Health and Wellness Leads : Corporate Wellness Program Rules

Unless specifically stated otherwise, most company-employee relationships in the United States are governed by the principle of at-will employment. Under this system a company, or the employee, can terminate the relationship without any needed showing of cause. This at-will standard gives private employers large power in governing the behavior of workers. In this environment, employers can Finding Wealth Through Wellness 10 creatively design Workplace Health Promotion Programs based upon their specifi c corporate culture. Workplace Health Promotion Programs generally take three main forms:

Voluntary Company Health Promotion Programs – The most popular form of employee Company Health Promotion Program, in most cases they are made available to workers but participation (or lack thereof) is not linked to any type of consequence. Due to ineffective communication, frequently workers are either unaware of these offerings or confuse them with insurance-based healthcare. Incentive-based – Company Health Promotion Programs based on incentives reward workers for participation in Company Health Promotion Program activities. Incentives commonly include decreased Health Care premiums, health club membership or customized support offerings. In these programs, employees’ behavior can be linked to a particular reward.

Mandatory Employee Wellness Programs – Some employers require, or ban, certain health-related behaviors. These can take the form of mandatory Health Risk Assessments for workers and restrictions on smoking or alcohol use. While mandating behavior is an effective method to eliminate high-risk behavior, the cost savings must be gauged against the potential message sent to existing and prospective workers. Given that workers are already under various levels of scrutiny in the workplace, individuals may resist attempts by employers to regulate off-duty behaviors. In Addition, some workers may fi nd it diffi cult to comply, forcing employers into the uncomfortable postion of punishing an otherwise beneficial employee.

In the short-term a mandate-based Corporate Wellness Program can drive to an increase in turnover, as employees either choose to leave or are fi red for noncompliance. In the long-term, the policy may prevent the business from hiring an otherwise qualifi ed applicant, or may serve as a deterrent for individuals considering the business. Limits in recruiting, for instance, led CNN to rescind a 13-year ban on hiring smokers.18

Organizations need to make sure that Corporate Health Promotion Programs are aligned with the values and culture that lead business operations. If a business emphasizes trust and individual responsibility, then a mandate-based program will likely cause more dissension than it would in a business that already heavily regulates business actions. Moreover, a work environment with a large disengaged population will likely have poor participation in a voluntarybased program. When calculating cost savings, corporations need to take a wider view and consider the effects on long-term employee engagement.

In 2005, Michigan-based insurance benefits provider Weyco instituted a smoking ban for all of its nearly 200 employees. Employees are subject to random testing and if they fail a mandatory breathalyzer test, they will be fi red. It is believed that Weyco is the first corporation to use testing to enforce a smoking ban – most employers ask employees to self-report behavior. Four employees (more than 2% of the total labor force) left Weyco as a result of the policy. A year prior to the ban the corporation createed a $50 smoking fee, which would be waived if a employee passed a nicotine test or agreed to take a smokingcessation class. Weyco’s president Howard Weyers published that 20 employees quit smoking through this program.20 Employees were told they had one year before the total ban would go into effect. Under the new Corporate Health Promotion Program, Weyco does offer $35 a month for employees who want to use a fi tness center and another $65 a month for employees who meet fitness goals.