Wellness That Works

Even as health-care reform undergoes rigorous debate across the country and within the U.S. Congress, something most employers won't dispute is that a stronger emphasis on wellness and prevention would do the entire nation some long-term good.

According to the "2010 Segal Health Plan Cost Trend Survey," in efforts to control health-care costs, more plan sponsors are monitoring wellness and disease management programs and putting in place more meaningful rewards to boost personal responsibility for improving individual health. More are likewise reducing or waiving co-pays for disease prevention screenings and using health coaching services to encourage plan participants to maintain healthy habits and follow through with recommended treatments and medications.

While wellness programs have assumed a more holistic approach during the past decade—going beyond physical fitness to also emphasize eating right, sleeping well, and decompressing from work/life pressures—employers are still faced with the challenge of getting employees involved in taking better care of themselves.

A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009") found that most Americans still fall far short of eating the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables despite years of research and volumes of studies that suggest the importance of these foods for maintaining a healthy weight and preventing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. The CDC survey revealed that only 33 percent of adults eat two or more servings of fruit and only 27 percent consume three or more servings of vegetables daily. Children fare much worse, with only 9.5 percent consuming at least two servings of fruit and three servings of veggies daily.

With exponentially higher costs associated with chronic disease treatment versus disease prevention, more employers are recognizing the strategic and financial imperative behind motivating employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles over the long haul. In the July 2009 issue of Sibson Consulting's Perspectives newsletter, authors Steven Cyboran and Zsuzsa Palotos outline the key components of a "health-focused enterprise." (See "Is Your Organization a Healthy Enterprise?")

Such forward-thinking organizations partner with employees to optimize health and fitness, not only to eliminate health risks. On the way to this enlightened understanding, most organizations progress from a treatment mind-set to a risk-management focus to advancing a full "culture of health," say the authors:

"Trying to achieve a culture of health right out of the blocks can be a daunting task that is outside the scope of HR. A more realistic strategy is for the organization to begin by determining how to optimize success within the current culture. Many organizations start promoting health and wellness by repackaging the programs and services they already have in place. They then add resources (e.g., health-risk assessments and screenings) to help employees understand their risks and conditions and to better manage them through behavior modification (e.g., using health coaches, education, and other tools)."

A health-focused enterprise maintains a culture of health evident at all levels of an organization. Distinguishing features include how an organization approaches its health plan, workplace support, behavioral health programs, and time-off programs as well as what it measures and how it communicates healthy lifestyle priorities, the authors argue. "While relatively few organizations have evolved into full-fledged healthy enterprises, the number is increasing as more leaders recognize the strategic benefits of leveraging a strong health orientation into improved productivity in support of financial success."

Within higher education, an increasing number of colleges and universities are implementing robust employee wellness programs or enhancing existing ones that had lost steam. What works best at one institution is not always a driving force for another campus population. For instance, financial incentives for employee participation are proven motivators at some institutions, while at others, not so much. Some attributes of a successful wellness program are universal. Chief among them are convenience and variety of opportunities for employees to take part.

Taking a broader view, a focus on employee wellness and health provides another opportunity to enhance employee engagement and satisfaction. And that's especially important at a time when higher education institutions are looking for ways to keep their best talent onboard. At the University of Kentucky in Lexington, wellness is one slice of a larger comprehensive approach to work/life balance.

UK's work/life program originally launched in 2002. From there it has gained momentum through employee committees and work groups that have helped the university establish specific policies based on employee recommendations. One of the latest additions has been development of breastfeeding and lactation guidelines. "As at many other universities, the majority of our workforce (58 percent) is women. Historically, women in particular found it especially difficult to balance work/life issues, but now it is an issue for all members of the family," says Kimberly Prather Wilson, associate vice president of human resources. Another program the institution piloted in summer 2008 was a reduced summer hours program. "For a limited time, some employees were approved for additional time off from work while keeping their benefits whole," explains Wilson. More recently, the university has been experimenting with ways to ease the financial stress impacting families by offering employee education sessions on managing household finances.

However broadly wellness may be defined, the institution case studies highlighted in "Happy, Healthy Employees" in this issue of HR Horizons provide insights regarding which elements of a comprehensive program really do work.

Karla Hignite, principal of KH Communication, is editor of NACUBO's HR Horizons. E-mail: karlahignite@msn.com.

While wellness programs have assumed a more holistic approach during the past decade—going beyond physical fitness to also emphasize eating right, sleeping well, and decompressing from work/life pressures—employers are still faced with the challenge of getting employees involved in taking better care of themselves.

A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables, 2009") found that most Americans still fall far short of eating the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables despite years of research and volumes of studies that suggest the importance of these foods for maintaining a healthy weight and preventing chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. The CDC survey revealed that only 33 percent of adults eat two or more servings of fruit and only 27 percent consume three or more servings of vegetables daily. Children fare much worse, with only 9.5 percent consuming at least two servings of fruit and three servings of veggies daily.

With exponentially higher costs associated with chronic disease treatment versus disease prevention,more employers are recognizing the strategic and financial imperative behind motivating employees to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles over the long haul. In the July 2009 issue of Sibson Consulting'sPerspectives newsletter, authors Steven Cyboran and Zsuzsa Palotos outline the key components of a "health-focused enterprise." (See "Is Your Organization a Healthy Enterprise?")

Such forward-thinking organizations partner with employees to optimize health and fitness, not only to eliminate health risks. On the way to this enlightened understanding, most organizations progress from a treatment mind-set to a risk-management focus to advancing a full "culture of health," say the authors:

"Trying to achieve a culture of health right out of the blocks can be a daunting task that is outside the scope of HR. A more realistic strategy is for the organization to begin by determining how to optimize success within the current culture. Many organizations start promoting health and wellness by repackaging the programs and services they already have in place. They then add resources (e.g.,health-risk assessments and screenings) to help employees understand their risks and conditions and to better manage them through behavior modification (e.g., using health coaches, education, and other tools)."

A health-focused enterprise maintains a culture of health evident at all levels of an organization. Distinguishing features include how an organization approaches its health plan, workplace support, behavioral health programs, and time-off programs as well as what it measures and how it communicates healthy lifestyle priorities, the authors argue. "While relatively few organizations have evolved into full-fledged healthy enterprises, the number is increasing as more leaders recognize the strategic benefits of leveraging a strong health orientation into improved productivity in support of financial success."

Within higher education, an increasing number of colleges and universities are implementing robust employee wellness programs or enhancing existing ones that had lost steam. What works best at one institution is not always a driving force for another campus population. For instance, financial incentives for employee participation are proven motivators at some institutions, while at others, not so much. Some attributes of a successful wellness program are universal. Chief among them are convenience and variety of opportunities for employees to take part.

Taking a broader view, a focus on employee wellness and health provides another opportunity to enhance employee engagement and satisfaction. And that's especially important at a time when higher education institutions are looking for ways to keep their best talent onboard. At the University of Kentucky in Lexington, wellness is one slice of a larger comprehensive approach to work/life balance.

UK's work/life program originally launched in 2002. From there it has gained momentum through employee committees and work groups that have helped the university establish specific policies based on employee recommendations. One of the latest additions has been development of breastfeeding and lactation guidelines. "As at many other universities, the majority of our workforce (58 percent) is women. Historically, women in particular found it especially difficult to balance work/life issues, but now it is an issue for all members of the family," says Kimberly Prather Wilson, associate vice president of human resources. Another program the institution piloted in summer 2008 was a reduced summer hours program. "For a limited time, some employees were approved for additional time off from work while keeping their benefits whole," explains Wilson. More recently, the university has been experimenting with ways to ease the financial stress impacting families by offering employee education sessions on managing household finances.

However broadly wellness may be defined, the institution case studies highlighted in "Happy, Healthy Employees" in this issue of HR Horizons provide insights regarding which elements of a comprehensive program really do work.

Karla Hignite, principal of KH Communication, is editor of NACUBO's HR Horizons. E-mail:karlahignite@msn.com.