Is Your Company’s Wellness Plan Working?

Announcing a new program…the Wingman Workplace Wellness Program.

Workplace wellness plans are becoming more widespread throughout the country.  The benefits to employers are clear, healthy employees tend to be happier and more productive employees.  While absenteeism and insurance costs of premiums and claims get reduced, employee engagement and productivity increase.  It’s a winning combination for everyone.

Except, according to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Gallup Business Journal and a recent Rand Corporation study, they’re not working as best they can.  And the reason is simple… only 24% of employees at companies that offer a wellness program participate in it.

Why? With the focus only on the physical, most plans are communicated to the employees ineffectively, and employees don’t get the whole picture of what wellness can mean for them, their work and their home life.  And without employee engagement, your company is wasting its money.

That’s where the Wingman Wellness Program comes in.  From my background in health insurance to my certification as a life coach, I’ve observed the best ways to lower insurance costs of premiums and claims, and reduce absenteeism.  Even better, from working with Wellness Directors, I’ve taken my brand of positivity and created a fun, interactive wellness program that engages your employees.  Because employee buy-in is the most important aspect of any company program, we will connect in ways that will help them be healthier, safer, happier, more positive, feel better and be more present, not only at work, but more importantly, at home.  Because when things are going well for your employees at home, they’re usually going well for them at work as well.

The reduction in insurance costs, while meaningful, will be insignificant when compared with the increase in productivity and profitability.

Here’s how, and feel free to utilize this on your own.

1. Engage Employees:  Because this is the most important aspect to your company’s wellness plan, I will…
   1. Lead Wingman Wellness Lunch & Learns to establish a positive culture of wellness.  This will immediately help reduce stress, improve employee mental wellness and increase the positive energy in the workplace.
   2. Communicate the program.  It’s crucial to continually promote its importance to ensure employees are informed and participating.
   3. Conduct a needs assessment. Determine employee needs, interests, concerns and schedules.
   4. Institute programs that target those issues as well as other important health concerns.
   5. Explain each program through every communication channel available.  Employees often look for information in many different places for solutions to a variety of issues for themselves and their loved ones.
   6. Encourage feedback. It will ensure employees are engaged.
   7. Involve spouses and significant others. Adding support from home will increase success by helping employees stay motivated.
   8. Generate a monthly newsletter to help employees stay enthused.
   9. Create an atmosphere of health by adding incentives and/or wellness competitions.
   10. Offer Biometric screenings to help employees identify risk factors and create their own custom path to wellness.
   11. Promote alternative ideas. Provide group and/or one on one employee sessions with health coaches, meditation, fitness trainers, chiropractors, alternative healers and yoga instructors.
   12. Set up health fairs, safety meetings, wellness presentations and other events to keep everyone focused.
   13. Identify available wellness resources through your insurance companies, county health departments, hospitals and/or communities and help employees to access those resources.
2. Evaluate:  Set goals, measure progress and continuously revise program to maximize results.
   1. Employee Participation.
   2. Absenteeism.
   3. Insurance claims.
   4. Insurance costs.
   5. Productivity.

Healthcare costs, along with chronic diseases and conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis are skyrocketing, but they can be controlled.  Getting employees to participate in a wellness program will go a long way in doing so.  It will also improve the health of your company’s bottom line.

To Your Success,

Michael