Today’s workplaces are more focused on controlling the rising cost of employee health care than ever before. Companies are using wellness plans in the workplace to help staff improve their health and reduce their need for health care services. These plans can offer incentives for following positive behaviors or disincentives, usually in the form of increased health insurance costs, for employees who engage in harmful behaviors. Some of these plans have been criticized for being too intrusive, but other workplace wellness ideas are appreciated by both employees and employers.
Health Risk Assessments (HRA)
One of the more controversial features of workplace wellness plans is offering incentives for completing a health risk assessment. These surveys can be done online, on paper or with a health care provider. Employees must share information on their behaviors, such as how often they exercise, what types of foods they eat and how often they use alcohol and tobacco. In exchange for providing this information, employees can receive as much as 30% off the cost of their health insurance plans. Many participants find HRAs intrusive, and the AARP has sued the federal government for allowing these programs.
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Incentives for Meeting Health Goals
At some health-focused organizations, employees can save on their health insurance premiums by meeting certain benchmarks, usually related to body fat percentage and cholesterol levels. Proponents of these programs argue that companies save money and employees enjoy greater quality of life when these metrics are met. Opponents find these workplace wellness programs intrusive and financially burdensome to staff with chronic illnesses that make it difficult to meet goals.
Healthy Food Options
Some companies are changing the types of foods they offer their staff in hope of lowering obesity, hypertension and cardiac disease rates. This means swapping soda for water and low-calorie sports drinks, removing candy bars and stocking baked chips and nuts. Workplaces with cafeterias are also reconsidering the foods they sell to employees. Healthy eating plans at work are appreciated by some employees who enjoy the new foods, but not all staff are happy to see their favorite snacks disappear.
Tobacco Cessation Plans
Under the Affordable Care Act, health insurance companies are able to charge higher prices to consumers who use tobacco products. This premium can add hundreds of dollars per year to the cost of health insurance, and tobacco use can lead to expensive medical requirements in the future. Workplaces want employees to stop smoking, and they offer plans to help staff put down their cigarettes for good. These tobacco cessation plans can include free access to nicotine gum or patches, multiple counseling sessions and online tools to manage cravings and track progress.
Encouraging Physical Exercise
Employers have a variety of tools for helping staff find more ways to exercise. Some workplaces are promoting wellness by encouraging managers to lead walking meetings, offering stand-and-stretch breaks or providing exercise balls to use in place of chairs. Other options include on-site fitness classes, subsidized gym memberships, employee walking or running groups and even corporate participation in 5Ks and half-marathons. Because plans to increase employee physical activity are usually voluntary, employees are more likely to view them in a positive manner.
Wellness plans continue to involve as new legislation and research provides new input for executives looking to lower health care costs. Plans that collect employee health data, like HRAs, may be on their way out, but new forms of wellness plans in the workplace are waiting for their chance to be tested.
