Employee Health Promotion

Other departments within an organization will likely focus on related areas of worker safety and injury prevention. Health Promotion activities are a natural partner to many other HR, worker motivation, and safety programs.

Body mechanics, ergonomics, and safe working practices are three areas which may  be coordinated together.

o  Soft Tissue Sprains and Strains –  This injury category continues to remain the number one financial loss for workers’ compensation. A lot of health insurance dollars are also spent on back pain, other sprains, and strains. Wellness and safety efforts can focus on -

o  Warm up stretches before beginning work or periodic stretching during work. These can do much to prevent soft tissue injury. Give training to work groups so they may start a stretching program. These groups can then continue their own.

o  The wellness committee might consider contracting a fitness expert to come in and conduct stretching “refreshers” for employee groups throughout the year.

o  Offer body mechanics training annually or more frequently if possible. These training sessions should focus on work related tasks and safety, in addition to feature a segment on home tasks and body safety.

o  Partner with your employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to assist in providing body mechanics training, job safety analysis, and other preventive services which can help personnel work safer, smarter, and avoid injury.

o  Implement a safety concerns suggestion box. Be certain to encourage employees to report safety and/or injury concerns. Be certain to help senior management to establish policy to recognize and reward employees who offer safety suggestions, provide tips, and solution ideas.

o  A periodic presentation featuring a local medical provider addressing such topics as safe body mechanics, recovering from a back injury, appropriate spine care, etc.

o  Partner with senior level management and supervisor teams to recognize and reward work groups who are successful with safety and injury prevention.

o  The ergonomics of an employees’ workstation/work place design is important and applicable to every group.

o  Offer ergonomic training opportunities to interested workers volunteers. These individuals can then assist other workers to assess their work areas for safety, comfort, and injury prevention.

o  It is often more effective to have an observer evaluate personnel for helpful and friendly comfort suggestions rather than it is for person to assess themselves.

o  One suggestion is to have employees remind one another about correct posture, to take breaks, to stop and do quick mini stretches, etc.

o  Take before and after photos of work areas as changes are made. This will help to demonstrate how small adjustment changes can often make large comfort changes.

o  Partner with the employer’s workers’ compensation carrier to help develop ergonomic policies and practices and to provide employee training.

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a strategy commonly used to create interest and participation. However, be aware that offering holiday activities in the workplace can create issues.

Your worksite might have policies and guidelines already in place about issues such as appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Make certain to check with senior management regarding all guidelines and policies.

Do not forget to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It is normally safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that aren’t specific to one culture, as others may feel left out.

In truth, acknowledging diverse holidays, when done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups.

Several topical ideas for holiday themes include -

o  Wellness committee members distribute “healthy heart valentines” to each worker for Valentine’s Day.

o  Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Workers who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a free turkey (can be purchased at the local grocery store or donated).

o  Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up worksite introductory tai chi class offering.

o  Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Members of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions.

Each person can say several words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food doesn’t have to be low fat or specifically healthy, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain can be a big health challenge. This wellness activity is fun, low-key, and assists personnel monitor their weight during the holiday season.

o  Participants weigh-in with a “trusted” confident before Thanksgiving.  The weigh-ins could  be conducted on the honor system, but weight ought to be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You could invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.

o  Staff Members set a personal goal of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.

o  Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.

o  Provide weekly weight control hints. These must be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or provided in flyer form.

o  Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthful recipe choices.

o  Remind staff of the necessity to continue exercise during the busy holiday season.

o  Weigh everyone the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.

o  Workers who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.

o  Staff Members who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.