A Plus Wellness

There are many benefits to considering a part-time or full-time occupational and environmental health nurse (OHN). Occupational health nursing is the specialty practice that provides for and delivers health and safety programs and services to workers, and employee populations.

The practice focuses on promotion and restoration of health, avoidance of illness and injury, treatment of work and non-work related injuries and illnesses, and protection from work related  and environmental hazards.

OHN roles can include –  Case management, Counseling, Wellness, Legal and regulatory compliance, Clinical services, and Hazard detection and controls.

The American Association of Occupational and Environmental Health Nurses is the national association, www.AAOHN.org. the State Chapter also has a website with information including local chapter information to help you find a contact near you, www.NCAOHN.org.

Health educators can design, conduct and evaluate activities that help improve the health of all your workers. They’re subject matter experts who could  be a valuable asset regardless your program needs and goals.

They can help form a Wellness Committee and implement many of its programs and services, for instance or depending on the structure and time commitments of your Wellness Committee, they can also coordinate the entire program as well.

Integrating the activities of the Committee and/or Wellness Professional services within your operations, including within your safety and occupational medical program will provide additional benefits!

We are planning business wellness programs to help you feel better and stay healthy. In order to plan programs that best meet your needs and interests we would like your suggestions!

Please take a few minutes to answer some questions about your interests. Your answers will be combined with those of other’s and reviewed to help plan programs for you. Don’t sign your name.

Please complete the survey today and return it to__________. Thank you for your valuable input! Your help is important for planning successful programs. Return the completed form by _____________.

Rate your interest on a scale of 1 – 3 with one (1) being of little or no interest; two (2) being of some interest and three (3) indicating that you’re very interested. Indicate your response by circling or “Xing” the number.

I’m interested in –

Participating in wellness programs before work 1 2 3

Participating in wellness programs after work 1 2 3

Participating in wellness programs during my lunch break 1 2 3

Learning healthy consuming options to lose weight 1 2 3

Sports nutrition 1 2 3

Healthier cooking 1 2 3

Assisting my kids eat healthier 1 2 3

Quick, healthy meals for busy lifestyles 1 2 3

Healthy snack choices 1 2 3

Learning how to quit use of tobacco 1 2 3

Attending courses to help me quit use of tobacco cigarettes 1 2 3

Stress Mangement skills 1 2 3

Balancing work, family, and personal life 1 2 3

Time management skills 1 2 3

Participating in a starting fitness program 1 2 3

Planning time to exercise for busy individuals  1 2 3

Getting medical information that I can peruse or watch at home 1 2 3

Learning about cancer avoidance 1 2 3

Heart health choices 1 2 3

CPR and First Aid 1 2 3

Team sports activities at work 1 2 3

Learning how to stretch 1 2 3

Learning how to raise intake of fruits and vegetables 1 2 3

Parenting Topics (age of kids –  ) 1 2 3

Onsite exercise classes –  walking Yoga aerobic other –  1 2 3

Medical testing like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar 1 2 3

Program investigation could  be the last step, but it should be planned at the beginning of your efforts!  Examination helps you identify what parts of the program are working well and what parts need improvement.  

Then, based on the analysis data, adjustments can be made to fine-tune your wellness program.   Adjusting the program based on analysis data is vital to its continued success.  

Investigating your program does not have to be complicated.  HOWEVER, it’s important to plan how you will monitor your wellness efforts and determine success during the planning phase.  

Additionally remember to evaluate the program based on the goals and goals you already identified during your planning process.  

In order to evaluate your program you need to have a system to document specifics as you go along.  This may be as simple as maintaining file folders on programs that are offered, or a computer document with a table or spreadsheet summarizing information gathering.  Consider –

• Program topic and numbers of workers who participated

• the numbers of  brochures taken by employees or distributed and on what topics

• the number of participants in a behavior change program and how many met their goals as well as how many attended all of the sessions

• Numbers of staff members who continued the healthy behavior change following the program?

• Overall worker satisfaction with the program or each topic.  Here is a sample investigation form.  

Depending on your goals and goals, gather desired data and compare it to previous data gathered during the initial assessment to determine if the goals were met.  Such data might include

• Absentee rates

• Injury rates

• Health risk factors Insurance costs  

Summarize and Report Wellness Program Results

Once you’ve accumulated all the investigation information it needs to be reviewed with the Wellness Committee and summarized.  You will probably have positive results and some areas where a change is needed or additional focus required for continuous improvement.  

This not-so positive information may be used to make any needed changes as well as to plan for next year and is important to include in your report.  

It’s important to communicate the wellness program results to both management and staff members.  Consider how management ordinarily receives reports on operations and productivity issues and include the annual wellness program report in the same format.  

At some businesses the reports are made during management meetings using presentation styles such as power point slides.  At other businesses, graphs and bar charts are the norm or a list of the objectives and the summary outcomes reported.  

No matter the format, it’s important to convey the outcomes and successes achieved, including any anecdotal stories, as well as areas for improvement.  Be sure to link the outcomes to the corporation mission and bottom line whenever possible.

Workers want to receive the same information!  Consider using the same communication channels used when informing employees of the wellness program –

• Company newsletters,

• Bulletin boards,

• E-mails  

Also consider celebrating successes and recognizing achievements by –

• Posting pictures from events

• Highlighting success stories

• Posting pictures of successes

• Scheduling a celebration

• Recognizing champions  

Armed with data, Wellness Program topic preferences, objectives, and objectives – and a Wellness Committee rearing to get things done – it is now time to decide how best to take action.  This website provides tools to help you!  

You can read about the different kinds of wellness programs offered by other corporations to get an idea of what may work for your corporation.  

When your planning phase was well executed, you should simply have to follow through with the plans you’ve already made.  

Important Wellness Program considerations include –  

1. Formally Introduce the Wellness Program and consider policy statements that state the importance of the wellness program.  Examples include a general policy regarding the commitment to employee health and safety in addition to specific policies like No Tobacco use, Healthy Eating and Exercise.

2. Communicate Your Program –  the best planned program with excellent wellness programs will not be beneficial when your employees do not know about it or do not understand the choices or how to participate.  Communicate your wellness program using a variety of methods to ensure the message and “how-to’s” are heard!

Wellness Program Communication Strategies could include –

• Newsletter articles

• Postings on the corporation’s intranet or internet

• A designated Champion of the program

• Formal or informal meeting to announce program, “the kick-off”

• pamphlets / table tents,

• Bulletin boards / kiosk where all material is promoted or found,

• Email / phone messages,

• Mailings or distributions  

3. Use Wellness Program Incentives –   You will be amazed to find out what people  will do for a free T-shirt.  Incentives can both support and motivate participation among workers.  

Consider both formal or corporation incentives and informal or program rewards/prizes from local resources to reinforce participation in Wellness Programs. Either way, it’s important to provide incentives that are attractive and meaningful to your workers.

Company Structural or Formal Wellness Program Incentives –

• Discounts on employee health insurance premiums or co-pays, or contributions to 401K programs, employee stock choices, or other mechanisms.  Click here for more information on health plan incentive ideas

• Fitness Center/Fitness Center discounts or enrollment fee coverage

• Public transportation vouchers

• Flexible work time options

• “Wellness Days” off work  

Rewards/Prizes or Informal Wellness Program Incentives –

• Cash – a very effective incentive!

• Prize incentives like gift certificates to heart healthy restaurants; music player to use while exercising, emergency kits, or any other prizes that would motivate your staff members.

• T-Shirts, water bottles, or other inexpensive rewards

4. Assess community resources available to provide some wellness services.  The local health department or your company healthcare provider could  be able to assist you with this information.  There are also vendors throughout the State providing great wellness services for companies.  They’re available to help you strategize and find the best choices available.

5. Implement your program as planned documenting information and outcomes as you go such as numbers of participants, dates of activities, and any other special details you are tracking.

The Wellness Committee should set out a plan for the entire year that outlines accomplishing objectives and objectives, as well as provides details for marketing and assessing  the program.

The plan is the detailed map of what kinds of programs will be offered, when and where they will be scheduled, how they will be marketed and examined, and what the budget is.  

It is important to plan your wellness activities based on your goals and goals, in addition to the budget since different strategies will yield different outcomes.  For  instance, if your objective is to increase awareness on a topic, then distributing  pamphlets or scheduling a one-time education session could  be appropriate.  

However, if your goal is to change behavior, then different strategies might  be necessary, such as ongoing weekly sessions and support groups.  Click here to link to Program Design Options for more ideas.

Wellness Program Advertising

This is the time to plan your advertising and marketing strategies!  How can you market the wellness program and ongoing activities?  No matter how you decide to, market often, keep it fresh, and remind employees again and again!  

Consider having an overall kickoff activity to let everyone know about the wellness program.  Upper Management ought to provide the introduction or invitation so that all staff members are aware of their support and leadership in the program.

Possible marketing and advertising methods –

• Sending email messages, including reminders

• Posting flyers,

• Displaying bulletin board postings,

• Writing articles,

• Sending letters or

• Sending special invitations.  

Other Wellness Program Considerations –

• is the program promoted to all workers or to a specific target audience?

• Do you’ve a program champion (someone who is connected with different groups in the organization, and well respected) who can help in your promotion efforts?

• When your marketing efforts don’t seem to be working, do you have a way to revisit and adjust your strategy?

• How’ll you determine success and evaluate your program?  and how will you collect the information needed to evaluate your program?  

Topics most often included in Wellness Programs –

• Nutrition

• Exercise/Exercise

• Tobacco Use Cessation

• Bone Health

• Heart Health

• Healthful Back

• Stress Reduction

• Chronic Condition Awareness and Prevention

• Self-care; Wise Health Care Consumer

• Screening Services (Body Mass Index, blood pressure, bone density, cholesterol, glucose, posture, vision, and other…)

• Ergonomic Assessments

• Health Fairs

• Kids/family Events

• Others topics that employees have interest in  

The topics and kind of Wellness Program planned depend on the needs and interest, overall goal and resources available.  

Program Design Choices include awareness programs such as  pamphlets and/or education sessions, behavior change or modification programs such as use of tobacco cessation and weight loss classes, and environmental or organizational support such as no use of tobacco policies or healthy selections in vending machines.  

The programs planned also depend on the demographics of your workforce.  If you have a young, healthful workforce, you might want to focus the wellness attention on keeping employees healthful and not need to screen for disease.  

Instead you could want to focus on healthy lifestyle behavior such as exercise and good nutrition to prevent the begin of disease.  Click here for additional information on strategies for keeping workers well, identifying disease early, or returning workers to work who already have a chronic condition.

It is also important to consider, and plan how you’ll evaluate the success of your wellness program.  The system needs to be established for tracking certain data and recording events depending on the program goals and desired outcomes.  

Step 7 discusses program investigation in more detail.   and Step 6 will launch your program!

A Wellness Program without goals and goals is somewhat akin to taking a family trip without any planning; you will not know where you are going, how to get there, what you want to do once you’ve arrived, or even whether or not you’ve arrived!  

The trip might end up ok, or it may end up disastrously.  Yet, with a little thoughtful planning, you increase your chances for a successful experience.  Clear objectives and objectives are needed to plan your wellness program for ensure success!

Wellness program objectives and objectives are different from one corporation to another depending on the population, needs, interests and resources.  However, well thought out objectives based on your corporation’s needs assessment will form the foundation of a successful wellness program!

Wellness Program Mission Statement

The first consideration is a mission statement for your Wellness Program. the mission statement is the overall expression of what the Wellness Committee wants to accomplish by starting a wellness program.  

It is important to consider how your Wellness Program fits in with the business mission statement, contributes to the overall mission and supports the business bottom line.  This will integrate your efforts throughout the business operations.  

Here are some examples of Wellness Program mission statements –  

At XYZ Corporation, maintaining an environment that supports worker health and safety is our underlying value.  It is the mission of the Wellness Program to assist in developing wellness services that fosters and upholds that value.

It’s the mission of the XYZ Wellness Committee to foster healthier lifestyle choices to reduce health risk factors, improve overall wellness, and maintain a productive, active work force.

Wellness Program Goals

The objectives and objectives further define your mission and are based on your needs assessment.  Depending on the needs assessment, management expectations and staff member interests, examples of objectives can include –  

The goal(s) of XYZ Wellness Program in year XXXX is to –   (one or more of the following examples)

• Reduce absenteeism by one day per employee

• Lower musculoskeletal injuries by 10%

• Decrease unnecessary emergency room visits

• Decrease or contain health care costs

• Improve dietary habits of employees

• Reduce health risk factors  

Wellness Program Objectives

Specific Wellness Program goals help meet your long-term goals and vision.  Both short term and long term goals should be created as the stepping stones to accomplish the goals and mission.  

In addition to goals for the expected participant outcomes, process goals should also be created for the program process itself.  For  instance, process goals may include how many staff members you want to participate in the programs, how many sessions on a topic will be offered, the kind of wellness sessions that’ll be implemented, etc.

Goals need to be easily measurable within a set time frame.  Attempt using the SMART formula to develop both your long and short-term objectives and objectives –

• Specific (one behavior or outcome)

• Measurable (one result that could be observed or analyzed),

• Attainable (but also challenging),

• Realistic (do you have the resources to achieve?), and

• Time specific (within 3 months – up to 5 years)  

This is the who, what, when, where, why, and by how much method.  For  instance, an objective for a weight loss program that has an overall goal of improving healthy eating and promoting a healthy weight is that –  

Participants (who) will lose an average of .5 – 1 lbs per week (specific what that is measurable) after the 12 week lunchtime program (time specific what, when and where) for a minimum of 6 lbs weight loss per participant (attainable and realistic).

Or –  

Participants (who) will attend 11 of the 12 sessions (specific what that is measurable) and name at least one healthier consuming change at the end of the program (specific what, when, where)

An example of an objective for coaching workers with elevated cholesterol may  be –  

To reduce the total cholesterol (specific what) of high risk staff members with cholesterol over 240 mg/dl (specific who) to 200 mg/dl (measurable how much) through one-on-one counseling sessions offered at the worksite (where) by X date (ex, after 6 months) (attainable, realistic and time specific when) to lower the risk factor for heart disease (why).  

And one last example of a process objective for a smoking cessation program with an overall goal to assist participants in committing to quit for life –  

By the end of the 4-week tobacco use cessation program, 10 percent of the participants will have quit tobacco use.  Each participant will be contacted at 3 months, 6 months and 12 months from the program’s end to determine quit status (process objective) and 10 percent of those who quit will still be smoke free after one year.

You have now completed Steps 1 through 4, including establishing your Wellness Committee.  It is now time to plan your wellness activities!

Before you begin planning your Wellness Program you need to know where you are now and then decide where you want to go.  Completing a thorough needs assessment is vital to the success of your wellness program for two reasons –  

• First it ensures that your program activities will be targeted to meet your corporation’s specific needs so that outcomes could be achieved.  

• Secondly the needs assessment provides the information you’ll need to evaluate the effectiveness of your wellness program.

It is often tempting to rush the assessment – namely when time is limited or those with experience already have an idea of needs.  Do not give in to this temptation!  

It is crucial to understand what your company needs are, what management expects, and what staff members want in addition to expect, before you create a program.  

Consider and gather data on –

• Demographic Information

• Health Risk Factors

• Medical Claims

• Injury Rates and Causes

• Workers’ Compensation Claims

• Short and Long Term Disability Claims

• Absenteeism

• Culture Audits

• Worker perceived needs and health risks

• Management expectations or desired outcomes

There are many ways to assess this information.  Although some of data accumulating process could  be time consuming, remember that it’s nonetheless essential to plan programs that target specific issues.  

This information will be crucial to set objectives and for assessing  program success.  How else can you know if outcomes have been achieved?

Choices to help gather the wellness program information –

• Confidential Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s with a Corporation Group Summary Report click here for more information on Health Risk (Assessment|Appraisal}s or Assessments

• Medical Testings like cholesterol, blood pressure (BP) and blood sugar click here for additional information on biometric screenings.

• Employee Needs and Interest Surveys

• Suggestion boxes placed around the organization

• Focus Groups or hosting a luncheon meeting as a focus group

• Sending out a confidential email questionnaire

• Review records and databases including OSHA logs, first aid reports, insurance costs  

Once your needs assessment is complete, the Wellness Committee can review the results and begin planning and prioritizing program options.  

Planning must be based on objectives and identified outcomes, Step 4 of the seven step process!

Establishing an active Wellness Committee provides opportunities for both management and worker involvement in the program.  The Committee must be a team of staff members and managers who formally meet to plan activities to promote healthier worker lifestyles.

Typical Functions of a Wellness Committee –

• Reviewing needs and interests

• Brainstorming program ideas

• Planning activities

• Developing communication plans

• Promoting programs to colleagues

• Serving as champions of the Wellness Programs

• Helping with analysis  

Your Wellness 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 important to consider who will chair or co-chair the Wellness Committee and whether or not there are the finances to support a wellness manager or occupational health specialist, even on a part-time or contractual basis.  Click here for more information on the benefits of a health specialist.  

Depending on your business size and resources, when you already have a business Safety Committee you could want to consider making it the Safety and Wellness Committee.  You can request volunteers or invite staff members to participate.  

The number of Wellness Committee members depends on the size of your company; however, you need enough members to get the work done and yet not too many to keep it manageable, usually a minimum of 4 members and maximum of 12 to 15 members.  

It’s important to include skeptics of wellness as well and not just those workers already practicing healthy lifestyles.  

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

• Worker representatives from a cross section of different departments,

• Management/leadership,

• Health and safety professional(s),

• Human resources  expert(s),

• Benefits staff or someone from finance,

• Your worker assistance program (EAP) provider (if applicable), Click here for additional information on EAPs

• Medical or occupational health staff (if applicable).

Establish an effective Wellness Committee!  the Wellness Committee should meet regularly with a planned agenda and action items.  Successful Wellness Committees have a shared mission, vision and goals.  

Members need to believe that their participation is worthwhile and appreciated, that their work is important, benefits the organization and colleagues, and they’re recognized for their contributions. Refer to the NC Workplace Programs section for instances of what other corporations have implemented.

As with any program, the two critical elements for the success of your wellness program are  upper management support and employee involvement.  Upper management sets the vision and provides the resources from which action plans flow.  

Genuine support from senior personnel also lends credibility to the wellness program.  It is key that  upper management be visible supporters and role models for your Wellness Program.

Workers need to be involved on a few levels so that they feel ownership of the wellness program.  Workers are the program stakeholders!  

All staff members should’ve an opportunity to provide input and feedback through needs and interest surveys and program evaluation tools.  The information collected should be used to plan programs that target those needs and interests to ensure participation, buy-in, and support.

There are several methods to identify worker needs and interests like –

• Conducting Staff Member Focus Groups

• Discussing Wellness Interests During Department Meetings

• Distributing and Summarizing a Needs and Interest Survey

• Including an Opportunity to Give Suggestions on Each Evaluation Tool  

Any one or combination of a few techniques will ensure that the wellness program meets what workers want.  Click here for a sample Needs and Interest Survey.

Step 3 provides additional information on determining wellness program needs.  But first, establishing a Wellness Committee can help you involve management and employees, determine need, and plan your wellness program.

Wellness Program Step 1 –  Make sure to set the Foundation –  

Build Support Among All Levels of the Organization

A key to a successful Wellness Program requires management commitment and employee involvement.

Wellness Program Step 2 –  Form a Wellness Committee

An active Wellness Committee ensures employee involvement, provides buy-in, management support, and maintains a crew that is ready to act to integrate wellness programs.

Wellness Program Step 3 –  Gather Data to Identify Key Needs and Expectations

The next crucial component is to base the Wellness Program on the needs and interests of your business and its employees.

Wellness Program Step 4 –  Establish Goals and Objectives

Goals and goals are the road maps to guide you where your program needs to go.   These are the foundation for planning and reviewing  activities to ensure that your wellness program is going to meet your unique needs.

Wellness Program Step 5 –  Develop a Detailed Action Plan

There’s no such thing as over planning!  the best of intentions can get lost, overstepped, or forgotten without adequate planning, and then it would be all for naught.

Wellness Program Step 6 –  Select and Implement a Plan

Armed with the needs assessment information, a Wellness Committee, and goals and goals, it’s now time to put your plan into action!

Wellness Program Step 7 –  Monitor and Evaluate Your Wellness Program

Examination is a necessary step to keep a program on target, as well as to ensure that the program is reaching its objectives or achieving the desired results.

Summary

These Seven Steps outline considerations for a comprehensive approach to establish an effective wellness program.  Can you implement components of wellness activities without following these steps?  

Certainly, but you might not have the sustainability or ability to obtain desired outcomes.  Following the Seven Steps does not have to be complicated or burdensome.  A very simple approach can achieve a successful wellness program!

Consequently, to ensure a successful wellness program consider the key components as you plan your program or improve your current program –

• Upper-Level Management Support and Employee Involvement

• Active Wellness Committee

• Program is Based on Staff Member Needs and Interests

• Goals and Goals are Established

• Detailed Action Plan Based on Resources and Budget

• Program Implementation and Internal Advertising and Marketing

• Analysis of Outcomes and Program