healthy employees create a healthy library workplace wellness is worth checking out leslie hartley...
TRANSCRIPT
Healthy Employees Create a Healthy Library
Workplace Wellness is Worth Checking
OutLeslie Hartley
Adult Services Manager
Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
• Main Branch is a
Carnegie library built in
1906
• 6 other branches
throughout the county
• We have 48 staff
members
• County population of
77,000
• We have 29,000 card
holders
• We circulated 572,232
items in 2013
Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
• Began our wellness
program in 2009
• Received a Healthy Ohio
Worksite Wellness Award 5
years in a row.
• Received a
Psychologically Healthy
Workplace Award in 2011.
Agenda
• Identifying the Need for Worksite Wellness Programs
• Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs
• Establishing a Wellness Committee
• Assess Employee Needs and Interests
• Designing a Wellness Program – Develop Mission
Statement, Goals and Objectives and Wellness Budget
• Implement the Wellness Program
• Selecting Wellness Program Incentives
• Evaluate the Success of the Wellness Program
Worksite Wellness defined
• Workplace wellness is any workplace health
promotion activity or organizational policy
designed to support healthy behavior in the
workplace and to improve health outcomes.
Identifying the Need
• Obesity has been linked to numerous chronic diseases
including cardiovascular disease, hypertension,
dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis and
some cancers
• Each year obesity contributes to an estimated 112,000
preventable deaths.
• Many workplaces are now sedentary settings and often
provide easy access to energy-dense food and beverages.
• As a result, workplaces are contributing to the obesity
epidemic.
Cost to Employers
• Obesity drives up costs for employers and is
associated with increased absenteeism,
disability, injury and healthcare claims.
• In 2000 the health costs of overweight and
obesity in the US were estimated at $117 billion.
• Being overweight increases yearly per person
health care costs by $125, while obesity
increases costs by $395.
Cost to Employers
• A survey of North Carolina Department of Health and
Human Services employees found that approximately 70
cents of every healthcare dollar was spent to treat
employees who had one or more chronic conditions, two
thirds of which can be attributed to three major lifestyle
risk factors: physical inactivity, poor diet, and tobacco use
• Obese employees spend 77% more on medications than
non-obese employees and 72% of those medical claims
are for conditions that are preventable.
Benefits of a Wellness Program
• Decreased healthcare costs
• Lower short term sick leave
• Increased performance and productivity
• Higher employee morale
Getting Support from the Start • Is there support from the Library Board and from
Administration?
• Are managers willing to participate in worksite
wellness programs and encourage others to do
so?
• What do they see as the benefits of worksite
wellness programs for employees and the
organization?
• What kinds of worksite wellness activities are
they willing to allow?
The Wellness Committee
Employee involvement is vital to the success of
any wellness program.
The wellness committee should include:
Employees from a variety of departments
and job classifications
Potential participants
A member of Administration
The Wellness Committee
The wellness committee serves several functions.
1. Its an employee-driven advisory board encourages “buy-
in” from both management and potential program
participants.
2. A representative planning committee will help assure that
the program is responsive to the needs of all potential
participants.
3. The committee can be responsible for carrying out or
overseeing the rest of the steps in the planning process.
Employee Needs and Interests
Since worksite wellness programs are for employees, it’s a
good idea to find out from them what approaches have the
greatest chance of success. A simple survey made up of 10
or 12 questions can provide valuable information. For
example:
• Discover how employees want to receive program
information.
• What health components are they most interested in
addressing and how?
• What types of groups might employees be most inclined to
join
• Do any employees have expertise that may be useful to
the program?
Designing the Program
• It is important to think about what you hope to accomplish
and who will do what, when and how.
• Develop a mission statement and vision statement that list
the overarching values that drive the venture and the
ultimate goals or accomplishments that the project will
strive to achieve.
• Set goals that have one or more objectives established to
ensure that the goal will be successfully accomplished.
Mission:To create and sustain a healthy organizational culture that promotes good nutrition, physical activity, and encourages preventative medical care. Vision:To encourage positive lifestyle choices that enhances our employees’ personal and professional productivity, and improves physical, mental and emotional well-being. Strategic Priorities: Continue to adopt organizational policies that promote wellnessDevelop and build sustainability into the wellness program to keep employees engaged and challengedContain health care costs, reduce absenteeism, and improve morale and productivity Committee Members: Nick Tepe - DirectorLeslie Hartley – Adult Services ManagerRick Edler – Facilities ManagerDebbie Nunziato – Community Relations ManagerTammy Newlun – Clerk Main Library Cathy Carroll – Technical Processing ClerkLaura Kruger – Clerk Northside BranchMissy Exline – Technical Processing Clerk Goals for 2013: Offer lunch and learn programs for staff that focus on heart health and good nutrition.Offer fitness activities focusing on reducing stressOffer health screenings that cover cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, and skin cancer.Continue to register staff for first aid training.Promote employee participation in health challenges, and community fitness events.
Wellness Budget
• An accurate and comprehensive wellness budget will allow
the committee to better compare program costs and
outcomes during the program evaluation.
• Employee cost-sharing for specific activities is also an
option.
• Keep in mind that programs with moderate costs are more
likely to demonstrate cost-savings.
• Research the availability of grants
• Find ways to partner with other community organizations
Put Your Plan Into Action
This is the fun part!
Put Your Plan Into Action
• Use survey results to plan activities
• Add wellness activities to staff meetings and in-
service days
• Alternate programs between physical activity,
nutrition and emotional wellness
• Messages should be repeated and themes
reoccur
Examples of Programs
• Lunch and learns
• Walking Challenges
• Ergonomic
Assessments
• “Biggest Loser”
Challenges
• Yoga Classes
• Chair Massages
• Recipe Contests
• Health Screenings
• Internal recognition
program
Finding Community Partners• West Virginia University Extension
• Local Health Departments
• Local Hospitals and Doctor’s Offices
• Workers Compensation
• YMCA
Secure Grant Funding
• The money is out there
• Make sure at least one wellness
committee is comfortable writing
grants
• Some sources might include: LSTA,
Bureau of Workers Compensation,
National Network of Libraries of
Medicine
Change the Organization
Make sure organizational policies and
practices match the wellness messages.• Smoke free campus
• Healthy food offerings at meetings and in-
service
• Healthy vending options
Incentives
• Wellness program incentives attempt to build motivation
by offering individuals external rewards for taking steps in
the right direction.
• Don’t underestimate the power of wellness incentives to
motivate people to change. The fact is that people are not
intrinsically motivated to live health lives – if we were then
we wouldn’t need wellness programs.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for donations from health insurance
providers, local agencies, farmer’s markets etc. The worst
they can say is no.
Incentives
• Pedometers
• Cookbooks
• Gift Cards
• Stress Balls
• Wellness Leave
Evaluate Your Success
• Periodically review wellness programs to determine their
efficiency and effectiveness.
• A good wellness program evaluation looks at information
to learn both how well the program is working (process
measures) and whether or not it is achieving expected
results (outcome measures).
• Pre and post program surveys can be very helpful.
Summary
Benefits of worksite wellness
programs for employees
include:
• Weight reduction
• Improved physical fitness
• Increased stamina
• Lower levels of stress
• Increased well-being, self-
image and self-esteem
• Better nutrition
Benefits of worksite wellness
programs for employer
include:
• Reduced healthcare costs
• Decreased rates of illness
and injuries
• Reduced employee
absenteeism
• Improved employee
relations and morale
• Increased productivity
