Health And Wellness In The WorkplaceHealth And Wellness In The Workplace

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).