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When it comes to education based employee wellness, the standard Return on Investment calculations is outdated.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.

Recognizing Stress in Employees (& How to Help)

Friday, October 23rd, 2015

Stress is a normal and even necessary part of life but experiencing too much of it, too often can wreak havoc on health, personal relationships and even work life. And there’s a lot of stress out there. From over scheduling to financial concerns, most of us live a fast paced life that hardly leaves time to regroup. What’s worse is that according to a recent survey conducted for Everest College, 80% of us are stressed out by at least one thing at work.  When stress impacts an employee, it has an inevitable effect on their work and level of performance. Some common signs of employee stress are:

• Lower quality of work, lack of concentration and productivity
• Indecisiveness, poor judgment
• Irritability, withdrawal from socializing
• Frequent minor illnesses or increased sick leave
• Shift in work hours (consistently staying late or coming in early, not taking vacations or weekends)

So what can you do as an employer to help mitigate stress at work and keep your team happy? The most effective start is to try and set up organizational structure and culture with stress prevention in mind. While you, of course, can’t ensure that your employees never have any stress, you can do your best to make sure that they aren’t systematically being set up for chronic stress through their jobs.

Here are some ways you can go about accomplishing this:

• Clearly define roles: Employees should know who is responsible for what and understand exactly what is expected of them in their job.
• Delegate wisely: As often as possible, try to assign employees tasks that match their interests and skillsets.
• Try to be fair: Make sure your employees aren’t saddled with too much work or unrealistic deadlines by talking with them about their bandwidth before assigning tasks. If your top pick is already overscheduled, discuss your priorities together or consider assigning the project to someone else.
• Say thanks: Recognize and reward your employees for good work performance and offer opportunities for career advancement and development.
• Set a tone of positive work/life balance:  Encourage your employees to take their breaks, lunches and vacations. Also, consider creating additional breaks for special socializing and team building from time to time.

Bring Breast Cancer Awareness to the Workplace

Monday, October 19th, 2015

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month and a great opportunity to reach out to your employees and local community through education, fundraising and events. However, getting your business involved in the good cause doesn’t need to be a huge sacrifice in time or finances. Engage your employees while raising money for breast cancer with these 4 easy ideas.

1. Hold a “Pay to Dress Down Day” at the office: Set a minimum donation requirement and allow participating employees to wear casual clothing for a specified day. Or, if you’re feeling especially ambitious – an entire week! Most people can’t resist the opportunity for jeans and a t-shirt at work, so it’s typically easy to get employees involved. *Tip: If your business already allows casual clothing on a daily basis, consider an “all pink outfit day” or wacky hat or glasses day.

2. Pink Employee Pancake Breakfast: Kick off awareness month by encouraging employees and coworkers to come to work early one day for a pink themed pancake breakfast. All you need is a little food coloring or strawberries to add a festive twist. Set out a donation jar where people will be picking up their plates to help encourage active support. *Tip: Leave the jar in a central location like the break room to keep donations coming all month long. The loose pocket change goes further than you might think!

3. Throw a Halloween Costume Party and Charge a Small Cover at the Door: Think of October and you probably also can’t help but think of smiling jack-o-lanterns and children eagerly yelling “trick or treat”. Join your fundraising cause with the excitement of Halloween by hosting a party filled with potluck-style food, fun decorations, costumes and music. Incorporate the best costume contest (with prizes) to help increase attendance and charge a reasonable entry fee at the door for donation purposes. *Tip: Cut down on party costs by asking guests to pitch in for decorations or prizes or inquire about donations from local businesses. Most people are willing to help out for a good cause when you just ask!

4. Auction Off a Favored Parking Spot: Holding an office-wide raffle or auction is another great way to raise funds quickly – and a top parking space can be a low-cost prize! Putting a ‘desirable’ parking space up for grabs for a week (or even a month if you can swing it) should get employees eager to donate. How does your business participate in breast cancer awareness month? Trying anything new this year? Share your ideas in the comments!

Written By: Nicole Botti, Staff Writer, IAB Health Productions, LLC

Increase Office Productivity with Healthier Snacks

Monday, October 19th, 2015

It’s no secret that free snacks at the office increase employee satisfaction, but you may want to think twice before rolling out the endless supply of chips and sodas. When it comes to promoting productivity throughout the day, the types of foods your employees munch on can make all of the difference. Just think about this all too common scenario that you have probably witnessed on a daily basis; busy employees get hungry for lunch and seek out fast options that are often very heavy in carbohydrates like Italian or Chinese takeout. Perhaps they even wash their meal down with a sugar-filled soda. This almost always leads to that inevitable “2 pm slump” that leaves employees groggy and unfocused for the remainder of the day – which overall spells bad news for productivity.

So what can you do as an employer to help your employees have sustained energy throughout the day?

Stock Up On 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. Things like prepackaged nuts, string cheese, hummus and yogurt are rich in proteins and fats that digest more slowly and provide consistent, balanced levels of energy. These items also have a relatively long shelf life so you can save some money by purchasing in bulk. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also good options, as they contain energy promoting carbohydrates that are balanced with fiber.

Consider Reducing the Number of Unhealthy Snacks You Offer (Or Store Them Out of Sight): Many employees will probably still be tempted to fill their day with sugar-filled snacks if they are constantly passing by them as they walk through the office. Plus, it can be difficult to not snatch that pack of cookies if they’re just sitting on the counter within easy reach. Consider putting the unhealthier snacks towards the back of the cabinets if you decide to still offer them at all, and place your healthy options within clear, easy reach. This simple action can effortlessly encourage employees to eat better while forcing them to be more deliberate about their decision should they still want chips.

Make Basic Nutrition a Part of your Wellness Program: Employees that fuel their bodies well are healthier overall which means they are likely to be more productive at work and suffer fewer health problems. By incorporating good nutrition education into your employee wellness program, you can empower them to make healthier choices both in and outside the office.

Have you tried any of these tips? What worked? What didn’t? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

The Real Costs of Sick Employees

Monday, October 12th, 2015

The Real Costs of Sick Employees at Work and Tips to Combat It

Colder weather is here and you have probably already begun hearing that familiar chorus of sniffles and coughs around the office.  But sick employees showing up to work is a bigger issue than just the spreading of germs – it also impacts your bottom line by tanking productivity. Employees who aren’t feeling well but trying to power through at the office are likely to work more slowly and could potentially have cloudy judgment that results in mistakes. Or – even worse, spread their illness throughout the office or to valued customers.

There’s actually a term for this phenomenon called ‘presenteeism’. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, presenteeism was coined to define the practice of employees showing up to work when ill and not performing at their usual level of productivity. The total cost of this issue has been increasing for U.S employers over the years, with estimations of losses around $150 to $250 billion each year, according to a study conducted at Cornell University.

So what are some things you can do as an employer to cut your losses and keep sick employees at home? Janet Flewelling, managing director of service operations for Insperity offers up three potential avenues for employers to  combat the problem of presenteeism in the Chicago Business Journal –

Corporate Culture: “One way to help alleviate this pattern of behavior is to change the culture so that genuinely ill or contagious employees are encouraged to stay home.” Establish and communicate guidelines that help employees understand when they should stay home and when it is okay to return to work after not feeling well. When possible, consider allowing sick employees to work from home.

Employee Wellness Programs: “Establishing an employee wellness program may help workers focus on their health, which can lead to the prevention of serious illnesses and other conditions that impact productivity.” A solid company wellness program can make employees much more conscious of making smart, healthy choices. Supplying your employees with direct paths to regular health screenings, seasonal flu shots and other preventative measures give your company a better chance at keeping contagious illnesses at bay.

PTO Programs: “In addition to giving employees the flexibility to decide how to use their time, this arrangement can potentially reduce the abuse of sick time.” Combining all paid time off into a single bank of days allow employees the flexibility to take days off in a way that will meet their individual needs. Offering some degree of flexibility in schedules is also a sure fire way to boost company morale which in turn fosters greater productivity throughout an organization.

Presenteeism can and does have a draining impact on a company’s objectives and finances.  Employers that make a concerted effort to develop a workplace that fosters healthy and highly productive employees will reduce instances of presenteeism and move ahead in meeting financial goals, creating a win-win scenario for all involved.

Nicole Botti, Staff Writer, IAB Health Productions, LLC