HR Management & Compliance

Thanksgiving: Time to Think about Wellness and Weight Loss?


What’s on your corporate Thanksgiving table? How about a helping of wellness and weight-loss programs? The Advisor looks at some that work.


Thanksgiving is traditionally a forget-the-diet day for many of your employees. Maybe that makes this week a great time to consider a wellness program that will help them live healthier lives the other 364 days of the year.


Need more incentive than that? Studies show that wellness programs return up to 300 percent on the investment made in them. Here are examples of programs that work well:


Wesley Willows Corporation (WWC), a continuing-care retirement community, realized that it was focused on the health of its patients—appropriately—but neglecting the health of its employees. Management decided to turn that around, and over the years, WWC has instituted a number of successful wellness programs.


The 30-30 Fitness Challenge is their most popular program. “Each year during April, May, and June, we challenge participants to exercise for at least 30 minutes, at least 30 times during the 90-day period,” explains HR director Cathie Holmgaard. Participants mark their progress on floor-to-ceiling charts, so their efforts are publicly acknowledged.


WWC also sponsors REACT, a 6-week program. REACT stands for Reduce stress, Eat right, Add activity, Change body composition, and Terminate smoking. This year, WWC is concentrating on weight loss, using the Tangerine Wellness Weight Management program. In 2 1/2 months, participants have lost a total of 606 pounds.



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Virginia’s Bon Secours Richmond Health System goes a step farther and rewards employees for the health improvements they make.


First, all employees are encouraged to participate in the Bon Secours annual health risk assessment (HRA), which identifies current and future health risk factors. (Results are shared privately with each individual, but not seen by the company.)



Corporate Wellness programs show great ROIs. And as one expert noted, there’s little downside—even small improvements make a difference. Check out Workplace Wellness: Health Employees, Healthy Families, Healthy ROI. Read more



Employees who complete an HRA then participate in the company’s Well for Life incentive program, which focuses on four areas: general health activities, nutrition, exercise, and extra activities (e.g., community involvement). The payoff? Participating in one activity per quarter in each area nets $100 or 4 hours of paid time off. Carry it through for a full year, and you get $500 or 20 hours off.


Another Bon Secours activity is Exercise, Step, and Slide, based on the children’s game “Chutes and Ladders.” For every 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity you put in, you move a space. Landing on special spaces means a reward for the employee.


Here at BLR, we’ve just had our Annual Health Fair, open to all employees, and featuring a wide variety of health-related opportunities and experiences. For example:


  • The Visiting Nurse Association offered body fat measurements.
  • Juice Plus offered juices and discussed their nutritional value.
  • Employees had hands-on experience with yoga, a reflexologist, an acupuncturist, a chiropractor, and a masseuse.
  • The American Cancer Society offered information and counseling on breast and prostate cancer.
  • The local Y did blood pressure screening and spinal evaluations.
  • Fitness club representatives offered signup incentives.


Most employees stopped by (it was hard to not since we cleverly held the event in the cafeteria!), and many signed up to become involved in something new or found information to help with their health and nutrition.


What should you be doing about wellness? How can you go about setting up a wellness program? In tomorrow’s Advisor we’ll answer that question and also review tricky legal issues that can crop up if wellness programs aren’t carefully structured.



Better Health, Better Bottom Line
Studies show you can do both with a well-planned wellness program. Now BLR has a brand-new complete guide to help you easily set your program up and achieve both a healthier workforce and an ROI that could exceed 300 percent! Try it for 30 days on us! Learn more




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