Health HandoutsHealth handouts, wellness handouts, fitness handouts and more…

employees generally enjoy sharing nutritional tips and trying new foods. Organize a “nutrition cook-off” and/or healthy potlucks.
• Nutrition cook-off. Teams of employees set a menu in advance and bring in prepared foods for an official competition. A nutritionist from the health department or local hospital or area serves as the judge. Dishes and foods are evaluated based on both health considerations and taste. Following the event, a cookbook of the teams’ recipes can be created and distributed to the entire employee.
• Cholesterol Control or “Down Under” Club. People with cholesterol over 200 mg. are invited to voluntarily take part. The invitation needs to be extended to all staff members as the Wellness Team will not have (nor must have) access to individual health data. Provide a variety of services to help  in lowering cardiac risks. Gordian Health Solutions offers cholesterol management health programs for staff members qualifying by cholesterol score. If an employee gets cholesterol numbers below 200 in six months, offer an incentive such as a prize to continue progress. Continue to supply data and reminders for continued cholesterol control.
• Label reading contest. Create a particular food or food category. Workers must find the designated products with the lowest/highest fat content in the grocery store. Give coupons or other prizes for predetermined number of winners or participants. Or, offer samples of healthier meal choices based on label information. Show how these compare to less healthy choices. Put up results of the contest in the employee break room or at an employee brown bag event.

Other Corporate Health Promotion Program Nutrition Ideas:

• Provide freshly brewed decaffeinated coffee and herbal tea.
• Sponsor a healthy food “bake-off’ once a year.
• Provide sugar and salt substitutes in the lunchroom.
• At gatherings, replace sweet rolls and donuts with bran muffins, wholewheat bagels, or fresh fruit. Consider offering other decaffeinated coffee and herbal teas plus no-sugar fruit juices.
• Serve no cost popcorn in the break area.
• Design a cookbook featuring healthy recipes contributed by employees.
• Fruit or veggie of the week (or month). Display an “exotic” fruit or vegetable in your lunchroom and see if coworkers know what it is. Staff Members can put their name and the name of the item on an index card. These can be used to conduct a prize drawing at the end of the week from the cards with the correct answer. To add fun, advocate people to put down funny answers when in doubt of the real name of the item. Read some of those names during the prize drawing, and offer a prize for the most creative name. Divide the fruit or vegetable at the drawing and let those interested taste it. Be sure it can be eaten raw. “Unusual” meal items like star fruit are now readily available in grocery stores work well for this activity as many people have not tried these types of produce.

Weight management is a big area of both employee interest and need. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the clinical measure that indicates whether people are in a healthy weight range or are overweight or obese. The BMI is a measure of a person’s overall height to their overall weight. Height and weight are measured during the Healthy Benefits screening. A computer mathematical calculation supports the BMI score. Gordian health management programs are available for Healthy Benefits participants who qualify based on their BMI score, and who are interested in a weight management program.

Ideas for workplace based weight management programs include:
• Have Weight Watchers, TOPS, or other reputable weight management groups meet in your worksite or nearby. Offer such groups before/after work or at lunchtime. Employee attendance is generally better if workers can attend either wholly or partially on work time. Break times may be rolled into lunch break times to minimize employee time away from work duties (with management approval). workers usually pay their own fees for class attendance and supporting materials.
• If the wellness program offers rewards and incentives based on participation, award a completion gift when employee has attended a certain number of weight management sessions or activities.
• Supply information regarding community weight management groups.
• Incentives such as cash, tee shirts, plaques, certificates, hours/days off, names on bulletin boards can be given to people who write a weight loss contract and meet their objective.
• Establish a worksite responsibility to offer alternative healthy snacks at business-sponsored meetings. Healthy snacks such as fruit, pretzels, plain popcorn, almonds, and veggies offer demonstration as to the employer’s responsibility to health and employee well being.

Every workplace will have workers who will not take part in provided workplace wellness activities. But these same workers may be following many healthy practices in their daily living. A good wellness program should give these people credit and recognition for their good work.

Recognition of healthy goal setting and goal execution is a wonderful approach for reinforcing what people are doing on their own outside of work, and for reaching those who do not like group activities. Suggested steps for individual goals/objectives and recognition include:
• A form employees can fill out which includes the set intention(s) and a target date for completion.
• Information on setting realistic objectives and goals, as people often overestimate what they can do and by when. It’s good to remind workers “baby steps” count!
• Maintain a confidential file of the submitted employee intention forms in a dated “tickler” system.
• Send a reminder to each employee at the time of each member’s intention date. This reminder might be a copy of their original intention form. Ask for employee’s feedback regarding their intention(s): completed the intention, need an extension, or have discontinued the intention.
• When the form is returned from an employee:
   1. If an employee has completed the goal, a certificate of completion is received along with a prize or incentive item linked to the goal (if possible).
   2. If the employee renegotiates the deadline or the objective, the form is re-filed for future follow-up. Continue to promote the employee.
   3. If the objective is canceled, send a note acknowledging this “good try” and promote the employee to try again when the timing is right.
• Allow those interested in this process to set goals/objectives any time and as often as they want.

Walking Club

Walking clubs or “trekking” can either be done in real time (by scheduling walking groups), or clubs can be set it up so individuals do their walking on their own and keep a shared log at work. After a certain number of miles or steps are logged, employees are eligible for membership into the walking “club” and receive something like a prize (a walking pin, similar to the ones that volkswalkers get, or a certificate of membership). Ways to continue interest in walking groups include:

• Regualr announcements about area walking programs. Keep abreast of programs in the area, Parks & Recreation programs, available tracks, inside walking options, volkswalking programs, etc.
• Regualr information specific to walkers; such as what to look for when buying a pair of walking shoes.
• Consider a workplace group to take part in a local fundraiser walk, such as the March of Dimes walk.
• A walking club can be the kind of “club” that never really meets, or it can be the kind that does offer the option for those who are interested in group walks and activities.

Health Awareness Video Programming

Many good health related videos and DVDs are available through loan programs either at no or low expenditures. Choose video programming based on employee interests and needs.

• Provide periodic health video viewings at lunchtime brown bag sessions.
• The videos can be related to health or other related wellness topics like financial planning, caring for aging parents, or even humor as a “break” from the work routine.
• Preview videos before showing them to insure they are appropriate, not too long, etc.
• Have a Worksite Wellness Program Committee Host moderate the viewing, greet individuals, and lead a brief discussion after the video. Develop one or two questions for discussion after previewing the video and use these to lead the discussion. Many health videos come with group discussion questions.
• Supply a pertinent educational brochures for participants to take with them for more information on the topic.
• If possible, offer popcorn or fruit as a snack.
• Provide a prize drawing (or points if you are doing that kind of incentive program) for those attending the video program and discussion.

Wellness Mentors

Every workplace generally has at least a couple of workers who have successfully made changes in their health. Often, other workers will relate to one of their peers. Peer reinforcement can go a long ways in encouraging healthy changes.

• Seek volunteers from the work force who have experienced a disease resulting from an unhealthy behavior, or survived or recovered from a disease that just happens like breast cancer, and who have successfully made beneficial changes.
• Join these success story workers with workers struggling with similar health problems.
• Both staff members participating in the mentoring process are doing so on a voluntary basis. Respect the privacy of this very special relationship.
• A Company Health Promotion Program Committee person can be involved from a peripheral standpoint, and be available to share other resources that might be important to both employees.

Establish and offer “free” health information resources as part of the central workplace wellness strategy. Reliable information is available free, or at very low cost, through numerous resource areas. Ideas and resources will be suggested here. Also review the Resource and Website listings at the end of this guide for more ideas and resources.

Wellness Bulletin Board Ideas

Most workplaces have at least one employee bulletin board located in a central area. Get permission to use part of that bulletin board as the “Wellness Corner”, or get senior staff approval to set up a bulletin board dedicated to wellness. Wellness bulletin board ideas include:

• White 8 1/2″ x 11″ flyers will be ignored. Use color or nonstandard size and shape when possible.
• Change your bulletin boards frequently. If they remain the same too long, they become “white noise.”
• Play “Dialing for Dollars” to broaden bulletin board attention. Make a random phone call and ask an employee to name the health fact of the day as listed on the health bulletin board. Award nominal prizes to winners. Use an “activities calendar” with targeted advertisements, football schedules, recipes, etc. that will promote keeping the calendar updated and utilized.

Wellness Library

Create a wellness program library in a central area that has simple employee access. Resources and ideas for the wellness library could include:

• A local health resources guide with referral lists to help employees hook up with resources if worksite resources cannot be provided. Keep referral lists in a 3-ring binder and update monthly.
• A brief, periodic wellness newsletter or update flyer distributed to staff members via their paycheck or department gatherings.
• A variety of consumer books, magazines, videos, and articles related to good health. Solicit employee donations of current titles and recyclable items. Encourage employees to checkout materials for loan. Update resources regularly.
• Healthy resources are available at local libraries. Publicize those resources within your onsite wellness library.
• Health magazines can be kept in the employee break area.
• Set-up a consumer health information bin that is updated with articles and pertinent information regarding consumerism and health care. Check the resource listings at the end of this guide for more ideas.
• Free flyers materials can be obtained from local non-profit agencies (American Red Cross, Heart Association, Cancer Society, Lung Association), and made available in employee areas. See website listings and other resources in the back of this guide for more ideas regarding no cost health resources.

New Year’s Resolution Bulletin Board

• Have workers voluntarily write down their health-related New Year’s resolutions on 3″ x 5″ index cards with their names on the back.
• Post the cards in the form of a collage on the wellness bulletin board.
• Leave the cards up for about two weeks, and then store them in a secure wellness file.
• Display the cards near the end of February to remind staff members of their goals and self-commitments.
• Take the cards down again after another week and again store in a secure file.
• Mail the cards back to the individuals along with wellness program promotions or other information announcements at the end of March.
• During the year, continue to support wellness opportunities, support groups, or related activities.

The feasibility of worksite based wellness classes is dependent upon the size of the workforce. Worksite programs really should be supported with an adequate number of interested workers to keep a class going. Generally a certain level of employee participation is also necessary to make sure availability of facilities such as a room and equipment. There are wide ranges of ongoing classes which can be provided in the worksite, including aerobics, yoga, tai chi, stretching, weight management, stress management, tobacco cessation, and self defense.

Depending on results from an interest survey, offering an “introductory” mini class series regarding a topic of high interest might be a wonderful starting idea. For example, offer a series of 5 beginning yoga classes to acquaint workers with the postural and pacifying benefits of yoga. Following an introductory series, workers may want to pursue something on their own in the neighborhood. Or, possibly an employee interest group might develop where interested workers would pursue the chosen activity as a group.

Who Pays for What When? (Employee Subsidies and Discounts)

Many workers and wellness teams are under the impression that the employer ought to pay for all wellness activities. Remember the employer is paying the bulk of the employee’s health and benefits package. When vacation time, insurance expenditures, and sick expenditures are all factored in, the average America employer spends very close to $10,000 per year per employee on related health, time off, and lost productivity expenditures. Health is a personal responsibility and a gift we can all give to ourselves. Help workers broaden their understanding and appreciation of self-care for their health by encouraging their share of accountability for healthy and safe living and working.

Other ways of financing workplace based wellness activities and to also “internally” arouse staff members are included here:

Subsidies

If there is a budget but not enough space or employee to offer onsite classes that are available elsewhere (like Weight Watchers, health clubs exercise classes, Jazzercise, hospital community ed programs, etc.), a subsidy could be available to those who take advantage of these area resources. Establish guidelines ahead of time about eligibility and maximum reimbursement, conditions for reimbursement, whether proof of participation is required and what form it should take (receipts, log forms, etc). The wellness policy also needs to address whether someone is eligible one time only, once a year, every five years, etc. for reimbursements.
• Subsidies work best when the employee puts out the money and effort first, and then gets a partial reimbursement or completion gift based on some sort of attendance or participation completion.
• The reimbursement must be big enough to be worth the trouble of implementing the program, but ought to not cover the entire expenditure of the program.
• It’s easy to get carried away with requiring “proof” in these kinds of programs. Don’t make it too bureaucratic or no one will use it. It is significant to remember no matter how well your policies are set up, there will be people, usually very few, who cheat-that’s unavoidable and shouldn’t become the primary focus of documentation requirements.
• Consider appropriate participation gifts in place of financial reimbursement. By way of example, if an employee meets attendance criteria for a stretching class, provide a stretching strap or yoga mat as the completion gift.
• Be sure to check with the senior staff group regarding policy for subsidies, tax reporting, etc.

Discounts and Donations

Employee discounts and donations can be sensitive areas for public companies and employees. In many jurisdictions, public employees are not allowed to receive any kind of special consideration, including discounts, from local companies, vendors, or providers. Be sure to check company ethics and procurement policies before asking for discounts.

If management policy does allow for discounts and donations, the whole solicitation process needs to be conducted fairly and spelled out in writing. All interested, qualified vendors, and service providers must have a fair unbiased opportunity to participate if they so choose. No inappropriate advantages are given to one provider over another in terms of access to workers, publicity, etc. No vendor or service provider must be promised or guaranteed additional revenue, business, or anything else if they choose to voluntarily offer a donation or discount to workers.

Follow the same donation and/or solicitation policies when offering vendor door prizes or gifts at a organization-sponsored health fair.

Hollywood Stars or American Celebrities

This is another fun activity focusing on healthy weight loss or maintenance.

• Members pick a secret code name (the name of a Hollywood star or other celebrity).
• Members weigh in with a “trusted” partner in private – at which time a healthy weight goal is set for the course of the contest.
• Post a chart with everyone’s secret name assigning each a beginning weight of zero.
• Participants weigh themselves weekly and submit the weight with their code name on the sheet.
• Weight is expressed in relation to a starting weight of zero. For example +4 would indicate a weight gain of four pounds; while -2 would indicate a weight loss of two pounds.
• Future weigh-ins must be in relation to the starting weight, not the previous week’s weight.
• The chart is kept current and displayed publicly by the Company Health Promotion Program Committee.
• Display a “weight management hint of the week” adjacent to the tracking chart.
• Provide “take one” handouts on weight management education or motivational tips by the chart.
• Celebrate employee progress at the end of the exercise.

Wellness Book/Journal Club and/or Book Exchange

Similar to any other book discussion group, the readings and focus of this group is health. With a broad “health” definition, countless subjects could be appropriate including communication, self-improvement, relationships, money management, environment, ecology, recreation, cooking, etc. Let the group choose the subject matters and books. Another suggested idea is to establish a book swap area where readers can trade the book(s) for those that others have left for trade.

Pre-Work Stretching Group

A few minutes of gentle stretching is an effective way to safely begin work. A professional fitness instructor may be brought in to instruct proper stretching techniques. Following this, most often an internal group can meet and run independently. Provide periodic refresher sessions with the trainer or instructor to change up the routine and help keep participants motivated.

Considerations for worksite stretching:
• See that you work with your Upper Management Team for stretching endorsement.
• Stretches must be taught by a knowledgeable and qualified person.
• Even though pre-work stretches are done on an employee’s personal time, the question of company liability will most likely arise, especially if someone reports an associated stretching injury. Check with your employer’s legal counsel and/or contact your company workers’ compensation provider to assist in design of an employee release of liability waiver.

Job Site Chair Massage

Bring in a licensed massage therapist to provide chair massage at the employees’ expense. These massages are performed fully clothed with the recipient seated in a chair. The therapist brings in a special chair that fully supports the neck and shoulders while an upper body massage is given. Sessions are usually fifteen minutes, with a mean cost between $12.00 – $15.00 per session. Post a sign up sheet with appointments at intervals recommended by the therapist. Be sure the therapist is licensed. It will be crucial to provide a private space. A group of “regulars” may evolve which could establish a regular massage schedule. Obtain an agreement with senior staff so workers can trade massage time for coffee or personal break time.  Note: senior staff may want the therapist to supply proof of liability insurance.

Art at Work

Art can be a great way to nurture employees’ creative side and help them manage stress at the same time. Bring in various art and craft supplies on a monthly basis and let the creative juices flow. If participants are willing, have a temporary “art show” later that day. Or, feature employee art during certain months or times of the year. Encourage employees to display their art in their personal workspaces.

Healthy Email-a-Week

Develop an email list of coworkers who wish to receive an inspirational, funny or educational health quote, thought, tip or idea once a week by email. Ask participants of the Company Wellness Program Committee to collect ideas initially, and then ask the participants of the email list to offer ideas and information as time goes on. Adhere to all corporation rules regarding work time and email protocols.

Hobby Show or Demonstrations

Hobbies are good stress management tools. Encourage employees to display their talents by sponsoring a “hobby fair” or demonstration. Send around a sign up sheet. See who would be able to bring in samples of their hobby, and maybe even do a live demonstration. Fairs or demonstrations can be scheduled as a group activity or brown bag that allows interested employees to interact. Or, hobby sharing may be done in groupings by topic over a scheduled period of time, allowing for a brief presentation and/or demonstration on the part of the hobbyist.

Brown bag presentations are a good way to establish awareness about selected health issues. Community health professionals will frequently provide presentations of a half hour or less at no charge. Use employee interest surveys to follow up on employee interests that are expressed. The definition of health is broad, so brown bag presentations may also cover a wide variety of issues. Topics may include physical, mental, emotional, women’s health, men’s health, financial health, etc.

Considerations for brown bag presentations:
• Brown bag sessions are effective for awareness building. This seed planting process can help employees become more proactive about healthy choices.
• Do not schedule the program for the full hour – usually 40 minutes or so works best. This will allow folks a chance to come and go, grab a quick bite, ask questions, etc.
• If the subject matter is sensitive, such as domestic violence, substance abuse, etc., it is possible people will be reluctant to attend for fear of being associated publicly with the problem. They will, however, attend if the focus is on supporting family members, coworkers, etc.
• Make sure that workers hear significant information and will leave with tools and resources to carry out the message. Work with the presenter on information strategies that work for your employee group.
• Promotional materials should publicize the program with a name that speaks to the brown bag focus. Include all other pertinent information such as where, who, when, etc.
• Some subject matters that can’t be covered in one session should be available in a short series. It will work best to schedule one session each week rather than several sessions in one week. For example, you might offer a 3-week series on healthy eating rather than trying to cram all the information into one session.
• A clever title can attract visitors to the event. An example of this would be calling lunchtime presentations “Noonlighting”
• If possible, offer a no cost healthy snack for employees who attend.
• To maintain momentum, try setting up a regular monthly time and day for lunchtime sessions.
• If staff members work in shift or are in work groups in different geographical locations, devise a plan that offers equal attendance opportunity to all.

Resources:

1. Please see the idea list at the end of this guide which offers a variety of resource issues of interest to workers.
2. Every neighborhood has numerous individuals, experts, or specialists from voluntary groups (heart, cancer, lung associations), special interest groups (Y’s, Red Cross, Weight Watcher’s, Safety Council, Alcoholics Anonymous), or the local health department as options to present worksite sessions free or at a low cost. Many of these contacts might also provide inexpensive materials.
3. Topic videos may be used for a brown bag session.

Often individuals avoid low fat foods because they think these foods do not taste great. To help inform staff members, purchase a variety of low fat foods and put them out in a conference room for an hour or so for a drop-in tasting session. Or, arrange for low-fat potlucks encouraging staff members to bring and share their favorite low fat or healthy dishes.

Considerations:
• Make sure the selections actually taste great.
• Offer a “fact sheet” with the names and price of the various products to assist participants if they want to purchase these products from the supermarket.
• Offer other written information on good nutrition for any interested participants to take. Make use of websites and other resources listed in the Resource Section at the end of this guide.
• Give small tasting spoons or wooden ice cream tasters.
• It doesn’t take much of each item to give participants a taste of the food or dish. It is not crucial to buy enough, or bring enough, food to provide a meal.
• Plan the tasting room after lunch so participants can go in on their own and sample.
• Keep an eye out for overly sweet items…sometimes low fat means high sugar – so be sure to look at the label.
• Typical purchases for a workplace sampling might include: two boxes of healthy crackers, a package of low fat cheese, a box of low fat cookies, two or three low fat spreads such as hummus, low fat cream cheese, a package of honey nut or other flavored rice crackers, and one or two other low fat items.
• Place signs on the table gently reminding participants that the idea is to sample, not have a meal.
• Provide a beverage such as a new kind of fruit juice or herbal tea.

Group support and encouragement can be very helpful in supporting employees make healthy changes. Create situations, peer groups, or information avenues where the expertise and experiences of coworkers can be shared with others. Some ideas for providing onsite support for healthy changes include:

• Employees can be asked to voluntarily submit recommendations, advice, and strategies related to particular healthy practices they have successfully implemented in their lives. For example, ex-smokers can be asked to submit recommendations about what worked for them when they quit; then those ideas can be shared in newsletters, flyers, classes, etc.
• Topics like weight control, stress management, managing change, increasing exercise, etc. lend themselves to this development of collective wisdom sharing.
• Behavior change reinforcement groups, created based on employee interest in making healthy change, can meet on regularly to share ideas, resources, support, etc. Workplace Health Promotion Programs can offer some help and facilitation in getting a group started. The group then itself takes charge of keeping the group going. Periodically the wellness program can offer to bring in a presenter on a topic relevant to the group. Be sure to help the group set ground rules that everyone agrees to before the group is left to itself.