Posts from — May 2010

5 Ways to Assess and Improve Your Employees’ Health

Emotional health is a state of wellness that comes from understanding and acknowledging our emotions and finding appropriate ways to express them.

As staff members, we often bring emotional problems from our childhood or current family life into the workplace because we haven’t dealt with them effectively outside of work.

This can seriously damage workplace relationships and lead to poor performance and negative feelings all around.

Many tools and techniques exist for assisting us improve our emotional health. Some of the most common are given below, with real-life case histories illustrating their use.

If an unpleasant mood or feeling persists over a length of time, do not hesitate to seek out a qualified specialist. Wellness programs ordinarily have specialist support already in place as part of their services.

1. Coaching/Counseling -

One of the hallmarks of emotional health is the willingness to ask for help when we need it.

Confidential professional help, the coaching and counseling provided by worker assistance or wellness programs, can provide an external source of strength and insight for “working out” emotionally-based problems instead of “working them in” to your job.

2. Self-help Groups -

Self-help groups are designed to aid individuals  in emotional situations in which they feel alone. the purpose of these groups is twofold -  to allow individuals  to safely feel and express their emotions, and to help break their isolation at work and/or in society at large and reintegrate them into society with the support of a peer group.

The classic self-help group is Alcoholics Anonymous, but thanks to technology, it’s possible to connect with others that have common health challenges, no matter how unique the situation.

People  are taking advantage of tele-conference groups and social websites, like sparkpeople .com and revolutionhealth.com. Wellness programs often have such groups available through web-based or telephone support. Progressive corporate wellness provider

Exan Wellness, for example, offers teleconference cell groups and moderated wellness forums for interacting with others in a supportive, confidential and anonymous environment.

People  with shared challenges get together and discuss the emotional challenges they’re facing at work or in other areas of their lives and work through change together.

3. Journaling -  Journaling is often advised by counsellors as a way to help identify and process emotions. People  record their emotions in writing as they experience them, in whatever form they wish.

By assisting the writer gain greater emotional clarity, journaling can help in making more emotionally informed decisions. In much the same way, letter writing enables people  to identify and process the emotions they feel about others.

The letter does not have to be sent or its contents shared -  it simply provides a place for the expression of feelings.

An 18-year-old “army brat,” Brent has always done well at school, academically and athletically. But in his last year of high school, something seems to have happened to him. He’s lost all interest in school, becoming moody and withdrawn.

Brent describes to his guidance counselor all the times he’d to move when he was growing up. Each move wrenched him from his friends and forced him to play the role of the “new kid on the block.”

The counselor suggests that Brent write letters to the friends he has missed over the years telling them how he felt. In conclusion, he has a chance to say a proper goodbye.

4. Assess Your Emotional Health -  Corporations that seek to boost employees’ interpersonal skills, or emotional intelligence in the workplace are more successful, according to ground-breaking journalist Daniel Goleman.

And emotional intelligence is the buzzword in workplaces these days. Some wellness programs have information about emotional intelligence, or emotional health assessments. Seek out more information about emotional intelligence for better corporate wellness.

5. Friendships/Support Systems -  Friendships allow individuals  to feel supported in their emotional journeys. at the same time, they give individuals  an opportunity to develop their empathetic skills.

These skills are also important for workplace health. When we are empathic with fellow workers, we help them resolve negative or unhealthful emotions. New friendships are made through hobbies, classes, clubs, or even through web-based groups.

Many people  are finding emotional satisfaction by connecting or re-connecting with friends through Facebook and other social web sites.

Sometimes workplace stress that isn’t dealt with in a healthy manner may be brought home. A 36-year-old mother of three, Sarah, wants to be a good wife, a good mother, and a success at her job.

One day, drained after a long day at work, she shouted at her rambunctious kids and threatened to hit her youngest son. Her behavior horrified her. to make matters worse, she believes she is a failure at her job in addition to at motherhood. She watches with jealousy as younger colleagues advance much more rapidly up the corporate ladder despite having less experience than she has.

On the advice of a counselor, she determines to take time out for herself and take a course for amateur painters. It does not take long before she strikes up a friendship with a single mom in the class.

She once led a life very similar to Sarah’s before managing to achieve a better balance between work and family. Her new friend becomes a much-needed sounding board for Sarah and offers her perspectives on her life that she hadn’t considered before.

25 percent Jump in Company Interest in Staff Member Wellness

Corporate wellness for their employees, employers are discovering, is good for the health of their companies as well. Wellness programs help to cut the costs associated with poor employee health, which include absenteeism, loss of productivity and poor work quality.

A recent Hewitt Associates survey of over 500 USA companies indicated a meaningful paradigm shift in how companies view health benefits for their employees.

Of those surveyed this year, 88 percent are committed to instituting long-term health care assistance programs (over the next 3-5 years) for their workers, with the goal of improveing the health and productivity of their workforce. This represents a 25 percent increase in interest in wellness programs over 2007.

A strong offering of wellness programs to meet the demand has resulted. Health assistance providers have broadened their programs with tools that address general lifestyle factors, physical, social and psychological health factors.

Programs look to predict chronic illness in their workers and give them the tools and the information to prevent it. Corporations also demand a way to measure the effectiveness of their healthcare spending.

Self-care is our motive, says Vic Lebouthillier, president of progressive wellness provider Exan Wellness.”We really believe giving employees tools to help them manage their own health, and promoting the benefits, while giving individuals  resources to reach out for help is the key to successful lifestyle change.

Corporations are also telling us they need a cost-effective way to deliver wellness programs. the type of program we have created over years delivers the highest healthcare return on investment.”

Combining corporate wellness promotions, online assessments and health trackers, online medical information, telephone conferences and self-help groups, and access to a wide variety of health professionals, is behind the success of the Exan program. “Having online statistics about employees’ health also makes it easier to track the bottom line - ROI” says Vic Lebouthillier.

Businesses are moving beyond their traditional role as a provider of healthcare benefits to develop holistic programs that pinpoint the specific health needs of their employee populations, drive employee behavior change and eliminate barriers to healthcare, says Jim Winkler, leader of Hewitt’s health management consulting practice.

Nonetheless, in a separate survey of 30,000 workers, 74 percent said that, although they felt their business had an obligation to help them understand how to use their health benefits program, only 12 percent felt the business had any right to tell them how to be healthful.

Based on these results, employers need to drive home the fact that improved health is better for their staff members as well as the company. It’s a win-win situation.

Businesss and employees did find common ground when it came to future healthcare. Both surveys indicate that 95 percent of employees understand that their taking care of their health today will impact future healthcare payments.

A similar percentage also understand the important of early detection and avoidance when it comes to saving on health care costs.

Cost is important for most corporations as well. Over 80% of those surveyed made cost mitigation a priority for 2008, but those cuts did not involve shifting responsibility for healthcare onto workers.

Although 64 percent of companies have shifted costs to their workers, only 17 percent plan to do so in the next 3-5 years. Similarly with health reimbursement accounts, 20 percent now offer these, but only about 5 percent plan to use them in 2008.

These survey leads todicate companies are getting more proactive in helping their employees to change behaviors and take ownership of their own health futures. This is clearly good for the well-being of employees, but also for the well-being of the companies they work for.

Almost half the companies surveyed were convinced that changing health behaviors was key to increased productivity and lower absentee rates. Over 60 percent plan to institute programs that help staff members change and/or sustain a healthier lifestyle.

Nearly of these corporations will also use data and measurements to ensure their health care strategies meet their health care objectives?

It is clear to virtually every American (particularly those of us in business) that health care costs are skyrocketing out of control.

No one doubts that either the market will solve the problem OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective.

Corporations have reached the point where the cost of providing medical insurance is nearly as burdensome as government regulation. It’s time for some new thinking on health care and its impact on business and vice versa.

Corporate wellness as an operational perspective in lieu of merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising health care costs.

The Insurance Problem

The first step in correcting the problem is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting businesss to provide unlimited medical insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable.

It’s time for corporations (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in providing health insurance coverage. Instead of providing complete coverage for all employees through group plans, corporations should start to shift the burden of health coverage to those covered.

Here’s the approach. Provide catastrophic health insurance as a group benefit to all employees with a big enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the cost affordable for the company.

Then, allow staff members to buy their own medical insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings.

There are numerous insurance companies that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Staff Members can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Companies win by stopping the endless cycle of rising costs and ever-changing plans.

And when individuals become responsible for the cost of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health.

Besides, when an worker is interested in working for you ONLY because your corporation offers great insurance benefits are not they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Create a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the health care crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By illness culture, I mean our focus on medical problems instead of on having a healthful workplace and performance culture.

So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, instead of paid sick days, workers may  be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus.

Employees would be reimbursed for successful completion of smoking cessation and weight-loss programs. Businesses would invest in corporate memberships at local gyms so every staff member can participate.

Workers would be offered in-house wellness programs on a selection of issues ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Lastly, companies would commit to hiring and retaining healthful workers.

Simply put, healthful workers cost less and are more productive than unhealthful ones. Applicants must be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productivity and increase the likelihood of future expense.

While this may seem harsh, it rewards those staff members whose personal lifestyle and habits ensure the best Return on Investment by the company committing to hire, train and pay them.

Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches

Studies published in major medical journals reveal that person who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are usually healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the typical American.

Since these individuals look for ways to stay healthy without drugs and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and productivity. Old prejudices in this area ought to be discarded in order for businesses to improve productivity and increase profitability

Conclusion

Health Care costs are increasing at a staggering pace. Managed care is an terrible failure. Corporations are buckling beneath the pressure of providing health coverage to their employees.

American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for amazing solutions. It’s time for American corporations to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the healthcare crisis.

Corporate wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All choices should be considered while we still have a chance.

Research spanning more than a decade has consistently shown wellness programs to be financially effective and that every dollar invested on a wellness program can return $2.30 and $10.10 by decling absenteeism, sick day usage and by lowering insurance costs.

Additionally it’s noted that there are marked improvements in staff member performance and productivity in organizations that start a wellness program.

Healthy organizations enjoy increased employee morale and an improved ability to attract and retain key individuals . Additionally, staff members are more alert and productive.

For example, Coca Cola reports that they save about $500 a year per staff member once they implemented a fitness planin which 60 percent of their staff members participate.

Coors Brewing Corporation stated that employees who participated in their wellness programs lowered their absentee rate by 18 percent.

Workers enjoy their share of benefits from wellness programs too. A healthful lifestyle affects every part of a person’s life, including their work environment.

Wellness programs result in fewer injuries, less human error and a work environment that is more harmonious and relaxed. Also, workers who work at a company that implements a wellness program know that their organization is concerned about their wellness.

Employees often report a reduction in their stress levels due to wellness programs.

As staff members feel better, more relaxed, more valued and more human to their company; they enjoy an increase in productivity. This increase in productivity, while advantageous to the corporation, is also essential to the employee as it increases their own sense of self worth and confidence levels.

Staff Members who feel successful and who feel that they accomplish objectives are overall happier and in a better frame of mind.

The benefits of wellness programs, both tangible and intangible, are evident. It’s a wise move for a business to start a wellness program, particularly when they incorporate some form of mental health aspect into it.

This also has social benefits as domestic violence and child abuse is shown to be lowered in areas where wellness programs are implemented. These days, an organization can nearly not afford to have some sort of wellness program to offer to their workers.

Some of the top wellness programs currently in use today include -

Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s

Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal} is a top wellness program currently in use globally. Organizations that implement it determine the safety and health concerns of employees by the assessment of appropriateness of the facilities and equipment against the needs of the employees.

It can, for example, guide the organization into determining how the air quality within an office room affects the users and then help the assessment team to come up with the measures necessary to correct the problem. an HRA can also evaluate the level of exposure staff members have to certain perilous or perilous materials and practices.

Immunizations

This is not always practiced in every country since there are regions where government sponsored immunization shots are available. Nonetheless, it has also become an important component of the top employee wellness programs in many organizations in North America.

Immunization shots, like those used to combat flu, for example, are offered to workers for free.

Employee Assistance Programs

Staff Member Assistance Programs consist of a wide variety of services. It can range from providing educational resources to workers regarding health issues to sponsoring health services and medical care. In many corporations, medical and insurance have also become a staple part of their benefits system.

In-house diet and nutrition drives

This is another wellness program that organizations use, specifically those that offer in-house commissary or cafeteria services. Instead of serving richer, high-calorie fare, cafeterias offer choices for a healthier diet, generally in the form of low-calorie foods and sugar substitutes.

In-house wellness newsletter and campaign drives

Among the top wellness programs that organizations can start is a self-powered tool using a newsletter to promote wellness, coupled with a visible campaign.

The campaign might  be done periodically and focus on a specific topic, like tobacco use hazards, cancer, stress, carpal tunnel syndrome, safety in the workplace, etc.

The newsletter in itself can be an effective means to deliver information to staff members or members of an organization but it’s far from perfect.

Some workers, for instance, might not read the newsletter entirely or even pay attention to it. If the issues outlined in the newsletter are promoted through an active and highly visible campaign, it’ll be easier to maximize positive results.

Exercise and exercise

Another top wellness program for organizations is one that involves physical activities. Companies often sponsor exercise-related events such as marathons and corporation sports programs to encourage staff members to remain fit or lose excess weight.

In mid- to large-sized companies, companies may even pay for health club memberships or in-house exercise facilities.

Wellness Incentives

Some of the top wellness programs implemented by corporations involve incentive rewards. This involves company-sponsored programs that reward workers for achieving specific wellness-related objectives.

Participation in health campaigns and signing up for wellness programs are two of the most widely rewarded schemes. Rewards can range from special recognitions to over time obtained points (for bigger rewards) to specific gifts. In a few cases, cash may also be used.

Notwithstanding, incentive systems have had mixed reactions and levels of success. But it continues to be one of the top options among companies who are willing to modify it for fit their unique needs.

Peer Pressure

In many organizations, corporations take advantage of coworker pressure in order to encourage staff members to participate in wellness programs. This is currently one of the favorite employee wellness programs currently in use today and growing in popularity.

Colleague pressure is often leveraged to help promote competitions referring to corporate wellness and to persuade employees to be active in company-sponsored health fairs.

Wellness is a great concept. It brings happiness into health and encourages a truly holistic approach to life. Wikipedia defines wellness as a healthful balance of the mind-body and spirit that causes an overall feeling of well-being.

It sounds like exactly what every one is looking for. But when you begin to talk about corporate wellness, or corporate wellness, all life goes out of the concept. Total solutions, disease management (DM) and biometric testing don’t inspire visions of enjoying life and living it to the full.

They begin from the assumption that ailment is here to stay and needs to be discovered, managed and controlled but can never be healed.

The wellness industry is growing phenomenally fast. Wellness guru, Paul Zane Pilzer, has labeled it the next trillion dollar industry. But wellness has two different faces.

On the one hand there are the small companies - individuals  working from home or in small centers selling all types of wellness products and services at a speed of growth that is escalating rapidly.

On the other hand corporate wellness is also exploding but in a very different direction.

The baby boomers who are driving the well-liked wellness revolution have been described as the first generation to refuse to accept the inevitability of death.

They’re actively looking for ways to prevent aging, stay healthful into old age and enjoy themselves more than ever before after retirement. This is a radical departure from current notions of old age, which are often dominated by pictures of sickness, frailty and suffering.

The corporations have been largely forced to take on wellness. This is partly through legislative pressure, with many countries introducing laws to make corporations liable for stress-related ailment in their workers.

It’s also financially motivated, as research has repeatedly shown the gigantic costs of absenteeism (and increasingly of presenteeism as well).

Whereas the baby boomers are actively looking for new solutions and new lifestyles the corporations are struggling to organize largely traditional and mainstream health systems, such as physicians, nurses, insurance and screening systems.

The problem is that the traditional health system doesn’t have solutions for the problems that people  are handling.

Nobody ever went to see a physician to get happy, because a physician does not have any clue how to make individuals  happy. and many stress-related health problems are described as chronic diseases, which means that they last for a very long time - or maybe for the rest of your life - because there is no medical cure.

Counseling is a common offering in companies for emotional problems, but whilst it could provide a useful pressure valve it isn’t a powerful treatment for stress, unhappiness or depression.

Imagine walking into a business where the staff members are happy, healthful, full of inspiration, fit, love working, have meaningful family lives, active social lives, and enjoyable relationships at work and in their community.

That type of business would be a pleasure to work in and bound to be successful because individuals  would be working to their optimum capacity.

So can we create a system of true wellness that will serve the development of the corporations and their workers and will pay for itself because of the benefits that both sides will gain?

First of all we have to face the fact that we can’t place all the responsibility into the hands of the current health system. Absenteeism, stress, depression, the very roots of the wellness revolution, haven’t been solved by the current system.

If they had been we wouldn’t have this revolution, we would all be much more well. So we need to look elsewhere for solutions.

We also can’t rely on makeshift feel-good wellness offerings, such as the onsite massage team which visits the office once a month or the wellness day that raises awareness for a little while but leaves most individuals  unaffected. They are easy to organize but have little or no real effect on worker wellness.

Corporate needs are different than individual needs and many of the new small wellness corporations that are springing up simply don’t have the capacity to serve the corporate market.

However it is in the best interest of both corporations and staff members to find and create systems of wellness that really work - that benefit individuals  to be happy, handle stress, love working, and to have enough energy to go home at the end of the day and enjoy their family and social life.

So far the corporate world has hijacked the concept of wellness and turned it into a modern version of occupational health. It’s time to raise the vision and find out how to make in truth healthful, happy workplaces where individuals  thrive.

High rates of worker turnover and the costs of sick days are increasingly taking bites into corporate profits. the high cost of recruitment programs only adds to the challenges that these problems in total cost the typical business.

A lot of businesses are locating the solution to these challenges by increasing job satisfaction, team building, and the implementation of programs that yield a reduction in these costs.

It has become increasingly clear to most managers that a well designed wellness/fitness program with a strong nutritional and fitness lifestyle emphasis will directly meet this need.

Management’s goals for a productive wellness program ought to be viewed through the perspective of increased staff member productivity, decreased absenteeism due to health related causes, improved staff member morale, decreased utilisation of employer subsidised health benefits, enhanced team cohesion and effectiveness and a decrease in turnover due to lack of job satisfaction.

It’s obvious that an improvement in any of these areas will have a positive impact on the financial status of any organisation.

The benefits from an workers point of view can be seen in improved health, increased energy levels, reduced body fat, a more youthful fit body, an increased ability to handle job related stress, greater feelings of confidence and morale and more social connections at work contributing to greater feelings of satisfaction with their work and workplace.

To be most productive a wellness program needs to achieve both managements and staff members objectives, and this can be accomplished through a program that will provide the individual worker with an awareness of their current physical condition and attitudes to fitness and wellness, and the advantages of attaining a fitter, healthier lifestyle, and a plan that will allow them to achieve the necessary changes to their physical condition that can be applied in the context of their life and work.

The Bottom Line - Wellness Programs

Decreased Absenteeism - Dupont lowered absenteeism by 47.5% over six years for the participants of their corporate fitness program, (Health Behaviour, March 1992).

Lowered Health Care Costs - Steel case showed a reduction in medical claim costs of 55 percent for corporate fitness program participants over non-participants over a six year period - an average of $478.61 for participants versus non-participants who averaged $868.88, (The Am. Journal of Wellness, Sept/Oct, 1991).

Lowered Turnover - Turnover among fitness program participants at the Canadian Life Assurance Company was 32.4% lower over a seven year period compared with non-participants (Canadian Journal of Public Health, Jan/Feb, 1988).

Positive Return on Investment - Blue Cross and Blue Shield  of Indiana found that its corporate fitness program had a 250 percent return on investment; $2.51 for every $1 invested over a five year period (American Journal of Wellness, March, April, 1991).

The Partnership for Prevention was formed to encourage Fortune 1000 businesses to consider making workforce health a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) issue and adopt strategies to promote prevention and wellness.

After several years of double-digit rate increases for medical insurance, businesses are realizing that one of the best ways to slow the cost increases is to have employees take more responsibility for both costs and health options.

A majority of corporations surveyed feel that the best way for decreasing costs is financial incentives to encourage employees to adopt healthier lifestyles.

Almost 100% of employers surveyed say that medical costs will be a critical or meaningful concern over the next five years, according to a recent survey by United Benefit Advisors.

More employers are adopting higher deductible health plans with HRA’s or HSA’S, wellness programs, and broader disease management programs for control ever-increasing healthcare costs.

Failure to deal with these issues may be disastrous for an corporation. Wayne Sensor, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alegent Health lately stated, “I think that we’ve built a health care machinery we cannot afford. I think we’re choking the economic engine of America.”

In his October 2005 newsletter, Dr. Andrew Weil stated, “I think rising health- care costs are becoming the major economic issue in our nation”. Obesity costs California businesses billions of dollars each year.

Projected costs for 2005 may reach 28 billion dollars for direct and indirect healthcare costs, employee’s compensation, and lost productivity. California has experienced among the fastest growing rates of obesity of any state.

As reported by California Health and Human Services Secretary Kim Belshe, “The obesity epidemic is more than a public health crisis, it is an economic crisis.” What’s frightening is that most individuals  do not even realize that they are obese, which is defined as only 20 percent above normal weight.

There’s a great need for additional education on weight and resulting diseases, and the workplace is an ideal venue. Wellness education and programs can lead to a meaningful return on investment and, if structured properly, can produce results in a very short period of time.

Although many corporations have attempted some form of wellness program in the past, results from those efforts have been disappointing.

In many cases, the healthier workers participated for incentives, like fitness club memberships, but those who needed it most didn’t take benefit of the program in a meaningful way.

Corporations are looking at ways to encourage more staff members to buy into the wellness movement.

A recent webinar hosted by Human Resource (HR) Executive Magazine and presented by Carlson Advertising Group titled, “Healthier Employees; Healthier Bottom Line -  Engaging Employees is the Missing Link in Managing Healthcare Costs,” drove this point home.

This session provided actionable advice on how businesses are achieving higher impact with their wellness investments by focusing on staff member engagement. It also highlighted how you can develop an Economic Engagement Model to forecast the potential impact for your organization.

Employers can simply no longer ignore the issue of their employee’s unhealthful lifestyles and must act to engage them in a meaningful wellness program to reduce medical costs, absenteeism and lost productivity.

Staff Members also benefit as they derive better health and greater satisfaction in both their personal and specialist lives. the alternative is being caught in a non-competitive position and severely impacting the bottom-line of the company.

A listing of potential wellness topics and ideas not previously mentioned follows. Take some time to “think tank and brainstorm” new ideas with your own internal staff member Wellness Committee.

Nutrition Category

• Low-fat campaign/food groups

• Team salad bars

• Vending machine changes

• Diet analysis by a nutritionist

• Produce on parade

• Eating disorder support group

• Restaurant education

Exercise/Exercise Category

• “Elevoiders” - stair climbing

• Poker walk

• Mall walking program

• Facilities - showers, bike lockers, exercise space, etc.

• Team treks

• Walk-a-block trails

• Recreational tournaments

• How-to-select equipment talks

• Running maps

• Bicycling maps

• Deskercises (mini stretches for desk jockeys)

• Fit-over-forty club

• Tennis shoe Tuesday

• Walk 100 miles in 100 days

• Walking “buddies”

• NW Trek!

Miscellaneous Category

• House calls

• Meet your benefits providers

• Dental health

• Fire safety

• Ergonomic assessments

• Self-help learning

• CPR/first aid course

• Hearing test

• Hand washing campaign

• Cancer screenings

• Back class

• Passports to health

• Vision screenings

Stress Management Category

• Comedy hour

• Stress Pest

• Humor newsletter

• Money management seminars

• Time management seminars

• Relaxation class

• Better sleep campaign

• Relaxation room

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of staff member safety and injury prevention. Wellness activities are a natural partner to many other human resource, staff member motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which might  be coordinated together.

• Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains -  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. Many health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on -

• Warm up stretches before beginning work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Provide training to work groups so they could begin a stretching program. These groups can then continue their own.

• the wellness committee may consider contracting a fitness expert to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for employee groups throughout the year.

• Offer body mechanics training on an annual basis or more frequently when possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, as well as feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

• Partner with your employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which could help workers work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

• Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Make sure to encourage workers to report safety and/or injury concerns. Make sure to help management to establish policy to recognize and reward workers who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

• A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

• Partner with management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

• the ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

• Offer ergonomic training opportunities to interested employees volunteers. These individuals can then assist other employees to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

• It’s often more effective to have an observer evaluate workers for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it is for person to assess themselves.

• One suggestion is to have staff members remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

• Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make large comfort changes.

• Partner with the business’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to provide employee training.