Health Fairs

Unless specifically stated otherwise, most business-employee relationships in the U.S. are governed by the principle of at-will employment. Under this system a business, or the employee, can terminate the relationship without any required showing of cause. This at-will standard gives private corporations large authority in governing the behavior of employees. In this environment, corporations can Finding Wealth Through Wellness 10 creatively design Employee Wellness  based upon their specifi c corporate culture. Employee Wellness generally take three main forms:

Voluntary Employee Wellness  – The most popular form of employee Employee Wellness , in most cases they are made available to employees but participation (or lack thereof) is not linked to any type of consequence. Due to ineffective communication, frequently employees are either unaware of these offerings or confuse them with insurance-based medical care. Incentive-based – Employee Wellness based on incentives reward employees for participation in Employee Wellness  activities. Incentives usually comprise decreased Health Care premiums, fitness center membership or customized support offerings. In these programs, employees’ behavior can be linked to a particular reward.

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

In the short-term a mandate-based Employee Wellness  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 thinking of the business. Limits in recruiting, for instance, led CNN to rescind a 13-year ban on hiring smokers.18

Companies need to make sure that Employee Wellness  are aligned with the values and culture that drive 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 behaviors. Moreover, a work environment with a sizable 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. Workers 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 business to use testing to enforce a smoking ban – most corporations ask employees to self-report behavior. Four employees (more than 2 percent of the total workforce) left Weyco as a result of the policy. A year prior to the ban the business started 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 Workers were told they had one year before the total ban would go into effect. Under the new Employee Wellness , 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 objectives and goals.