Workplace Wellness Sample Business Case Included below is a sample business case for a workplace wellness program. Your actual business case may take on a different format, such as a PowerPoint presentation or informal in-person conversation. Please use the suggestions below to compile the information that is of the most value for your organization. Section I: Mission, Rationale, Goals, Objectives and Timeline A. Mission: Examples: To improve the health and well-being of the employees at ABC Company through health education and programs that will support positive lifestyle change thereby resulting in improved employee health, productivity, retention and healthcare cost savings. Establish and maintain a workplace that encourages environmental and social support for a healthy lifestyle. Company ABC’s workplace wellness program will assist employees in increasing and/or sustaining optimal health, so they can serve our customers more efficiently and effectively. Enhance physical, emotional, and intellectual health of our employee population and their spouses through means of awareness, education and onsite health promotion programs. Company ABC will actively improve the health of its employees through a wellness program that increases awareness and self-efficacy to ultimately improve employee morale and job satisfaction. B. Rationale: Customize your rationale to include: o o o o o o o Industry statistics that may relate to your company Health trends in the U.S Cost of unhealthy behaviors (direct/indirect costs) Testimonials from organizations and employees Company-specific statistics Claims data from your employee population Absenteeism and retention trends of your employee population CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and CareFirst BlueChoice Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered trademark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ Registered trademark of CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. C. Goals: Examples: 1. ABC Co. will implement a Health Risk Assessment (HRA) with a 70% participation rate. 2. ABC Co. will identify and reduce the prevalence of employee smoking by 3% by the end of the next fiscal year. 2. ABC Co. will identify participants and increase physical activity on a regular basis by 4% by the end of the next fiscal year. 3. ABC Co. will reduce turnover rates by 1% by the end of the next fiscal year. Insert other long- or short-term financial or program goals in this section. D. Objectives (align with goals, make as specific and measurable as possible): Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ABC Co. will begin a communication campaign for the HRA ABC Co. will offer all employees an HRA and will provide active follow-up with smokers. ABC Co. will offer a walking program to all employees. ABC Co. will form support groups. ABC Co. will implement a smoke-free worksite. E. TimeLine: Include a proposed timeline for various components of your strategy. Section II: Infrastructure to Support Worksite Wellness Program A. Senior Management Support: Communication, commitment, participation in wellness, & supporting employees • • • • • Bill Smith ( Director of Finance) Susan Woods (Director of Operations) Chuck Williams ( Senior Manager of Customer Service) Joe Samson ( Senior Manager of Accounting) Sue Keller ( Director HR) B. Department/ Facility Participation/ Support: • Facilities Department • Cafeteria • Company Gym • Communications/Marketing Department • Finance Department CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and CareFirst BlueChoice Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered trademark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ Registered trademark of CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. C. Health Plan Support: • Health Risk Assessment • Data Collection • Pedometers • Healthy Lifestyle Coaching Program • Communication Material D. Wellness Committee Members/ Volunteers: The committee should be a diverse group of employees, representing a cross-section of departments in your organization. Section III: Description of Proposed Workplace Wellness Program (based on workplace goals, needs, culture): A. Program Components: • Health Risk Assessment (HRA) - The health risk assessment tool is composed of a variety of questions which include, traditional medical history, preventive services (immunizations, cancer screenings), emotional health (depression, stress), and lifestyle choices (exercise, smoking). Once the assessment is completed online, by phone or on paper, employees receive a personalized health report that identifies their potential health risks and offers preventive recommendations. The HRA assesses an employee’s readiness to change an unhealthy behavior (e.g., smoking) and then tailors customized interventions (e.g., tobacco cessation program) to that degree of readiness. Employees who complete the HRA online will be able to view their online report immediately. • Lifestyle Behavior Change programs - Employees who identified through the HRA as current smokers and who are ready to make a change (Preparation Stage) are invited to participate in healthy lifestyle coaching sessions. These are scheduled phone conversations where employees develop a relationship with a clinician (health coach) trained in Motivational Interviewing and in Behavior Change Theory. The health coach identifies a number of factors including the employee’s existing barriers to change and their readiness to change. The health coach then helps the employee set achievable short-term and long-term goals so they can make a permanent change in health behavior. • On-site walking groups - Walking groups will be formed onsite and employees will have the opportunity to walk indoors or outdoors. A trail will be developed to calculate mileage around the campus. Each member will receive a pedometer to track the number of steps they take each day. They will be able to record these steps in a walking log. Participants will set goals to increase the number of steps they walk weekly. Participants will also receive incentives throughout the program, such as T-shirts when they achieve their goals. Additional health education and support groups will be formed onsite to enhance social support and provide encouragement for all participants. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and CareFirst BlueChoice Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered trademark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ Registered trademark of CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. B. Budget: • • Proposed Costs of the Program Proposed resources (staff, equipment, space, marketing, etc.) C. Value of Program – Return on Investment (ROI): • • • ROI Medical Costs/Absenteeism/Productivity Cost avoidance (risk reduction, behavior change) Other significant or relevant program outcomes (participation, satisfaction, utilization, etc.) Section IV: Conclusion: Ongoing evaluation measurements will take place throughout the year to measure the impact of the workplace wellness program. Evaluation measures will help tailor and define future programming for future program. The development, implementation, and ongoing evaluation will ultimately reduce risk factors, increase the health of our employee population, decrease medical costs, and increase retention rates. Company ABC will accomplish this goal by incorporating the necessary tools, resources, activities, and support to have our workplace become a healthier and more productive place to work. CUT8332 (8/12) CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield and CareFirst BlueChoice Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered trademark of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ®’ Registered trademark of CareFirst of Maryland, Inc.