Posts from — June 2009

Tying wellness activities into holiday themes is a strategy frequently used to establish interest and participation. However, be aware that offering holiday activities in the worksite can establish problems. Your worksite may have policies and standard procedures already in place about problems such as appropriate decorations themes, work time, etc. Be sure to check with upper management regarding all standard procedures and policies. Remember to include and acknowledge the holiday celebrations of the various cultures or groups represented in your workforce. It is generally safer to use graphics, themes, and wording that are not specific to one culture, as others might feel left out. In fact, acknowledging diverse holidays, if done respectfully, can help familiarize your workforce with values and practices of different cultures and ethnic groups. A few topical ideas for holiday themes include:

• Worksite Wellness Committee participants distribute “healthy heart valentines” to each employee for Valentine’s Day.
• Thanksgiving “turkey trot”. Staff Members who exercise three times a week for at least one-half hour between November 1 and 15 are entered into a drawing for a no cost turkey (can be purchased at the local grocery store or donated).
• Chinese New Year tai chi demonstration. Consider a follow-up workplace introductory tai chi class offering.
• Christmas/Kwanzaa/Hanukkah/etc. holiday food potluck. Participants of different cultural or ethnic groups bring in a dish reflective of their holiday traditions. Each person can say a few words about the origin and tradition behind the food. In this holiday theme, food need not be low fat or especially healthy, since the purpose is enhancing cultural diversity, not counting calories.

Pre/Post Holiday Weigh In

Holiday weight gain can be a big health challenge. This wellness program activity is fun, low-key, and helps employees monitor their weight during the holiday season.

• Members weigh-in with a “trusted” confident prior to Thanksgiving. The weigh-ins may be conducted on the honor system, but weight must be recorded on a weight-tracking card. You might invite a local nurse or Weight Watchers representative to monitor weigh-ins.
• employees set a personal goal of maintaining their weight from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day.
• Weight cards are stored in a secure file location.
• Give weekly weight management hints. These must be posted next to the wellness bulletin board, sent via email, or given in brochure form.
• Or, alternate the weekly hints with healthy recipe options.
• Remind employees of the necessity to continue physical activity during the hectic holiday season.
• Weigh everyone the first work day following New Year’s Day. Record the weight on the tracking card.
• employees who have maintained their weight or who have lost weight receive a prize and award certificate.
• employees who gained weight receive a certificate of completion and an invitation to continue participation in a related health weight wellness activity.

National health observance campaigns can lighten workload and effort. Many of these well-developed observances have kits and materials which can either be downloaded for no cost or purchased inexpensively. Monthly health themes, week long events, and nationally recognized days of the year are also good ways to have fun while participating in larger events. Health observances are tied to almost every aspect of wellness and health. Things to consider:

• National observances present opportunities to work with other community agencies and corporations to create larger events and celebrations.
• A wellness message is more likely to stick with people if the information is presented at work, in local grocery stores, and on television.
• National Employee Fitness Day/Week (April) is a good place to start.
• A word of advice: do not go overboard in attempting to tie a wellness program into these national observances, as there are so many. Pick one to three events per year and stick with these. Organize and promote events well ensuring that employees will come to expect and anticipate these programs each year. It is best to do a few Worksite Wellness very well than many promotions poorly.

Many employees enjoy group related activities. These activities usually take place on an employee’s time away from work and participation is fully voluntary in nature. Although the sports group is not part of an employee’s regular work duties, if the group or activity is associated with the organization, the organization could be held liable in the event of an employee injury. If the activity brings with it a risk of injury, it is essential to address the possible risk and liability problems with the correct organization department. Also consult with your organization’s workers’ compensation carrier and/or legal counsel.

• Organize summer softball or volleyball teams, a winter ski outing, fall and winter tobacco-free bowling teams, a spring golf tournament, summer walks, etc.
• Give brochures and catalogs from area Parks and Recreation departments and county park corporations so employee can take advantage of community leagues, trips and offerings.
• Invite an official from one of the above corporations to speak at a organization brown bag event, or invite an area Parks and Recreation instructor to offer a demonstration of a new class offering.

Family Friendly Activities

Periodically offer activities which can be taken home and shared with the entire family. Ideas for these include:

• TV Free Week (usually in April): Organize a chart for the little ones to use to record their TV-free participation.
• Offer a certificate to anyone who is TV-free for a week.
• If possible, offer a few prizes (but not video rental certificates, video games or other TV-related items) for related categories, such as less than 5 hours of TV, no video games for a week, etc.

Stress Management

Many simple wellness activities and practices can help employees be aware of the role stress plays in effecting health, safety, and work rate. It is essential to help employees be aware of simple stress management strategies for decreasing stress levels.

• Stress kit check out. Have stress management tools available for employee use during a scheduled break time. Consider offering relaxation music or programs including player and headphones; mat or blanket to lie on; neck pillow; eye mask; and stress massage rollers.
• Offer a stress management brown bag event at which employees can try different types stress management tools.
• Urge employees to take ten-minute relaxation/exercise breaks. Post reminders.
• Give a comfortable employee break area.
• Create a “quiet room” for meditation and relaxation, if possible.
• Work with Senior Leadership to keep supervisors informed about the effects of stress in the worksite. Supervisors are often the first step in supporting employees find different ways of managing work related stressors.
• Contact the Employee Assistance Provider (EAP) for a variety of stress management information and self-assessments.
• Offer stress management self-assessments to interested employees. Follow these up with a stress management videotape, a brown bag presentation, or a community guest speaker.

Mental Health and Wellness

Emotions and mental health greatly affect overall health and wellness. Every Worksite Wellness must incorporate some services, programs, resources or activities to address mental health problems. Mental health topics can be sensitive areas for employees. Therefore, it is important to offer information in a variety of ways, workplace presentations being just one possibility. By way of example, put domestic violence resource cards in the restrooms to offer useful information in a private setting that does not embarrass anyone. Other considerations include:

• When planning to offer an oratory event or presentation a neutral class title will be sure potential participants won’t be put off by the name. By way of example, “Parenting in 2004″, “Positive Parenting”, or “Parent University” is much more appealing than “Stress and Parenting”.
• Be sur e to allot proper time when hosting EAP/mental health courses for a question and answer session so participants may ask specific questions. Always remind participants that individual help is available through the EAP and also through their health benefits. Give written contact information for your EAP, but do so discretely.
• The Employee Assistance Program is an great partner and resource for wellness programming in these areas. The EAP can help find ways to address mental health, stress, coping, and other related problems.

Tobacco Cessation

Smoking cessation assistance is a worthwhile wellness activity. Smoking is often a difficult habit to overcome. Workplace wellness activities to support “tobacco-free” living include:

• Use American Lung Association resource. These include the Freedom From Smoking group and/or video-tutorial. There is also a follow-up video “A Lifetime of Freedom From Smoking”.
• Reward people who have successfully quit smoking for six months with an appropriate “kicked the habit” certificate and some type of incentive gift.
• Offer “cold turkey” sandwiches to smokers who pledge to quit during the Great American Smokeout.
• Begin a “stopping or thinking about it” support group to assist and promote people trying to stop smoking.

Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Addictions

If a substance abuse policy is not in place in your worksite, advocate that one be developed. Request a knowledgeable Worksite Wellness Committee member be included in the policy development process. If such a policy is already in place make sure Worksite Wellness Committee participants are alert to the policy and have a thorough understanding of it. From time to time, remind employees of wellness resources and programs available.

• Invite AA, NA, AI-Anon, and other groups to meet in a organization building and/or publicize community gatherings.
• Serve non-alcoholic drinks whenever alcohol is served, and make sure food is always served along with alcoholic beverages.
• Give easily accessible information about counseling, referral, and treatment programs available in the community. Put this information in an area where it can be viewed without embarrassment.
• When conducting wellness programs include information about responsible alcohol use on stress/weight management, diet, physical fitness, smoking, and accident prevention.
• Issues such as co-dependence and the difficulty of supporting a substance abuser can also be addressed. Offer this information as part of the wellness program by offering informational materials, brown bag sessions, EAP information, etc.
• The Employee Assistance Program provider is an great resource for substance abuse wellness programming and or employee assistance.
• Other addictions, such as problem gambling, food addiction, shopping, Internet addiction, etc., can be a problem and can reach the point of affecting a person’s life and work. Offer information, video review, or employee assistance sessions approaching these topics.
• A Worksite Wellness Committee member may gain personal information regarding an employee concern. Remember to keep all employee information fully confidential.

Interest in increasing physical activity ranks nearly as high as weight management in employee interest and need. Ideas for building employee awareness and participation in physical activities follow:

• Fitness classes in the workplace: Onsite exercise can be much more convenient for employees. However, worksite classes require logistical planning and coordination with attention to details. Onsite classes are generally more feasible for larger corporations. As part of the steps in planning and assessment, talk with other Worksite Wellness offering workplace classes. Ask what their experience has been like. Speak to potential vendors in the area as well. Find out what it would take to offer an on-Site fitness class. YMCA’s, health clubs, and community recreation programs are good resources for this kind of discussion. It is also feasible to offer a “mini” introductory workplace class series. A mini series might consist of an introduction to a new physical activity area. Staff Members are then expected to make the transition to home or community based programs.
• Nerf Olympics: Nerf games are fun (and entertaining) activities that promote movement, flexibility, stress reduction, and usually are a good laugh. When creating such an activity consider setting up a “challenge” stations with various activities. Ideas for activities include hula hoop contests, Nerf basketball no cost throws, Nerf football tosses, Frisbee “golf”, jump rope, etc. The Wellness Team will lay out the course. Each colleague goes through the stations and gets a “gold” medal (you can buy these at party stores and toy stores inexpensively) for completing all of the stations (no matter how badly they perform). Begin each colleague at intervals allowing for smooth running, but expect high difficulty stations to be backed up. This delay can add to the fun and creates a ‘keystone cops’ scenario. Nerf Olympics is a good activity to do with an audience, so promote cheering coworkers.
• Offer incentives/rewards to employees who engage in aerobic exercise such as walking, running and bicycling on their own time (see goal setting program, offer points toward prizes, etc.).
• Give out maps of walking/jogging trails located near the worksite. Mark distances in steps and miles. Urge employees to walk during lunch and/or break times. Post a steps accumulated map on a worksite wall where employees can log their steps or miles.
• Urge joggers, walkers, and those who enjoying other forms of exercise to form fitness groups to meet before work, at lunchtime, or after work.
• Urge the use of stairs instead of elevators. Place bulletin boards, art contests, etc., in stairwells.
• Sponsor “Bike-to-Work” or Walk-to-Work week.
• Have five-minute desk stretching at the workplace. This can relieve repetitive motion problems as well as eye and back strain.
• Sponsor a personal challenge activity such as “Climb a Mountain” or “Swim a Sea”. This is an honor system program in which participating employees are awarded minutes, steps, or miles credit for cardiovascular exercise (swimming, walking, running, skiing, biking, stair stepping, aerobics, etc.). The object of this type of challenge is to accumulate the equivalent mileage it would take to reach the top of a famous mountain, span a body of water (swim the Columbia River), or reach a distant city/county. Try personalizing the challenge as much as possible to individual interests and/or area geographical matches close to the worksite.
• Gather a variety of exercise video or DVD tapes. Staff Members can either check out a tape for home use, or offer a group activity video class.
• If it is not possible for employee to leave the building to work out at lunchtime, try adopting an in-house aerobic walking track for employee use in an unused part of the workplace for lunch, break or after hours use. An example of how this concern might be solved is the use of stationary bikes and other small exercise equipment given for employee by some 911 call centers.
• Sponsor a “Personal Best” Challenge”. Staff Members run, walk, bike, etc. their own personal best time. Repeat the personal best challenge each quarter to six months. Each time an employee improves, offer recognition and an appropriate award. Also, recognize those employees who maintain their personal best in the same way. Urge non-participating employees to get involved. Assist these people in choosing an activity that is comfortable and of interest for them, and one in which they can succeed and progress.
• When you offer an introductory or other worksite exercise class or activity, make sure the instructor can relate to the audience, and the audience can relate to the instructor. Have a Worksite Wellness Committee member attend a current class by the selected instructor class prior to the instructor conducting a class at workplace. Also, consider the employees who may be potentially attending the class. At times larger and/or older exercise instructors are often better accepted by audiences who are similarly sized and aged.
• Sponsor a themed “virtual” trek. Calculate the mileage for the proposed “trip” ahead of time. Be sure that the distance is appropriate for the number of expected participants and time for the event (six to eight weeks) works well. For longer events, small teams can accumulate their mileage for the trip. Establish a reporting network. Post a map to track the trip. Chart the progress with stick pins, a magic marker, or a highlighter. Give a brief humorous fictional narrative of the trip, posting a new one each week. Include as many participants’ names as possible. Alternate posting humorous texts with health tips along the way. Give an incentive at the end of the trip.

Ideas For Physical Activity Themes:

• Swim the Mississippi to the Mardi gras.
• Take a tour to all Oregon counties.
• Take a tour of Oregon from Enterprise to Brookings.
• Run or walk around the world (25,000 miles).
• Tour de France (take all summer)
• Tour de France on a stationary bike (take all winter)
• Indianapolis 500
• Climb Mount Everest (stairs or stair climbers). Target Sir Edmund Hilary’s birthday or the anniversary of the first conquest as a completion date.
• Climb Mount Washington or Mt. Hood. Target President’s Day as a completion date.
• Climb any significant mountain and tie it to any remotely related event.
• Use time in exercise as a measurement for the contest rather than distance. This allows you to treat all forms of aerobic exercise more equitably.

Employees generally enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Sponsor a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.

• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of employees set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A dietician from the health department or local hospital or community serves as the judge. Dishes and foods are evaluated based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes can be created and distributed to the entire employee.
• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People with cholesterol over 200 mg. are invited to voluntarily take part. The invitation needs to be extended to all employees as the Wellness Team will not have (nor must have) access to personal health information. Offer a variety of services to assist in reducing cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers blood lipid management health programs for employees qualifying by cholesterol score. If employee gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, offer an incentive such as a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply information and reminders for continued blood lipid control.
• Label reading contest. Create a particular food or food category. Staff Members must find the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the grocery store. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants. Or, offer samples of healthier meal choices based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthy choices. Put up results of the contest in the employee break room or at an employee brown bag event.

Other Worksite Wellness Nutrition Suggestions:

• Give freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.
• Sponsor a healthy food “bake-off’ once a year.
• Give sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.
• At gatherings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.
• Serve no cost popcorn in the break area.
• Organize a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by employees.
• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Put up an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if coworkers know what it is. Staff Members can put their name and the name of the item on an index card. These can be used to conduct a prize drawing at the end of the week from the cards with the correct answer. To add fun, promote people to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item. Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and offer a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Be sure it can be eaten raw. “Unusual” meal items like star fruit are now readily available in grocery stores work well for this activity as many people have not tried these types of produce.

Weight management is a major area of both employee interest and need. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the clinical measure that indicates whether individuals are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese. The BMI is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are evaluated during the Healthy Benefits assessment. A computer mathematical calculation supports the BMI score. Gordian health management programs are available for Healthy Benefits participants who qualify based on their BMI score, and who are interested in a weight management program. Ideas for workplace based weight management programs include:

• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight management groups meet in your worksite or nearby. Offer such groups before/after work or at lunchtime. Employee attendance is generally better if employees can attend either wholly or partially on work time. Break times may be rolled into lunch break times to minimize employee time away from work duties (with management approval). employees usually pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.
• If the wellness program offers incentives/rewards based on participation, award a completion gift when employee has attended a certain number of weight management sessions or activities.
• Supply information regarding community weight management groups.
• Incentives such as cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards can be given to people who write a weight loss contract and meet their goal.
• Establish a worksite responsibility to offer alternative healthy snacks at organization-sponsored gatherings. Healthy snacks such as fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies offer demonstration as to the employer’s responsibility to health and employee well being.

Every worksite will have employees who will not take part in available workplace wellness activities. But these same employees may be following many healthy practices in their daily living. A good wellness program must give these individuals credit and recognition for their good work. Recognition of healthy goal setting and goal achievement is a good approach for reinforcing what individuals are doing on their own outside of work, and for reaching those who don’t like group activities. Suggested steps for individual goals and objectives and recognition include:

• A form employees can fill out which includes the set goal(s) and a target date for completion.
• Information on setting realistic goals and objectives, as individuals often overestimate what they can do and by when. It’s good to remind employees “baby steps” count!
• Maintain a confidential file of the submitted employee goal forms in a dated “tickler” system.
• Send a reminder to each employee at the time of each participant’s goal date. This reminder could be a copy of their original goal form. Ask for employee’s feedback regarding their goal(s): completed the goal, need an extension, or have discontinued the goal.
• When the form is returned from an employee

1. 1. If an employee has completed the goal, a certificate of completion is received along with a prize or incentive item linked to the goal (if possible).
2. 2. If the employee renegotiates the deadline or the goal, the form is re-filed for future follow-up. Continue to promote the employee.
3. 3. If the goal is canceled, send a note acknowledging this “good try” and promote the employee to try again when the timing is right.

Allow those interested in this process to set goals and objectives any time and as often as they want.

Walking Club

Walking clubs or “trekking” can either be done in real time (by scheduling walking groups), or clubs can be set it up so individuals do their walking on their own and keep a shared log at work. Following a certain number of miles or steps are logged, employees are eligible for membership into the walking “club” and receive something like a prize (a walking pin, similar to the ones that volkswalkers get, or a certificate of membership). Ways to continue interest in walking groups include:

• Periodic announcements about community walking events. Keep abreast of events in the community, Parks & Recreation programs, available tracks, inside walking options, volkswalking events, etc.
• Periodic information specific to walkers; such as what to look for when buying a pair of walking shoes.
• Consider a worksite group to take part in a local fundraiser walk, such as the March of Dimes walk.
• A walking club can be the kind of “club” that never really meets, or it can be the kind that does offer the option for those who are interested in group walks and events.

Health Awareness Video Programming

Many good health related videos and DVDs are available through loan programs either at no or low expenditures. Choose video programming based on employee interests and needs.

• Have periodic health video viewings at lunchtime brown bag sessions.
• The videos can be related to health or other related wellness topics like financial planning, caring for aging parents, or even humor as a “break” from the work routine.
• Preview videos before showing them to insure they are appropriate, not too long, etc.
• Have a Worksite Wellness Committee Host moderate the viewing, greet individuals, and lead a brief discussion after the video. Organize one or two questions for discussion after previewing the video and use these to lead the discussion. Many health videos come with group discussion questions.
• Supply a pertinent educational flyers for participants to take with them for more information on the topic.
• If possible, offer popcorn or fruit as a snack.
• Offer a prize drawing (or points if you are doing that kind of incentive program) for those attending the video program and discussion.

Wellness Mentors

Every worksite generally has at least a couple of employees who have successfully made changes in their health. Often, other employees will relate to one of their peers. Peer support can go a long ways in encouraging healthy changes.

• Seek volunteers from the work force who have experienced a disease resulting from an unhealthy behavior, or survived or recovered from a disease that just happens like breast cancer, and who have successfully made beneficial changes.
• Join these success story employees with employees struggling with similar health problems.
• Both employees participating in the mentoring process are doing so on a voluntary basis. Respect the privacy of this very special relationship.
• A Worksite Wellness Committee person can be involved from a peripheral standpoint, and be available to share other resources that might be important to both employees.