Current Predicaments

US expenditures for health care reached $1.8 trillion in 2004 and continue to rise. The increase in the employer’s portion of the total spending has been dramatic in recent years. Recent studies indicate that almost 50% of corporate profits now go for health-care costs versus only 7% three decades ago.

Employers are actively seeking new ways to reduce health-care costs without jeopardizing their ability to attract and retain workers. These factors have prompted many organizations to actively promote health and wellness at the work site. According to USA Today, about 41% of companies currently offer incentives to encourage healthier lifestyles among employees, compared with 34% in 1996. As an example,Johnson & Johnson reported that it spends $4.5 million each year on its comprehensive preventive-healthcare programs, but it estimates that without these programs its medical bills would be at least $13 million higher.

Organizational Benefits of
Employee Health Education

By providing education to employees specifically on how to improve eating habits, reduce stress and increase healthy lifestyle activities like exercise, your organization will experience the following benefits:

• Decreased healthcare costs
• Reduced absenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Increased employee satisfaction
• Enhanced workplace community
• Improved recruitment and retention of high-achieving employees
  
  

Examples of Benefits Achieved

A study at NASA found that while the productivity of non-exercising employees decreased 50% during the final two hours of the workday, those who had an exercise plan in place worked at full efficiency all day. This represents a 12.5% higher overall productivity level in exercisers as compared to non-exercisers.

Studies at Dupont and General Mills, which implemented comprehensive wellness education and programming, found 14% to 19% reductions in absenteeism. General Electric reported an astounding 45% decrease in absenteeism.  


Your First Solution:
Employee Health and Wellness Workshop

As a Certified Health Counselor, I facilitate an Employee Health and Wellness workshop. This workshop includes education on how to implement better nutrition and life choices to create a healthier life and more efficient day, and reduced stress in the work environment. It serves as a first step in allowing you to improve workplace health, and therefore experience many of the benefits described above.

The workshop is a fun and informative forum for the discussion of healthy living. I utilize an interactive approach to facilitate active learning and individual empowerment. This approach allows participants to engage in discussion and interact with other attendees through various exercises and brainstorming. Participants also receive valuable giveaways to take with them, furthering their knowledge after the workshop.

The workshop is one hour in length and may be presented at multiple times to allow for the varying schedules of your employees. A small group format of 25 to 30 participants is recommended per workshop session. In this workshop, participants will learn:

• The current state of health in the US
• Foods and lifestyle approaches that cause poor health
• The effects of sugar on health and energy
• How to make better food choices at work and at home
• How to improve lifestyle, including exercise and relaxation
• Ways to efficiently take action towards achieving goals
• Options for having ongoing support after the workshop
  

Benefits to Employees

Educating your employees about healthy food and lifestyle choices, stress reduction, exercise and eating for sustained energy will provide the following benefits:

• Improved overall health
• Improved nutrition and healthier eating habits
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Fewer food cravings
• Increased energy and vitality
• Increased daily satisfaction