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Developing a Corporate Wellness Program Organization Plan, part 1

A corporation plan is a roadmap for success. Use the guidelines below to develop a realistic corporation plan and budget for your Corporate Wellness Programs. <h3>What is a corporation plan?</h3> • A plan for success • A document that convincingly demonstrates that your Corporate Wellness...

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Employee Health Promotion Programs: Rewards and Incentives

Posted by Health Promotion | Posted in Employee Health Promotion | Posted on 31-10-2008

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Employee Health Promotion Programs – Staff Engagement Strategies

Employee Health Promotion Programs without staff engagement are useless to a corporation. How do you get employees to enroll in Employee Health Promotion Programs – and stay engaged in the programs?

The brochures for these programs discuss the benefits to employees and businesses. Employee Health Promotion Program statistics show that there are tangible benefits to a corporation for offering such programs. Employee Health Promotion Programs actually do save lives by getting workers to take their health seriously, increase productivity, decrease absenteeism and more.

However, St. Louis, Missouri-based Maritz Inc., the world’s largest incentive corporation, has applied their own invigorating twist to health management by providing gift rewards to employees who participate in Employee Health Promotion Programs. The wellness reward program is Maritz’s own Exclusively Yours® plan. Health management participants earn points, which can be then redeemed for merchandise, electronics, restaurant vouchers and travel, much like a frequent-flier program.

Enrollment rewards in Employee Health Promotion Programs?

Undoubtably businesses that don’t work in the rewards industry will be tempted to cry foul about using such a rich carrot to incentivize health program enrollments. Not every corporation can throw that kind of money at health management resources – and not every corporation has the built-in savings as a business that specializes in providing reward programs.

For certain rich rewards like Maritz’s will break through the glaze that appears over many employees’ eyes when they’re encouraged to do something new, different or difficult. For many employees uncomfortable with health management and physical activity, “new, different and difficult” would apply to Employee Health Promotion Programs. So where does that leave businesses who are unwilling or unable to offer rewards for health management program enrollment?

Successful Employee Health Promotion Programs motivate employees – before and after signup

Employee Health Promotion Program administrators should keep the long-term view in mind when trying to get employees to take that critical first step. Even the best rewards can fail in the face of faltering organization, badly-designed Employee Health Promotion Programs and wavering support. Make sure to run good Wellness surveys before you build your Employee Health Promotion Programs so employee input and needs are being met by your Employee Health Promotion Programs. The goal is positive outcomes, not high enrollment numbers.

Employee Health Promotion Programs cannot survive managerial apathy. If executive and managerial participation is widespread and heartfelt, employees will follow their leadership. The potential rewards and Wellness benefits are clearly worth reaping, for both your business and your co-workers.

Good Employee Health Promotion Programs: Individual Wellness

Posted by Health Promotion | Posted in Employee Health Promotion | Posted on 30-10-2008

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Wellness might be the fatal flaw in your Employee Health Promotion Program. Is Wellness part of your strategy? Does workplace wellness stop when your employees leave the office?

Wellness Continuity

If employees don’t have the tools to pursue health and wellness on a Individual level, then it becomes easy for them to “fall off the wagon” and slide back into a unealthy lifestyles. If you have a walking program, for example, it should encourage employees to build walking routes near their homes, perhaps with the cooperation of the neighborhood association or coworkers who live in the neighborhood.

Employee Health Promotion Programs: Always on Your Mind

Your Employee Health Promotion Program coordinator should have “vacation wellbeing” as part of their job scope. In other words, you don’t want a Employee Health Promotion Program to stop at the boundaries of the workplace campus. Instead, integrate Individual health and wellness with your Employee Health Promotion Programs.

This will benefit the Employee Health Promotion Programs in a couple of ways:

it reduces the chance that the employee will come back to the office feeling unfit, overwhelmed and unable to resume their Employee Health Promotion Programs; and

it shows that their business is just as invested in their Individual health and wellness as they are

Like a marathon, Individual health and wellness is a long-term commitment and it’s difficult for anyone to do in isolation. Simply put, it’s easier to maintain your health and wellbeing when you know others are depending on you and watching your Individual performance. It’s easier to stick to an fitness program when you have a jogging partner who wakes you up when you oversleep, or spots you when you’re lifting weights.

Similarly, it’s easier to stick to your Employee Health Promotion Program when you know your business is supporting you and wishing you the best.

Don’t Dictate Individual Health

Just as Wellness surveys serve a vital function in building a Employee Health Promotion Program, it’s critical that you involve employees in designing an off-site wellness strategy. No one enjoys being told what to do, but everyone enjoys having assistance in tacking tough problems. Make it clear that employees are in charge of their own health and wellness. Your role as their health management partner is to support, advise, counsel, offer resources and information.

Of course, don’t forget that part of Individual health and wellness responsibility is to offer good health risk assessment baselines so employees can proceed safely on the road to better physical fitness.