Money-saving steps to improve employee health and productivity -- and your bottom line

As health care costs skyrocket, small business owners are increasingly concerned about the impact they're likely to have on company profits. Employee illness, chronic poor health, low job satisfaction, and high turnover lead to lower productivity and contribute heavily to lost company earnings.

Healthy Employees, Healthy Business draws on the expertise of an advisory board of doctors, lawyers, benefits specialists, workplace wellness planners and other experts to offer struggling small business owners and managers like you the essential advice you need to implement a low-cost or even free wellness program for your employees.

Clear, concise and filled with success stories from other workplaces, you'll get the tools you need to start your wellness program immediately, resulting in increased productivity and potentially lower health insurance costs. Find out how to:

• evaluate and target your workplace's main health concerns
• develop fun, effective activities to improve employee health
• boost morale through mutual support and competition
• lower workplace stress
• leverage community resources for minimal financial investment
  

From simply changing the snacks in the vending machines to ensuring that ill employees have access to treatment, you'll get practical advice in Healthy Employees, Healthy Business that will help even the smallest business save money and enjoy a dynamic, energized and productive workforce. Plus, you'll get helpful forms and interviews with expert advisers on CD.

• Wellness Plan Worksheet
• Wellness Program Waiver and Release of Liability
• Successful Wellness Program Checklist
• Wellness Program Interest Survey
• Sample Wellness Program Announcement Letter
• Sample Wellness Program Newsletter Announcement
• Your Wellness Program’s Baseline Data
• Treatment Center Evaluation Form
• Food and Exercise Diary.

Your Workplace Wellness Companion

1. Why You Need a Healthy Workplace

• Health Concerns: What Do They Cost Your Business?
• How Can a Wellness Program Help Your Bottom Line?
• How Much Will It Cost?
• Will Your Investment Pay Off?

2. Strategies for a Successful Wellness Program

• Deciding Who Your Program Is For
• Deciding What Health Issues and Behaviors Your Program Will Address
• Creating a Program for Total Health
• Ingredient #1: Health Screenings
• Ingredient #2: Health Education, Information, and Self-Help Tools
• Ingredient #3: Organized Activities
• Ingredient #4: Individual Follow-Up and Treatment
• Ingredient #5: Incentives and Rewards
• Ingredient #6: Supportive Workplace Environment
• Avoiding Legal Troubles
• Should You Invite the Employee’s Family to Join?

3. Making It Real: Worksite Evaluation and Program Launch

• Step 1: Assess Your Employees’ Interests
• Step 2: Assemble Your Team
• Step 3: Market the Program to Your Employees
• Step 4: Health Screenings
• Step 5: Chart Your Program’s Progress

4. Prevention and Early Detection

• How Early Detection Measures Keep Workers Healthy
• Colds and Flu: How Common Illnesses Impact the Workplace
• How to Help Employees Stay Well
• It’s Not Nice to Share Germs: Behind-the-Scenes Measures

5. Healthy Eating and Nutrition

• The Connection: Poor Nutrition Equals Poor Health
• Promoting Good Nutrition in Your Workplace

6 Fitness and Exercise

• The Connection: Inactivity and Poor Health
• Promoting Fitness and Exercise in Your Workplace

7. Lowering Stress Levels

• The Connection: How Stress Impacts Worker
• Health and Productivity
• Reducing Stress in Your Workplace

8. Working Without Tobacco

• The Connection: Smoking Equals Worse Health and Lower Productivity
• Is That Ash in My Coffee? Smoking and Customer Relations
• How a Workplace Wellness Program Can Help
• Helping the Addicted Worker
• Addiction and Substance Abuse at Work: What You Need to Know
• Education: Getting the Facts About Addiction
• Individual Treatment: Helping Addicts Get Help
• Creating a Supportive Workplace Environment for Recovery

10. Reducing Obesity

• The Connection: Obesity and Health Problems
• Combating Obesity With Your Workplace Wellness Program

11. Dealing With Chronic Illnesses

• The Connection: How Chronic Illness Lowers Worker Productivity
• What You Should Know Before Getting Involved
• Promoting Healthy Responses to Chronic Conditions

12. Choosing Health Benefits

• The Menu, Please: Health Coverage Options
• One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Choosing Health Plans
• Helping Employees Get the Most From Their Coverage
• Setting Up Flexible Spending or Health Savings Accounts

13. Drafting Workplace Policies That Promote Health

• The Purpose of Written Policies
• Drafting a Basic Wellness Policy
• Policies Relating to Smoking
• Policies Relating to Drugs and Alcohol
• Telecommuting and Flexible Schedules
• Time-Off Policies

Appendix

• A How to Use the CD-ROM
• Installing the Files Onto Your Computer
• Using the Word Processing Files to Create Documents
• Using Print-Only Files
• Listening to the Audio Files
• Files on the CD-ROM

Index

Files on the CD-ROM

• Wellness Plan Worksheet
• Wellness Program Waiver and Release of Liability
• Checklist for a Successful Wellness Program
• Wellness Program Interest Survey
• Wellness Program Announcement Letter
• Wellness Program Newsletter Announcement
• Your Wellness Program’s Baseline Data
• Treatment Center Evaluation Form
• Food and Exercise Diary
• Why Create a Wellness Program?
• Wellness Program Incentives
• Wellness Program—Walking

Here are summaries of important legal or procedural changes that affect the latest edition of this product.