Mike Dirks: President, West Coast Fitness
From my experience, most companies approach corporate wellness without much forethought. I often see companies putting time and energy into short-term health initiatives like setting up a boot camp, a fitness challenge or lunchtime yoga classes.
While these may help improve morale and health for a short time, they don’t have long-lasting effects.
According to the Wellness Council of America, there are seven benchmarks to an effective corporate wellness program:
•Capture senior level support. When the CEO or upper management gets behind the initiative, things begin to change.
•Create a cohesive wellness team. Appointing full responsibility of the wellness program to one person is a recipe for failure.
•Collect data. If an organization is interested in creating a wellness program that helps contain costs and improve employee health, data must be collected
•Craft an operating plan. The operating plan is the central document that serves as the key piece of communication as to what the program will accomplish.
•Choose appropriate interventions. Unlike other wellness programs that are strictly activity based (i.e. boot camps, yoga classes, etc.) truly effective health interventions that are predicated upon data
•Create a supportive environment. A supportive environment will play a critical role in helping employees to adopt healthier behaviours
•Carefully evaluate outcomes. Evaluation is the key that holds the other six benchmarks accountable. A sound evaluation strategy allows for a better understanding of which elements of the program are working and which need attention.
Frank Soper | Founder, Citahealth
Establishing a corporate wellness program (CWP) seems like a great idea to anyone who has given it some thought. But there is also plenty of evidence to support the impact it has had on corporations.
These benefits include increased productivity, efficiency and, ultimately, profitability for the company.
•Return on investment: Johnson & Johnson reaped an average of 30% return on investment over a 12-year period from its “Life for Life” employee fitness program.
•Increased productivity and improved decision-making: According to a 1991 Purdue University study, fitness level of exercisers rose 22% while the ability to make complex decisions increased 70%.
•Increased morale: 63% of employees enrolled in a Saatchi & Saatchi CWP cited improved productivity and 75% said it boosted morale.
•Improved efficiency: According to NASA, the efficiency of the average office worker decreased 50% in their final two hours of work. CWP members experienced a 12.5% increase in productivity.
•Improved decision-making time: 75% of Union Pacific Railroad employees said exercise helped achieve a higher level of concentration and relaxation at work.
•Reduced health-care costs: Dupont saved $1.6 million in the first year of its CWP, $1.5 million in the second and $3.0 million in the third.
•Reduced employee turnover: turnover among the Canadian Life Assurance Co.’s CWP participants was 32.6% lower over a seven-year period than non-participants.
At the end of the day, the success of your CWP can be measured only if you have employee participation. To ensure this, you should work with an organization that has experience in delivering such programs.
Pepe Picco | Director of operations, Precision Athletics
If you are a business owner considering implementing some form of corporate wellness program for your employees, you’re doing them (and your company) a great service.
Studies have shown that corporate wellness programs not only promote individual health and well-being, but can also increase employee job satisfaction, morale and camaraderie.
Here are some considerations to help you maximize your program’s effectiveness:
•Getting started: a corporate fitness challenge will get the ball rolling. This will provide structure and education as well as build camaraderie and encourage employee participation. Corporate fitness challenges are best left in the hands of fitness professionals.
•Measurable results: providing regular fitness testing dates and testing options.
•Structure/scalability: the program needs to include some form of physical activity, as well as a lifestyle and a nutrition component. The outline should be as specific as possible and provide options for people of all capabilities and fitness levels.
•Education: it’s important that people understand how they can maximize their health and fitness results safely and effectively.
•Recognition: offer a little incentive in the form of small prizes awarded at regular intervals.
•Long-term considerations: you will want to consider whether you should “jump start” your employees and, if so, how frequently? Another option is to offer ongoing programs at your workplace or at a fitness facility close by. This could be a subsidized group fitness class for your employees or a monthly fitness allowance that they can put toward any program of their choice.
