Healthy Employees, Healthy Business: Easy, Affordable Ways to Promote Workplace Wellness

This is my first NOLO book by Ilona Bray. It's also my first NOLO book written on the boundary of issues for which one might engage an attorney. The relevancy of each chapter and presentation exceeded my expectations greatly. Healthy Employees, Healthy Business would make a great gift for anybody fortunate to have a job and thus a workplace with a hundred health issues. The final chapter, Drafting Workplace Policies That Promote Health is an excellent wrap up and it's where the rubber hits the road. The journey there was compelling almost beyond belief. Topics covered are those we discuss with co-workers and family, the ones that make us anxious. Bray covers what we dwell on when we're in the waiting room to see a general practitioner physician who will see us undressed. We generally make exceptions for healthy habits when we're engaged in making a living. But if we're fortunate to have a job or unfortunate to have to hold more than one job, we have stress for a good portion of our waking hours. Advice for employers to provide in practical terms physical, calorie burning, activity is covered. The ideas presented are outstanding, yet implementation of them may be years away. In some ways this book is futuristic in my view. A prime example of the difference between the great ideas of the book and the reality of the workplace from my perspective is the section on Health Screenings. A confidential Health Risk Assessment (HRA) form administered by an outside vendor is advocated. What a fine idea! I don't trust it one bit. I'm not going to fill out an HRA. I personally don't trust HRA confidentiality although I think the stars are lining up for a trustworthy HRA future when the health of employees will be a true government objective and not in name only. I for one am not yet ready to assist a third party vendor in collecting health-related information about me even though I'm healthy. Healthy Employees, Health Business is ahead of its time. It's loaded with all the concerns we all have about being physically fit while working lots of stressful hours.

Right now, there is a huge debate on how to cut the high cost of health insurance. One way employers are seeking to help reduce costs is by assisting employees to stay healthy. Healthy people are more productive, have fewer sick days and cost less for insurance. It's a win-win. No one likes being sick. There are simple things to do, outlined in this book, to promote wellness and some of the ideas don't even cost a great deal. This book goes over some of the aspects of wellness (drinkers are often out Mondays and Fridays, people with minor illnesses take off rainy days.) There are a lot of interesting facts, such as a discussion of "presentee-ism" which is when people show up to work sick instead of staying home with an infectious illness. If there is an epidemic of flu, an employer concerned about wellness might consider making it clear that staying home when sick is better for the company and YOUR job than struggling in and making the entire department ill. There are discussions of obesity and how to set up supportive programs to encourage employees to get fit. Even changing the vending machines to provide healthy foods. I think this is all helpful information--I can remember one employer who had their cafeteria reclassified as "factory" from "office" by their large corporate contracting department, and the people working there complained their soup and salad selections had been replaced by greasy burgers. This kind of awareness of how the employer fits into overall health is something that any managerial staff should take note of. There are also ideas for small businesses, who are definitely more affected if employee health and efficiency suffers. Great book, full of ideas to promote wellness and productivity.

If you are thinking of implementing a workplace wellness program it will take an upfront investment, but if you are not prepared to be proactive the cost to your company can be overwhelming in the long run. "Workplace wellness" is all the rage these days and the thought of a few extra dollars in a paycheck can motivate some. I do know one family member who has become very motivated, not by the cash incentive, but by his own personal goal of being healthy and buff. It all started when the company paid for the enrollment fee to a health club. Something as inexpensive as that can pay dividends for the company in the long run. A healthy, motivated employee can be an asset to any company. According to a speaker on the accompanying CD-ROM, "convincing without forcing" can be achieved. One chapter that struck a chord was the one about "Working Without Tobacco." This health issue is a very touchy one and, for many smokers, a "none of your business" issue. There is not much that people have not heard time and time again in this chapter, but there are a few things that will help such as a short section entitled "Don't quibble with the withdrawing smokers' use of sick time." The recommended online resources are excellent. Disincentives have proven not to work, but incentives, especially "cash, cash, cash" are definitely having an impact. Aside from this standout chapter there are chapters discussing the need to have a "healthy workplace," the cost, why your investment will pay off, how to create a wellness program, issues to address, creating the actual program, tailoring to program to your company culture, preventive health issues, nutrition (forget the Snickers bar), "fitness and exercise," the impact of stress, taking a look at addictive behaviors, obesity, chronic illnesses, health plans, and formulating workplace policy. There is an excellent index in the back of the book if you feel the need to browse first or want to look at a particular issue. I would recommend, if at all possible, listening to the CD prior to even opening the book. It should also work on a Mac. There are several professionals discussing their strategies with the author. Many come from the "been there done that" vantage point and help the reader to think about their choices. One important point made was that it costs "$1,500 more to deal with inactive" employees. This is a very comprehensive book that is well worth the money. It is readable and is worth it to provide wellness incentives even if your company is small (one participant in the discussion had only 28 employees). The choice is yours . . . your employees can be happy, healthy and company productivity can improve!

I read this book and put into practice some, but not all, of the ideas recommended. It has helped cut absenteeism from sickness during a time when there are a lot of flu viruses and other bugs making the rounds. It's also helped us to focus on thinking of ourselves as people, not cogs. The forms on the CD were quite helpful as well. Two thumbs up!

This book is great for anyone involved in "workplace wellness", whether out of humanitarian reasons, or in an effort to improve productivity. Nolo has many very good books, and more than their share of truly great ones (and they employ many of the workplace wellness practices mentioned in this book, so there may be a tie in there). This is one of Nolo's great ones. Very thorough, both in breadth and depth. Covers why businesses should promote employee wellness -- in a nutshell, healthy employees who are not overstressed are more productive and have fewer sick days (whether they are actually sick or not). Delightfully well written as well. Who would have thought that a book on employee wellness would actually be enjoyable, rather than just informative, to read? Although it says the book was written by Ilona Bray, please note that there were many advisors, including Dr. Kenneth Pelletizer (clinical professor of medicine at the University of Arizona and the University of California School of Medicine); Dr. Albert Ray (Physician Director for Patient Education & Health Promotion at Kaiser Permanente), Rae Lee Olson (principal with Vita Benefits Group, an employee benefits brokerage & consulting firm), and many others. The chapters are: 1) Why You Need a Healthy Workplace 2) Strategies for a Successful Wellness Program 3) Making It Real: Worksite Evaluation & Program Launch 4) Prevention & Early Detection 5) Healthy Eating & Nutrition 6) Fitness & Exercise 7) Lowering Stress Levels 8) Working Without Tobacco 9) Helping the Addicted Worker 10) Reducing Obesity 11) Dealing With Chronic Illness 12) Choosing Health Benefits 13) Drafting Workplace Policies That Promote Health This book gives such great coverage of how to actually go about starting and running a workplace wellness program that you will feel prepared to do so. It is not one of those books that tries to convince you to do something and then leaves you unprepared to actually do it. The author(s) have great psychological insights, and guide you into being a true leader toward wellness for your workplace. This book teaches you not just what to do, but HOW to make it happen.