The beginning of each year brings many opportunities. The New Year always leads to think about new goals and ideas for the coming months. It is natural to look at this time as a fresh start. It is a time to set resolutions and reach new heights. The reality is, by the end of January, most of these resolutions are all but forgotten.
We all see it happen with friends, family and maybe even ourselves. Companies are seeing this with employees. This is alarming to the modern company because these resolutions are often health-related. As it has been well-publicized, we know that health in today’s business is having a larger and larger impact.
Failed health goals are not just disappointing for employees, but they are affecting the bottom line of their company. That is why wellness has become such a significant area in business. Healthcare costs continue to rise and there is no sign of the trend changing anytime soon. The only control that companies have is to help employees improve their health. By improving health, companies can lower costs by decreasing the amount of medical care needed for their employees.
Wellness, while tangible and becoming a fixture in modern business is still something that many companies struggle with. The concept is easy to understand, but the implantation is something that has to be done well or it will not yield the results that your company wants.
What are those results? The desired results of a wellness program are numerous. Most companies would look for reduced healthcare costs, improved productivity, decreases sick time and other changes to their workforce. These results are not guaranteed. I’m not saying that to warn companies that they shouldn’t expect to see them. I am simply communicating to companies that they will not see these results if they are unable to keep programming going.
Momentum is the best thing that a company can have. It is important in every area of business. When you are building a customer base, you need momentum. When you are hiring a staff to serve those customers, you need momentum. When you are building your wellness program, you need momentum too. Without momentum, you will struggle to see the results you are looking for.
Results are great, but they are only a product of action. Action is the key to wellness. Just as individuals are seeing themselves fall flat on their New Year’s resolutions, many companies are finding it difficult to stay on track. The challenge is not always results-related. The challenge is usually in the ability to keep the action going.
Most companies start on a wellness program with the best of intentions. The problem is that they are not clear on the amount of effort it will take to see the results they are looking for. Just as the individual loses interest when they see that going to the gym every day is more difficult than they thought was going to be, a company runs into added challenges once they get started.
These challenges usually arise when something on the following list is missing:
1. Man-power
2. Time to devote to ideas
3. Resources/connections
4. Long-term planning/timeline
Let’s discuss each of these items briefly:
Man-power
Human Resources is an area of the business that has no shortage of tasks. I have yet to meet an HR person with enough time in their day to do what is required. I’ve seen it many times, but it still happens. The story goes like this: HR director is charged with wellness goals and expected to carry them out with minimal assistance.
Time to devote to ideas
Even when other people are involved, there are still some challenges. Another story that I’ve seen is the HR director and their associates sit down and put their heads together a few times. As they meet they are able to come up with some great ideas. What they are unable to do is carry any of these ideas out because they are too busy with their regular duties.
Resources and Connections
As the employees of your company come up with ideas, they run into another challenge. The biggest challenge that a committee or a group of employees can run into is the transition between idea and implementation. It is easy to get a group together to put ideas together. It is more difficult to get the ideas into motion. You need organization, dedicated resources and the right connection to make it all happen.
Long-term planning/timeline
The initial planning within a wellness program is very important. The beginning stages are the foundation of your program and without getting started, there will be no results at all. The problem that many programs run into is that their programs are not focused on anything beyond the beginning stages. It is important to expect results, but you can’t expect results overnight. Your company will see changes, but the longer your program is up and running, the more changes you will see.
These changes are positive. That is why you are doing this. The goal of a wellness program is to improve the overall health of employees within a company. There is no way to reach these goals without action. Continued action is the real key. This continued action is momentum that your company needs to see success in wellness.
What does momentum do for your company? Momentum is nothing more than the continuation of the action you need to get the results you want. Momentum is what you get when you keep going. When you keep going, you succeed. Momentum is success.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Real Productivity
Productivity is an important aspect of every business. Without it, you don’t get anywhere. But, what is it exactly? What is productive? The dictionary tells us that productive is:
1. Having the power of producing
2. Generative
3. Creative
These definitions are pretty standard. I don’t think anyone would be surprised by them. I wasn’t, but one thing that caught my attention was definition #3. Creative is not a word you hear a lot when you are talking about “just getting it done”.
Creative is a word that brings more into the equation than just busy. That raised some questions for me:
Are we looking at productivity in the right way?
Can we improve productivity in a new way?
Both of these questions are on my mind regularly and I hope they are on the minds of business owners, executives and managers too. Any business can say that they want to get more done. That makes perfect sense. The more you get done, the better off you will be, right? Well, that is where my questions come into play.
When you are 100% on, you can get a lot done. One of the benefits of worksite wellness programs is getting employees more engaged and helping them to be more productive. It makes sense that someone with more energy is going to get more done. Businesses have understood this and taken full advantage.
But, the fact that people are more productive doesn’t just mean they are getting more done. There is more to it than just “more”. It is easy to get into a groove and feel like we are doing something versus nothing, but what are you really accomplishing? Asking yourself that question can help you a great deal. There is a question that can help you even more. That question is:
If your employees can ask one important question, you can get more from them:
Am I really being productive right now or am I just killing time?
More importantly, when they ask this question, they will get more from them themselves and take away more satisfaction from what they are doing. That is one of the ways that wellness has helped companies and employees change productivity. Not only do you get people energized and doing more, you help them understand goals and purpose.
Goals and purpose are the difference between busy and productive. When you set a real goal, there is purpose behind it. You know why you are doing something and you are looking forward to the reward of getting it done and done well.
We often think that because we are busy, we are productive. I hate to spoil it for you, but doing something…anything does not guarantee productivity.
This new definition of productivity brings us back to my questions:
Are we looking at productivity in the right way?
Most businesses are not. They are trying to make people more busy and using that as a measure of success. “If I am keeping this person busy, they are clearly productive.” is what you will hear from the business that is using the old definition of productivity.
Not taking purpose into account is a big mistake. The bigger mistake is not helping the employee find their purpose in the tasks they are completing. It is one thing to tell someone about the purpose, it is another to help them embrace their purpose within the organization and the tasks they are completing. Engagement is the key to success. Just doing something will only take you so far.
You have to be fully engaged and driven by purpose in order to be successful. Most companies that I have talked to, certainly all of the companies that I work with are looking for success. It would be hard to find a company that simply wanted to be busy or simply keep their doors open.
Keeping busy and keeping the doors open are the bare minimum. Those are good things when compared to the alternative, but they are they really what your business strives for?
Can we improve productivity in a new way?
Yes we can. Just as your business doesn’t strive for the bare minimum, your employees want more too. They want to set and reach goals. In other words, they want to be successful. If you want your business to be successful, don’t you want your employees to be successful?
Of course you want your employees to be successful. The best way to do that is to give them purpose and help them stay fully engaged in what they are doing. If an employee is busy just getting things done day after day, they may be productive by the old definition, but for how long? Even if they keep it up for a long time, what are they really keeping up? Are they getting things done or are they truly successful?
As a business, this may sound like a play on words, but there is nothing more important to your success than the success of your employees. I’ve said it countless times and I will say it again: Your employees are your most important asset. If they are successful, your business will be successful.
Success is not as complicated as many would think. Some think it’s a secret or luck, but it is as simple as setting goals. A wellness program that is designed around your business will create an environment that supports goals, success and productivity. A workforce with engagement that is based on setting and reaching important goals is what every company needs. Now, that is real productivity.
1. Having the power of producing
2. Generative
3. Creative
These definitions are pretty standard. I don’t think anyone would be surprised by them. I wasn’t, but one thing that caught my attention was definition #3. Creative is not a word you hear a lot when you are talking about “just getting it done”.
Creative is a word that brings more into the equation than just busy. That raised some questions for me:
Are we looking at productivity in the right way?
Can we improve productivity in a new way?
Both of these questions are on my mind regularly and I hope they are on the minds of business owners, executives and managers too. Any business can say that they want to get more done. That makes perfect sense. The more you get done, the better off you will be, right? Well, that is where my questions come into play.
When you are 100% on, you can get a lot done. One of the benefits of worksite wellness programs is getting employees more engaged and helping them to be more productive. It makes sense that someone with more energy is going to get more done. Businesses have understood this and taken full advantage.
But, the fact that people are more productive doesn’t just mean they are getting more done. There is more to it than just “more”. It is easy to get into a groove and feel like we are doing something versus nothing, but what are you really accomplishing? Asking yourself that question can help you a great deal. There is a question that can help you even more. That question is:
If your employees can ask one important question, you can get more from them:
Am I really being productive right now or am I just killing time?
More importantly, when they ask this question, they will get more from them themselves and take away more satisfaction from what they are doing. That is one of the ways that wellness has helped companies and employees change productivity. Not only do you get people energized and doing more, you help them understand goals and purpose.
Goals and purpose are the difference between busy and productive. When you set a real goal, there is purpose behind it. You know why you are doing something and you are looking forward to the reward of getting it done and done well.
We often think that because we are busy, we are productive. I hate to spoil it for you, but doing something…anything does not guarantee productivity.
This new definition of productivity brings us back to my questions:
Are we looking at productivity in the right way?
Most businesses are not. They are trying to make people more busy and using that as a measure of success. “If I am keeping this person busy, they are clearly productive.” is what you will hear from the business that is using the old definition of productivity.
Not taking purpose into account is a big mistake. The bigger mistake is not helping the employee find their purpose in the tasks they are completing. It is one thing to tell someone about the purpose, it is another to help them embrace their purpose within the organization and the tasks they are completing. Engagement is the key to success. Just doing something will only take you so far.
You have to be fully engaged and driven by purpose in order to be successful. Most companies that I have talked to, certainly all of the companies that I work with are looking for success. It would be hard to find a company that simply wanted to be busy or simply keep their doors open.
Keeping busy and keeping the doors open are the bare minimum. Those are good things when compared to the alternative, but they are they really what your business strives for?
Can we improve productivity in a new way?
Yes we can. Just as your business doesn’t strive for the bare minimum, your employees want more too. They want to set and reach goals. In other words, they want to be successful. If you want your business to be successful, don’t you want your employees to be successful?
Of course you want your employees to be successful. The best way to do that is to give them purpose and help them stay fully engaged in what they are doing. If an employee is busy just getting things done day after day, they may be productive by the old definition, but for how long? Even if they keep it up for a long time, what are they really keeping up? Are they getting things done or are they truly successful?
As a business, this may sound like a play on words, but there is nothing more important to your success than the success of your employees. I’ve said it countless times and I will say it again: Your employees are your most important asset. If they are successful, your business will be successful.
Success is not as complicated as many would think. Some think it’s a secret or luck, but it is as simple as setting goals. A wellness program that is designed around your business will create an environment that supports goals, success and productivity. A workforce with engagement that is based on setting and reaching important goals is what every company needs. Now, that is real productivity.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Company Goals
Every year, businesses all over the country have people working hard from January to December. These employees are toiling away on a day to day basis. They are carrying out the vision of the company and making it a reality.
Often, as the year comes to a close, the intensity ramps up. There are numbers to hit and new goals to be set for the next year. This leads to a time of intense work and planning. How many of the goals that we set last year are being met this year? That is a question that I ask not only my clients, but their employees as well.
At the start of the year, this is a very important question. When it comes to the New Year’s resolution, this is the moment of truth. You can plan and set goals all year, but if you don’t get out and start taking steps to reach them, than nothing happens.
It is too common for companies to set a long list of goals in one year only to find that they didn’t act on all of them. This means that they want to get things done, but something got in the way. In business, many things can get in the way.
Time, customer needs, sales struggles, employee challenges and a whole list of other issues can be factors in goals not met. This is one side of the equation: company sets a series of goals without considering the barriers and some of them fall off. Not an uncommon scenario as it is easy for executives and managers to throw ideas in and keep adding to the list.
No one wants to say no to a goal that is proposed. No one wants to miss their numbers either. That is actually what leads us to the other side of the equation: company stays focused on one or a few specific goals to meet for the year. As the year goes by, the goals may be met, but there are many other areas of the business that are not addressed.
As a business owner, I completely understand the need for focus. I also understand that there are some goals that mean life or death in business. It is fine to consider these goals, in fact they have to not only be considered, but there is no choice but to execute when it comes to the core of your business.
But what is at the core of your business? Is it sales? Is it customer satisfaction? Is it employee growth and development? Is it just the bottom line? No matter what is at the core of your business, you have to set goals around the area. You also need to set goals in other areas. Like it or not, the area that you think is the most important is impacted by other areas in your business.
The more people you have involved in the execution of your day to day business needs, the more the areas of your business are intertwined. This is true in most companies and I have seen it firsthand.
Take one company that focused on health for example:
They set goals and took action to improve employee health. Their main reason for doing this was to decrease spending on healthcare. While saving the company money by reducing medical claims, they realized that they also saw increases in attendance. There were fewer sick days used by employees over the course of the year.
By setting goals in one area, they made in impact in another area. This works when you set the right goals and of course when you reach them. The reason this worked is that the employees are a system in the business. As that system improves in one way, there are other products of that improvement that show up in other ways.
The main idea is that setting goals for your company is the first key. Without setting and reaching goals, no business can succeed. The next key is that the goals you set are going to impact other areas of business. That is why it is important to make sure that your goals are in line with where you really want the company to go. The more in line goals are, the more successful they will be and the more impact they will have across your entire company.
Many companies have the goal of decreasing healthcare costs. But if you notice the example above, the action taken was not to snap their fingers and lower their rates. The action was not to change plans and start saving money. The action was certainly not to drop coverage or shift costs to employees. None of those actions would’ve led to the results they really wanted.
The action was to focus on improved employee health. As employee health improved, costs went down. They saw a change in their rates because their plan wasn’t being used as much for such illness and injury that was costing the company so much in years past.
The fact that they saw changes is testament to the fact that they set quality goals and had a good plan. I saw firsthand, how they worked together and had a clear vision. This was a must in order to see any results.
The fact that they such good results stemmed more from the way they set the goals. The goals they set for the year were company goals. They had been constructed to work for the company and to be executed by everyone in the company. When this all came together, it is no wonder that positive results followed the action.
Company goals should be just that: goals that help the company. Any action that leads to cost savings, increased productivity or decreased absenteeism is helping the company. That is a no-brainer and so is the fact that every company should be setting those goals this year.
Often, as the year comes to a close, the intensity ramps up. There are numbers to hit and new goals to be set for the next year. This leads to a time of intense work and planning. How many of the goals that we set last year are being met this year? That is a question that I ask not only my clients, but their employees as well.
At the start of the year, this is a very important question. When it comes to the New Year’s resolution, this is the moment of truth. You can plan and set goals all year, but if you don’t get out and start taking steps to reach them, than nothing happens.
It is too common for companies to set a long list of goals in one year only to find that they didn’t act on all of them. This means that they want to get things done, but something got in the way. In business, many things can get in the way.
Time, customer needs, sales struggles, employee challenges and a whole list of other issues can be factors in goals not met. This is one side of the equation: company sets a series of goals without considering the barriers and some of them fall off. Not an uncommon scenario as it is easy for executives and managers to throw ideas in and keep adding to the list.
No one wants to say no to a goal that is proposed. No one wants to miss their numbers either. That is actually what leads us to the other side of the equation: company stays focused on one or a few specific goals to meet for the year. As the year goes by, the goals may be met, but there are many other areas of the business that are not addressed.
As a business owner, I completely understand the need for focus. I also understand that there are some goals that mean life or death in business. It is fine to consider these goals, in fact they have to not only be considered, but there is no choice but to execute when it comes to the core of your business.
But what is at the core of your business? Is it sales? Is it customer satisfaction? Is it employee growth and development? Is it just the bottom line? No matter what is at the core of your business, you have to set goals around the area. You also need to set goals in other areas. Like it or not, the area that you think is the most important is impacted by other areas in your business.
The more people you have involved in the execution of your day to day business needs, the more the areas of your business are intertwined. This is true in most companies and I have seen it firsthand.
Take one company that focused on health for example:
They set goals and took action to improve employee health. Their main reason for doing this was to decrease spending on healthcare. While saving the company money by reducing medical claims, they realized that they also saw increases in attendance. There were fewer sick days used by employees over the course of the year.
By setting goals in one area, they made in impact in another area. This works when you set the right goals and of course when you reach them. The reason this worked is that the employees are a system in the business. As that system improves in one way, there are other products of that improvement that show up in other ways.
The main idea is that setting goals for your company is the first key. Without setting and reaching goals, no business can succeed. The next key is that the goals you set are going to impact other areas of business. That is why it is important to make sure that your goals are in line with where you really want the company to go. The more in line goals are, the more successful they will be and the more impact they will have across your entire company.
Many companies have the goal of decreasing healthcare costs. But if you notice the example above, the action taken was not to snap their fingers and lower their rates. The action was not to change plans and start saving money. The action was certainly not to drop coverage or shift costs to employees. None of those actions would’ve led to the results they really wanted.
The action was to focus on improved employee health. As employee health improved, costs went down. They saw a change in their rates because their plan wasn’t being used as much for such illness and injury that was costing the company so much in years past.
The fact that they saw changes is testament to the fact that they set quality goals and had a good plan. I saw firsthand, how they worked together and had a clear vision. This was a must in order to see any results.
The fact that they such good results stemmed more from the way they set the goals. The goals they set for the year were company goals. They had been constructed to work for the company and to be executed by everyone in the company. When this all came together, it is no wonder that positive results followed the action.
Company goals should be just that: goals that help the company. Any action that leads to cost savings, increased productivity or decreased absenteeism is helping the company. That is a no-brainer and so is the fact that every company should be setting those goals this year.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Face the Facts
Most businesses want to know the facts. When it comes to sales, expenses and every other part of business, it is important to know the real story so you can make the best decisions. If you don’t know the facts, it is difficult to know what to do. How do you make decisions without being equipped with the information that you need to make changes?
You don’t. Businesses that don’t have enough information are not able to make any changes. They are forced to wait. Waiting doesn’t create changes. It may give you more time to gather information, but simply waiting is not a very progressive strategy.
When it comes to health insurance, the waiting strategy seems to be the norm. Just because it’s the norm doesn’t mean that it’s a good strategy. In fact, it’s not a strategy at all. What most businesses are doing today is actually the opposite of strategic. They simply wait for the renewal each year and pay it. They usually add some complaints and specific words about the costs, but that is after the fact and therefore, does them no good.
In any area of business, not having a strategy is a difficult way to make changes. In the area of health insurance, not having a strategy is actually an easy way to make changes. The problem is that they are not the changes your business wants. The only changes you see are increases in price.
This change is not the one that they were hoping for. The change is what they are hoping does NOT happen when they sign the year’s insurance agreement. Even though, this is one thing that is certain to happen when they fail to take action.
What action do companies need to take? It’s actually much simpler than they are making it. Many companies are having trouble understanding insurance plans, healthcare and healthcare reform. I understand this confusion because there is a lot to think about. The beauty of health insurance within a business is that you don’t need to worry about any of this.
The only thing that companies need to worry about is employee health. When employees are healthy, medical use is less frequent, when medical use is infrequent, insurance is less expensive. If you keep your healthy employees healthy and get some of your unhealthy employees to become healthier, your insurance costs will go down. It’s that simple.
The action that successful companies are taking now is to proactively manage their healthcare plans by improving employee health. By focusing on health, they are able to get ahead of the cost increases and actually avoid them all together. The cost increases that most companies are seeing each year are not because of the big-bad insurance companies. The cost increases are clearly tied to the health decrease that is sweeping the nation.
That is a fact that you need to understand to be successful in business. When analyzing any area of business, you need to know the facts in order to act. If you don’t know the facts, you can’t act confidently. It’s one thing to simply not have all of the facts in front of you. It is another thing entirely to refuse to see the facts that are in front of you.
This is what many companies are doing by simply paying more for health insurance each year. If you don’t look at the reasons for this increase or look for an alternative, you are basically saying that you have no choice and spending more money on purpose. Does this sound like good business? I don’t think so.
That is why so many businesses are now facing the facts and realizing that healthcare costs are in their hands. Employee health is a system within your business. Just as you monitor expenses and apply maintenance practices in other areas of business, you need to do the same for health insurance. Employee health is the maintenance for your health insurance plan. The better you monitor health and promote healthy behavior, the more control your company has over healthcare costs.
You don’t. Businesses that don’t have enough information are not able to make any changes. They are forced to wait. Waiting doesn’t create changes. It may give you more time to gather information, but simply waiting is not a very progressive strategy.
When it comes to health insurance, the waiting strategy seems to be the norm. Just because it’s the norm doesn’t mean that it’s a good strategy. In fact, it’s not a strategy at all. What most businesses are doing today is actually the opposite of strategic. They simply wait for the renewal each year and pay it. They usually add some complaints and specific words about the costs, but that is after the fact and therefore, does them no good.
In any area of business, not having a strategy is a difficult way to make changes. In the area of health insurance, not having a strategy is actually an easy way to make changes. The problem is that they are not the changes your business wants. The only changes you see are increases in price.
This change is not the one that they were hoping for. The change is what they are hoping does NOT happen when they sign the year’s insurance agreement. Even though, this is one thing that is certain to happen when they fail to take action.
What action do companies need to take? It’s actually much simpler than they are making it. Many companies are having trouble understanding insurance plans, healthcare and healthcare reform. I understand this confusion because there is a lot to think about. The beauty of health insurance within a business is that you don’t need to worry about any of this.
The only thing that companies need to worry about is employee health. When employees are healthy, medical use is less frequent, when medical use is infrequent, insurance is less expensive. If you keep your healthy employees healthy and get some of your unhealthy employees to become healthier, your insurance costs will go down. It’s that simple.
The action that successful companies are taking now is to proactively manage their healthcare plans by improving employee health. By focusing on health, they are able to get ahead of the cost increases and actually avoid them all together. The cost increases that most companies are seeing each year are not because of the big-bad insurance companies. The cost increases are clearly tied to the health decrease that is sweeping the nation.
That is a fact that you need to understand to be successful in business. When analyzing any area of business, you need to know the facts in order to act. If you don’t know the facts, you can’t act confidently. It’s one thing to simply not have all of the facts in front of you. It is another thing entirely to refuse to see the facts that are in front of you.
This is what many companies are doing by simply paying more for health insurance each year. If you don’t look at the reasons for this increase or look for an alternative, you are basically saying that you have no choice and spending more money on purpose. Does this sound like good business? I don’t think so.
That is why so many businesses are now facing the facts and realizing that healthcare costs are in their hands. Employee health is a system within your business. Just as you monitor expenses and apply maintenance practices in other areas of business, you need to do the same for health insurance. Employee health is the maintenance for your health insurance plan. The better you monitor health and promote healthy behavior, the more control your company has over healthcare costs.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Healthy Culture is a Two-way Street
Many companies are trying to create a healthier workforce. At the same time, many employees are trying to create a healthier lifestyle for themselves. This is all happening simultaneously. Since workers are trying to be healthier and companies are trying to make their workers healthy, everyone should be healthy right?
If only it were that easy. There are many roadblocks to health for the average person. There is time, know-how and finding the right routine to name a few. These roadblocks are nothing when compared to the roadblocks created by a culture that doesn’t support health.
Employees are people and people want to be healthy. There is no reason for them to do anything else, so living healthy should be easy. Well, that is a common mistake made by many people as they try to make changes. The only thing that is easy is talking about health or thinking about making changes. T
Actually making those changes can be very difficult and usually takes a lot of dedication, time and support. The support is what I would like to focus on here. If everyone wants to live healthy, why don’t they succeed with ease? They need more support in order to do so.
Companies are finding this out the hard way. Many businesses are doing the right thing by focusing on employee health. They know that by creating programming, offering incentives and promoting healthy activities they will see positive changes in their workforce.
The benefits are numerous. There is health care costs and productivity to name a few. There are also benefits in the areas of attendance, morale, employee satisfaction and much more. Companies know they will see these benefits if they put programs in place.
The biggest problems occur when these programs are being put into place. They want a healthier workforce, so they encourage healthy activity. It makes perfect sense. If you do healthy things, you will see healthy results. That remains true, but corporate wellness is not that simple.
There are few things that make it more complicated
1. How do you know what they need to do in order to be healthy?
It is easy to roll out a smoking cessation program and make sure that everyone that smokes attends and participates actively. It is easy to promote it and get a good turn-out. Where does it become challenging? It becomes challenging when you realize that of the smokers on your staff, a small percentage wanted to or was ready to quit. This program had great intensions just as its participants did, but it was not the most timely or important area to focus on. Therefore the company that did this missed out on the results they wanted.
2. How do employees get their concerns communicated?
This is where the two-way street comes into play. Our last example showed a company moving forward without consulting employees. This led to a program that got less than desirable results. This wasn’t due to a bad program or lack of support. This result was due to lack of planning and communication.
When employees have a health concern, they need a place to communicate it. They need to be able to tell the company what will help them. This is important in order to not only get the right programming in place, but also to gauge success and make changes moving forward.
A wellness committee is the best way to do this. Establishing a group or employees to lead the initiative is the best way to make others feel comfortable enough to share their needs and voice their opinions.
For the company: Once they have this line of communication, the employees have to use it. Promotion, incentives and participation are all great, but they don’t mean anything if you are missing key health areas that people are trying to improve.
For the employee: Great programming and a supportive company means nothing if you are not able to focus on the areas that are important to you.
The bottom line is: employees need to voicing their concerns and telling their companies what they need. Health is not something that comes naturally. It is something we all want, but it takes work. Many companies get caught in the trap of giving employees what they think they should have. At the same time, many employees fall in to the trap of taking what the company thinks they should have.
I commend any company that takes action and focuses on wellness. I think it is a great step and many companies have seen great results from doing it. My point is not to chastise those that have tried to implement programming. My point is to remind companies to do it for employees rather than doing it to employees.
The only way to do this is to get feedback from employees. Let them tell you what they need and support them in those areas. Employees: tell your company what you need and use the tools as support. When you do this, you will be successful. The more successful employees are, the more successful their companies will be. This is true in all areas, including health.
If only it were that easy. There are many roadblocks to health for the average person. There is time, know-how and finding the right routine to name a few. These roadblocks are nothing when compared to the roadblocks created by a culture that doesn’t support health.
Employees are people and people want to be healthy. There is no reason for them to do anything else, so living healthy should be easy. Well, that is a common mistake made by many people as they try to make changes. The only thing that is easy is talking about health or thinking about making changes. T
Actually making those changes can be very difficult and usually takes a lot of dedication, time and support. The support is what I would like to focus on here. If everyone wants to live healthy, why don’t they succeed with ease? They need more support in order to do so.
Companies are finding this out the hard way. Many businesses are doing the right thing by focusing on employee health. They know that by creating programming, offering incentives and promoting healthy activities they will see positive changes in their workforce.
The benefits are numerous. There is health care costs and productivity to name a few. There are also benefits in the areas of attendance, morale, employee satisfaction and much more. Companies know they will see these benefits if they put programs in place.
The biggest problems occur when these programs are being put into place. They want a healthier workforce, so they encourage healthy activity. It makes perfect sense. If you do healthy things, you will see healthy results. That remains true, but corporate wellness is not that simple.
There are few things that make it more complicated
1. How do you know what they need to do in order to be healthy?
It is easy to roll out a smoking cessation program and make sure that everyone that smokes attends and participates actively. It is easy to promote it and get a good turn-out. Where does it become challenging? It becomes challenging when you realize that of the smokers on your staff, a small percentage wanted to or was ready to quit. This program had great intensions just as its participants did, but it was not the most timely or important area to focus on. Therefore the company that did this missed out on the results they wanted.
2. How do employees get their concerns communicated?
This is where the two-way street comes into play. Our last example showed a company moving forward without consulting employees. This led to a program that got less than desirable results. This wasn’t due to a bad program or lack of support. This result was due to lack of planning and communication.
When employees have a health concern, they need a place to communicate it. They need to be able to tell the company what will help them. This is important in order to not only get the right programming in place, but also to gauge success and make changes moving forward.
A wellness committee is the best way to do this. Establishing a group or employees to lead the initiative is the best way to make others feel comfortable enough to share their needs and voice their opinions.
For the company: Once they have this line of communication, the employees have to use it. Promotion, incentives and participation are all great, but they don’t mean anything if you are missing key health areas that people are trying to improve.
For the employee: Great programming and a supportive company means nothing if you are not able to focus on the areas that are important to you.
The bottom line is: employees need to voicing their concerns and telling their companies what they need. Health is not something that comes naturally. It is something we all want, but it takes work. Many companies get caught in the trap of giving employees what they think they should have. At the same time, many employees fall in to the trap of taking what the company thinks they should have.
I commend any company that takes action and focuses on wellness. I think it is a great step and many companies have seen great results from doing it. My point is not to chastise those that have tried to implement programming. My point is to remind companies to do it for employees rather than doing it to employees.
The only way to do this is to get feedback from employees. Let them tell you what they need and support them in those areas. Employees: tell your company what you need and use the tools as support. When you do this, you will be successful. The more successful employees are, the more successful their companies will be. This is true in all areas, including health.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
How bad does it have to get?
Wellness has become a hot topic. Most businesses have discussed wellness as an option to control their healthcare costs. Many have taken advantage by putting a plan in place and seen great results. This article is not to showcase what they have done. I could share the 3-6 to 1 return on investment they’ve seen. I could share success stories from employees that lost weight, quit smoking and started managing their overall health. I could share how these employees are taking fewer medications, feeling more energetic and how they have all lowered their risk for serious conditions.
All of the changes that these groups have made are leading to great results. All of these results are saving companies money. They are all typical when a company has an organized approach to supporting a healthy culture. These results are nothing more than a product of specific actions taken to improve a company and how they manage healthcare.
I should be pushing these results on you repeatedly, so you understand them. I should be sharing these results as much as possible. There are statistics all over the place that support the results and give me plenty of ammunition to convince you that it works.
So, why don’t I share these statistics and try to convince you that wellness works? I think there is something more important than the results. There is a series of steps that you have to take in order to get these results. The first of these steps is the most important. It is the first step.
Many companies have talked about wellness. Many companies have considered implementing a program. Many companies continue to talk about wellness and continue to consider their options. What is the problem with this? Well, for starters, they are not taking the first step. Discussion is great, but without action, there are no results.
The dilemma is this: Companies don’t know exactly what will happen. They don’t know exactly how the program will work or necessarily have someone to make it work. They don’t know that the results will work for them. Despite seeing it in print, online and in countless discussions with others in the industry, they are not sure if it will work for their company.
I understand this. I know that actions have different results in different companies. The difference between companies that get the results and the companies that don’t are actually very significant. It is not as complicated as you think it is either.
The first difference between companies that see results from wellness programs is as simple as it gets. In fact, it is a no brainer. The biggest difference between successful companies and companies that are not successful in wellness is:
Getting Started
That’s right. It is that simple. We talked about how important it is to take the first step. We can argue over what ideas may or may not work. We can debate the success of various plans. We can do this all day and what will the result be? The result will be nothing!
There will be no results until we get started. Even if the first step is small and simple, if your company gets started with a wellness program, you can start seeing some results. There may not be incredible changes in the first day, week or even the first month. The results you get are going to come in time and it is important to dedicate that time in order to see them.
The question I have for companies that have yet to take the first step:
Where would you be if you started taking action when you started discussing wellness as an option?
Think about it. When did your company start discussing wellness? When did you take your first step toward implementing a wellness program? I have talked to companies that have spent years just thinking and talking about wellness. When those companies finally get started, they wonder: Why did we wait so long? They also wonder where they could be if they had started sooner.
Wellness is something you have to do. You can talk about it, but until you start doing it, you won’t see the results your company wants. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse things get and the harder it will feel to get started.
After all, health insurance is going up. We have only seen things get worse on that side as it continues to get more expensive each year. The health of your employees is only getting worse as they continue with their unhealthy habits.
If we don’t change anything, how can we expect to see anything but the same results?
The answer is simple: We can’t expect to see anything different. Your company won’t see anything different results until you get started. Results and success may be different depending on what you do. You may see varying degrees of success. The results are certain if you don’t do something. How bad does it have to get before you are willing do something different?
All of the changes that these groups have made are leading to great results. All of these results are saving companies money. They are all typical when a company has an organized approach to supporting a healthy culture. These results are nothing more than a product of specific actions taken to improve a company and how they manage healthcare.
I should be pushing these results on you repeatedly, so you understand them. I should be sharing these results as much as possible. There are statistics all over the place that support the results and give me plenty of ammunition to convince you that it works.
So, why don’t I share these statistics and try to convince you that wellness works? I think there is something more important than the results. There is a series of steps that you have to take in order to get these results. The first of these steps is the most important. It is the first step.
Many companies have talked about wellness. Many companies have considered implementing a program. Many companies continue to talk about wellness and continue to consider their options. What is the problem with this? Well, for starters, they are not taking the first step. Discussion is great, but without action, there are no results.
The dilemma is this: Companies don’t know exactly what will happen. They don’t know exactly how the program will work or necessarily have someone to make it work. They don’t know that the results will work for them. Despite seeing it in print, online and in countless discussions with others in the industry, they are not sure if it will work for their company.
I understand this. I know that actions have different results in different companies. The difference between companies that get the results and the companies that don’t are actually very significant. It is not as complicated as you think it is either.
The first difference between companies that see results from wellness programs is as simple as it gets. In fact, it is a no brainer. The biggest difference between successful companies and companies that are not successful in wellness is:
Getting Started
That’s right. It is that simple. We talked about how important it is to take the first step. We can argue over what ideas may or may not work. We can debate the success of various plans. We can do this all day and what will the result be? The result will be nothing!
There will be no results until we get started. Even if the first step is small and simple, if your company gets started with a wellness program, you can start seeing some results. There may not be incredible changes in the first day, week or even the first month. The results you get are going to come in time and it is important to dedicate that time in order to see them.
The question I have for companies that have yet to take the first step:
Where would you be if you started taking action when you started discussing wellness as an option?
Think about it. When did your company start discussing wellness? When did you take your first step toward implementing a wellness program? I have talked to companies that have spent years just thinking and talking about wellness. When those companies finally get started, they wonder: Why did we wait so long? They also wonder where they could be if they had started sooner.
Wellness is something you have to do. You can talk about it, but until you start doing it, you won’t see the results your company wants. In fact, the longer you wait, the worse things get and the harder it will feel to get started.
After all, health insurance is going up. We have only seen things get worse on that side as it continues to get more expensive each year. The health of your employees is only getting worse as they continue with their unhealthy habits.
If we don’t change anything, how can we expect to see anything but the same results?
The answer is simple: We can’t expect to see anything different. Your company won’t see anything different results until you get started. Results and success may be different depending on what you do. You may see varying degrees of success. The results are certain if you don’t do something. How bad does it have to get before you are willing do something different?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Money Talks, Culture Screams
We all want to be healthy. We are all doing what we can to live healthy. Each and every one of your employees is doing what they can to live as healthy as they can. At least, we think that’s what they are doing. What are they really doing?
Your employees are living as healthy as you expect them to live. They are doing what their coworkers do and your company gets the results. It’s that simple. The habits and behavior of your employees is dictated by the company culture. That is how it always has been and how it always will be.
Again, this is not an attack on your people, or even people in general. As I mentioned, all people, including your employees want to live healthy. The question is: What incentives do they have to do it?
The key to driving change in any organization is incentive. From the classroom as a kid, to the highest offices of major corporations, incentives are what drive people do things. Incentives drive people to study. They drive people to work. They drive people to make changes in all areas. They even drive people to make changes in their health.
Incentives can look very different from one organization to another. Some incentives are monetary. Others are simply the satisfaction of being part of the organization.
That is what I’ve seen as the best incentive of all. When you are part of an organization, you have to do what is expected of you, or you will not be part of it for very long.
The culture of a company is very powerful. I have heard companies say that incentives aren’t working or that they can’t give enough incentive for people to buy in. The biggest challenge for all of these companies: unhealthy culture. I have also heard companies say that they are getting people to buy in without the need for big incentives and they aren’t paying out a lot just to get people involved. The biggest plus for these companies: a healthy culture.
A healthy culture is actually the biggest incentive that a company can offer. Just as you expect employees to adhere to training and perform according to company standards, why wouldn’t your company expect them to do something that will not only save money, but also improve overall performance?
In other words, rather than offering incentives to create a healthy culture, companies should actually be offering a healthy culture in order to provide incentive to adhere to it. Employees will work to fit in. No matter what part of your culture you emphasize, people will try to fit in. When health is the norm, people will change in order to fit that norm.
Many companies have learned this when they see that people stick with their healthy habits. More significantly, they are seeing it when more and more people are joining in and creating their own healthy habits. The people that stick with it are simply doing what is normal to them. Their company embraced it and encouraged them to do what they do. Those that joined in did so because they saw the benefits that the others were receiving and also saw the company rewarding them for doing it.
The reward for these employees was fitting in and being praised. They didn’t need money. They didn’t need prizes. I’ve also seen many companies fail to get more people engaged. The biggest problem they ran into was trying to give a big enough incentive for people to change. They wanted everyone to get involved immediately, so they offered a reward. That reward was supposed to get people going and help them make changes. Unfortunately, they weren’t opting out because they were waiting to get paid. They weren’t holding out because they didn’t get enough to change their minds about living healthy.
When thinking about incentives, you have to remember the motivation. When you are offering an incentive to do something, it all has to match up. You can’t just show up one day and offer money for someone to participate in a random activity. When it comes to wellness, you have to create and promote a program that people want to participate in.
Time and organization are the first keys. You have to dedicate both in order to build a successful wellness program. When you have an organized approach and allow your company time to build it, employees will buy in. Why will they buy in? They aren’t buying in because you are offering a big incentive. Employees are buying in because your program is organized and has been around for a long time (or is presented as a long-term initiative).
In other words, employees are buying into wellness programs when they are part of the company culture. You can offer money, prizes and all sorts of goodies. Incentives are good, but the more your company supports health, the more people will buy in. The more employees see health as the norm, the more likely they are to participate.
Company culture is a powerful incentive. Incentives may talk to employees and help get a few people going. Culture actually drives change and gets the majority to buy in. In wellness, the best incentive is a healthy culture.
Your employees are living as healthy as you expect them to live. They are doing what their coworkers do and your company gets the results. It’s that simple. The habits and behavior of your employees is dictated by the company culture. That is how it always has been and how it always will be.
Again, this is not an attack on your people, or even people in general. As I mentioned, all people, including your employees want to live healthy. The question is: What incentives do they have to do it?
The key to driving change in any organization is incentive. From the classroom as a kid, to the highest offices of major corporations, incentives are what drive people do things. Incentives drive people to study. They drive people to work. They drive people to make changes in all areas. They even drive people to make changes in their health.
Incentives can look very different from one organization to another. Some incentives are monetary. Others are simply the satisfaction of being part of the organization.
That is what I’ve seen as the best incentive of all. When you are part of an organization, you have to do what is expected of you, or you will not be part of it for very long.
The culture of a company is very powerful. I have heard companies say that incentives aren’t working or that they can’t give enough incentive for people to buy in. The biggest challenge for all of these companies: unhealthy culture. I have also heard companies say that they are getting people to buy in without the need for big incentives and they aren’t paying out a lot just to get people involved. The biggest plus for these companies: a healthy culture.
A healthy culture is actually the biggest incentive that a company can offer. Just as you expect employees to adhere to training and perform according to company standards, why wouldn’t your company expect them to do something that will not only save money, but also improve overall performance?
In other words, rather than offering incentives to create a healthy culture, companies should actually be offering a healthy culture in order to provide incentive to adhere to it. Employees will work to fit in. No matter what part of your culture you emphasize, people will try to fit in. When health is the norm, people will change in order to fit that norm.
Many companies have learned this when they see that people stick with their healthy habits. More significantly, they are seeing it when more and more people are joining in and creating their own healthy habits. The people that stick with it are simply doing what is normal to them. Their company embraced it and encouraged them to do what they do. Those that joined in did so because they saw the benefits that the others were receiving and also saw the company rewarding them for doing it.
The reward for these employees was fitting in and being praised. They didn’t need money. They didn’t need prizes. I’ve also seen many companies fail to get more people engaged. The biggest problem they ran into was trying to give a big enough incentive for people to change. They wanted everyone to get involved immediately, so they offered a reward. That reward was supposed to get people going and help them make changes. Unfortunately, they weren’t opting out because they were waiting to get paid. They weren’t holding out because they didn’t get enough to change their minds about living healthy.
When thinking about incentives, you have to remember the motivation. When you are offering an incentive to do something, it all has to match up. You can’t just show up one day and offer money for someone to participate in a random activity. When it comes to wellness, you have to create and promote a program that people want to participate in.
Time and organization are the first keys. You have to dedicate both in order to build a successful wellness program. When you have an organized approach and allow your company time to build it, employees will buy in. Why will they buy in? They aren’t buying in because you are offering a big incentive. Employees are buying in because your program is organized and has been around for a long time (or is presented as a long-term initiative).
In other words, employees are buying into wellness programs when they are part of the company culture. You can offer money, prizes and all sorts of goodies. Incentives are good, but the more your company supports health, the more people will buy in. The more employees see health as the norm, the more likely they are to participate.
Company culture is a powerful incentive. Incentives may talk to employees and help get a few people going. Culture actually drives change and gets the majority to buy in. In wellness, the best incentive is a healthy culture.
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