How to Conduct a Quick but
Prudent Employee Wellness
Program Needs Assessment
Presented by Elyse Heob
Shape Up Houston
May 13, 2015
Presentation Overview
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Objectives
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Organization Structure for Implementing Change
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Why Collect Data?
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Free Assessment Tools
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Adapting Assessment Surveys for Efficiency 2
Learning Objectives
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Evaluate organizational structure for implementing
successful wellness change.
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Understand the importance of conducting an employee
wellness program needs assessment.
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Identify free wellness program needs assessment tools.
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Adapt wellness program needs assessment tools for
quick and prudent data collection.
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Organization Structure
For Successful Change
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Structure for Successful Change
Senior Leadership
Buy-In
Wellness
Coordinator
Wellness
Committee
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Senior Leadership Buy-In
Who?
}  C-suite
}  Able and willing to
allocate time and budget to
program
}  Sees value in wellness
program
}  Genuinely believes in
program
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How They Help:
}  Advocates for wellness
program
}  Adds clout and legitimacy
to program
}  Allocates resources
}  Generates excitement!
*Does not need to be the healthiest
person at the company.
Wellness Coordinator
Who?
}  Familiar with HR policies
}  In touch with all
departments
}  Reliable communicator
}  Able to commit 1-2 hours/
week initially to launch
wellness program
}  Excited about helping
peers
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How They Help:
}  Coordinates wellness
programming
}  Plans health events
}  Tracks and monitors
participation
}  Health cheerleader!
*Does not need to be the healthiest
person at the company.
Wellness Committee
Who?
}  Representative(s) from every
department
}  Familiar with department
culture
}  Respected department voice
}  Good at encouraging
program participation
}  Able to commit 1 hour/week
initially to wellness program
}  Excited about helping peers
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How They Help:
}  Department voice
}  Helps to plan wellness events
}  Promotes wellness
programming to department
}  Health cheerleader!
*Does not need to be the healthiest
person at the company.
Data Collection
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Why Collect Data?
Source: http://timoelliott.com/blog/analytics-cartoons
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Why Collect Data?
Justify the Wellness Program
}  Measure how employees are getting healthier
}  Calculate ROI
Target the Wellness Program
}  Guide wellness programming to target needs and wants of
employees
}  Create a healthier worksite environment
}  Address chronic disease risk factors for your worksite population
}  Increase participation and spend resources wisely by creating
programs that employees will use
Impact Employee Health
}  20% of participants will make changes based on receiving a personal
health report
Source: Effect of Health Risk Appraisal Frequency on Change in Health Status. Pai, C.W., S.E. Hagen, J. Bender, D. Shoemaker, D.W. Edington. Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 51(4):429-34, 2009.
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Data Collection Timing
Wellness Program Start
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Establish baseline of overall employee health
Use baseline data to guide initial wellness programming
Yearly
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Annual Health Risk Assessment (HRA)
Interest survey to re-target wellness programming
Ongoing
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Track participation on all health initiatives
Track attendance to events
Collect feedback on programming through wellness committee
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Aggregate Data to Collect
If you do not offer health insurance to employees, collect:
}  Sick days
}  Medical, disability, and workers’ compensation claims
}  Health risk assessment (HRA) data including body
mass index (BMI), blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose
If you do offer health insurance to employees, also collect:
}  ER visits
}  Urgent care visits
}  Primary care visits
}  Preventative care utilization
}  Pharmaceutical claims
}  Inpatient/Outpatient visits
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Measuring Intangible Benefits
Intangible Benefits Start Immediately
}  Increased productivity
}  Improved morale and job satisfaction
}  Medical claims identify fewer than one-third of
health risks.
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Free CDC Assessment
Tools For Individuals and
Organizations
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What is the CDC?
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Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention
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Top health scientists
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Gold standard
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Research-based tools
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Non-partisan
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Preventing outbreaks and
keeping America healthy
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CDC Health Scorecard
Organization Assessment
}  Assessment on organization
policies and practices towards
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preventing heart disease, stroke,
and related conditions such as
hypertension, diabetes, and obesity
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Requires 1-2 hours and in-depth
knowledge of organization
Access here: http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/docs/hsc_manual.pdf
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How to Use the
CDC Health Scorecard
}  When? Complete before
wellness programming begins.
} 
Complete once per year.
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Why use it? To evaluate
existing policies and practices
that support health
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To set company goals and
monitor progress
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INPUTS Survey
Health and Safety
Climate Survey
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Measures employee perceptions
of work environment, working
conditions, job satisfaction and
the attitudes of supervisors and
coworkers to support a healthy
worksite culture
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Requires 5-15 min
Access here: http://www.cdc.gov/nationalhealthyworksite/docs/nhwp_inputs_survey.pdf
CAPTURE Survey
Employee Health
Assessment
}  Measures employee needs and
} 
interests related to worksite
health and safety, and questions
about how employee health may
impact work
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Requires 30-45 min
Access here: http://www.cdc.gov/nationalhealthyworksite/docs/nhwp_capture_healthassessment.pdf
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How to Use INPUTS and CAPTURE
}  Administer surveys once per year.
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If you do not offer health insurance use:
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INPUTS Survey
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CAPTURE Survey
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If you offer health insurance use:
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Insurance-provided health risk assessment
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INPUTS survey and page 12 and 13 of CAPTURE
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Tips for Efficiency
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Remove instructions pages, appendices, and CDC and
affiliated logos if changes are made to the survey.
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Reduce the medical history section.
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Focus on questions that ask about feasible program changes
within company budget.
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Add a comments section for employees to provide wellness
program ideas.
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Tips for Administering Surveys
}  Emphasize confidentiality in all data collection
communications to employees.
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NEVER share individual data.
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Don’t collect data you don’t intend to use.
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Focus questions on budget and priorities.
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Try different settings like focus groups or one-on-one
conversations.
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Allot survey time at existing meetings.
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Adapt into online survey using programs like Survey Monkey.
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Tips for Incentives
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Focus on unengaged employees.
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Provide prizes that have mass
appeal and are not health-related.
Examples:
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Sporting tickets
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Electronics like iPad or iPod
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Donated gift cards to gas station or
grocery store
How to Use
Collected Data
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Put Data into Action
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Create a year-long wellness plan: Plan wellness programming for one year,
addressing chronic disease risk factors in employee population and interests
of employees.
Utilize wellness committee: Create a wellness plan with wellness committee
or ask for their feedback and buy-in.
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High Needs + High Interest = Success
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Track progress: Compare data from year to year to evaluate program efficacy
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Expect results approximately 3 years after program launch.
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Communicate progress to all stakeholders, especially senior leadership, so
they will continue to support the program.
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Presentation Summary
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Organizations implement change most efficiently with a
supportive structure.
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Data collection is important to target employee needs and
interest and evaluate program efficacy.
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CDC offers free assessment tools online for employers:
Organizational Scorecard, INPUTS, and CAPTURE
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CDC assessment tools can be adapted to maximize efficiency.
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Programming that reflects the data will be most successful.
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Questions?
Elyse Heob
[email protected]
www.ShapeUpHouston.org
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