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Resources for Worksites

Contact the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention

What are Employee Wellness Programs?

An employee wellness program is an evidence-based health initiative that supports healthy behaviors in the workplace and improves health outcomes for employees. Effective wellness programs address health behaviors using activities, policies, and the built environment.

Wellness programs use a variety of activities to engage employees in healthful behavior such as onsite fitness sessions and health screenings. Wellness policies aim to increase the sustainability and effectiveness of wellness efforts by creating systematic change. Policies such as Tobacco-free Workplace policies and Healthy Workplace Food and Beverage guidelines are considered best practices for worksite wellness programs in America.

The built environment passively impacts employees’ health and is an essential asset in supporting healthy behaviors. Initiatives such as promoting alternative transportation methods such as riding bikes to work may encourage employees to use their surrounding environment to obtain optimal health. 

Why Worksites?

In 2010, adults with one or more chronic medical conditions were responsible for 86% of all healthcare spending. Being that most American adults spend about 36% of their total waking hours at work, worksites are desirable target areas for promoting healthy behaviors.  Worksite wellness programs offer an opportunity to provide working adults with the resources and education needed to improve their overall health outcomes.       

Benefits of Worksite Wellness Programs

The benefits of worksite wellness programs are not exclusively beneficial for employees, but employers and organizations are positively impacted as well.

For Employees

  • Increased physical activity
  • Improved self-esteem
  • Lower stress levels
  • Improved overall health outcomes

For Employers

  • Increased productivity
  • Decreased absenteeism
  • Improved employee morale

For Organizations

  • Lower healthcare costs
  • Decreased occurrences of injury and disability
  • Lower employee turnover rate

 

Resources for Worksite Wellness Programs  
*(The following links are under 5mb in size and open in a new window)

General Toolkits

Capital District Physicians' Health Plan (CDPHP) Worksite Wellness
https://www.cdphp.com/~/media/Files/Employers/WorksiteToolkits/Worksite-Wellness/Worksite-Wellness-Resource-Guide.ashx

Policies
Nutrition, Physical Activity, Diabetes, Tobacco, Breastfeeding, and Cancer

Collaborate with Worksite Wellness Staff https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/food-service-guidelines/strategize-and-act/work-with-wellness-staff.html 

Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC)
https://www.ceiwc.com/safety-university/Speaker Presentations/Health and Wellness 2014/Lang PowerPoint.pdf

Harvard Business Review
https://hbr.org/2010/12/whats-the-hard-return-on-employee-wellness-programs

Evaluation
CDC ScoreCard
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/docs/HSC_Manual.pdf

Community Health Inclusion Index (CHII)
https://www.nchpad.org/1273/635/CommunityHealthInclusionIndex

Working with Employees with Disabilities
Laws and Regulations for Worksites
https://www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/laws.htm

Guide to Disability Rights 
https://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm

Risks and Behaviors for Persons with Disabilities (PWD)
https://www.dol.gov/odep/research/CorporateWellnessResearchLiteratureReview.pdf

Barriers to Wellness
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-barriers.html

Accommodations for PWD
http://www.washington.edu/doit/strategies-working-people-who-have-disabilities



[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State and Community Resources-Smoking & Tobacco Use, Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs (2014), Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/stateandcommunity/best_practices/index.htm 

[2] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Overweight & Obesity-Strategies to Prevent & Manage Obesity, Healthy Food Service Guidelines (2017), Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/food-serv-guide.html 

[3] National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2015

[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics, Charts by Topic: Work and Employment-Findings from the 2015 Survey, Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/TUS/CHARTS/WORK.HTM