HR Info
Thinking About Revising Your Wellness Initiatives? Maybe You Should!

Given the spiraling costs of healthcare, it's no surprise that employers are continually changing medical carriers to get the best possible pricing. What is surprising, however, is the fact that only 32 percent of employers have a formal wellness strategy in place. Healthy employees are less costly from a medical perspective than unwell and out-of-shape employees, so it makes little sense for two-thirds of the nation's employers to be “winging it” when it comes to employee wellness. It makes even less sense when you consider that enhancing employee wellness can make a significant contribution toward controlling an organization's healthcare costs.

The Need for Health & Wellness Programs Healthcare costs associated with obesity are 36% higher than the norm—more than smoking (21%) or heavy drinking (14%). — Rand Corporation Study, 2002 Being overweight, alone, increases risk for heart failure; for every one point increase in BMI, the risk for men increases 5% and for women 7%. — New England Journal of Medicine, 2002 The cost of obesity to U.S. businesses—for health care, sick leave and life and disability insurance—is estimated at $12.7 billion. — American Journal Health Promotion, 2003 A company of 10,000 employees earning a 10% profit would have to increase revenues from $130 million to $200 million to cover an 8% to 12% annual increase in cost of health benefits, which increased 14% in 2002. — Watson Wyatt, 2003

Another surprise is that 70 percent of employers share the cost of their wellness programs with employees. Obviously, employers must share the cost of medical benefits but wellness programs normally cost just pennies per employee to deliver, they offer a substantial return on investment, and they can actually help to lower an organization's annual medical costs. So “incenting” employees to use these programs by making them cost-free is a tactic more organizations should consider.

If you're thinking about revising your own organization's wellness practices, here are a few other considerations to keep in mind, all based on LifeCare's experience in assisting clients with their wellness programs:

	It's most effective to offer employees a range of services that cater to varying levels of readiness to change. Resource and referral programs, for instance, appeal to employees looking for “just-in-time” solutions to their health issues, while in-depth health coaching can be ideal for organizations with aging or chronically ill employee populations.
	Employees are drawn to condition-specific tools. Programs and online resources designed for particular health issues—such as weight loss, stress reduction, diabetes, cancer, heart risk, etc.—get tremendous response and superior utilization.
	If you offer a Health Risk Assessment tool, make sure that it goes beyond merely assessing risk levels. Employees also want recommended courses of action.

	Discounts and special offers on fitness/wellness programs and equipment go a long way toward motivating employees to actually use your programs.
	Promotion is a key to utilization. Communicate with employees often and through a variety of channels. Some employers are reluctant to “spam” employees with e-mail messages—but reminding employees about their benefits is not spamming them! Besides, e-mail is inexpensive and immediate and can still be highly effective even if it doesn't reach everyone in an organization.

Wellness Programs and Your Aging Workforce It's a common misperception that fitness programs and wellness initiatives appeal more to younger workers than to older ones. The truth is that older workers are every bit as health conscious as their more youthful counterparts. For example, 93 percent of those 40 to 58 years old become more concerned with living a healthy lifestyle as they get older and 82% are open to trying new approaches to managing their health (The Natural Marketing Institute, 2005). That's great news for HR and your communications departments. It means that if you tailor some of your health and wellness promotions to your aging employees in particular, the messages can resonate and have a real impact on program utilization. Tips for communicating with workers over age 40: 67% of older workers feel that achieving a healthy lifestyle is more difficult as they get older, so use messages that talk about achievable, incremental changes. 94% of older workers know they must eat a healthier diet but 37% are confused about what that means. Emphasize how your programs can make healthy eating easy and understandable. Less than 20% of older workers are looking for a “fountain of youth,” so your messages should be practical, pragmatic and realistic. Link health messages to your financial benefits, since 67% of older workers say their top concern is their financial health. Older workers are less likely to be motivated by trendy or hip messaging. The majority of older workers want to be more individualistic and less like everyone else, so messages that reinforce individuality will capture their attention.