company implemented a $50 smoking fee, which would be waived if a employee passed a nicotine test or agreed to take a smokingcessation class. Weyco’s president Howard Weyers published that 20 employees quit smoking through this program.20 Staff Members were told they had one year before the total ban would go into effect. Under the new Workplace Health Promotion Program, Weyco does offer $35 a month for employees who want to use a fi tness center and another $65 a month for employees who meet fitness goals/objectives.