|
© Copyright 2000 Rogers Media. The following article first appeared in the June 2001 edition of
BENEFITS CANADA magazine.
The Meaning of Wellness
Many plan sponsors offer individual wellness initiatives and call them programs. Here's the real
difference between one-off efforts and a process of behavioural change.
By Shelley Davie
The concept of corporate wellness is straightforward--healthier employees produce more and cost less. The
first role of a wellness program is to assist each employee to be healthier and feel more energetic,
enabling them to get more enjoyment out of life and work. The second objective is to provide managers with
a proven strategy for controlling certain costs while increasing productivity. If a program is structured
correctly, employers can save more than they spend.
Senior management teams want assurances that wellness programs are cost-effective. Over the last 10 years,
surveys show that employers cite the same two reasons for not offering wellness programs. They are
unconvinced of cost savings and have a lack of resources.
Wellness programs have existed in Canada for 20 years now, and there is evidence of impressive savings as
well as other benefits. More than half of Canadian companies offer some kind of wellness initiative,
according to the Buffett Taylor National Wellness Survey Report 2000, and many of them refer to
these initiatives as programs. But only 5% of these companies evaluate their efforts. If the initiative is
not being evaluated, it should not be considered a program. If a large number of companies claim to have
wellness programs when they are merely initiatives, it's no wonder there are questions about cost savings
(see "Language barrier," page 67). A wellness initiative will simply not produce the same results as a
comprehensive program.
Before starting a wellness program, it's imperative to come up with a mission statement or a set of guiding
principles (see "Mission possible," right). When considering any initiative in a wellness program, look at
the mission statement and see if it fits. Only when it is clear that corporate wellness is a process of
behavioural change over which the organization has control, and the employer has a mission statement to
guide and direct its process, will plan sponsors begin to understand the difference between a wellness
initiative and a comprehensive program.
The process that produces a comprehensive wellness program includes:
1. A needs assessment to determine goals and targets.
2. A business case to gain support and funding.
3. Marketing to employees to get their buy-in.
4. A strategic plan and design of the program.
5. Programming based on behaviour change.
6. A system to measure outcomes against goals.
Many companies offer seminars, lunch and learns and health days. While a plan member who attends one
seminar is not likely to experience success in making a lasting lifestyle change, these one-off initiatives
may be helpful in encouraging employees to contemplate change.
However, it can be detrimental to the employee and to the company to offer only wellness initiatives. There
is a strong chance that those interested in changing their behaviour will not be able to maintain the
change. Most people require support over several months in order to make a lifestyle change. If they
attempt the change and fail, they are likely to experience feelings of guilt or failure that will put them
in a worse position than before.
Often, there is no assessment of the employee's needs before these initiatives are carried out and no
measurement or evaluation of their success. Money is spent on an issue that hasn't been well-researched.
And with no measurement system, it's impossible to tell if the initiative helps employees to change. In
addition, when companies need to tighten budgets, wellness initiatives are often cut because there is no
evidence that they are doing anything but costing money.
Understanding the difference between a wellness initiative and a program should help ensure that management
provides adequate resources for a comprehensive program. When CEOs and management committees are informed
that these programs usually become profit-makers within two-and-a-half years, they are often quick to act.
Last year, three of Canada's biggest banks averaged an almost 8% return on assets. Compare that with an
average return on investment for wellness programs over the last 20 years of between 200% and 400%. If a
program improves employees' well-being, the measurable cost savings climb to between $2 and $4 for each
program dollar spent. At that point, the wellness program is likely the most profitable enterprise the
company undertakes.
Shelley Davie is president of Live Well Ltd. in Ajax, Ont.
Language barrier
A wellness initiative does not a program make.
A program is a plan or system under which action may be taken toward a goal. An initiative, meanwhile, is
an introductory step. The difference, and how it applies to wellness, is not widely understood by plan
sponsors.
If an employer's goal is to help employees improve their well-being, reduce the organization's
health-related costs and improve productivity, the wellness plan should investigate the factors driving up
health costs as well as pressures on the plan, such as demographics. This critical first-stage research
provides a target for cost reduction and the baseline for measuring the effect of programs. It's also
needed to request support and budget from management.
If plan sponsors produce a comprehensive, strategic plan to attack certain expenses with specific programs
and build in the means to measure the program's achievements, the wellness program will be successful.
Many companies that don't offer comprehensive programs offer initiatives such as lunch and learns and
health promotion days. Some organizations offer a health week where a different subject is introduced each
day. While these are steps in the right direction, they don't adequately support employees in making a
sustainable lifestyle change. Used as a component of a well-designed program, these initiatives can attract
participation and spark interest. Unfortunately though, when they are used in isolation, there is a
downside.
If a plan sponsor's goal is to save the company more than the cost of the program--by assisting employees
in improving their health--then they need a strategic plan, not an introductory step.
Mission possible
Here are some examples of mission statements and guiding principles for wellness programs.
"To support our organization's commitment to exceeding the expectations of our clients, we will provide a
high quality of work life through a comprehensive wellness program and other activities that contribute to
the health and well-being of our employees."
"We believe our employees represent our most important resource; their health and well-being are crucial to
this organization and its goals."
"We have a goal and long-term commitment to create an environment supportive of positive health habits,
both physically and mentally, and to provide opportunities for employees to learn skills for high-level
wellness, self-responsibility, nutritional awareness, physical fitness, stress management and environmental
sensitivity. This program will inspire our employees to meet corporate objectives efficiently."
|
News
News
