Education Pays

There are multiple sources of free or inexpensive health information. Check out the National Health Observance Calendar for links to resources. Many places will send you free literature that you can make available to your employees.

Reach out To Spouses and Families

Wellness programs should be communicated to covered spouses and family as well as the employee. Women make most of the family's health care decisions and if the employee is a male, the information about wellness benefits may not be shared or communicated with the wife. Employers should also make sure benefits information on a company's website can be accessed from employees homes. Communicate success stories from employees whose spouses support their wellness.

The "Twinkie Tax"

Today's tip is partner with your food service vendor to provide healthier choices in employee cafeterias and vending machines.Offer healthier, more nutritious entrees at lower prices than less healthy alternatives. Make sure you support this with signage and nutrition labeling. There are many healthy vending machine options and more and more companies are dumping the doritos and sodas for more nutritious offerings!

Brand Your Wellness Program

Texas Instruments brands every item they have that has to do with health with their Live Healthy logo. For example, bottled water available for employees has the Live Healthy logo and rotating wellness program messages on the label.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

Northwestern Mutual has a very high CDHP participation because they have an incentive based communications strategy. One popular activity is a consumerism scavenger hunt which had employees looking up information on existing company programs including their fitness center, health clinic and self care guide. Employees really need to be educated around wellness and shown what programs and services are available so they can be proactive about their health when implementing CDHP plans.

Create A Culture of Wellness

Wellness programs work best when they are championed by the CEO and other management. Companies who create a culture of wellness and integrate the mission of wellness into their strategic plan are the most successful. Have the CEO of your company make a public commitment to achieve a wellness goal and challenge others in the company to join him or her. If you have executives that believe in the business case for wellness, who walk the walk and talk the talk, employees will listen.