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Companies benefit from workplace wellness programs.

Companies benefit from workplace wellness programs, even in tough economic times

Published March 1, 2009
By MOLLY TUCKER

Companies may be cutting back during these tough economic times, but many are looking for ways to preserve their employee health and wellness programs.

“They are taking a long, hard look at their budget expenditures,” said Heather Main, whose business, Main Wellness Works, provides corporate health promotion programs. “Wellness programs are not the same as buying copier paper, but they do a lot for the employees and benefit the company.”

Healthy employees are more productive, take fewer sick days and have improved attitudes and morale, according to the Vermont Department of Health’s Worksite Wellness Resource.

Worksite health programs can reduce sick days by 28 percent, health costs by 26 percent and workers’ compensation and disability management claims by 30 percent. There is an average $5 to $6 return for every $1 invested in wellness because of lower medical costs, lower absenteeism and increased productivity.

Health and wellness programs come in all shapes and sizes. Main Wellness Works provides individually-tailored workshops to companies including Systems and Software, Inc., Merchants Bank, Key Bank and Macro International Inc.

Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream in Waterbury, which received a gold 2008 Worksite Wellness Award from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, is a regular client.

“I go there three times a week, which is an unusual client for me,” said Main. She works with Ben and Jerry’s employees on fitness and weight management, and provides one-on-one personal training and consultations.

Main has a master’s degree in education, a background in fitness and public health education and is a certified personal fitness trainer and Pilates instructor. One of her popular workshops addresses stress management for optimal productivity.

“Stress is higher in the workplace now because of local, national and international problems,” said Main. “But, I’ve been doing this work for 20 years and at no time has a company official said to me, ‘We really don’t have a stress issue here.’”

Lori Smith of Hickok & Boardman Group Benefits (HBGB) agreed. “There is always stress in the workplace, and employees may also be under personal stress from financial issues. It’s hard to be active and eat well when everything else is crumbling around you.”

Smith — a consultant for Health Management Consultative Services, a division of HBGB – has worked in the health care industry since 1985. She has advised companies on wellness and health management for 15 years, and was corporate liaison for Community Health Improvement at Fletcher Allen Health Care (FAHC) before joining HBGB in 2008.

At HBGB, Smith connects vendors of health and wellness services with HBGB’s clients, which include City Market, Gardeners Supply, Champlain Cable and DEW Construction. “I know what resources and services are available, and recommend them based on what the company’s needs are,” she said. One vendor, FAHC, provides HBGB clients with employee health screenings. Also offered are presentations by dieticians on nutrition, while social workers offer guidance on stress management.

Morella Devost is a trained therapist whose company, Transformation One, offers long-term wellness programs and one-hour workshops as well as training and Web tools for human resources managers on structuring successful wellness programs. Engelberth Construction of Colchester hired Transformation One in 2008 to develop two nutrition programs.

“Engelberth consistently wins the Governor’s Worksite Wellness Award, and every time it looks to take the next step,” said Devost. “Nutrition was the critical missing piece, so we were a significant part of their wellness program that year.”

The first program was a series of weekly one-hour nutrition workshops that took place last year from mid-March to early June. Of the 40 employees who signed up for the program, 25 stayed actively involved.

“We had phenomenal weight loss results,” she said. “The seven people whose goal was to lose weight lost 71 pounds.”

The second program ran from July to early December, and focused on individual employee health needs through workshops and free 15-minute individual coaching sessions. Thirty-five employees signed up for the second program and 20 remained active.

One big improvement was in the employees’ cholesterol levels. “Every employee’s HDL (good cholesterol) level went up, in some cases significantly,” said Devost. “It was great to show them that cholesterol responds to dietary changes without going on a diet or taking expensive cholesterol medication.” Devost said her programs helped to change the culture at Engelberth: “Some work sites even got rid of donuts.”

Health plan providers and other businesses are helping clients provide employee health and wellness programs. “Cigna, MVP and Blue Cross/Blue Shield have entered the health management field in the past few years, and are offering additional resources for their members,” said Smith. “These health plans recognize that they have to keep their members healthy, so they are providing employers with amazing Web-based health programs.

“Human resources departments can’t offer all of the programs they’d like to, and these online tools help them leverage those services,” Smith said. Northern Benefits, a Burlington-based company that manages employee benefits for more than 400 companies in the U.S., offers Devost’s consulting and Web site services to its clients.

Main, Smith and Devost agree companies should focus on health and wellness programs that provide financial benefits. “Companies need to look at corporate wellness as a key part of the business, instead of just offering feel-good, fluffy activities that don’t translate into significantly improved health for employees,” said Devost.

Smith said she plans her programs based on an assessment of whether the company will see positive outcomes, including reductions in health care costs. “It can take three to five years for a company to see a return on investment from these programs, so they require a commitment and an investment of time, resources and money.”

Devost said she believes services like hers will survive this economic downturn. “Companies that understand that wellness pays out in enhanced productivity will keep their programs,” she said. “This also might be the perfect time for companies to start wellness programs as a business strategy, because even a minimum investment will pay out.”

The research backs her up. Even bare-bones programs work, according to a recent study of 28 Vermont companies by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont and the University of Vermont for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Employers who invest in any type of wellness program or initiative will see results,” said principal investigator Dr. Robert Ross.

The Vermont Department of Health’s Worksite Wellness Web site is http://healthvermont.gov/family/fit/worksitewellness.aspx.

"This article originally appeared in the March 2009 of Champlain Business Journal. Reprinted with permission of the author."