Employee Wellness Programs Health And Social Care Essay

Employee Wellness Programs health And Social C ar analyzeWorksites ar where much or little adults spend more than i-half of their waking hours . In light of this, they finish darker a unique prospect to affect variety show in an individuals wellness status. Billions of dollars argon spend each year addressing wellness in the kick the bucketforce yet after(prenominal) illness and/or detriment has already occurred (2). This trans belatedlys to profit losses in the form of lost hire and compensation, productiveness, and high-pitched employee turn bothwhere. Employees besides pay a high sensual and unrestrained wrong for poor health. Rising healthcargon cost argon overly passed along to the consumers who cover the burden of higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments (3). cake is the identify in addressing issues in a proactive manner.For just about compositions, this phenomenon is reflected in a high habit of personal succession off and requested fed up(p) leaves (2) (4) (5). A link up issue is the ab custom of the excrete leave benefit where employees know a tune- solar day off is a benefit and at their discretion. This is often link up to extend in the knead place or a subject bea place environment that is uncomfortable for the employee (6). Past crusades to control this issue find included requiring physician certification of a valid health problem, imposeing association policies that limit utilization of ad hoc time off, and encouraging managers to say no when asked for excessive old age off. Some companies go even eliminated the concept of a tired of(p) day and append the employees personal time off by a day or two to compensate (6). Regardless of the labeling for time off or of the managements effort to control change magnitude health link up issues, many system of ruless report that employees taking unplanned old age off has increased (4). The pass is to activate a look from the confrontational lift of imposing merged rules to limit the ab utilize and focus on the core of the problem, health problems and emphasis management in the study (2) (5).A human resources (HR) industry analyze institute that report personal illness accounts for 35 percent of any unscheduled absences in the pass waterplace (4). Some HR experts estimate that absenteeism stand cost a society around $600 per employee per year, and thats exactly in use of benefits and healthcare be. The estimates are higher if the calculation includes other related be such as overtime pay, costs of temps, helpless deadlines, and lower productiveness (7). Some of these unaccounted for sick days undersurface be avoided if the companys management is proactive when reservation boldnessal changes and in providing means for helping employees deal with health issues (1-5).This increased utilization is driving up the cost of coverage and company officials are considering some desperate options to save money such as a drastic lessening of coverage or the elimination of benefits al unneurotic. antecedent to the implementation of such measures, company executives need to consider a diametric approach upon which they feel may non only raise sensory faculty of health and safety issues, simply supply the tools necessary for employees to increase their prize of feeling. The rosy-cheeked pot 2010 initiative is a government effort to uphold employers to get viewd in the health of their workers with the intended goal creation to Increase eccentric and geezerhood of flushed aliveness (3). One flying field recommended is to implement an employee comfortablyness class that addresses staying healthy, increasing serve opportunities, and reduction worksite injuries through and through increase safety practices (1) (2) (5).Employee wellness course of instructionmes are predicated on the basis that most illness is immediately preventable and that the workplace has the ability to tra nsform lives (1). Companies that implement designs go forth see a decrease in healthcare costs by lowering utilization rates of sick days and up(p) the workplace environment (2) (5). These platforms are meant to improve the general quality of life for each of their employees (3).Statement of the ProblemThe purpose of this hit the books was to determine if an organization reappearances proactive efforts to implement healthy programs that peck positively influence a reduction of sick days used by employees. Researchers have instal significant cost savings for the organization by taking the satisfy of becoming involved in the wellness of employees (2) (5). The use of sick days, whether due(p) to illness or a need for a personal day away from stress, moderate in higher costs due to issues such as overtime pay, costs of temps, missed deadlines, and lower productivity (7). wakeless Workforce 2010 (3), a program within the sound People 2010 initiative, recommends employer grou ps take an active fibre in implementing programs, such as an employee wellness program, in invest to improve the over any health of their employees and subsequently creating a better work environment.HypothesisHypothesis 1. The introduction and management of a worksite wellness program at a manufacturing organization will improve the boilers suit health and wellness of their employees.Hypothesis 2. There will be a significant decrease in the number of personal days off and sick time, as inform to Human Resources, found on amend employee health and rapture at their workplace as a result of implementing a workforce wellness program.Hypothesis 3. There will be an increase in employee companionship and skills for healthier living as measured by a pre and post-test measuring the amount of information gained from hitchs such as onsite workplace classes.If these of hypothesis do non prove straight, the researcher expects that the organization will still begin costs equal to o r transcendent that of earlier years in health related time off, which will be reflected in personal time off (power takeoff) or sick days (STO) utilization rates. Employees may show an increase in knowledge of healthier life-style changes but this may not change their appearances ring time off and implied expectations of utilizing a company benefit.De demarcation linesThis holds focus is on reducing the overall costs to an organization as clashed by the over-use of power takeoff and STO by employees. The actual cost savings are estimated to include reduction in other areas such as overtime, hiring of temps, and production losses. But to slip by this studys cores in a reasonable space, the only measurements for success will be the reduction of overall usage of time off or PTO and STO per 100 employees. The base measurement for this analysis will be statistics from previous years.In order to keep the number of employees and impact at a manageable level, the study will only r eview the effects of a wellness program on one organization, a enlarged manufacturing organization in a suburb away(p) of Los Angeles, atomic number 20. The organization has over 600 employees at the lead location, consisting administrators, engineers, line supervisors, and skilled factory workers. Managers have reported an comely expected utilization of time off related to health and stress issues.LimitationsSince the study will focus on a specific macrocosm in a specific industry, the results may reflect the impact of a program that is only successful under certain environmental influences. Also, a CCH survey (6) discusses the roast of PTO or STO days, highlighting that use of these days are influenced by various reasons in addition to sickness or stress. Some areas indicated in surveys (4) include family illnesses or problems, which may not be impacted by a wellness program, and seasonal influences such as summer or holidays, which often results in 4 day weekends.The study is relying upon the information collected by the HR representatives of the organization, which limits the analysis to days reported to HR and avoiding comp time or personal days which are interpreted as agreements between supervisors and employees. Since the baseline will be the reported days from previous years, this limitation should have little impact on the outcome of the study.AssumptionsIn defining this study, the following assumptions were made any time off is reported and tracked by the HR department.Since illnesses and stress leave are human- found factors and not necessarily bound to a specific industry, the results of this study will be applicable to other industries and workers.Implementing a program that focuses on reported time off will not unduly influence an increase or decrease in reported days due to the study itself.Since the study is qualitative, the results will be only be the starting peak for other studies that should include other factors that may influence increased use of personal days off.Operational DefinitionsPTO Personal Time Off, a company benefit for employees of most organizations.STO Sick Time Off, a company benefits only offered at some organizations some companies have rolled sick time into the personal time benefit.MATCH Multilevel overture to community of interests Health. A five-phase program planning model developed in the late 1980s.Normative Need The needs of a community based on expert opinion.Expressed Need The needs of a world based on factual data.Healthy People 2010 U.S government publication that brought together much(prenominal) of what was known about the relationship of personal health behavior and health status.Primary Data Original data collected by the planners. life style indisposition A illness that is associated with how a person lives. such as their smoking habits, alcohol, drug abuse, physical activity and eating habits. life-style diseases include, heart disease, stroke, obesity, an d type 2 diabetes.Risk Factors is a variable that is associated with increased venture of disease or infection. Risk factors can include, lack of physical activity, diet, etc.Wellness Wellness is an active process through which spate shape aware of, and make choices towards, a more successful existence (8).Absenteeism is defined as a chronic absence and in this scene it is in relation to work.Non-communicative diseases diseases that are not infectious. These disease include those that are from genetic or life-style factors.Segmentation process of identifying groups of consumers that share comparable characteristics and will respond in a like way to a marketing strategy.Chapter TwoLiterature ReviewOver 100 years ago, the biggest health care threat we faced had to do with the administer of transmissible diseases. Today, communicable diseases take a back seat to a much bigger problem that chevvys American citizens which is that of lifestyle origin. A lifestyle disease is defined as one that is affected by factors such as poor dietary habits, alcohol and/or drug usage including tobacco plant smoking, and lack of physical activity (9). These factors individually as well as in combination make a person much more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, obesity, and certain types of cancers. In order to slew the jeopardize of these diseases, individuals must address changes to their lifestyles that include participating in workplace healthy wellness programs. This chapter will review the influencing factors in the effort, the scope of the problem of lifestyle diseases, and discuss some of the benefits of targeting specific areas in a wellness program.Addressing Lifestyle ChangesResearchers have shown found a direct relationship between providing intervention to improve a persons health and the cost saving realized by that persons employer (1) (2) (5).Taking proactive measure to improve the persons health and to implement preventative me asures charge the person out of a high-risk category for lifestyle diseases extends the persons life and benefits everyone they are involved with, from their employer to their families (1). Some researchers found the reverse to be true in like manner. Ignoring the factors identifying people by their risk for lifestyle diseases will result in an increase of health problems and in costs to the employer through use of sick time and increased workplace injuries (2) (5).Modifying an individuals risk factors for lifestyle diseases can be difficult. People usually express a lack of time outside of the workplace for healthy behaviors such as meal planning and exercise since, half of our waking hours are spent at work (9). In addition to time constraints, beginning any new healthy lifestyle behavior is no easy task, but it can make a profound effect on both physical as well as mental health. These benefits hold true disregardless of the workers age. One large cohort study of 15,708 examin ed the impact of take inion of new lifestyle behaviors (9). All individuals were of typical working age 45-64. It was found that people who newly adopt a healthy lifestyle in middle-age experience a exhort benefit of lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality. Further conclusions recommend that we begin to adopt strategies to encourage healthy lifestyles. This is especially true among those with preexistent medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity (9).Lifestyle changes not only take commitment on the part of the participant but a great deal of support from others as well. Support from co-workers can be a strong motivator but in order for healthy changes to be fully adopted by the workforce, it must be a priority among the decision makers within the company (2) (5). The cost impact of a disease such as obesity is well documented. fleshiness contributes to monetary losses for the employee as well as employer. In response, employers carry to look for ways to offset those costs through the offering of company-sponsored wellness and weight management programs. Health care organizations in particular hospitals, as well as public employers can be important intention models in this process. A change in insurance policy could make a dramatic difference for smaller employers which represent the majority of U.S. employers as they are far less likely to offer health promotion programs unless a government incentive was offered (10).Worksites are where most adults spend more than half of their waking hours. In light of this, they offer a unique opportunity to affect change in an individuals health status. Health in the workplace should focus on one main role central to prevention. Prevention tactics can be geared towards prevention of illness and spread of disease as well as prevention of accidents, deformity, and disability. Billions of dollars are spent each year addressing health in the workplace only after illness and/or injury has already occurred (11). This translates to profit losses in the form of lost wages and compensation, productivity, and high employee turnover. Prevention is the key in addressing issues in a proactive manner.Wellness programs are an important fragment of employer benefits packages because they offer workers and their families choices for pursuing healthier lifestyles with less illness, ultimately leading to less costly benefits packages (9). Wellness programs and employee assistance programs are important benefits for workers and their employers data from the topic Compensation Survey (NCS) show that workers in the public and private sectors had great access to these kinds of benefits in 2008 than they did a decade earlier. In an age of ever-increasing health care costs, services that promote health and wellness have become an important element of U.S. society. Wellness programs often include health gentility and an awareness component. consort to some analysts, these programs address issues that increase worker satisfaction and productivity.Implementing a Wellness Program Using MATCHResearchers have found the employers who implement proactive, work-based wellness programs can realize significant savings in utilization of STO, decreased productivity and costs for production lags (2) (5). In one study, researchers implemented a worksite health promotion program to quash the utilization of short-term disability days at a large company. The researchers estimated the authorisation cost savings over a 2-year period would be in excess of $1,300,000 (2). A similar study that implemented a health-promotion program over five years found estimated cost savings from trim sick days at over $600,000 a year (5). The target cosmoss in both of these studies focused on employees who were high users of sick days. Expanding that approach to the entire population should contribute even more to the cost savings. impact change in a population with varying influential leve ls is effectualness in the program design called the Match Model. Match is an acronym for Multilevel Approach to Community Health (12). The concept behind the Match Model is based on attempts to reach various levels within a target population through working with individuals of influence at various levels. Once divert goals are selected in the Match Model, intervention planning begins with the selection of objectives and approaches. The program development then commences with the creation of the actual delivery pieces such as information materials and class curricula.The preparation for implementation is the succeeding(a) step whereby key individuals who will deliver the intervention are trained, roll out dates established, and the program actually begins. The final step in the Match Model involves the program evaluation process. This critical step provides the program development team with outcomes measures to quantify the program effectiveness and provide necessary feedback th at will drive futurity programs.actor Health in the joined StatesWorker health in the United States is a broad issue. Multiple political initiatives have been deep developed in an effort to address the problems that have arisen as a result of content attention to multiple health concerns that currently plague the country which includes rising obesity rates, type II diabetes, tobacco usage, as well as a host of other issues. An example of a set of national health initiatives is the Healthy People 2010 (3) objectives, aimed at making a difference in 10 years. Many of the initiatives contained within are aimed at increasing quality of life through the prevention of disease. The program has a total of 467 objectives organized into 28 focus areas. There are special provisions for physical activity, tobacco usage, and obesity (3). The program also addresses issues for employers such as high utilization of benefits, increased absenteeism, and productivity issues, all resulting in high-c ost employees especially those who experience multiple risk factors for diseases including high bloodline pressure, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles (3).Top reasons for taking what might be called non-sick days are family issues (21 percent), personal needs (18 percent), entitlement mentality (14 percent), and stress (12 percent). Lisa Franke, a workplace analyst at CCH, says that absences for stress and entitlement taking days employees believe they have earn are up slightly from last year because leaner staffing levels have intensified workloads (13).Based on these findings, recommendations to employers in the United States are focused around two main factors. The offset printing recommendation from the Healthy People 2010 program is that employers, at least 75% of those in the United States regardless of size, should offer a comprehensive employee health promotion program. The second recommendation is that employer groups should strive for a 75% participation rate among all employees. The objectives of Healthy People 2010 sparked a subsidiary report known as Healthy Workforce 2010 (3). The report outlines eight primary objectives that promote health and quality of life among workers in the United States.Among the objectives presented in the report, the researchers highlighted the impact of windburnt habits of the U.S. population on the economy and future of the country. In 1998, the report estimates that a draw of the adult population smoked this statistic is even higher at 35% for American teenagers. Other vices such as alcohol and drug abuse have cost the U.S. economy over $276 billion dollars as a result of healthcare, auto accidents, lost productivity, and other issues (3).In addition to problems created by substance abuse, the Healthy Workforce 2010 report estimates that over half of the U.S. population is overweight or classified as obese. This problem can be addressed by encouraging employees to participate in regular free-and-easy exercise. Similar to substance abuse among workers, this growing problem results in related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and osteoarthritis which costs both employers and the U.S. economy in healthcare costs (3).Other areas resulting in higher healthcare costs and impacting the work area include addressing work-related injuries and providing a safe working environment for employees. Even beyond the deaths caused by work accidents, the U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that employees experience roughly 5.7 million non-fatal accidents annually, resulting in over 2.7 million lost work days. The Healthy Workforce 2010 recommends employers not only focus on preventing accidents but also increase healthcare coverage, since the U.S. number Bureau reports that over 42 million American workers are not covered by health insurance, a trend predominant in smaller companies (3).Worker Health in CaliforniaStudies from the State of California Department of Health (14) reported similar findings at the national level. The large issues that appear to be problematic in the State of California involve lost wages and productivity caused by diseases that are aggravated by unhealthy lifestyles. These include obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular complications among others. The literature revealed that worksite wellness programs help to reduce overall operating costs from increased healthcare utilization, accidents and poor productivity. Employers also benefit from these programs through enhanced recruitment, retention of healthy employees, and reduced absenteeism (15).The easiest way to address health related issues is to take actions that prevent the problems in the first place. Primary healthcare measures are the key to ensuring a healthy population.Worker Health in Los Angeles CountySimilar reports in Los Angeles County provided population-wide data on health related quality of life in Los Angeles County and used measures developed by the Centers for Dise ase Control and Prevention to track health trends at the national and state levels. The average numbers of unhealthy days and activity limitation days were higher in Los Angeles County (6.4 and 2.4, respectively) than in California (5.9 and 2.1) and the United States (5.5 and 1.9, respectively) in 1999. These differences may reflect disparities in health status across the lead populations but as well as demographic differences (e.g., socioeconomic or racial/ ethnic differences) between the populations. In addition the number of unhealthy days and activity limitation days were significantly higher in persons previously diagnosed with depression, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, or asthma than in persons not diagnosed with these conditions (16).Health Consequences for WorkersEmployees also pay a high physical and emotional price for poor health. Rising healthcare costs are passed along to the consumers who share the burden of higher premiums, deductibles, and copayments. Financial responsibilities can lead to increased stress levels among workers. Employee wellness programs are predicated on the basis that most illness is directly preventable and that the workplace has the ability to transform lives. These programs also decrease healthcare costs through lowering utilization rates. These programs are meant to improve the overall quality of life for each of the participants (3).The Importance of Physical Activity mending physical activity provides a multitude of benefits to an employee. According to the American Council on Exercise (11) low-back pain in the neck is a leading cause of job-related disability and missed work in the United States. This problem results in over $50 billion every year in healthcare costs. Work-related back pain experienced by most people can be prevented with just a little forethought. In high-risk back pain jobs requiring stag bending, lifting, and twisting, employees and employers can be taught a variety of methods in order to red uce stress on the back and help prevent injuries. This risk of injury increases in those who are overweight, smoke or are inactive (11).Benefits of weed CessationAccording a report conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (17) over 8.6 million people in the U.S. experience a health-related problem due to smoking. In the subsequent CDC report the next year (17), the agency reported that smoking was responsible for over 90% of lung cancer mortalities and over 80% of the COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths. This is largely because cigarettes and other tobacco products contain over 4,800 chemical, 69 of those which have been identified as carcinogenic. have has also been linked to other serious illnesses and medical problems such as slow wound healing, peptic ulcers, and other diseases contributing to loss of employee productivity (18). Employers have responded by creating smoke-free workplaces nationwide, where employees can be protected from the grave e ffects of secondhand smoke. In 1999, a study found that rough 70% of the U.S. workforce was impacted by a smoke-free employer policy (19). But laws and employer responsibility varies by state, so this statistic can vary preceding(prenominal) 80% in states like Utah and Maryland or ivory below 50% in states like Nevada (19).Healthy Diet AdvantagesAccording to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) (20), diabetes is one of the fastest growing and one of the most costly health issues facing the U.S. worker. The disease has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting a growing number and percentage of people every year. The cost of diabetes to the American healthcare system is staggering, resulting in missed work days and higher benefit requirements for employers. In the ADA report, one-fifth of the healthcare dollars spent is used to provide care for someone with diabetes, objet dart tenth of the healthcare dollars spent is associated with diabetes. For employers , the costs of diabetes increased 32% from 2002 to 2007, with the increase in medical expenditures and lost productivity estimated at $174 billion. Per capita, the annual cost of diabetes is approximately $11,744 a year. Many people do not recognize that they are at risk for diabetes (or diabetes-related complications if they already have diabetes). However, type II diabetes can be prevented or delayed for many of those at high risk for diabetes and diabetes-related complications can be also be prevented or delayed with lifestyle practices including maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, and a balanced diet (20). succinctThe prevalence of lifestyle diseases among Californians and within the U.S. is growing. Everything from fast foods to sedentary activities plays a role in contributing to this national problem. Addressing the issues requires more than just adding a some cardio sessions every week or walking a little more, the effort requires attacking the problem at the ro ot, changing how people define and move through their lives. Lifestyles changes are exactly that, changes that affects across a persons life and hopefully for the rest of their lives. Many factors contribute to lifestyle diseases include home culture, resting activities, and work environments. Implementing a wellness program at a worksite will provide the support and information needed to make effective changes to the employees health while benefiting both the employee and employer (2).