Construction

Encouraging Employee
Health and Wellness
By Carla Plankenhorn, VP of Finance
AGC NYS CORNERSTONE WINTER 2012
16
As the new year fast approaches, wellness
programs are a way to help your employees
reach new year’s resolutions of being
healthier, less stressed and more productive; while
reducing employer health care costs.
Health care costs should not only be measured
in the amount of money spent on your actual
health insurance premiums but also in lost time
(LT) and lost productivity (LP). Granted, for small
groups LT and LP are much harder to quantify
when looking at your income statement and return
on investment studies for corporate wellness
programs can be wildly exaggerated but there is
a REASONABLE expectation for a real dollar benefit
in having healthy employees. Fewer employee sick
days put less strain on other workers and help
to ensure timely completion of projects. A less
stressed workforce is likely to be more productive.
Additionally, large groups of over 50 employees
can realize a premium savings on health insurance
by having a productive wellness initiative bringing
down their experience rating.
The move to a wellness program may show a
commitment to your workforce and manifest itself
in higher quality applicants and increase current
employee retention. Recruitment and training of
new employees is an expensive proposition, why
look for new high quality employees if you can
implement a low cost program to help retain the
ones you have already.
So the idea then becomes how to create an
atmosphere of wellness without racking up
prohibitive costs. There are several low cost ways
to accomplish this:
Provide healthy food alternatives. If you have
vending machines and/or snack boxes, keep them
stocked with healthy choices like protein bars,
granola, juice and water rather than the usual fare.
Pedometers are inexpensive. A sedentary life
style can open the door for many increased health
risks. Office workers often take fewer than 5000
steps a day and that is a generous estimate. Provide
pedometers to staff and encourage lunchtime
walking programs. Even contests for increasing
their daily steps. Prizes needn’t be expensive, be
creative.
Healthy Living Newsletters can be sent to
employees regularly with healthy living tips,
exercises and recipes. Often your current health
insurance provider may have a calendar of free or
low cost events and seminars for the participants
as well as a healthy living newsletter. Circulate
this inter-office, many of these types of mailing
go directly to “junk mail” and are missed by your
employees.
Weight Watchers. If you have several people
interested in a weight loss program you may be
able to offer meeting space for the group once a
week or twice a month making attending meetings
more convenient for your employees.
Smoking Cessation Programs. Many insurance
companies, local hospitals or county health
departments run these kinds of programs. Local
chapters of organizations such as the American
Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute, American
Lung Association and Nicotine Anonymous also
are good sources for people looking for classes in
their area.
Fitness Club Memberships. There may be clubs in
your area that support corporate wellness programs
with discounts to your employees. You can also
reward employees for regular gym attendance by
partially subsidizing memberships or recognizing
their accomplishment in the office.
Remember to empower your employees, recognize
accomplishments and lead by example.
These are just a few ways to incorporate healthy
living into your workplace but there are many
more. You can try one at a time or several until you
hit upon a strategy that works for both you and
your employees. Check local resources for options
in your area to tailor your program. Taking even
a small step toward corporate wellness can only
benefit your employees and your bottom line.