Employee Health Promotion

In addition to looking at the health behaviors of employees, take a good look at your organization. The following questions can help you identify opportunities for your organization to support and encourage healthy behaviors among employees.

A strong foundation for employee health improvement

1. To what extent does the senior management in your organization actively and visibly support the Employee Health Promotion Program?

__ No support for the Employee Health Promotion Program
__ Support, but not at senior level
__ Support at senior level, but not visible to employees
__ Strong and visible Employee Health Promotion Program support
Comments:

2. Is the Employee Health Promotion Program tied to your organization’s mission statement?

__ No
__ Yes, the Employee Health Promotion Program is tied to business plan OR mission statement
__ Yes, the Employee Health Promotion Program is tied to both business plan and mission statement
Comments:

3. Is there an employee within your organization whose job responsibilities include Employee Health Promotion Program coordination?

__ No
__ Yes, but has little time available to dedicate to Employee Health Promotion Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to Employee Health Promotion Program
__ Yes, and has at least one full-time position dedicated to Employee Health Promotion Program
__ Yes, and has at least component of the job dedicated to wellness AND has a background that includes Employee Health Promotion Program qualifications
__ Yes, our organization has at least one full-time position dedicated to health improvement AND the employee’s background includes Employee Health Promotion Program qualifications
Comments:

4. Does your organization have an active wellness committee with diverse representation?

__ No (does not have a Health and Wellness Committee, or has a committee that doesn’t meet)
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee, but with limited representation
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee with widespread representation
__ Yes, we have a Health and Wellness Committee with widespread representation AND committee involvement is part of each representative’s job responsibilities
Comments:

5. Does your organization have an annual budget for Employee Health Promotion Program expenses? (Employee Health Promotion Program expenses may be associated with providing a health assessment, paying for behavior change programs/coaching programs, covering incentives and rewards that encourage healthy behaviors, subsidizing healthy food options, communications and programs around specific health topics, fitness centers/walking paths, etc).

__ No
__ Yes, but funds are earmarked for Employee Health Promotion Programs (e.g. only for Weight Watchers or fitness discounts) and do not meet all existing Employee Health Promotion Program needs
__ Yes, funds are available to meet current Employee Health Promotion Program needs
Comments:

6. Does your organization have a plan for engaging employees in the Employee Health Promotion Program?

__ No
__ Yes, we have a communications plan for our Employee Health Promotion Program
__ Yes, we have a communication plan AND we offer meaningful incentives or rewards (such as premium discounts or debit cards) for the Employee Health Promotion Program to engage in healthy behaviors.
Comments:

A data-based approach to the Employee Health Promotion Program

7. Does your organization have clearly stated Employee Health Promotion Program objectives and priorities for employee health improvement?

__ No
__ Yes
__ Yes, data (e.g. HRA, claims, productivity) are the basis for defining Employee Health Promotion Program objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data AND evidence-based best practices are a basis for defining Employee Health Promotion Program objectives or priorities
__ Yes, data and best practices are basis for defining Employee Health Promotion Program objectives or priorities as well as measuring Employee Health Promotion Program progress (assessment)
Comments:

8. Has your organization completed a Health Risk Assessment?

__ No
__ Yes, but more than 2 years ago
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a participation rate of less than 50%
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved a 50% – 79% participation rate
__ Yes, within the last two years, and achieved an 80% or greater participation rate
Comments:

A workplace environment that supports healthy behaviors

9. Does your organization’s tobacco reduction strategy reflect best practices?

(Check all that apply)
__ A no-smoking policy that includes both buildings AND grounds
__ 100% coverage for the cost of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy
__ Employee access to – and strong promotion of — a tailored stop-smoking program
Comments:

10. Does your organization provide opportunities (time and places) for physical activity during the work day?

__ No
__ Yes, indoor places for physical activity (on-site fitness center) OR outdoor places for physical activity (walking paths)
__ Yes, both indoor AND outdoor places for physical activity
__ Yes, indoor and outdoor opportunities AND employees can use work time for physical activity
Comments:

11. Does your organization promote healthy eating by providing access to fruits and vegetables?

__ No
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available at the workplace (in vending machines, break areas, or cafeterias)
__ Yes, fruits and vegetables are available and discounted at the workplace
Comments:

Benefits that support employee health improvement

12. Does your organization provide employees with self-care resources?

(Check all that apply)
__ Distribution of self-care books
__ online access to health information
__ Nurse advice line
Comments:

13. Which of the following preventive services are covered at 100% by your organization’s health benefits?

(Check all that apply)
__ Vision screening
__ Hearing
__ Immunizations (per CDC/ACIP recommendations)
__ Radiology
__ Laboratory services
__ STD screening
__ Preventive health examination for adults
__ Cancer screen (includes: colon, cervical, breast, prostate and ovarian cancers)
__ Contraceptive management
Comments:

14. Which of the following are included in your organization’s pharmacy benefit?

(Check all that apply)
__ Mail order or other 90-day supply option for medications
__ Specialty pharmacy network
__ Incentive-based tiered formulary design
Comments:

15. Do your organization’s health benefits provide coverage for behavioral health (such as depression, mental illness, counseling, stress management, and chemical dependency)?

__ Yes, at the same level as health benefits
__ Yes, but at a reduced level (less coverage) than health benefits
__ No coverage for mental or behavioral health
Comments:

Why it’s important and how to do it

The Employee Health Promotion Program Vision

A Employee Health Promotion Program vision statement is a concise statement that summarizes the purpose and objectives of your organization’s commitment to establishing a Employee Health Promotion Program. Taking the time to clarify and describe your organization’s Employee Health Promotion Program vision can provide a focus and a consistent direction for your Strategies for years to come. The vision statement reminds leaders and employees of the link between employee health and the organization’s ability to achieve its overall mission.

Answer the following questions and you’ll have the components needed to build a simple and powerful Employee Health Promotion Program vision for your organization’s culture of wellness:

• What do you want your Employee Health Promotion Program to accomplish?
• How do you plan to accomplish it?
• How does this Employee Health Promotion Program mission support or further the organization’s mission?

A sample Employee Health Promotion Program vision statement might be . . .

To have employees who perform at their best and who enable XYZ Corporation to be an industry leader in printing quality and customer service (organization’s mission), XYZ Corporation is committed to providing opportunities for healthy behaviors during the workday (how) in order to encourage employees not to smoke, to be active, and to eat healthfully (what).

The Employee Health Promotion Program Brand

In the same way that your organization’s name and brand image provide visibility for your business, your Strategies toward establishing a Employee Health Promotion Program will benefit from being easily recognizable to employees:

• A consistently used Employee Health Promotion Program brand on all communications sends a message to employees that the commitment to a culture of wellness is here to stay.
• A Employee Health Promotion Program brand institutionalizes the culture and makes it more likely to withstand changes in staff and budget.

Do what you can to engage employees in establishing the identity (brand) for your organization’s Employee Health Promotion Program. Not only are they more likely to accept the name, it’s also a great way to announce to employees the organization’s Employee Health Promotion Program commitment. Here are two possible approaches to involving employees:

Option 1: Have a Employee Health Promotion Program contest

1. Announce the Employee Health Promotion Program contest guidelines and deadline.
2. Have the Health and Wellness Committee review the ideas submitted, and pick a name.

If, for example, your business, Premier Building and Design, is in the commercial construction business, you might receive the following Employee Health Promotion Program ideas from employees:

• Cornerstone: Feeling well is what it’s all about
• Premier Elements: Building healthier employees
• Custom Build: Building health builds wealth
• Building Health: Designing better employee health

After reviewing the entries, your Health and Wellness Committee determines that it likes the name “Premier Elements” and the subtitle “Building health builds wealth”. Your committee awards the “name the Employee Health Promotion Program contest” prize to the two employees, those who submitted the pieces of the name that represent the final product.

Premier Elements: Building health builds wealth

3. Choose a Employee Health Promotion Program logo to go with the name.

The Employee Health Promotion Program logo is an important piece of the branding

• Review any ideas submitted for Employee Health Promotion Program logos.
• If you’re fortunate to have a graphic design professional at your business, enlist her or his help with developing the Employee Health Promotion Program logo!
• As an alternative, pick a piece of clip-art that fits with the Employee Health Promotion Program name you’ve selected. For example, the business referenced above might look for a symbol that conveys building, health and wealth.

Option 2: Health and Wellness Committee determines the name and brand

1. Have your Health and Wellness Committee brainstorm Employee Health Promotion Program names.
• To get ideas flowing, ask members to write down all health-related words and words associated with your organization or industry.
• Try clustering words together as in the construction business example above.
2. Once your Health and Wellness Committee has narrowed down the possibilities to about three ideas, have committee members vote to select a name for your culture of wellness.
3. Choose a Employee Health Promotion Program logo to go with the winning name.
4. Announce the organization’s Employee Health Promotion Program and the corresponding Employee Health Promotion Program name. Explain that employees on the advisory committee chose the name.