Making a Successful Investment in Workplace Wellness
Despite the fact that companies of any size can achieve remarkable ROI with a sound workplace wellness program in place, many smaller healthcare groups continue to miss out on the benefits. According to a Worksite Health Promotion Survey, larger companies were more likely to offer a benefit in almost every category of health–promoting programs or activities.
With potential healthcare cost savings of 25 percent and future costs only expected to skyrocket—now is the right time to invest in workplace wellness. The best way to approach wellness in the workplace is simple. The answer=science. A baseline health assessment that includes a biometric screening remains your single best opportunity to pinpoint any health areas your employee population could use help improving, which are also your biggest targets for achieving ROI.
Best Practices for Starting a Work Wellness Program
Before you begin plotting out the day-to-day activities and focus of your program, make sure you’re building on solid ground. Wellness assessments should involve a biometric screening. The results of biometric screenings in the workplace consistently alert some employees to medical conditions, enabling them to seek treatment now rather than later.
Screenings provide the necessary qualitative data the company can use to select work wellness program activities. It is the best way to pinpoint which type of program activities are the best for you, and the best way to follow up later to determine if the program delivered the results you wanted.
Begin with the Biometric Screening
The effectiveness of your workplace wellness program should be examined quarterly. Don’t invest in something that may not deliver. Every company has a unique set of needs, but a comprehensive workplace wellness program that includes both screenings and an actionable plan is most likely to lower healthcare costs. For a comprehensive wellness program to work, you need access to quantifiable results. When it comes to biometric screenings:
- Understand what you’re screening for
- Ensure professional staff
- Offer coaching moments with privacy
- Stay on time with campaign logistics, event planning, and data analysis
Pick the Right Activities
In general, expect to focus your efforts on three key areas—smoking cessation, fitness/nutrition, and disease management. You don’t need to spend a lot on the program activities—be creative. If costs are an issue and you need employees to be more active, start an after-hours walking club. People are more likely to be active when they know others are too. If you can throw in a $100 and offer a FitBit to whoever spends the most time walking next month. Think outside the box, and seek input from your staff and outside partners as needed.
Getting Started
To get started, you will need quality technology, tools, and data. Remember that biometric screenings in your workplace enable you to make program decisions based on the unique health imprint of your organization. You only want to invest in activities that significantly affect your employee population. An investment in quality here will help you save a lot later.
Onsite Health Diagnostics has planned, promoted, and managed workplace wellness events and biometric screenings for small, medium, and enterprise employee groups. Our flexible offerings enable us to conduct large-scale onsite campaigns or collect results from offsite labs and doctors.
We offer best-in-class software and online tools for HIPAA-compliant field data collection, medical data analysis and reporting, secure data transmission, and more. Learn more about our employee health screening services today.