logo
Wellness In The Workplace
January 2007
More In This Issue
Sign Up
Quick Links
Workplace Wellness Challenges
average

Is Your Organization Average?

Of course not. And here's why that's a good thing.

  • On average, people miss about 3 days of work per year. Obese men miss 5 on average, and obese women miss eight. (Eric Finkelstein, health economist with RTI Institute) In economic costs, this adds up nationally to 39 million lost work days, 239 million days where activity is restricted 90 million sick days or days in bed and 63 million visits to the physician. (National Business Group on Health)
  • The average employer spends more than $8,000 per year for each employee's health benefits, including insurance, disability and workers compensation. Medical expenditures on American employees and dependents exceed $900 billion each year. (Occupational Health Management)
  • On average, lost time adds 50 percent more to an employer's health care expenditures. (Total Health Advocacy Partners)
  • On average, "age, gender, race, educational level, and smoking all failed to predict obesity-related health-care costs. The lone significant predictor of health care costs was Body Mass Index, BMI." (American Journal of Health Behavior)
  • On average, 4 of 5 obese people have at least one costly debilitating illness, be it heart disease, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia. cerebrovascular disease, osteoarthritis, depression or cancer. (Journal of the American Medical Association)
  • On average, obesity has roughly the same association with chronic health conditions as 20 years of aging, and contributes to 53 diseases including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some types of cancer. What is Obesity Costing Your Company PDF (Center for Disease Control)
  • On average, according to the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, more than 50 percent of corporate profits now go toward health care costs, versus only 7 percent three decades ago.
  • But all is not lost! On average a well-planned and implemented employee wellness initiative will yield a 3-to-1 to a 10-to-1 Return on Investment.
motivated woman?
(Including the one where you're going to implement an employee wellness program)

Get yourself healthy. Get your employees healthy. Good Resolutions. Easy to make, but hard to keep.

It all comes down to motivation. Whether for yourself or your employees, change isn’t something that happens automatically. You have to be ready to make the change—and willing to stay at it. And, you must believe that the costs will be more than offset by the rewards you expect to realize. It’s a process that develops over time, and one that, once the commitment is made, goes through a series of stages:
  • Pre-Contemplation. You know you need to make a change, but don't plan to do so anytime soon. There's always tomorrow. and, you're not sure it will really make a difference or if your employees want to participate.
  • Contemplation. You're weighing the costs, effort, time commitment and benefits.
  • Preparation. You decide to go for it. (See the LoneStart 3-Step PDF)
  • Action. You have a wellness plan in place and are following it. Employees are involved, excited about the changes they are making, and finding ways to work the wellness strategy into their lifestyles at work--and home. This is also the stage most at risk for relapse, which is why LoneStart Team Esteem is such a valuable part of its wellness program.
  • Maintenance. Your wellness plan is working. Your employees are making and sustaining lifestyle modification choices and are actively finding ways to maintain their new health and wellness. This is where employers and employees really start to appreciate the benefits of a working wellness initiative.
Generating enthusiasm for a wellness program will drive the interest and motivation your employees need to stay with the program long-term. And achieving their goals—and keeping their resolutions—results in exactly what you hope to attain—long term change and improved health and wellness.
weight&finger
It might be more—or less than you think.

The majority of us probably don’t belong to a health club or gym, and if we do, we most likely don’t have time to utilize the facility the way we should. And, when we do go to the club, what do we see? A lot of people who actually look good in spandex! For the individual who's overweight and thinking about making the effort, the stigma of being in a club with 20-year-old fitness buffs does not create the kind of social or psychological support we need.

While increasing physical activity has to be part of a wellness strategy, initially it may not be the major component or even the factor that determines the program’s long-term success. And, there are many ways to increase physical activity without going to the gym and without making drastic changes in our daily routines.

For both employees and employers, the following points are well worth considering when looking at what makes a wellness program successful.

For an employee weight loss and wellness initiative to succeed there must be a genuine psychological “buy-in” by all participants. Employees must believe the following:
  • The initiative being offered is honest and valid and will work within the context of their lives.
  • They will not have to make unrealistic commitments of time or undergo drastic changes in their behavior.
  • That it is personal, positive and non-judgmental.
  • That there are minimal barriers to participation and success.
  • That they will have sufficient motivation, support and incentive to participate.
  • That it is in their own personal and financial self-interest to participate and succeed.
  • Most importantly, they must perceive a genuine opportunity to become active, positive and empowered managers of their long-term health and wellness.
The necessary "buy-in" by the organization's management will occur if they believe:
  • The strategy being proposed is valid and achievable.
  • The cost is not an expense but an investment with measurable R.O.I.
  • The strategy can be implemented and sustained without creating an undue administrative burden.
  • There will be sufficient participation by those employees who stand to benefit most.
  • The initiative will change the organization's "culture" regarding personal health and wellness.
  • The initiative will deliver long-term, sustainable results.
An Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion survey of worksites nationwide found that while 80 percent offered health-promotion activities, less than 20 percent actually had established formal goals and objectives for their programs—and only 12 percent evaluated their programs effectiveness.

In evaluating a workplace health-promotion program it is important to examine health outcomes and process outcomes - not just economic benefits. These other, and more subtle benefits link good programs to bottom-line performance. Once employees gain confidence in their ability to modify unhealthy lifestyles, they will feel more confident about managing their health. This, in turn, will result in more appropriate health-care utilization. And, this is where you, as an employer, will begin to save money and your employees will begin to embrace a healthy lifestyle—for life.

Help us be sure this e-mail newsletter isn't filtered as spam. Please add our return address (info@lonestartnow.com) to your address book. That may 'whitelist' us with your filter—and ensure that future issues get through. Thanks!

If your organization is ready to take responsibility for promoting healthy lifestyles and a healthy work environment, LoneStart is an effective, low-cost and easy-to-administer employee wellness program, which functions equally well as a stand-alone initiative or as a high-impact jump-start to existing or proposed employee wellness strategies.

Contact us today to find out how the LoneStart 21-Day Wellness Initiative will change your workplace.

Please share Wellness in the Workplace with colleagues.

Please forward this newsletter to friends and associates who will benefit from a workplace wellness strategy such as the LoneStart Wellness Initiative.

A Challenge. An Opportunity. A Solution.
The LoneStart 21-Day Wellness Initiative
phone: 512.894.3440