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We do Wellness, because Wellness works!

Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. ~World Health Organization, 1948

Our office has been doing screenings and workshops for companies large and small since our inception. We have been a part of the wellness programs at the city and federal level. We have spoken for university staff, non-profits, civic groups, and churches. Whether it is a lecture on hormones, a workshop on stress, or a blood pressure check, we are capable of providing a convenient and confidential health assessment to those who participate. If you are looking for someone to partner with to implement specific wellness concepts that will save your company money in productivity, you owe it to your bottom line to call us and find out.

What Wellness is

The wellness movement began in the early 1970's with the identification of the aspects of the human condition that people pursue. Though different models have been proposed, the basic 6 dimensions of life are: Occupational, Social, Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, Spiritual. In our office we are able to meet both the needs of the individual, through personalized care, as well as assisting organizations with the operation of a worksite wellness plan.

Why should you ask an employee to take care of a customer if you are not asking him to take care of his own health?

Wellness programs, as defined by the National Compensation Survey, offer employees two or more of the following eight benefits: smoking cessation clinics, exercise/physical fitness programs, weight control programs, nutrition education, hypertension tests, periodic physical examinations, stress management courses, and back care courses. [1]

Why your company needs a wellness program

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: [4]

59% of employees do not get adequate exercise
50% or more have high cholesterol
27% have cardiovascular disease
26% are overweight by 20 percent or more
24% have high blood pressure

"Wellness is an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward a more successful existence." - Dr. BIll Hettler

Benefits of implementing a wellness program include:

Attracting the most talented workers
Reducing absenteeism and lost time
Improving on-the-job time utilization, decision making and productivity
Improving employee morale
Reduction in turnover
Improved disease management and prevention, and a healthier workforce in general, both of which contribute to lower health care costs.

Wellness isn't just for big business

Without a master plan or major investment, Harold Jackson, the CEO of Colorado-based medical equipment company Buffalo Supply, established a wellness program for his 18 employees. He looked for small things he could change, like replacing the box of candy in the lunch room with fresh fruits and vegetables, and he started asking employees for their input and concerns. "It wasn't like one day we sat down and said okay, these are going to be the rules for our wellness program," Jackson says. "It was more like us sitting around brainstorming and thinking, given that we're a relatively small company and don't have a lot of resources, what sorts of things could we do that would help improve our employees." [5]

“The real role of leadership … is not and should not be command and control. The real role of leadership is climate control, creating a climate of possibility.”
- Sir Ken Robinson

The Bottom Line for Businesses

According to the American Journal of Health Promotion’s in-depth analysis, employers with work site health promotion programs see on average:

a 27% reduction in sick leave absenteeism

26% reduction in health costs, and
32% decrease in workers’ compensation and disability claims.

But the most important finding has to do with all-around wellness ROI. For every dollar invested in wellness, employers saw an average savings of $5.81 due to improved employee health and reduced medical claims. That’s significantly higher than the wellness ROI figures of $3 to $4 for every dollar invested that are more commonly reported. [2]

A company with a workforce of 12,000 people, Hannaford has frequently been touted as running one of the best wellness programs in the country. Spouses and children are also included in the wellness program. “Obese children cost a certain percentage more in the health spending in the time they’re children. Another huge factor is that if the parents have sick kids, their productivity is impacted. The parents are going to lose time, and they’re going to be concerned.” [2]

If you add up everything — the lost work days that are saved, reduced medical costs, and so on — IBM estimates that its wellness program has saved $100 million to $130 million every year over the past four years. .... IBM also likes to quote a figure from the Wellness Councils of America: You can save $3 for every $1 spent on wellness. [2]

A 2010 report by a team of Harvard University health economists, published in the journal Health Affairs, found that the average medical cost savings per dollar invested in wellness programs was $3.27. [3]

“We’re 50,000 employees in 23 states,” says Jackie Austad, Union Pacific’s wellness director.

Back in 1990, Union Pacific concluded that 29 percent of its claims were related to avoidable lifestyle characteristics such as smoking or obesity. Recent modified versions of the same survey indicate that the line is now holding at 19 percent to 20 percent — not bad in an ageing population that covers the continent. [2]

Employer Resources

National Business Group on Health
National Business Coalition on Health

REFERENCES
1. http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2009/apr/wk3/art04.htm
2. http://www.hrmorning.com/massive-study-shows-true-wellness-roi/
3. http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/benefits/Articles/Pages/ROI-Wellness-Data.aspx
4. http://acchamber.org/MediaCenter/businesslibrary/workplacewellness.aspx
5. http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/wellness-program.html