Worksite Wellness programs can help you and your employees.
This section is full of useful information to make your workplace healthier. Follow the Worksite Wellness Guide for information on how to get a program started. Then you can use the information below or download the PDF of the entire Worksite Wellness Tool Kit for useful tools and ideas for your Worksite Wellness program.

Worksites are crucial to improving the health of their workers. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a prime venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of assisting employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Employee Benefits Weight reduction Improved physical fitness Increased stamina Lower levels of stress Increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem

Employer Benefits Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees Reduced healthcare costs Decreased rates of illness and injuries Reduced employee absenteeism Improved employee relations and morale Increased productivity

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report in 2002 revealed that at worksites with physical activity programs, employers have:

• Reduced healthcare costs by 20 to 55 percent
• Reduced short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
• Increased productivity by two to 52 percent

Worksite wellness programs can help support healthy behaviors. Take advantage of these benefits in your organization. Start a worksite wellness program now!

Elements of a Comprehensive Worksite Health Promotion Program

1. Health education focuses on skill development and lifestyle behavior change along with information dissemination and awareness building, preferably tailored to employee's interests and needs.
2. Supportive social and physical environments include an organization's expectations regarding healthy behaviors and implementation of policies that promote health and reduce risk of disease.
3. Integration of the worksite program into the organization's structure.
4. Linkage to related programs like employee assistance programs (EAPs) and programs to help employees balance work and family.
5. Worksite screening programs ideally linked to medical care to ensure follow-up and appropriate treatment as necessary.
6. Some process for supporting individual behavior and change with follow-up interventions.
7. A means of determining how the program is working, and how it can be improved.

Assessment Tools
Check out the different assessment tools that are available, and find other assessment resources to help you create the right worksite wellness program.

Incentive-Based Programs - Employers may utilize incentive-based programs as part of their worksite wellness program. The following is an example that can be used alone or adapted for various types of programs to encourage people to participate. Feel free to change the types of incentives, log sheets or the behaviors you are rewarding.

• Wellness Incentive Program
• Walking Club Motivational Program

Making your Workplace Tobacco-Free

Tobacco-Free Workplace

Nutrition Programs

• 5 A Day Challenge
• Worksite Challenge: Fit with 5
• Reshape Yourself

Nutrition Program Supporting Materials and Information

• Food labels
• Eating on the Road
• Healthy Options for Vending Machines, A Guide for Vendors
• Nutrition Guidelines for Vending/Meetings/Catered Events/Canteen
• Portion Sizes
• Nutrition Social Marketing Ideas for Employers
• Tips to Help Meet Your 5 A Day Goal
  

Physical Activity Programs

• Physical Activity Counts (PAC) Program
• Additional Physical Activity Programs
  

Physical Activity Program Supporting Materials and Information

• Arkansas River Trail
• Physical Activity Social Marketing Ideas
• Tips for Being More Active
• Overcoming Barriers to Physical Activity
  

Weight Control Information

• Choosing a Responsible and Safe Weight-loss Program
• Calculations and Measurements – BMI
• BMI Chart

Chronic Disease: Helpful information

Evaluation
A good program evaluation looks at information to examine how well the program is working (process measures) and whether or not it is achieving expected results (outcome measures).

Process measures, such as participation counts and participant evaluations of individual activities, answer many questions about the basic operation of the program. Were all activities implemented as planned? If not, why not? Who is using the program? Which activities are most popular? Did the program meet the participants' needs? Are participants happy with class instructors, program materials, incentive choices, etc.? This information can be used to modify the program to enhance participation and participant satisfaction.

Outcome measures let you know which specific program goals have been achieved. Did employee smoking decrease from 30 percent to 25 percent by the end of the fiscal year? Did it decrease at all? Did the number of employees who file disability claims because of lower back problems decline from an average of three per month to an average of one per month after health promotion activities were in place for 18 months? Outcome data that show program success helps to secure continued management support for the program. Outcome data that show program goals are not being achieved point to the need for changes. Generally, if outcomes are not as expected, there are three possible causes.

1) The program was not implemented as planned (for example, no one participated).

2) The program was not well designed to achieve the desired results (although it may have achieved other unintended positive results such as improved employee morale).

3) Program goals were unrealistic given the resources available. Whatever the reason(s), this information is valuable and can be used to ensure future program success. Finally, program costs and outcomes can be compared. For example, if a firm spends $3,600 on a health promotion program that reduces the number of employee sick days from 48 per year to 12 per year, the company has spent $100 for each day of unused sick leave (not considering any other positive program outcomes). Self-insured firms, those that pay directly for employee healthcare, can also compare program costs to healthcare costs.

Remember to modify your program as needed. Routinely measure program participants' satisfaction with the program content, instructors, logistical arrangements and other program components. A simple evaluation can determine what participants like best about the program, what they like least and also get suggestions for program improvement or new topics to address. Health promotion programs are not static. They should change along with the needs and interests of employees and employers. Both evaluation data and periodic needs assessment surveys provide crucial information to guide program changes. In addition, it is useful to ask people who are not participating in health promotion activities why they are not participating.

Adapted from Healthy Workforce 2010: An Essential Health Promotion Sourcebook, for Employers, Large and Small. 2001, Partnership for Prevention: Washington , DC at www.prevent.org/publications/Healthy_Workforce_2010.pdf.