Wellness in the Workplace webinar-May 28, 2014

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Welcome to the
Child and Family Learning Network Webinar
Wellness in the Workplace

2. Child and Family Learning Network
Connect with us!
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from the Child and Family Learning Network, email Katie_Stamper@ncsu.edu.
www.eXtension.org/families_and_child_well_being
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3. Additional Webinar Resources:
Wellness in the Workplace
https://learn.extension.org/events/1617

4. Wellness in the Workplace
Kathleen Morgan
Family & Community Health Sciences Department Chair,
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
morgan@njaes.rutgers.edu
Joanne Kinsey
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic/Ocean Counties
jkinsey@njaes.rutgers.edu

5. Adults/Employees are not healthy!

6. The Burden of Heart Disease &
Stroke
Know your state and local data to
report to potential partners and
employers. Compare it to
national data to tell the story.

7. According to 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor
Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey results, adults in
NJ reported the following risk factors for heart disease
and stroke:
– 28.2% had high blood pressure
– 38.6% of those screened reported having high blood
cholesterol
– 9.2% had diabetes
– 17.1% were current smokers
– 62.3% were overweight or obese (BMI greater than
or equal to 25.0)
– 51.9% reported no exercise in the prior 30 days
– 72.5% ate fruit and vegetables less than 5 times a
day

8. Risk Factor New Jersey Nationwide (States
and D.C.)
Eat fruits &
vegetables less than
5 times/day
72.5 75.6
Overweight or obese 62.3 62.9
No moderate or
vigorous physical
activity
51.9 50.5
High total blood
cholesterol
38.6 37.6
High blood cholesterol 28.2 27.8
Cigarette smoking 17.1 19.8
Diabetes 9.2 8.0

9. Workplace Wellness…Why Should
We Care?
Healthier Individuals = lower co-pays & out-of-pocket
costs, improved quality of life
Healthier Workplace = lower premiums, higher morale,
improved productivity, fewer employee sick days &
absence
Healthier Communities = improved quality of life,
increased volunteerism

10. Employers are wise to invest in
worksite health promotion:
Improve employers’ health, productivity & contribute to an
improved quality of life.
Reduce missed workdays due to chronic illness related to
heart disease & stroke – reducing the cost to employers
for downtime & temporary help.
Decrease absenteeism, employer turnover & health-care
costs.
May reduce the management of health-care & the cost of
benefits & insurance.
Create a culture of wellness in the work environment.

11. Developing a Culture of Wellness in the
Workplace

12. A Culture of Wellness:
Does not happen overnight, because it
Is a cultural shift in an organization, and is
More than a few haphazard activities, and
Is sustainable!

13. What are the barriers?
Busy employees
No budget
Confusion- where do we start?
Lack of participation

14. What does a culture of wellness look like on
the worksite?
Opportunities for employees to learn
about
healthy lifestyle behavior:
Nutrition
Increased physical activity
Tobacco free living

15. Nutrition information
Provide information about healthy food choices
Avoiding diet trends
Healthy choices identified in vending machines
Healthy options in the cafeteria

16. Supportive opportunities and encouragement to
become more physically active…
community events
walking programs
incentives for gym memberships
walking stations/paths on-site

17. Tobacco Free Living
Provide informational sessions about smoking
Provide smoking cessation programs

18. Emotional Health
Provide information about:
 stress management
 anxiety
 depression
Strategies for reducing the above

19. Preventative care
Healthcare system encourages
engagement in preventative care:
annual physicals
age-appropriate screenings

20. Gaining the Support of Management

21. The most important factor in worksite wellness
success may be the support of senior-level
management.

22. Be prepared to answer these questions:
•How will this initiative improve our workplace?
•How much will it cost to run this program or bring
about this change?
•How can we persuade workers to participate?
•How will we know if this was a meaningful use of
time and resources?

23. Tailor program strategies to meet the
goals/mission of the organization.

24. Consider this:
Does senior management believe in health
promotion programs at the worksite?
Does senior management participate in
wellness activities or practice healthy lifestyle
habits?

25. A few quick tips
Share health claims data

26. Talk about the Return on Investment (ROI) on
worksite wellness programs (increased
productivity, reduced absenteeism, decreased
health care costs, improved morale).
Look for cost-free or low-cost programs to get
started.

27. Remember this!
A healthy workforce is more productive, less
likely to be absent from the job, has improved
morale, and has the need for LESS dollars
spent on health care claims.

28. Create a Wellness Committee

29. The Wellness Committee plays a large role in the
worksite’s health promotion activities, although the
committee can be small in numbers.
Be sure to convene interested or experienced
employees as role models.

30. Step One
Design the committee with a
cross-section of employee
representation from:
Management
Supervision
Human Resources
Other Wellness Champions

31. Step Two
Convene a meeting to:
Discuss the results of the Employer Needs Assessment
and the Employee Behavior & Interest Survey
Discuss other worksite data collected about wellness
issues (example - health claims data)

32. Develop a realistic Work Plan
for the committee that will
show an impact on the work
environment.
Choose a starting point!

33. Prioritize the needs and
work of the wellness
committee

34. Community Based Efforts-
Main Street Projects, Business
Districts, Industrial Areas: What can
they do?
• Better walking paths
• Bike riding to work: purchasing bike racks
• Working with famer’s markets to provide coupons
• Walking club
• Community wellness initiatives

35. Assessments

36. Employer Needs Assessment
Health Risk Assessments (HRA’s) help employers and
their wellness committees identify:
Strengths in their programming
Gaps and areas of need
Begin the conversation about wellness at the worksite

37. Employer Needs Assessment

38. Employee Baseline Behavior & Interest Survey
Information about employee healthy lifestyle
behaviors
Information about health topics of interest
and how employees want the information
delivered
Data reported back to the employer

39. Low, Medium, and High Cost Resources

40. How much time & money are you willing to
invest to develop
a Culture of Wellness in your organization?

41. Low-Cost Resources
Create a wellness committee
Promote and encourage employee
participation in:
Nutrition education
Physical activity/fitness

42. Low-Cost Resources
Provide health promotion via:
Newsletters
Websites
Email
Other internal communications

43. Medium-Cost Resources
Arrange wellness committee meetings on a
regular basis
Offer wellness topic presentations
Host a health fair

44. Medium-Cost Resources
Conduct wellness screenings (BMI, blood
pressure, diabetes)
Provide health risk assessments
On-site weight management programs

45. High-Cost Resources
Develop a budget for health promotion
Provide healthcare coverage for employees &
their families for prevention & treatment of
chronic disease

46. High-Cost Resources
Provide wellness programing to employee
family members
Provide on-site fitness facilities for
employees

47. Every program starts with a first step!

48. Kathleen Morgan
Family & Community Health Sciences Department Chair, Rutgers
Cooperative Extension
morgan@njaes.rutgers.edu
Joanne Kinsey
Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Atlantic/Ocean Counties
jkinsey@njaes.rutgers.edu