A healthy choice: there are benefits in providing a health promotion program at your workplace.

As a business owner, you carefully monitor overhead such as wages, insurance, supplies, and maintaining and replacing equipment. These expenses take a bite out of your profits. However, many business owners overlook one potentially costly area: employee illnesses.

"Healthy employees are cheaper," said Jeff Erickson, a cardiac rehabilitation specialist at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage.

Erickson helps administrate the hospital's employee program Health Works, which began in June 2002. The program is a voluntary employee health promotion program provided by the employer. So far, employees' response has been positive.

"Initially, we had more than 200 sign up for the program," Erickson said. "I thought that was pretty good for 600-700 employees. People are trickling in still. We hope to increase the number next year."

THE BOTTOM LINE

More than just a perk for employees, health promotion programs help keep the company budget.

"If you can increase the health of your employees, you'll save money," Erickson said.

The injuries that occurred on the job are covered by Workers' Compensation insurance, which employers are required by law to provide. But if your company files too many claims, your rates will likely increase just as your car insurance premiums are prone to increase after having incidents behind the wheel.

Regardless of where they occur, injuries and illnesses that keep employees off the job hurt your company.

"We want to keep people healthy to prevent injury and illness and increase productivity, morale and attitude," said Mike Chriss, health promotion coordinator for BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.

BP started its program, Integrated Health Management Strategy, three years ago.

Helping keep employees healthy can decrease the expense of health insurance benefits you offer because you could be able to go with a less costly plan.

"A lot of your profits go into health care," Erickson said. "It's hard to have a complete benefits package when you have to spend so much on health benefits."

Although starting yet another employee program may seem cost prohibitive, exactly the opposite is so, according to Carol White, who provides staff support for Take Heart Alaska.

"It costs an average of $8,000 per year for health care for the average employee," White said. "When people become involved in a work site health care program, there is a return of investment."

Take Heart Alaska is a statewide coalition of volunteers that seeks to reduce heart disease rates in Alaska.

White said that for every dollar employers spend on health promotion, they should see $1.49 to $13 returned.

Chriss estimates that BP spends $130 on health promotion per employee per year.

"It's a difficult message to educate decision makers on where the funds go for health promotion," Chriss said. "With engineers, you adjust numbers and see a return immediately. With health promotion, you don't see it right away."

The amount of the return "depends upon the depth of the program and how well it's designed to respond to the health care needs of that demographic," he said. "There are really good financial incentives to do it."

Alaska Regional's Erickson agrees.

"A lot of companies are showing that for every dollar you spend, you get two to three on the investment," he said.

PROMOTING HEALTH

Other reasons include increased productivity and/or quality of work.

"A hospital is a stressful place," Erickson said of his employees' workplace environment. "If you have healthy employees, you have better quality of care for the patients.

"We are a hospital, so we are in the business of taking care of people, but we also have to take care of our employees."

Health promotion can also ease human resources problems.

"Employee satisfaction goes White said. "It makes them view their employer as more caring and concerned.

"Health promotion can help with recruitment and retention in tight labor markets," White added.

She recommends that before you start a health promotion program, find out what employees' needs are.

"Programs have to be well-matched to the demographics," White said.

For example, if you would like to offer the employees a smoking cessation class, you should first make sure that enough smoking employees are interested in quitting.

It's not hard to find out what would help employees.

"Do a simple survey to ask employees, 'What do you see as your biggest health need? What would you want a health promotion program to address?"' White said.

"You want the biggest bang for your buck and to find the issue that addresses the most people."

Instead of a random, machine-gun approach, "as we focus on the needs of the people, we can put greater energy into the greatest needs," BP's Chriss said.

If your employees' needs are too diverse, White of Take Heart Alaska suggests looking at the employee demographics. For example, a mostly female population would likely be most interested in women's health issues such as osteoporosis or breast cancer.

Distributing an in-house publication or subscribing to a health publication also can help increase interest.

"There are various stages of a person's ability to make changes in their health," Chriss said. "The newsletter may be the awareness stage."

Hiring outside help can save lots of time and give you professional results.

"Vendors can help start a program," Chriss said. "It depends on the level of the program the employer wants to start."

PROVIDING HEALTHY OPTIONS

Offering a few basic health services can be another step to open employees' eyes to their health needs.

"You could do an awareness emphasis through a mini health fair," White suggested. "You could offer flu shots, cholesterol testing and a self-assessment brochure. These things will get people talking and interested. Different people get pulled in through different ways."

Alaska Regional offers employees tests for blood pressure, cholesterol, fitness and flexibility as part of its program, according to Erickson.

BP's assessments include cholesterol, stress management and glucose levels.

Health fairs are just another step in helping employees improve their health.

Offering body-mass index checks could help employees realize they should lower their weight, for example, but they need more support in making health goals and in making the changes to meet their goals.

"We provide specific goals and support to help employees reach their health objectives," BP's Chriss said. "Population health management focuses on the needs and risks."

After realizing that they may have potential health problems, "they realize they need to do something," Chriss said. "The next step is education."

He suggests bringing in a special speaker during lunch as one way to help employees learn what they can do to improve their health.

"We have programs throughout the year to improve their fitness after we identify the risk factors," Alaska Regional's Erickson said.

The next step is to help them follow through on their healthful decisions.

"Then there's the potential intervention, such as going to a health care provider or a class," Erickson said. "You could offer Weight Watchers within the building."

BP's Chriss has observed a shift from "activity-based programs, such as fitness and seminars, to strategic-based programming, such as risk assessment."

By helping employees understand where potential problems could arise, employers can nip future health problems in the bud.

It may seem risky to dole out health advice in case the suggestion exacerbates an employee's health problem, but Chriss builds a safety net into the company's materials and handouts.

"From the moment you read the article, there's a disclaimer that says you should see a physician," he said. "There are appropriate recommendations that would cover the individual.

"Many people don't have a primary care provider, so that's something we reinforce."

A HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT

Beyond the actual health promotion program, employers can help workers stay healthy through changes in the workplace itself. One facet of this is through leadership.

"If from the top down, people can model healthful work balance, it's one of the best things employers can do," White of Take Heart Alaska said.

"We need policies and environmental factors to help people make healthful choices at work," she added.

Policies are one of the least expensive ways to make an impact.

"You have to build a health-conscious culture through policies," Chriss said.

For example, forbidding smoking on the premises may encourage smokers to quit and it would spare those who don't light up from the dangers of second-hand smoke.

Although your policy book may offer employees sick days, over-eager supervisors may nudge employees to come in while ill. Sometimes staying home while sick is the better option.

"Sick days help keep them home so they don't get everyone else sick," said Ernie Hall, owner of Alaska Furniture Manufacturers Inc.

Instead of losing one employee for a day or two, you may lose the whole staff for a few days if the sick employee does come in spreading germs.

Other times, employees just need some time away to relax.

"We have some very good benefits regarding time off and family leave," BP's Chriss said. "We encourage people to take their vacations, and put that in some of our performance objectives."

The stress associated with working too much can harm employees' health and their work. Let employees take off time when they need it.

"We offer flexible work schedules," Chriss said. "People have options. Every other week, they can work four nine-hour days and take Friday off."

Alaska Furniture Manufacturers Inc. in Anchorage also offers time off beyond sick days.

"Employees have personal leave they can take off for any reason," said Hall. "We try to work to accommodate people."

Unfortunately, working long hours has become a part of corporate America and it is hard for managers to realize that, to twist an old phrase, all work and no play makesJack a less productive employee.

"We've given so much credit to workaholics, Take Hart Alaska's White said. "That's a terribly inefficient strategy in the long run. People don't work as effectively that way."

Eating nutritious food can help keep employees healthy. Provide healthful food in the cafeteria, on the snack cart or in vending machines, and encourage employees who bring in treats to offer healthful choices.

Environmental factors may run into more expenses. For example, installing shower facilities could encourage more employees to exercise on their lunch breaks; however, this does incur more expense than a no-smoking policy or switching from candy bars to raisins in the snack machine.

BP offers a health fitness center and classes at some of their facilities.

Cyberspace provides a cost-effective way of incorporating health consciousness into your company environment. BP has contracted with a vendor to provide online health resources to employees.

"The beauty of having it Web-based--it's ready when you're ready," Chriss said. "It's easy access at home or at work."

For employees who don't have Internet terminals, BP offers kiosks at some locations.

"We also provide materials such as a newsletter," Chriss said.

Erickson has seen many benefits to Alaska Regional Hospital's Health Works program.

"Health promotion is awareness, he said. "You decrease sick time by 30 percent to 40 percent, along with injuries. You increase job satisfaction and morale."

RELATED ARTICLE: HEALTHY RESOURCES

Alaska Wellness Magazine (holistic)

Fax [phone]

www.alaskawellness.com/magazine.htm

Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO)

3500 Blue Lake Drive, Suite 270 Birmingha, AL 35243

Phone [phone]

Fax [phone]

E-mail [e-mail]

www.thehero.org

Wellness Councils of America

www.welcoa.org.