A Healthy Advantage

BY MATTHEW BRODSKY

KEEP YOUR COMPANY IN TIP-TOP SHAPE BY MAKING WELLNESS PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO YOUR EMPLOYEES.

Even the smallest of companies are seeing the advantage of wellness benefits. Take the story of a wood-pallet manufacturer. During an on-site blood-pressure screening, one of its 100 employees measured so high that he was raced to the hospital. Scott Lawson, owner of Workforce Wellness, the vendor who provided the testing, recalls how the doctor said a heart attack or stroke was in the employee’s future, perhaps that very same day, if not for the intervention. Such tales aren’t uncommon.

“We’ve hauled a couple dozen people off to the hospital with unbelievably high blood pressure,” Lawson says.

While the success of wellness benefits at Fortune 500 companies is no new thing, small businesses are now tackling their employees’ health problems with the same tools as larger organizations. Why? Double-digit annual healthcare cost increases don’t discriminate.

“It’s a necessity that employees start taking better care of themselves,” says Jack Bastable, a health and productivity management consultant with CBIZ Benefits & Insurance. “Or else no one’s going to be able to aff ord it.”

Giving employees the tools to take better care of themselves is hardly a new concept in the corporate world. But the benefits of on-site screening and resources to tackle certain health and lifestyle issues, such as vision screenings, smoking cessation and weight-loss and exercise programs, go beyond just saving on healthcare costs (though that’s enough). It can boost employee productivity and morale. “It makes your people more competitive,” Bastable says.

Small business owners may wonder if such programs are just for the big boys. When it comes to on-site health clinics—popping up today at companies with more than 5,000 employees to Wal-Mart-sized corporations—the answer is most likely yes, leave it to the large companies.

According to Juliet Vestal, a health and welfare benefits consultant for Nevada Powera/ Sierra Pacific Resources who previously set up five clinics as director of healthcare management for gaming giant Harrah’s, on-site clinics wouldn’t be cost-eff ective for a company with a population of less than 1,500—as in, 750 employees and 750 dependents.

But she adds that smaller businesses can explore the idea through joint clinics with other smaller employers in their neighborhood. “You reach out to the vendors,” she says, “and they can tell you, ‘Well, I’ve got two other calls from employers in your area.’”

If an on-site clinic seems too big of an idea, don’t worry. Other tools abound these days, from extensive to simple, and some might be right under your nose. Bastable says many group health plans for smaller businesses already offer built-in wellness programs, including online risk assessments as well as the aforementioned on-site screening and health and lifestyle programs.

Vestal also suggests promoting preventive care. This could mean a colonoscopy for a 40-year-old, rather than colon cancer treatments at 49. Prevention can also be as simple as vending machines stocked with healthier snack options. At its very basic level, prevention means building greater awareness of why living healthier is important. In Vestal’s words, “[It’s] trying to get people to understand that you only have one body.”

Wellness programs, of course, do come with costs, which vary based on the size of your company and how many tools you use.

Prices could range from about $4 per month per employee to $25, according to Bastable.

But the bottom line is that wellness doesn’t have to be expensive. Bastable points to free online sources, such as WebMD and Webhealth; employers can simply start by making employees aware of these. Striking up a relationship with a local hospital or clinic for screenings is also a good idea.

Whatever you decide to spend on wellness programs, get your money’s worth—through employee participation. These programs and screenings are largely voluntary, so it’s vital that people use them in order for them to succeed.

It shouldn’t be that hard. According to a recent survey from the Principal Financial Group, nearly three out of every four employees with access to wellness tools took advantage of them. Still, employee participation is so critical to program value that some companies are using a “stick” approach to motivation, including threatening to fire an employee if he or she doesn’t quit smoking, or prohibiting employees from joining health plans until they take a health assessment. Such tactics, however, are “stretching it,” says Missy Jaeger, an Atlanta-based principal in Mercer’s Health & Benefits Consulting business. (They also may be fertile ground for a future class of lawsuits.)

Instead, companies should advocate more positive approaches. One method: Reward wellness participants with discounts on health premiums, an approach allowed by HIPAA.

Also consider what Lawson does for his own 60 employees. His program off ers contributions of $50 or $100 to employee health savings accounts, and if participants don’t have HSAs, he raffles gift cards from local stores.

“We had no idea of how successful it would be,” he says, measuring victory by a 45% participation rate. (Jaeger says employers should shoot for at least 35%.)

Besides incentives, creative tactics also drive employees to Lawson’s wellness program. He’s held jump-rope contests and “Turkey trots,” and organized a six-month companywide weight-loss contest. For every 6 pounds the company collectively lost, a can of shortening appeared in the middle of the lobby. By the end, about 300 pounds of grease were stacked there.

Better there than in people’s arteries—especially if those people are your employees.

6 steps for WELLNESS SUCCESS

In the next three to five years, all companies could be on the wellness bandwagon, even the smallest businesses, says Scott Lawson, owner of New Hampshire-based vendor Wellness Workforce. And the quality of your wellness program could make the difference between you and your competition. Get a head start now with these expert-tested practices:

1 Develop a health-promoting culture at the top. Your leadership must buy into it, not pay lip service to it.

2 Start with clear goals and priorities, then build a diverse and dynamic program within your budget to meet them. Integrate it with your existing health benefits program.

3 Market the plan. It won’t work unless employees actually use it. Think carrots, not the stick, to motivate and educate.

4 The more face-to-face contact that your employees have with coaches and caregivers, the better.

5 Measure progress to be sure you’re meeting your participation rates and ROI.

6 Review and repeat. Even when making your goals, regularly consider ways to expand your wellness menu or freshen up your program. Wellness programs take hard work and persistence.