Workplace Wellness Case Studies

The growth and market adoption of consumer-driven healthcare continues to drive health plans and employers to develop more widespread member and employee health improvement initiatives. Workplace Wellness Case Studies: Tactics To Promote Health and Reduce Risk looks at whats working in health plan wellness and health promotion programsaward-winning and unique efforts, best practices, ROI, and lessons learned. Starting with case studies of health improvement innovations in place at three national health plans, this report then delves into two parallel tactics that are gaining ground among employers: pitting departments against each other in a friendly competition for the healthiest workers and rewarding employees for healthy lifestyle choices. Both the game plan for healthy workplace competition and a profusion of winning ideas for incentives are profiled here. Youll get case studies from some of the pioneers in wellness programming, including American Cast Iron Pipe Company, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Health Alliance Plan, HealthPartners, Meridian Health System, Texas Health Resources and Washoe County School District. You''ll get details on: Analyzing the outcomes for a program run by Highmark to reverse heart disease; Formatting a wellness team; Designing incentives to increase wellness program participation; Evaluating the payback on wellness programs; Targeting your marketing to multiple audiences; Using health coaches in wellness programs; and Ensuring your wellness program''s compliance with HIPAA.Table of Contents Winning Ideas in Health Plan Wellness and Health Improvement Programs *Case Study: HealthPartners Tackles Risk Factors with "A Call to Change" Anatomy of a Phone Line Program Curriculum Structure Improving Health Step by Step Program Evaluation*Case Study: Health Alliance Plan Goes On-Site to Impact Employee Health Work Site Health Promotion Program Coping With Flu Season Walking for Better Health Purchasers'' Demand for Health Promotion Surges Sharing Best Practices in Work site Wellness Forum "iStrive for Better Health" Program Employer Partner Provides $75 Reward for HRA Completion*Case Study: Mandatory HRAs and Wellness Interventions Reap Rewards for Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Employers Division Organization Choosing Interventions Embedding a Healthy Philosophy Into the Product Line HRAs Mandatory for Highmark Employees Outcomes*Healthy Competition: Taking the Team Approach to Wellness The Benefits of Teaming Up at Work Planning and Implementation Incentives Reduce Risk Selling the Program and Making it Work Setting the Price of Participation Real Team Competitions An Optimistic Outlook*Case Study: Meridian Health System Promotes a Healthy and Productive Workforce Changing the Employer Culture "Fit to Win" Weight Loss Program a 12-Week Effort Keep Programs Simple and Entertaining*Case Study: Washoe County School District Gets Good Grades in Health Promotion The Purpose of Wellness Programs: A Deeper Look Programs and Process Generate Progress Reading to Lose Weight, Improve Mental Health The Payback on Wellness Programs Some Encouraging Results*Case Study: Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield Steps Up Web-Based Wellness Efforts Targeting Marketing to Multiple Audiences Free Step Up Program Open to Members and Non-Members Alike Putting Together a Healthy Competition Measuring Activity, Results and AwarenessIncentives for Healthy Lifestyles Designing Incentives to Boost Outcomes Behavior''s Role in Health Status Incentives Influence Behavior, Corporate Culture Refining Requirements A Bona Fide Wellness Program The Challenges of Sustaining Participation Incentive Programs Behind-the-Scenes A Promising Prognosis*Case Study: ACIPCO Incentives Stimulate Gains in Productivity, Compliance and Safety The Building Blocks of Success Approach to Wellness at ACIPCO Important Indicators Incentive Insight from Experience*Case Study: Onus on THR Employees to "Be Healthy" A Unique Role Strategic Goals and Measurements THR''s Long-Term Strategy Program Vision Impacting the Bottom Line Looking Ahead*Q&A: Ask the Experts More Medical Behavior Integration Incentives for HRA Participation Making HRA Completion Mandatory The Legal Ramifications of Incentives Assessing Readiness for Telephonic Coaching Who''s Online Counseling for Occupational Traumatic Stress Role of Communications in Engaging Employees Employers Reaction to Workplace Wellness Engaging the Workforce Implications of the Selection Process Program Development and Decision-Making Getting on Board with Healthy Competition Programs Looking Ahead Most Effective Communications Tools Getting Participants to Track Their Progress Opening Programs to Non-Members Incentive Program Time Frame Sustaining Motivation Calculating Improvement in Complex Measures Self-Reported Behavior Change Software for Health Screenings Getting into the Wellness Game Employee Coverage Reporting ROI*Glossary *For More Information *About the Authors

In this book, contributing scholars, practitioners, and researchers offer their practice experience and findings related to creating workplace wellness with emphases on the intellectual, vocational, physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs of workers and the structures and policies within their workplaces. The first section of the book, "The Hazardous Workplace," addresses the stressful workplace, workplace violence, bullying, and counselling in an environment where stress is high and work entails more than the usual amount of risk. "Workplace Responses," the second section, examines the history of occupational assistance, several models of employee assistance practice, the workplace management of dis/abilities, complications around drug testing on the job, the relevance of spirituality to the workplace, an Aboriginal perspective on work, and an evaluative mechanism for occupational programming. Intake and assessment, crisis intervention, critical incident stress management, brief treatment, counselling employees suffering from depression or experiencing grief, and the role of mediation inside and outside of the workplace are explored in the third section, entitled "Practice to Create Well Workplace." And finally, four Case Studies comprise the final section, spanning the country while representing five very different work sites, including a child welfare organization in Ontario, the workforce of the University of Saskatchewan, a Canadian public sector employee assistance program, and a religious site where occupational assistance has been applied to a church community.

The report investigates the characteristics of workplace wellness programs, their prevalence and impact on employee health and medical cost, facilitators of their success, and the role of incentives in such programs. The authors employ four data collection and analysis streams: a literature review, a survey of employers, a longitudinal analysis of medical claims and wellness program data from a sample of employers, and five employer case studies.

A smarter framework for designing more effective workplace wellness programs Workplace Wellness That Works provides a fresh perspective on how to promote employee well-being in the workplace. In addressing the interconnectivity between wellness and organizational culture, this book shows you how to integrate wellness into your existing employee development strategy in more creative, humane, and effective ways. Based on the latest research and backed by real-world examples and case studies, this guide provides employers with the tools they need to start making a difference in their employees' health and happiness, and promoting an overall culture of well-being throughout the organization. You'll find concrete, actionable advice for tackling the massive obstacle of behavioral change, and learn how to design and implement an approach that can most benefit your organization. Promoting wellness is a good idea. Giving employees the inspiration and tools they need to make changes in their lifestyles is a great idea. But the billion-dollar question is: what do they want, what do they need, and how do we implement programs to help them without causing more harm than good? Workplace Wellness That Works shows you how to assess your organization's needs and craft a plan that actually benefits employees. Build an effective platform for well-being Empower employees to make better choices Design and deliver the strategy that your organization needs Drive quantifiable change through more creative implementation Today's worksite wellness industry represents a miasma of competing trends, making it nearly impossible to come away with tangible solutions for real-world implementation. Harnessing a broader learning and development framework, Workplace Wellness That Works skips the fads and shows you how to design a smarter strategy that truly makes a difference in employees' lives—and your company's bottom line.

The report investigates the characteristics of workplace wellness programs, their prevalence, their impact on employee health and medical cost, facilitators of their success, and the role of incentives in such programs. The authors employ four data collection and analysis streams: a review of the scientific and trade literature, a national survey of employers, a longitudinal analysis of medical claims and wellness program data from a sample of employers, and five case studies of existing wellness programs in a diverse set of employers to gauge the effectiveness of wellness programs and employees' and employers' experiences.

A smarter framework for designing more effective workplacewellness programs Workplace Wellness That Works provides a freshperspective on how to promote employee well-being in the workplace.In addressing the interconnectivity between wellness andorganizational culture, this book shows you how to integratewellness into your existing employee development strategy in morecreative, humane, and effective ways. Based on the latest researchand backed by real-world examples and case studies, this guideprovides employers with the tools they need to start making adifference in their employees' health and happiness, and promotingan overall culture of well-being throughout the organization.You'll find concrete, actionable advice for tackling the massiveobstacle of behavioral change, and learn how to design andimplement an approach that can most benefit your organization. Promoting wellness is a good idea. Giving employees theinspiration and tools they need to make changes in their lifestylesis a great idea. But the billion-dollar question is: what dothey want, what do they need, and how do we implement programs tohelp them without causing more harm than good? WorkplaceWellness That Works shows you how to assess your organization'sneeds and craft a plan that actually benefits employees. Build an effective platform for well-being Empower employees to make better choices Design and deliver the strategy that your organizationneeds Drive quantifiable change through more creativeimplementation Today's worksite wellness industry represents a miasma ofcompeting trends, making it nearly impossible to come away withtangible solutions for real-world implementation. Harnessing abroader learning and development framework, Workplace WellnessThat Works skips the fads and shows you how to design a smarterstrategy that truly makes a difference in employees'lives—and your company's bottom line.

Employee Assistance Programming has evolved from a mechanism of social control to a major force for heatlh promotion. The field offers great potential for helping to build healthier communities of workers and families, in addition to helping individual workers who may see themselves, or be seen by others, as people with problems. Wellness and Work: Employee Assistance Programming in Canada provides a clear vision for employee assistance programming. The book is divided into five sections: (1) evolution, (2) structure, (3) practice, (4) case studies, and (5) creating wellness. In this historical, theoretical, and practice-oriented collection of original articles, both student and practitioner will trace the growth of this burgeoning field of practice. An informative and useful book for the practitioner and visionary alike, Wellness and Work will be an essential addition to the libraries of helping professionals and service delivery organizations.

øCorporate Wellness Programs offers contributions from international experts, examining the planning, implementation and evaluation of wellness initiatives in organizations, and offering guidance on how to introduce these programs in to the workplace.