REFRESHING YOUR WELLNESS PROGRAM

March 3, 2008

Presented by:

Copyright ©2008 by The Segal Group, Inc., parent of The Segal Company and its Sibson Consulting Division. All Rights Reserved

Chris Calvert

1 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10016212.251.5310ccalvert@sibson.com

Erin Hodges

1 Park AvenueNew York, NY 10016 212.251.5071ehodges@sibson.com

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The Symbiotic Relationship

The health of the organization drives the health of the workforce and the health of the workforce drives the health of the organization.

The health of the organization drives the health of the workforce and the health of the workforce drives the health of the organization.

HealthyPeopleHealthyPeopleHealthy

OrganizationHealthy

Organization

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NO DiseaseNO Symptoms

(+ or -) unhealthy habits

(+) Disease

NO Symptoms

(+) Disease

(+) Symptoms

Toward Wellness Toward Disability/Death

Disease Management Efforts Initiated HereDisease Management Efforts Initiated Here

Wellness Efforts Directed HereWellness Efforts Directed Here

Reduce or Eliminate Risk FactorsReduce or Eliminate Risk FactorsLearn to Take Better Care of Your Disease

(Excellent Self-Care)

Learn to Take Better Care of Your Disease

(Excellent Self-Care)

Health/Disease Continuum

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Typical Wellness Plan: The “Scattershot” Approach

Health Risk

Appraisal (HRA)

questionnaire

Self-help book

EAP counseling

Annual mammogram and Pap smear payable thru the medical plan

Annual health fair with blood pressure checked and blood drawn

Onsite flu shots

$25 gift card for

wellness participationWeight Watchers

lunchtime meetings

Walking club (but only 5 people

in the payroll dept participate)

No formal plan; just throw out some wellness services and see if anyone is interested. Programs need to be orchestrated.

No formal plan; just throw out some wellness services and see if anyone is interested. Programs need to be orchestrated.

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6 Main Health Risk Factors

The SIX most common “controllable/modifiable” Health Risk Factors:1. Obesity

2. High Blood Pressure

3. Sedentary lifestyle/lack of exercise

4. High cholesterol/lipids

5. Stress/depression/anxiety

6. Smoking

The interrelatedness of risk factors means that efforts to control one risk factor may also reduce other risk factors.

The interrelatedness of risk factors means that efforts to control one risk factor may also reduce other risk factors.

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Better Idea: Create an Organized Approach and Run With It…

Strategy

Make business case Establish mission, vision and

objectives Inventory current state Solicit input and buy-in from

various constituencies Identify gaps Develop strategic plan

Design

Develop program specifics:– Structure – Funding– Modify/add programs– Behavior change

support (Incentives)– Communications– Metrics

Identify hurdles Test via pilot/focus groups

Implementation

Select vendors Roll-out new programs Incorporate program

changes Promote Educate Train Align campus

resources Engage community

resources

Management

Measure impact Identify missed

opportunities Assess vendor

performance Evaluate satisfaction Perform data analytics Fine-tune strategy Adjust program design Refine communications

At every stage COMMUNICATE!At every stage COMMUNICATE!

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Successful Wellness Programs

Employers whose worksites “model” wellness are more successful in getting employees to change behavior

Successful Wellness Programs: help people make wise health decisions use education, motivation and support motivate “ambivalent” people to take action help people be the best they can be

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Have a method to your madness

How well does your Wellness Program address Health Risk Factors?

Green means the benefit exists

Adapted from Guidelines for Employee Health Promotion, 1992.

Wellness Program Action Plan

Levels of Intervention Blood Pressure

Cholesterol & Lipids

Smoking Tobacco

CessationNutrition and

Weight ControlFitness & Exercise

Stress & Depression

General Preventive Health & Cancer

Screening

Communication

Screening Blood pressure checked once a year at the Annual Health Fair

Blood work screening done once a year at the Annual Health Fair

Health Risk Appraisal questionnaire

Medical plans offer pap smear and mammograms

Education Self-help handbook mailed to employee

Programs to Foster Behavior Change

Weight watchers coupons for discounts on their program

Have a 4 visit EAP program

$25 gift card for completion of health risk appraisal questionnaire

Flu shots onsite annually for employees

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Step 1: Inventory Your Wellness Program

A Wellness Inventory assesses your current wellness efforts identifying gaps that could be improved

Wellness Services PurposeCurrently Offered?

How is benefit currently reimbursed?

Dietician Counseling Healthy dietary habits

No No coverage

Weight Loss Drugs Weight management

No No coverage

Weight Loss: Medical and Surgical Treatment Options

Weight management

No No coverage

EAP Counseling Stress, depression, anxiety support

Yes 6 visits EAP program available at no cost

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Step 2: Plot the Inventory Results on an Action Plan

Green means the benefit exists, Black are ideas for enhancement

Adapted from Guidelines for Employee Health Promotion, 1992.

SAMPLE Wellness Program Action Plan

Levels of Intervention Blood Pressure

Cholesterol & Lipids

Smoking Tobacco

CessationNutrition and

Weight ControlFitness & Exercise Stress & Depression

General Preventive Health & Cancer Screening

Communication Newsletter or website discusses what the blood pressure numbers mean and risk if elevated

Poster on what is cholesterol and what do numbers mean

Table tent cards on chemicals in cigarettes

Newsletter contained an article about healthy eating

Fitness newsletter 6x/yr

Newsletter contains article about availability and success of EAP

Postcard reminder for exam and cancer screenings

Screening Blood pressure checked once a year at the annual Health Fair

Blood work screening done once a year at the annual Health Fair

Carbon monoxide breath test and/or oximetry testing

Weight and height measured

BMI measured Waist/hip

measured

Fitness assess-ment once/year

Depression questionnaire

Health risk appraisal questionnaire

Medical plans offer pap smear and mammograms

Education Pharmacist teaches class on blood pressure drugs

Dietitian visits payable in medical plan

Stop smoking classes

Dietitian visits payable in medical plan

Fitness trainer EAP teaches classes on ways to reduce stress

Self-help handbook mailed to employee

Programs to Foster Behavior Change

Blood pressure device at worksite

Blood pressure device payable under medical plan

$25 gift card as Incentive for getting blood work drawn

No smoking policy at worksite

Tobacco cessation drugs paid in medical plan

Weight watchers coupons for discounts on their program

Policy to take stairs not elevator

Have a 4 visit EAP Behavioral Health

visits paid in medical plan

Incentive for completion of health risk appraisal questionnaire

Flu shots onsite annually for employees

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Goals of a Wellness Inventory

Streamline Program Offerings

Target Programs at Controllable Health Risk Factors

Discover Gaps in Coverage (e.g. smoking cessation, dieticians, scales)

Control Medical Spending Over Time

Increase Productivity, Morale, and RetentionIncrease Productivity, Morale, and Retention

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Don’t forget that…

Wellness is all about changing behavior the “relentless pursuit of health.”Wellness is all about changing behavior the “relentless pursuit of health.”

A Wellness Initiative creates a healthy environment for employees and dependents that results in reduced workforce costs and enables them to engage in their work. That engagement leads to improved retention, productivity, creativity and innovation in support of excellence and success.

131 James O. Prochaska, Ph.D., Stages of Change.

Getting There Takes Behavior Change

Stages of Behavior Change1

Communicating Through the Change Continuum

Precontemplation

Preparation

Maintenance

Educate

Action

Contemplation

Capture Attention

Shape Perceptions

Influence Their Behavior

A planned, consistent and continuous COMMUNICATIONS approach is a key driver in the success of a Wellness Initiative.

A planned, consistent and continuous COMMUNICATIONS approach is a key driver in the success of a Wellness Initiative.

Relate to the Individual

Garner Continued Buy-in

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Four Steps for Successful Wellness Communications

Communications is a tool to implement change and the key to successfully implementing a Wellness Initiative that will give your organization return on its investment (ROI).

Communications is a tool to implement change and the key to successfully implementing a Wellness Initiative that will give your organization return on its investment (ROI).

Conduct a Communications Assessment

Develop a Strategy

Build Employee Awareness

Keep it Up with Ongoing Campaigns

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Step 1: Take a Communications Inventory

Assess your wellness communications: How are wellness programs communicated (scattershot or organized)? Is wellness-related information readily accessible and

easy-to-understand? Are communications aligned with overall organizational

objectives (support from the top)? Do you solicit feedback from employees?

Poll your employees: How do they get information about the programs available to them? What is most important to them? What do they want to know more about? What would make them sit up and change their behavior?

Focus groups are a good tool to find out firsthand what employees think and what they would most like to see.Focus groups are a good tool to find out firsthand what employees think and what they would most like to see.

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Build a communications campaign around the issues identified in your assessment…

Set short- and long-term goals Understand your organizational

culture Identify and target the unique

needs of different audiences based on career and life stages

Build a consistent wellness “brand”: Name Logo Color scheme “Eye-catching” message

Decide what type(s) of incentives you will offer: Reduced premiums (95% of consumers prefer) Individual recognition

Was the program

successful?

What is the current situation?

What is the desired

result?

Where are people coming

from?

What messages do people need

to hear?

What tools are most

appropriate?

Step 2: Develop a Communications Strategy

Evaluation

SituationAnalysis

Objectives

AudienceResearchKey

Messages

Media

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Best Practices

Communications Best Practices Checklist Communication frequency: Ongoing communication with employees is key to influencing

perceptions, building understanding and influencing behaviors.

Consumer-focused positioning and messaging: Employees need to understand the challenges an company faces on the health care front and what it means to be a good health care consumer.

Sponsorship by your leadership: Positioning health care challenges as a business issue—not an HR issue—rings true for employees. These messages are best received when coming from an organization’s leaders.

Comprehensive information: To utilize wellness programs, employees must first understand their options and how to use them wisely.

Employee access to and adoption of online communications tools: Employee use of the Web is central to driving behaviors—they need to be both willing and able to use the Web to educate themselves on health and wellness issues and to conduct research.

Availability of employee satisfaction and behavior benchmarks and metrics: Assessing employee perceptions and behaviors can help you to identify possible areas of disconnect, which in turn, will help you to refine or adjust your messaging and communication delivery as necessary.

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Step Three: Build Awareness

Program Awareness What’s available “How to” messages “Did you know?” messages

Individual Awareness Encourage employees to take a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) Provide tools for employees to determine into what risk level they fall Stress confidentiality

Deliverables may include: “Announcing the program” launch-type

communications Onsite events (Health Fair) Wellness website Newsletters/Brochures Testimonials about the program Posters/Postcards Z-cards Seminars (brown-bag lunches)

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Key Messaging

About Your Wellness Program’s Value

Competitive positioning—comparable companies, local employment market

Wellness programs as a percentage of Company’s total compensation budget

Average annual spending per employee

Role wellness programs play in overall employee value proposition

About Your Wellness Program’s Value

Competitive positioning—comparable companies, local employment market

Wellness programs as a percentage of Company’s total compensation budget

Average annual spending per employee

Role wellness programs play in overall employee value proposition

About Your Healthcare Cost Challenges

Healthcare cost inflation—comparable companies, local employment market

Healthcare cost drivers

Company healthcare trends and opportunities

About Your Healthcare Cost Challenges

Healthcare cost inflation—comparable companies, local employment market

Healthcare cost drivers

Company healthcare trends and opportunities

About the Organization’s Commitment to Employee Health and Well-Being

Medical plan quality and choice

Preventive health benefits

Ongoing wellness initiatives

The company’s investment in comprehensive healthcare information and tools

About the Organization’s Commitment to Employee Health and Well-Being

Medical plan quality and choice

Preventive health benefits

Ongoing wellness initiatives

The company’s investment in comprehensive healthcare information and tools

About Employees’ Role in Managing Health and Costs

Active patient/doctor relationship

Preventive health screenings

Condition and health event management

Lifestyle choices

Informed and effective decisions

About Employees’ Role in Managing Health and Costs

Active patient/doctor relationship

Preventive health screenings

Condition and health event management

Lifestyle choices

Informed and effective decisions

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Step Four: Keep Up the Good Work

Ongoing communications ensure that you are there when each employee wakes up and decides it’s time for him/her to make that change.

Ongoing communications ensure that you are there when each employee wakes up and decides it’s time for him/her to make that change.

Use periodic reinforcement to maintain positive behavior Recognize success stories Continue to offer incentives Keep wellness website up-to-date and interesting

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Cendant Corporation: Live Well Z-Card

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Live Well Postcards: Do Something!

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Live Well Table Tents

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Healthy Times

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Scott’s Corporation: Jump Start Wellness

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Small Investment, Big ROI

Wellness Programs Don’t Have to Be Expensive…Use the free HRAs most health care insurers’ offer to participantsConnect with the National Health Calendar

(http://www.healthfinder.gov/library/nho/nho.asp)Direct employees to outside sources Include messages from top

management in support of wellness information

Use email to reach your employees when possible

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Some Things to Remember…

Assess current state to determine current programs and their value to your organization and employees

Clearly articulate your business case into a wellness philosophy to provide the right foundation for strategy and implementation

Brand your wellness program to help employees easily identify the elements of the program

Choose any element of your wellness initiative—HRQ, smoking cessation, weight management, hypertension, disease management—as your point of entry

Gain leadership buy-in and cascade messages to help employees see the importance of wellness within the organization

Bring it home through targeted and personalized communications to help employees understand how wellness fits in their lives

Continue reinforcement throughout all initiatives to make your wellness program a living part of your organization

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Questions