Bring Nutrition & Wellness Awareness to The Workplace

Thursday, March 3rd, 2016

According to scientific research, workplace nutrition programs have a great benefit on the well-being of every employee and are meant to reduce the healthcare costs and turnover as well as any potential disability. Aside from that, they are the trigger to better productivity and a vital link in the overall health of the company.

Are you reinforcing nutrition awareness at your company? If not, here is how to do it in 5 simple ways:

1. Promote Nutrition Workshops – Providing workshops on Nutrition is a great way to bring awareness to employees. Workshops can range from “How to Read Food Labels” to “How to Grocery Shop”. By promoting the workshops, you are bringing healthy nutrition awareness to every employee. The employees that don’t choose to attend the workshops will still think about their nutritional habits daily as they see the workshop promotional material and announcements. Search Nutrition Workshops
2. Provide Healthy Snacks – Offer a range of healthy snacks that contain some protein, some fat, and complex carbohydrates. The standard office snack food fare such as cookies, chips, and sodas are high in simple sugars that cause a spike in energy when eaten followed by the inevitable “sugar crash” that leaves people feeling tired and unmotivated.  Read more
3. Corporate Healthy Cook-Off  – Promote employees to join a healthy cook-off. Designate judges for your cook-off and have employees submit tastings of their most healthy, best-tasting recipes. Winner(s) receives a ribbon or prize and all recipes are posted for employees to enjoy.
4. Provide a Listing of Healthy Restaurants – Post or email your employees a list of restaurants in the area they dine at for lunch and/or dinner. By providing healthy dining choices that employees may not be aware of, you offer an alternative to the unhealthy fast food most have become accustomed to.
5. Post Nutritional Facts  – By posting nutritional facts throughout your office, you bring awareness and resolutions to employees that may not have known otherwise. There are many free facts online that can easily be printed and posted for employees. As employees see this information, they are more apt to make small changes based on visual knowledge.  Search Facts

In the end, nutrition and workplace wellness are both aspects of future awareness and care for your employees. They are a rising trend, but also a bridge to better productivity and well-being for everyone in your workspace – including yourself.

ROI Versus VOI – And The Value of Corporate Wellness

Thursday, March 3rd, 2016

Many times we have heard people saying ‘What’s your return on investment (ROI) on that?’ or ‘How much are we going to make and will it be profitable?’.  The principle of ROI literally means a return on investment, or in other words – ensuring that your investment receives the same amount of money back – or even more.

However, the value on investment (VOI) has been a trending topic over the past few years and one definitely worth exploring. The concept of VOI was first introduced by Gartner, one of the pioneer companies in information technology research. Value On Investment (VOI) is best defined as all the intangible assets that contribute to an organization’s performance.

From the prism of corporate wellness, VOI often collides with ROI. In fact, the value of investment represented by VOI includes all the knowledge and processes as well as organizational structure, which is very often more critical to an organization than simply put – the budget spent and the expectations on it.

Let’s face it – investing funds in a project certainly comes with a responsibility. Therefore, ROI is an important aspect of corporate wellness nowadays. However, ensuring that the funds invested have a certain value, intangible benefits as well as increase productivity to result with a higher ROI – is the missing link that many companies fail to understand when evaluating their investment.

So, what does Value On Investment actually mean?

It means more than just a budget that is set. It means understanding the real value of something and defining the benefits of that investment. In other words, it refers to:

• Value of information – Is the information used for the investment relevant?
• Value of initiative – Is there a business voice standing behind all the actions within a company?
• Value of impact – Does the investment guarantee impact that will benefit the marketplace?
• Value of influence – Is the company that invests influential in the community?
• Value of Instruction – Are the processes within industry-appropriate and meet the standards set by the government?
• Value of Interaction – Will the members be able to make connections, share information and learn the best practices?
• Value of Insights – Is the investment guaranteed to make every member gain valuable knowledge?
• Value of Integration – Is the value of investment meeting the goals of the company?

As you can probably see, VOI comes with a lot of principles, which every company needs to understand before partaking in an investment. It is definitely one of the rising trends to incorporate wellness and the one that, along with ROI, acts as the backbone value of every investment.

IAB Health Productions, LLC offers FREE wellness program planning services for organizations. With a diverse network of thousands of providers and our wide range of online tools and experts, we can guarantee that each program is designed to meet the individual needs and desires of our valued clients.

Planning a Successful Health Fair

Monday, January 11th, 2016

Click to download pdf Guide to Planning a Successful Health Fair

A company health fair is a wonderful way to encourage healthy options for your employees. Creating an event that is educational, well attended and supportive of long-term health management can be achieved by following the recommendations in this guide.

IAB Health Productions, LLC offers FREE online tools to manage every aspect of your health fair while keeping your personal contact information private. Click here to begin scheduling your event.

Planning Your Event
Start planning your health fair at least five months in advance. A planning team can be assembled for the event to assist with the tasks. This may be the human resources department, or it can be representatives from various areas of the company. Health Fairs are better attended when various department managers are involved in the planning, as they are more apt to promote and encourage their staff to participate.

Executive Leadership
It is critical for leadership to support the health fair and encourage employees to participate. Having memos sent out from executive staff members reminding the employees about the event is imperative for participation. It is also great to have C-level staff members at the health fair mingling with both the vendors and the employees.

Kick-off Programs
Health fairs are also a great time to introduce your employees to long-term health programs that are scheduled within the company. Long-term initiatives can include employee paid programs such as weight loss programs, smoking cessation programs, chair massage services, stress management classes, walking programs, etc.

Theme
You can allocate a theme for your event and encourage participating vendors to support this theme at their table for increased engagement. Themes can revolve around health-related topics such as a season, a charity, or a popular book. Here are some examples you may like to consider below.

• Hike Your Way To Better Health – Encourage employees to wear hiking clothes and bring backpacks. Encourage vendors to bring water bottles, trail mix, nature bars
• Don’t Gamble with Your Health – Encourage Vendors to set up a casino-style booth and wear visors.
• Valentine’s Day – Hearts Matter – All Vendors have hearts on their tables.
• Spring – Spring into a New You – Vendors bring flowers
• You always had the POWER – Vendors dress up or bring items related to the Wizard of Oz

Timing
When determining the best time of year to host your event, consider company peak periods and facility needs during these times. Timing your health fair during slow times can increase morale and participation. Therefore it may be wise to consider a slow period. If space is an issue, you may also want to consider a warmer season, so you could have the option of hosting your event outside. Schedule the event around the time that you feel your employees would be most available to visit the event to increase the chance of high attendance.

For the purposes of attracting qualified vendors to display in your health fair, it is not recommended to hold the fair for longer than 5 hours, nor is it suggested to have your health fair start before 9 AM and end at 5 PM. Below is a good outline for the length of your health fair.

• Up to 50 employees (2 hours)
• 100-200 employees (3 hours)
• 200+ employees (4 hours)

Multiple Locations
If your company has multiple locations, you may need to plan your events on separate days so you can have vendors attend all events. In the circumstances that your locations are spread out, you will need to duplicate all the instructions below for each event. If the other locations are too small to support a health fair, request additional materials from your vendors to make available to the employees at the other locations.

Venue
When selecting your venue, you will need to consider space and electrical access. It is also important to take into account what size tables you have for the vendors to display their information (6ft or greater is suggested) and how many will fit comfortably in this space. One foot or greater is suggested between vendors and a minimum of three feet walking space for your employees with all fire exits clear works well.

You may want to take into account that your vendors will need extra floor space and electric as they may provide screenings and video displays. When considering Chair Massage, Vision, Spinal screenings along with flu shots and biometrics, remember that each of these will require space for both the vendor’s display and the employees. Many vendors use tall stand-up displays that will block traffic and event visuals. Request that all vendors place their banners behind their booth and with this in mind, give the vendor 3ft behind their booth for their supplies, chairs and movement.

It is estimated that 30% of your vendors will need access to electric, so when designing your floor plan, take into account the total number of tables you can accommodate and give two-thirds access to electric.

Inviting Providers

Insurance Providers
It is important to remember that your insurance providers are your employee health partners. A health fair is a great way for your employees to interact with their insurance providers to learn more about their benefits and the health resources available to them through their insurance plans. Decide what insurance providers you would like to have at your health fair and what information and giveaways you would like to have them bring.

Wellness Providers (vendors)
The vendors that you decide to have at your Health Fair will be the cornerstone of your event. When selecting the educational topics and vendors that you consider appropriate for your health fair, you may want to consult with your insurance broker or provider to get a utilization report lending information to the health risk of your employees.

Keep your event information and fun by including information that employees would not usually have the opportunity to understand like Acupuncture, Water Filtration, Reiki and, most importantly, Mental Health. You may also use a national online listing of vendors to help arrange what is best for you.

All Providers should be sent an invitation to participate in your event 60 – 90 days before the event date. You can invite vendors using a free online web tool, via email, via phone, or both. You will need to provide the following information in your invitation.

• Event Name: Theme Name or “Company” Health Fair
• Event Overview: Tell the vendors about your event. Explain your theme; focus on how you will promote the attendance of your employees. Let them know if you will be providing the employees and or them food or any special promotions to encourage participation.
• Event Date: From (“Start Time” to “End Time”) Allow 1 hour before the event start for vendors to set up.
• Number of Employees that will be invited to the event: Usually the total number of employees at your location
• Anticipated Attendance: This is needed by the vendor so they can prepare materials and giveaways for employees
• Location of Event: Provide Address and area event is to be held (conference room, outside parking lot, cafeteria)
• Any Certificate of Insurance or Waivers that will be required
• Event Point of Contact name and email address
• Ask vendors to bring a raffle prize for an overall raffle for employees

Vendor RSVPs
Vendors will need to RSVP and provide you with the information listed below. IAB provides an online registration tool for vendors that allows employers to review the requesting vendor’s information before accepting their registration. This gives employers a broad range of prospective vendors to choose from.

• Company Name
• Representatives names
• Electric Needed
• Linen Needed
• Extra Floor Space Needed (how much)
• Providing Screenings/services
• Copy of any COI or Waiver (if needed)
• Employee Communication

Employee Communication

Save the Date
60 – 90 days before the event it is suggested to send a “Save the Date” out to your employees so they can put the event on their calendar. This can be emailed and posted throughout your facility near high traffic areas to ensure maximum exposure to the information. Offer suggestion boxes in various places for employees to suggest creative ideas or vendors. A survey or hints to win prizes at the event can also be contained in this posting.

Event Announcement
30 days before the event it is suggested to send an Event Announcement to employees giving full details about the event. It should include the following:

• Event Title and Theme
• Event date
• Event time (start-end)
• Event location
• Listing of vendors

Preparing the Venue
Two weeks before the event, all vendors and their booth requirements should be finalized. Each of the below items will now need to be considered and ordered for your event. IAB’s free online tool provides employers with a detailed listing of each registered vendor’s needs.

Vendor Booths:

• Number of Tables you will need (rent if needed)
• Number of Linens you will need (tables will need covers)
• Number of Vendors that require electrical access (extension cords may be needed)
• Event Requirements
  You will need a few items on hand for your event. Below is a list of suggested items you will need to have prepared for your event ahead of time.
• Pens
• Tape
• Scissors
• Extension Cords
• Raffle Ticket Basket
• Raffle Tickets – Provide a way for employees to enter a raffle for attending the event. Vendors will bring raffle prizes.
• Event Guides– It greatly helps to provide your employees with a listing of each vendor with their contact and services information
• Table Tag Displays will be used for placing your vendors; those will need to be printed and prepared once your list is complete.

Room Layout

Design a floor plan placing each vendor in the room based on the vendor’s booth needs along with your room & table size. Make sure you have accounted for a check-in table and with a familiar staff member to greet each employee.

Try to keep all vendors in one room. If screening rooms are used, there should be a check-in table or proper signage to direct the traffic. This helps with the flow of employees and allows you to keep an eye on how the event is going. When placing vendors’ tables, try to keep vendors that provide similar services separately. As tempting as it is to put them together, it does cause friction and competitive nature among providers, which could make it unpleasant for everyone.

Vendor Confirmations
One week before the event, communication should be made with all participating vendors to provide them with final details. Provide details such as where they should unload their car and where they are expected to park after that. Remind them to bring their raffle prize and of the set-up start time. Make sure to provide vendors with a contact and phone number they can reach should they get lost on the way to your event or need to cancel for an unforeseen reason. IAB automates this for you.

Employee Reminders
One day before the event, send a final event promotion to your employees. Make sure the venue is set-up and ready to go for the vendors if you have an early event.

Event Day

Have a minimum of two staff members to assist with the event at all times, also make sure you have the room ready for vendors 1 hour before the event start time. This will give you and your vendors plenty of time to get in and safely set up before your employee’s arrival. Some vendors will arrive early and some will be late. This is to be expected and considered on the event day, so please keep this in mind.

• Have a welcome table for HR/Wellness team. Items to have on the welcome table:
• Raffle prizes (IAB requires all participating vendors to provide a raffle prize)—should be collected from each vendor and placed on welcome table for employees to see as they enter the event
• Raffle tickets
• Raffle ticket entry container
• Pens
• Wellness Guides (if applicable)—Handed out to the employees as they enter the event

Vendor Arrival
As vendors arrive, greet each one and direct them to their booth. Let them know where the restrooms are and if any refreshments are available to them. Many vendors will want to make small talk with you as you are trying to greet and accommodate other arriving vendors. Let them know you will be around during or after the event to speak with them in more detail.

Employee Arrival
Have two staff members at the check-in table to greet the employees as they arrive. It is highly suggested that a C-Level staff member also is present at your event to show employees their endorsement. Staff members can rotate between checking in employees and checking on the vendors.

Event Conclusion
As vendors begin to pack up and leave, take the time to thank each one for their time at your event

Download FULL Health Fair Planning Guide

Benefits of Hosting Employee Wellness Workshops

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015

Wellness workshops are an integral part of planning a successful employee wellness program. Workshops allow you to provide useful health education in a way that’s interactive and engaging. They are often an effective tool in creating positive changes in the health of your employees and cementing health initiatives within your organization. When deciding whether hosting an educational wellness workshop is right for your business, consider the following benefits:

Education provides a greater Value on Investment.

When it comes to education based employee wellness, the standard Return on Investment calculations is outdated. Instead, consider Value on Investment (VOI), which focuses on intangibles such as how employees feel and how those feelings affect their attitudes about work and life in general. The education given in workshops provides employees with the tools they need to improve their mental and physical health over the long term. Healthier employees lead to a happier, more productive workplace overall.

Workshop topics can further enhance specific company wellness initiatives.

Whether your goal is to lower rates of absenteeism, reduce uses of health insurance or reduce smoking amongst your employees, educational workshops can help you achieve them. Hosting wellness workshops allows you the opportunity to cover specific health topics in greater detail with your employees. Once your employees have a greater understanding of your initiative, work with them to plan actionable goals to maximize the workshop’s effectiveness.

Wellness education shows your employees that you care about their well-being.

Hosting a wellness workshop for your employees shows you appreciate them and care about their well-being. This can improve employee morale, which can lead to greater retention rates and productivity. Employees that feel appreciated and respected are more loyal and willing to stick with their employers for the long haul.

On the IAB website, there are thousands of wellness workshops on various educational topics to browse and potentially utilize for your employees – many for free. Some available topics include stress management, weight loss, nutrition, and financial education. Workshops will most often be hosted at your location; however, IAB also offers workshops hosted at the site of the provider.

Find out more about organizing wellness workshops for your employees.

Onsite Flu Shots Save Money and Lower Absences

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015

December 2-9 is National Flu Vaccination Week. Help keep your employees healthy and productive throughout the flu season by helping them get vaccinated.

For many professionals, the winter season is a busy time of year packed with deadlines, organizing for the new year and of course plenty of holiday celebration. It is also the time of year that the flu virus hits hardest.  All it takes is one infected individual at your business and you could have a rampant flu outbreak on your hands that leaves most of your employees sick in bed and your end of year goals suffering from a loss in productivity. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season costs businesses around $10.4 billion in direct costs each year through hospitalization and outpatient visits, and an additional $6.1 billion in absenteeism and lost productivity. In addition to substantial financial loses, studies show that workers with the flu show impaired the performance of simple reaction time-based tasks by 20 to 40%, which can increase the likelihood of error or on the job injury.

The good news though is that flu vaccinations are an effective method for preventing the flu, showing to lower the risk of going to the doctor by 60% in those that receive it. By offering flu shots at your workplace, you increase the likelihood of your employees getting vaccinated. Onsite employee flu vaccinations is a proven cost-effective strategy that increases productivity, reduces absenteeism and prevents associated direct healthcare costs.

Setting Up an On-site Flu Clinic

The CDC recommends the following tips for setting up a successful onsite flu clinic at your organization:

• Getting senior management to buy-in
• Designate a flu vaccination coordinator or team with defined roles and responsibilities
• Schedule clinic hours to maximize employee participation
• Measure employee demand for flu vaccination
• Ask managers and supervisors to allow employees to visit the clinic during work hours, without having to go off the clock
• Consider offering flu shots to employee’s families
• Give incentives for receiving the vaccine at work, such as a reduced or no cost and providing refreshments
• Promote your clinic so that all levels of your organization are aware
• Provide a comfortable, convenient location to receive shots, keeping in mind space demands and the need for privacy
• Set an example by encouraging managers and leadership to be vaccinated first

To further enhance your flu prevention efforts, make sure that employees are keeping up with basic hygiene rules while at work. Remind your employees of the below flu hygiene tips and distribute them throughout the office.

Flu Hygiene Tips

1. Avoid unnecessary touching of your eyes, mouth, and nose as they are key entry points for the flu virus.
2. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.
3. If you don’t have a tissue, use your upper sleeve to cough or sneeze into, not your hands. Be sure to throw used tissues into a trash can.
4. Wash your hands with soap and water often. It has been found that people who do so are less likely to introduce germs into their bodies.
5. Disinfect desks, tabletops, and bathrooms often during flu season to help prevent the spread of the virus.
6. Supplement hand washing with hand sanitizers, which are effective in killing germs on the hands.

Providing an on-site flu clinic is important in preventing the spread of illness and making sure employees come back from the holidays strong to start a new year.  IAB can assist you in setting up an on-site flu clinic at your location. Contact us here.

Bringing Diabetes Awareness to the Workplace

Monday, November 2nd, 2015

November is National Diabetes Awareness month and prevention education is key. Give your employees an upper hand by using this education and awareness strategies.

The number of diabetes cases is at a historic high, with 30 million children and adults already affected and another 86 million diagnosed as pre-diabetic.  The reason that these numbers are so worrying is that the majority of these new and existing cases are Type 2 diabetes, an entirely preventable form of the illness caused largely by excess sugar intake. In addition to the immediate problems caused by consistently high blood sugar, people with diabetes also have a significantly increased risk of developing serious health problems such as heart disease, blindness, and kidney failure.

However, the good news is that Type 2 is highly responsive to diet and lifestyle intervention, meaning that making a positive impact can be easier than it would seem. The most effective way that you can get involved as an employer is to help your employees understand the risk factors of diabetes and provide them with a work culture that helps encourage a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Here are some wellness-oriented things you can implement this month and all year round:

• Encourage Physical Activity: Exercising moderately (like brisk walking) for 5 days each week can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.
  • Have a gym near your office? Offer a reimbursement on a gym membership for your employees and make sure they actually use it by setting a minimum number of times per week they must go to get reimbursed.
  • Host an office-wide group fitness class or activity, such as Zumba, yoga or walking. Take it one step further by making a day of your planned activity and having employees wear their fitness gear to the office so they’re ready to work out at the end of the day.
• Provide Educational Workshops and Screenings: Wellness workshops are a direct way to provide employees with helpful tools for preventing or managing diabetes.
  • Offering diabetes screenings and blood sugar testing can help employees further understand their individual risk.
• Promote Good Nutrition at Work: Obesity and poor diet are the primary risk factors for developing diabetes.
  • Set a good example for your employees by offering healthier snacks in the office over standard sugar-filled items.
  • Organize an office-wide healthy meal in honor of National Diabetes Month. Use some of the time to promote basic nutrition and cooking tips.

November Health Awareness Calendar

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

• American Diabetes Month
• COPD Awareness Month
• Diabetic Eye Disease Month
• Lung Cancer Awareness Month
• National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
• National Family Caregivers Month
• National Healthy Skin Month
• National Hospice Palliative Care Month
• National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month
• 19th Great American Smokeout
• 22nd International Survivors of Suicide Day
• 23rd – 29th Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Awareness Week
• 26th National Family Health History Day

2015/2015 FULL CALENDAR

5 Steps for Planning a Successful Wellness Program

Thursday, October 29th, 2015

It’s no secret that a good company wellness program saves money through reduced healthcare costs and lower turnover rates. But in order for your business to get the most out of its wellness program, you must first determine ways to truly engage your employees rather than just the easiest way to enhance your bottom line. That means establishing a comprehensive program that focuses on educating and motivating your employees to make positive changes in their social, emotional and physical health. In addition to saving money, some of the many benefits of this more inclusive approach to wellness include increasing employee morale, teamwork, and productivity for employees both inside and outside of the office.

Proper planning and implementation are also key aspects of a wellness program that gets results. Here are a few of our starting steps for success:

1. Establish the goal of the program: Is there a specific overarching goal you would like to achieve, such as increasing physical activity among staff? Or maybe you want to reduce your number of seasonal absences by offering company-wide flu shots? Defining some sort of health goal for your organization will help determine the most effective tools and events you can offer your employees throughout the year.
2. Decide your company’s level of involvement: There are many ways for your company to get your employees excited about wellness. Interactive events such as workshops and health fairs allow employees to get educated on health and connected to their wellness options. Health screenings are a more personalized approach to getting your employees involved in their health. How much you are willing to put into your wellness program as a company will often have a direct correlation with how much your employees get involved.
3. Establish a budget and expected return on investment
4. Choose employee rewards/benefits (make it fun!): Employee engagement is one of the biggest factors in whether or not your program will be a success. Knowing the preferences and tastes of your employees will help you create incentives that motivate them to participate in your wellness program.
5. Write and communicate your program: Make sure everyone, throughout all levels of your organization, are aware of all components of your program, how they can participate directly and how they could be rewarded both in incentives but also in health.

IAB offers a tailored approach to corporate wellness programs to help you best engage your employees and get the most return.