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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.
TM TM D.A. Collins Construction Co., Inc. & Environmental Services, LLC. Superior Industrial Construction, Highway Materials and Environmental Services Kubricky Construction Corp. Services: • Major Highways • Bridges • Locks • Industrial Site Development • Environmental Remediation • Hydroelectric Facilities • Environmental Dredging • Specialty Steel Fabrication and Welding • Structural Steel Erection • Cold Planing and Paving • Portable Crushing • Concrete Pumping • Design-Build Elements • Crane Rental Services Products: • Ready-Mix Concrete • Crushed Limestone • Asphalt Concrete (Blacktop) • Precast Structures • Agricultural Lime • Landscape Blocks • Washed Sand Products 269 Ballard Road Wilton, NY 12831 P: (518) 664-9855 F: (518) 664-0925 Jointa Galusha, LLC. Pallette Stone Corp. www.dacollins.com Equal Opportunity Employers
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