Why companies need a Chief Wellness Officer

1. Do you agree with these statements ?
Employees are our most important asset
Health is wealth
Healthy employees = healthy bottom lines

2. Why do employee wellness
programs fail ?
DR MALPANI, MD
FOUNDER
HELP – HEALTH EDUCATION LIBRARY FOR PEOPLE
WWW.HEALTHLIBRARY.COM

3. Why programs fail
Not enough money
Not enough management support
Employees do not understand the importance of
health and wellness
Employees are not interested
Often, it’s the managers themselves who create the
unhealthy behaviour by stressing the employees !

4. Why don’t employees participate ?
WITFM ? HR department is implementing the
program for the company , not for me.
Lack of trust ! What is being done with my personal
health information ?
Programs are not tailored to my needs
I am required to use personal time to participate
Boring !

5. Engaging employees is key to success
Be realistic. Employees will not change lifestyles
simply because you tell them to do so . It’s hard to
get people to change their behaviour !
Company DNA needs to change.
Design a comprehensive program to apply to all
employees, from CEO to peon
Provide incentives

6. The ideal program
Offers several options since one method will not
work for the entire employee population
Encourages behavior change
Provides quantifiable, sustainable results
Contributes to a quality work environment
Helps you to be an employer of choice
Creates Buzz !

7. Best practices
1. Obtain Executive Support.
2. Fund It Appropriately.
3. Staff It. Need a team of wellness champions
4. Design an Effective Marketing and
Communications Program. You need to
sell it !

8. Lead by example !
Papa, Don’t Preach !
Will not work if executives do not participate
themselves. Does your CEO take the stairs ?
What do you do ?

9. Strategies for a successful program
# 1 : Health screening
# 2 : Health education. Information, & self help tools
# 3 : Organized activities
# 4 : Individual follow up & treatment
# 5 : Incentives and rewards
# 6 : Supportive workplace environment

10. Blended model – different strokes for
different folks !
1. Online
2. Real world
3. Coaching

11. Online. Digital backbone
Available 24/7
Inexpensive.

12. Real world
Talks
Health fairs.
Gym memberships.
Health Risk Assessments
Wellness library in
the canteen

13. Coaching
Direct support from a health coach. The employee
builds a relationship with the coach who
acts as an advocate.
Online coaching is cost
effective !

14. Proving ROI
1. Programs should be customized. One size does
not fit all.
2. Phase in the programs according to your budget.
3. Something (done well) is better than nothing.
4. Do not be afraid of measurement. Collect
data !
VOI ( value on investment) vs ROI
( return on investment)
It takes at least 18 months from the launch of a
Company Wellness program to see any impact.

15. Measuring ROI
Participation: The easiest to measure.
Satisfaction: Another easily measured variable.
Behavior changes: Better lifestyle choices.
Biometrics: Blood pressure, BMI, body weight and
cholesterol are great targets
Productivity: Absenteeism measures
Medical claims: 25 to 40 percent of all medical
insurance claims are avoidable through prevention,
early detection and the reduction of modifiable
health risk factors.

16. It’s all connected.
Wellness is no longer a “nice to have”; it’s a business
strategy.
Healthy employees have higher levels of engagement
and productivity. Healthy companies outperform
their competition.
Low employee engagement and high work-related
stress leads to unhealthy employees.
Unhealthy employees
lead to higher costs and
lower productivity.

17. Chief Wellness Officer
People must live healthier lifestyles, but they need
help. They spend most of their time at work, so HR
has a great opportunity to help them. What’s more
“human” than helping people get healthy?
Wellness is a valuable growth strategy.

18. Why do so many employee wellness
programs fail ?
Typical employee wellness programs are too focused
on health and not enough on happiness. Need to
engage employees first, and then make them healthy.
A wellness program that isn’t being used has zero
chance of success. The Carrot Is Tastier Than The
Stick
Small changes in behavior lead
to huge results.

19. Doctors are part of the problem
The Indian healthcare system has become sick.
Doctors are illness experts – and not healthcare
experts.
Your employees are the true experts on their health.
Give them the tools –
and learn from them !
Make it fun !

20. The Buck Stops Here !
Take ownership of the problem
Positive Deviance
Challenging task = Great opportunity !