- After reviewing the articles on corporate wellness, appraise the role of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on worksite wellness programs.
Trends in workforce and wellness shows that the workforce landscape is changing, causing a significant change in the health and wellness of employee populations as well. Multiple elements influence employee’s health including their lifestyle at the home and worm environments (Anderko et al., 2012). Health statistics show that the US workforce populations have high prevalence for chronic illnesses and mental health problems caused by stress and depression. Inclusion of workplace wellness programs help to improve declining health trends especially among the aging population. The PPACA supports the program through funding and policy creation to improve the health of employees. PPACA uses social and organizational support structures to integrate health and wellness programs in the workplace to influence the health of the workforce. Through the PPACA, employees can attain health insurance coverage using an employee-based plan to incorporate wellness programs that are positioned to deal with the unique health needs of the workforce.
- Discuss the prevalence and characteristics of corporate wellness programs.
The study by RAND shows high prevalence of corporate wellness in the US. According to the survey, half of US employers offer a type of wellness incentive (Mattke et al., 2013). 72% of employers in the US integrate programs such as wellness screening activities and interventions programs. Ideally, large employers have complex health and wellness programs while small employers lack a comprehensive wellness program. Most employers in the UD either offer wellness benefits or contract the programs to a vendor through group health plans.
Further many corporate wellness programs have screening activities focused on health risk assessment. These commonly rely on self-administered questionnaires related to health behaviors. 80% of employers with a corporate wellness program provide employee screening to check for health risks, and integrate preventive interventions. The survey by RAND shows that most employers include nutrition and weight-loss interventions in their programs.
- Analyze the impact of corporate wellness programs.
Corporate wellness programs significantly improve the frequency of healthy behavior among employees. These include increased exercise, reduced smoking and weight control. These results are sustainable over a period of four years in the RAND survey where simulation analyses show cumulative effects with program participation. Participation in a corporate wellness program for one year was found to significantly reduce body mass index for those incorporating weight control initiatives. Apart from improving the health of employees, corporate wellness programs cultivate and enhance healthy behavior. Another impact of these programs is reduced medical cost. Employees who are keen in their health are less likely to contribute towards health-related productivity loss and absenteeism. The RAND survey found that participation in wellness programs over a period of five years reduced healthcare use and cost.
- Assess the role of incentives on corporate wellness program outcomes.
Common incentives for corporate wellness include participation in lifestyle management programs and health risk assessment completion. Most employers frame their incentives as rewards in financial form such as health insurance premium surcharges. Incentives are used to improve employees’ access to healthcare and also foster a change in employee behaviors. For example, incentives for smoking are often framed in a way that encourages users to quit smoking. Such incentives may include higher insurance cost coverage for employees who stop smoking tobacco.
Part B
- Analyze Johnson & Johnson’s current mission on wellness and prevention and the organizations’ wellness benefits for employees.
Johnson & Johnson’s current mission on wellness and prevention is to have the healthiest employees in the world. The company has health and wellness programs that are aimed at meeting diverse health needs of its employees (Bartz, 2021). These include access to an on-site health center, and behavior modification tools that help employees with issues such as tobacco use. The company further provides education and training for nutrition and stress management. Among the education programs, there are additional work-life offerings that influence parental leave policies, veteran’s benefits, as well as fertility and surrogacy support. Another benefit is offered through the energy for performance (E4P) training. The course is a two-day program availed to all employees for free and involves completing exercises and identifying meaningful components in life to prioritize. During the training, employees attend seminars about nutrition and foods which are scientifically proven to boost energy.
- Evaluate available data regarding the effectiveness of the company’s wellness efforts.
A study by Goetzel et al. (2002) examined the effect of the company’s health programs on employee health outcomes. Study findings examined risk profiles of over 4586 employees who participated in the survey. An improvement of 8 out of 13 categories was seen for the whole sample. It was found that the health programs significantly reduced tobacco use among employees. Further, increased aerobic exercise was linked to reduction on high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The study further found reduced drinking and driving habits. Other improvements in lifestyle include increased use of seat belts and dietary fiber intake. The program was also found to reduce risk factors for diabetes, obesity, and cigar/pipe smoking.
- Create two recommendations for improvement of the current wellness program.
The first recommendation for improving the current Johnson & Johnson wellness program is to address gaps the wellness program For example, the company can assess shortcoming in one of the chronic risk areas such as heart health. By doing so, they can effectively fill gaps in wellness interventions that aim to enhance employee’s heart health through consistently providing the same. The second recommendation for the company is to collect data and conduct research. Data collection and research help to understand the impact of set interventions on employee health, and overall company satisfaction in terms of productivity and profit.
- Prepare two recommendations to increase employee participation for the upcoming year.
One way to increase employee participation for the upcoming year wellness program is to deploy a program that is not only responsive but also meets the individual health needs of all staff. For example, the program should not consider one focus area such as weigh and nutrition alone, but also enhance focus on other key areas like heart health and diabetes. The second way to increase employee participation in the health and wellness program is by incorporating health and wellness policies into the organizational culture. This include mandatory health risk assessment and health education seminars. Health related policies will help create awareness and motivate staff to participate and complete the health programs.
References
Anderko, L., Roffenbender, Goetzel, R., Howard, J., Millard, F., & Wildenhaus, K. et al. (2012). Retrieved 29 May 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3523891/pdf/PCD-9-E175.pdf
Bartz, A., 2021. This Healthcare Company Is Determined to Have the Healthiest Employees in the World. [online] Content Lab U.S. Available at: <https://www.jnj.com/innovation/how-johnson-johnson-is-improving-workplace-wellness-for-healthiest-employees> [Accessed 29 May 2021].
Goetzel, R. Z., Ozminkowski, R. J., Bruno, J. A., Rutter, K. R., Isaac, F., & Wang, S. (2002). The long-term impact of Johnson & Johnson’s Health & Wellness Program on employee health risks. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 44(5), 417-424.
Mattke, S., Liu, H., Caloyeras, J., Huang, C. Y., Van Busum, K. R., Khodyakov, D., & Shier, V. (2013). Workplace wellness programs study. Rand health quarterly, 3(2).
