7 tips to survive Thanksgiving and a recipe from our team to yours
Thanksgiving can pack a punch to your diet, but it doesn't have to completely derail you. There are a few things you can do throughout the day to make sure it's not a tragedy.
Once you read through the tips, make sure to check out the recipe for one of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes.
1. Don't starve yourself before the big meal
It may seem like a good idea to "save" room by skipping breakfast and possibly lunch before the big meal is served. But if you show up starving, you're likely to eat like you've been deserted on an island.
It's suggested eating about an hour before the big meal can help. Try one of these options: 2 to 3 ounces of lean protein (e.g. a 3-ounce can of tuna), two boiled eggs, a bowl of vegetable soup or some raw veggies.
2. Keep it green
Thanksgiving isn't known for piles of green vegetables, but it's a good way to balance out all the starches and heavy meats.
Some options: raw baby kale, baby spinach or a collard green salad with red onions, sun-dried tomatoes and real crumbled bacon on top.
3. Upgrade your grains
White rolls and pasta are delicious, but you can upgrade your meal by choosing whole grain options instead. Whole-grain rolls, artichoke pasta or brown rice are good options. Or if you're adventurous quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat are also great.
4. Eat mindfully
Slow down and enjoy each bite and when you feel about 80 percent full- take a break. You can always go back for seconds.
5. Stay active
While Thanksgiving is a day for eating and football, starting your day with a bit of exercise will get the blood flowing and make you feel a little less guilty about sitting down to a massive meal.
Some options: many communities will hold Turkey Trot 5k events, or head to the local park to toss the football and take a walk, or you could just head outside for a walk/run in the neighborhood.
6. Light on the alcohol
Unfortunately, alcohol is packed with excess calories. For example, that glass of wine could pack on an extra 150 calories to your meal.
7. Indulge your sweet tooth
Go ahead and have some pie, but grab the small plate for your sweet tooth sampling.
Still planning your Thanksgiving meal? Here's a recipe favorite of Saxon's team:
Caramel Apple Pie
1 whole pie crust
6 cups (to 7 cups) peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
½ whole (juice of) lemon
½ cup sugar
4 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup flour
1-1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup quick oats
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup Pecans, chopped
½ jar (or more) Caramel Topping
- In a bowl mix peeled apples, lemon juice, sugar, 4 tablespoons of flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- For crumb topping, cut the butter into the ½ cup of flour with a pastry cutter, then add in brown sugar, oats, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add apples to the prepared pie shell and top with crumb topping.
- Cover crust edges with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil from crust and place back into the oven for another 30 minutes.
- Chop pecans, and when 5 minutes remain, sprinkle them over the pie.
- Finish baking.
- Remove the pie from the oven and pour ½ jar of the caramel topping over the top.
Be ready to weather any storm
No matter where you live in the United States, a storm's aftermath could leave you scrambling if you aren't prepared. Most people cover the basics in their storm preparation: fill your gas tank, flashlight, portable radio and stock up on non-perishable items.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends having 3 days worth of food and water on hand. But which foods are best? And what can you buy now that will keep?
Health.com offers a list of "18 Crucial Foods and Health Supplies You Need Before a Big Storm". We've boiled the list down to four main categories.
Water
Winter storms and hurricanes can sometimes make access to drinking water a tough find. It's suggested to store 1 gallon of water per person in your home for a three-day supply. That's because the average person drinks 1 gallon of water per day depending on age, physical activity level, and overall health. You may need more than 1 gallon per person if it's hot outside.
And to make sure your bottles of water are used for drinking, fill up a bathtub or sink with water for washing, bathing and flushing the toilet.
Food
Non-perishable food items can be kept on hand for weeks or months. And if you're stocked, there will be no reason to go out in the last minute rush to fill your pantry.
Suggested foods:
- Apples and oranges can hold for several weeks and are both more than 80 percent water, and are rich in nutrients.
- Dried, canned fruits with no gels, syrups or added sugar are the next best thing to fresh fruit.
- Ready-to-eat canned vegetables are a quick grab when you need a snack. But be sure to grab the "low sodium" options.
- Canned tuna, salmon and sardines may not be your first choice, but it can make a quick an easy meal when natural disaster is looming. Not to mention the long shelf life.
- Comfort foods aren't very nutritious, but it's called comfort food for a reason. FEMA recommends having some on hand to soothe you and your family during a potentially stressful situation.
- Nut butter and nuts can help fill you up on protein and healthy fats. Just be sure to buy unsalted nuts. No need to increase your thirst.
- Protein bars offer a big dose of calories when you can't cook full meals.
First-Aid
- A first-aid kit is a must all year round. But when disaster is looming it's best to check your supplies. Make sure to have band-aids, bandages, and antibiotic cream.
- Hand sanitizer is great way to fight germs when the water supply is limited. A bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that's 60-95 percent alcohol is recommended.
- Body wipes are a great way to clean up when a shower may not be an option.
Miscellaneous
- A dust mask is a good add to your emergency kit. It can protect your lungs if the air around becomes contaminated.
- Garbage bags aren't just for containing the trash. The bags can be used for ponchos, to cover broken windows, carry supplies and even collect rainwater.
- A portable battery charger is a sure way to keep your phone and tablets charged when the electricity is out.
- Paper plates and plastic utensils
- A good book, playing cards, and board games are great ways to fill the time
EEOC proposes amendment related to Genetic Information and Wellness Programs
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commision (EEOC) issued a proposed rule amending Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to allow employers to offer financial incentives and inducements to spouses as part of a wellness program. The rule proposed on Oct. 30, 2015 is currently open for public comment.
The proposed regulations would clarify that GINA does not prohibit employers from offering limited inducements for the provision by spouses of information about their current or past health status as part of an HRA. This may include a medical questionnaire, a medical examination (e.g. to detect high blood pressure or high cholesteral) or both. However, the provision of genetic information must be voluntary with written authorization.
The EEOC further proposes to add a requirement that any health or genetic services in connection with which an employer requests genetic information be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease. This addition will make the revised GINA regulations consistent with the proposed rule amending the ADA's regulations as they relate to wellness programs, which permits employers to collect medical information as part of a wellness program only if the program are reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease.
This proposal would not alter the absolute prohibition against the use of genetic information in making employment decisions.
There are 6 substantive changes to the GINA regulations. Click here to read through those changes.
The EEOC invites the public to comment on the proposed regulation amendment.
What does it take to be happy at work?
Original post eremedia.com
Can we be happy at work?
The best people to answer this question might be our friends in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Sweden) as they are consistently ranked as the happiest countries on Earth. In fact, they are the only people on the planet that actually have a word for happiness at work — arbejdsglæde.
How do we capture the same sentiment in the U.S. so we can move up in the happiness rankings from No. 15 (source: World Happiness Report 2015)?
What is happiness?
In the world of work, happiness does not necessarily equate to never-ending bliss, nor does it mean the absence of stress or discontent.
Take professional sports, for example. We complain that professional athletes make obscene amounts of money for doing nothing more than “playing a game.” But when you analyze the incredible sacrifices they make (demanding workouts, limited diets, physical pain), and then compare them with the amount of time they are actually “playing their game,” you recognize that most of their time is actually spent preparing to play the game – not doing what actually makes them happy.
Few of us would find their activities preparing for their games enjoyable.
So, if happiness at work isn’t walking around all day with a huge smile on your face, what is it? The short answer is — it depends on you. But there are some fundamental elements that contribute to it.
For some of us, happiness at work is equivalent to being passionate about what we do. In fact, passion is arguably the element most frequently cited by successful people as the main contributor to their success. But this also needs to be rooted in reality. You may be incredibly passionate about football, but the likelihood of playing in the NFL is pretty slim.
Passion is a great start, but it may not be the key to happiness for everyone.
When a job becomes a calling
For others, the most important contributor to whether or not we are happy at work hinges on whether or not we feel like the work we are doing has significant meaning. We see this often in non-profits, religious organizations and health care.
Nursing in particular is a good example. Being a nurse is not a glamourous role when you consider their (many) unpleasant responsibilities and the immense stress of having someone else’s life in your hands – hence the high burnout rate associated with this profession. But there are few roles that have more intrinsic meaning, and if you ask nurses and others who have dedicated their lives to professions in health care, they will tell you that they don’t see it is a job, or even a career – it is a calling.
This happiness relies on individuals feeling as though they personally can (and do) contribute to a larger mission – without this connection, you might lose confidence in the effect of working for a meaningful organization.
Many individuals find happiness less in the work itself, and more in being challenged and achieving results. They are the “Type A” personalities that love to work on something that others have deemed impossible. They literally blossom in adversity and receive their reward when a seemingly unattainable goal has been reached.
We also see this play out in what has frequently been referred to as gamification– specifically the use of “progress mechanics.” It is a basic psychological precept that we respond well to regular visibility to progress and improvement we make. This takes the form of points, badges and leader boards in addictive games like Candy Crush.
Corporate America is starting to take notice by implementing comparable point platforms, similar to those we have used in the hotel and airline industry for many years. The ability to grow and develop new skills and abilities is also innately rewarding for these types of people.
Finding meaning in work relationships
And then there are those who also find meaning outside of the work itself, or rather, their happiness is rooted in the relationships that they form and maintain.
These individuals could be happy sitting in a jail cell as long as there are people around to interact with. They tend to be in professions that intrinsically require constant communication and collaboration with others, and they extract meaning and happiness from these interactions.
For individuals in “people-oriented” professions like social work, the people are the work – and therefore happiness at work is inextricably linked to their personal interactions. They even have a strategy (and name) for this at online retailer Zappos.com – they encourage their employees to find a PEC (personal emotional connection) with each customer.
Whatever contributes to your happiness at work, a good litmus test to determine if you are in the right role is to answer this simple question – how often do you experience “flow”?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the psychologist who coined this term, believed that:
People are happiest when they are in a state of flow— a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. It is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter, and is characterized by a feeling of great absorption, engagement, fulfillment, and skill — and during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored.”
I can honestly say that I experience this “flow” daily, although certainly not all day as any job has frustrations, but most organizational psychologists will tell you that this “flow” is very important when it comes to happiness at work.
So how can we be happy at work? What do we need to do to be happy?
The bottom line is that the path to happiness at work is different for each and every one of us. Some people prefer to spend the majority of their lives following strict accounting rules and guidelines. They take comfort in the guardrails that define their work and ensure a predictable outcome.
Others prefer to spend their time helping people with their emotional problems, a field that requires a completely different temperament and far fewer delineated results. Thank goodness we have people interested in both.
To be happy at work, we must align our personal triggers to available jobs and careers. Some of us may need help with this… the book What Color is Your Parachute has been used for many years to help people determine (in a nutshell):
- a) What are you passionate about?;
- b) What are you good at?; and,
- c) What professions exist that would give you the ability to incorporate both “a” and “b?”
Life is too short to be unhappy
There are newly available assessments and tools available to help you determine your “behavioral fit” to various jobs and professions. I find it interesting that we allow sites like match.com to pick a spouse for us but we have yet to allow big data and complex algorithms to do the same for our professions.
Life is way too short to spend our time doing something we don’t enjoy. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, has been quoted as saying, “While there’s been a lot of talk over the years about work life separation or work life balance, our whole thing is about work life integration … because it’s just life.” And similarly, Richard Branson provided his perspective when he said, “I don’t think of work as work and play as play. It’s all living.”
Does your life begin at the end of your work day, or when you wake up in the morning? If we can be happy at work, maybe the blurring of our personal and professional lives isn’t such a bad thing after all.
Over-screening could be killing your wellness program
Wellness programs are seen as a way to hold down healthcare costs for companies. The idea is you give employees a helping hand to better their health and eventually their need for doctor visits and medications lessen.
But is it working?
Al Lewis, CEO of Quizzify and author of Surviving Workplace Wellness, believes the U.S. is "drowning" in over-diagnosis and over-treatment and wellness programs are partly to blame, according to EBA's article, 'Wellness programs ‘massively over-screening’ people'.
“This country is drowning in over-diagnosis and over-treatment, raising health care costs,” Lewis said.
Lewis believes the over-testing done on employees as a requirement in a company's wellness program could lead to false positives, unneeded medications or higher expenses for employers and employees.
Ron Goetzel, senior scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, agrees there are a lot of lousy wellness programs out there, but there are some good programs too.
“What we’re trying to do is figure out what works,” Goetzel said. “The most effective way is creating cultures of health where people go to work every day and come out healthier because of the culture, through leadership support and commitment, and a culture of doing everything to promote health.”
Lewis and Goetzel comments come from debate during the Population Health Alliance Conference in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 2, 2015.
Is self-care the new health care?
Allowing employees more access to self diagnosis and treatment could reduce unproductive work time and save on healthcare costs.
John Scorza, an associate editor of HR Magazine, explains how selfcare could work for you via shrm.org.
Ten percent of visits to the doctor’s office are unnecessary, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA). Those appointments cost U.S. employers billions of dollars in lost productivity and unnecessary health care costs. But what if employees knew how to recognize routine medical issues that they can treat themselves? And what if companies encouraged such self-treatment?
While no one expects to turn employees into diagnosticians, providing a little education and access to health information as part of workplace wellness efforts can mitigate the need to visit a doctor for a number of common ailments.
That’s precisely what some participants at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Annual Health Care Summit want employers to do.
“Unhealthy workers are unproductive workers—and they’re expensive,” according to Scott Wallace, distinguished fellow at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University. The cost of poor health is estimated to be 3 to 10 times the total cost of all employee benefits, he noted at the Oct. 20 summit in Washington, D.C.
“It’s essential that we continue our search for value,” added Scott Melville, CEO of the CHPA, an industry trade group.
The largest cost to employers is presenteeism: People who are at work but are unproductive because of their health problems. The cost of presenteeism is higher than the combined costs of medical care, prescription drugs and absenteeism. “By some estimates, it accounts for an estimated 10 percent of all labor costs,” according to Sean Sullivan, CEO of the Institute for Health and Productivity Management (IHPM), a nonprofit organization that advocates treating employee health as a business asset.
Promoting Self-Care, When Appropriate
The good news is that employers are in an ideal position to help employees change their behavior, Sullivan said. This is where self-care comes in. Self-care is defined by the World Health Organization as “personal health maintenance to improve or restore health and to treat preventative diseases.”
Self-care comes in various forms, according to Melville. These include:
- Prevention methods.
- Exercise.
- Healthy eating.
- Taking dietary supplements.
- Treatment of chronic conditions.
- Taking over-the-counter (OTC) medicines.
OTC drugs are a critical component of self-care because they can be an effective option to manage minor ailments and chronic conditions. One study cited by the IHPM estimated that every $1 spent on OTC medicines saved the U.S. health care system $6 to $7 due to fewer physician visits and less spending on medical care.
Lisle, Ill.-based Navistar International, which manufactures commercial trucks, buses and defense vehicles, has successfully used self-care as a strategy to manage employee wellness and productivity, according to an IHPM white paper. The company gave its 16,500 employees self-care manuals that encourage the use of OTC medicines for common health problems. As a result, the company said it has saved between $1 million and $2 million annually (excluding savings from reduced presenteeism) for more than 10 years. (Wallace suggested that www.knowyourotcs.org is a useful website for employers and employees to learn about the proper use of OTC drugs.)
Common Conditions
A handful of conditions account for the bulk of the costs of presenteeism and reduced productivity on the job. These include:
- Mental health issues, chiefly depression.
- Musculoskeletal pain, such as lower back pain and repetitive motion strain
- Respiratory problems, primarily allergies.
- Gastrointestinal problems, including heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
But all of these conditions (excluding mental health) are ripe for self-treatment, Sullivan said.
And that could add up to significant savings. Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin, a global aerospace firm with 112,000 employees, determined that lower back pain, allergies and GERD cost the company $3.25 million every year in lost productivity at work.
While brand-name pharmaceutical companies run pricey TV ads encouraging consumers to visit their doctors and ask for the latest, frequently expensive treatment (especially for GERD), these conditions generally can be self-managed by employees cost-effectively through the use of OTC medicines, Sullivan remarked.
Before making a self-care program part of a health and wellness strategy, employers first need to know the health care needs of their employees, Wallace advised. Similarly, Sullivan suggested targeting the population of workers who have common conditions that cause presenteeism. “These are all really treatable,” he said.
Tips to building a wellness champion network
Original post by shrm.org
A wellness champion network is a group of employees who work to improve the health and culture of the workplace in conjunction with an employer-sponsored wellness program. By socially connecting with others and helping to educate their co-workers about program offerings, wellness champions strive to achieve this shared goal.
For companies that have champion networks in place, their champions are crucial to how program information is communicated to employees—and the level of acceptance their programs receive.
Research by StayWell, a health engagement firm, has shown promising connections between the use of wellness champion networks as a part of organizational culture and wellness program outcomes, such as health risk assessment completion rates. Employers are recognizing the potential impact of the social influence of wellness champions.
RELATED: 14 tips to help your company implement wearables in wellness programs
Employer Guidance at a Glance
Wellness champions generally volunteer for this role; it is not part of their paid position. And a company can have a handful of champions or it can have hundreds, depending on the company size and number of locations.
Though there is no clear evidence to indicate what constitutes an optimal number of champions, experienced wellness practitioners often recommend setting a target of a representative 1 percent of your workplace population to serve as champions. A “stretch goal” could be to have up to 3 percent of your workforce serving as champions.
What does it take to be a wellness champion? The one essential characteristic for an individual to possess is a passion for good health. Whether champions aim to lose weight, manage their diabetes, become more active or stop smoking, or if they have already achieved their health goals, champions need to believe in the value of health improvement and be willing to support the benefits of corporate wellness programs—and to share both their passion and experiences with others. These are individuals who truly embrace the notion of “walking the talk” and strive to be positive health role models to their peers.
Creating a Wellness Champion Network
If you think your organization would benefit from a wellness champion network, or if you already have a network in place and are looking to enhance or improve on how the group currently operates, think about the following questions:
Who are your top wellness champion candidates?
Seek out employees with the following characteristics:
- Passionate—Employees who aspire to be champions and have enthusiasm for enhancing the culture of health at their workplace.
- Social skills—Employees who naturally make connections with and show compassion for their co-workers. Champions should be easy to approach, have strong communication and leadership skills, and be looked up to by their co-workers.
- Role model qualities—Employees who express a personal interest in healthy lifestyles, regardless of their current health status, can be excellent advocates for healthy behavior change.
What roles and responsibilities will you assign your wellness network champions at various levels?
This is closely tied to the goals and objectives employers hope to achieve. For example, tasking wellness champions with helping to improve awareness of wellness programs and increasing engagement in health education opportunities across the employee population can help create or enhance a culture of health at the workplace, as well as improve program participation. In addition, wellness champions can be responsible for:
- Collaboration with established groups within the workforce.
- Communication with location-specific leadership.
- Providing feedback to corporate benefits/HR departments regarding program implementation and offerings.
What internal communications systems need to be in place?
Establish a communication structure for the network that aims to empower employees with information worth sharing among their peers. To do this:
- Ensure that champions are provided clear expectations from a wellness leader about the responsibilities of network membership and how expectations fluctuate based on program-year initiatives.
- Ask about conflicts of interest. Consider screening volunteers about interests outside of the company related to commercial health products or programs.
- Encourage network members to consider how they can effectively reach out to employees and keep management informed around the feedback they receive.
- Consider establishing reporting metrics, giving your wellness champions and leaders known targets and a consistent structure for reporting their initiatives.
For example, you may choose to tie results of your wellness network to your overarching employee health management goals, or to the three pillars of a comprehensive wellness program: communications, culture and incentives.
Employees involved in the network need to be able and willing to dedicate time to the role, and they need to have the support of their supervisor or manager for the responsibilities and expected time commitment of being a champion. StayWell’s research indicates champions average about 12 hours per month on wellness activities at their locations.
What metrics should be used to measure increase in wellness events/programs?
Metrics should align with the overall goals and objectives established for your wellness champion network. These may include:
- Program participation rates, overall and/or tracked by location or facility.
- Employee satisfaction with specific aspects of the program (that may be influenced by the wellness champions).
- Changing cultural norms, such as food orders for meetings and events and vending machine sales, through the use of a culture assessment.
Tips to Ensure Network Success
The following are examples of what champions can do to promote improved health throughout an organization:
- Routinely communicate. Ensure that wellness program and policy information/updates are received and understood by their fellow employees.
- Be visible. Serve as role models to other employees by implementing and actively participating in program offerings.
- Share wellness stories. Testimonials can be a profoundly effective motivation tool.
- Host wellness-related educational events. These can include “lunch and learns” to promote healthy behaviors (healthy eating, exercise) and stress management techniques.
- Organize physical activity. Mid-day walks and after-work exercise are examples.
- Coordinate health fairs and onsite screenings. This will involve working closing with HR staff and management.
- Keep the program fun!
This wellness champion network tip sheet poster can be printed and posted at your worksite.
A final point: Once you establish a wellness champion network, it’s essential to nurture it so the team can continue to support your corporate health initiatives.
14 tips to help your company implement wearables in wellness programs
Fitbit, Garmin, and Mio are just a few of the companies offering everyone the chance to keep track of their fitness level throughout the day. Features include tracking steps, sleep and workouts.
Companies, like Target, are finding ways to implement wearable technology into their Wellness Programs. The programs, a part of employee benefits packages, can help lower healthcare costs, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity.
Implementing the wearable technology is a viable option, but without proper implementation it could create legal challenges.
Experts from various industries came together at Fitbit's recent Captivate 2015 conference and created a list of best practices and lessons learned from their experiences with wellness programs tied to wearables.
James Martin with CIO.com compiled a list of the best tips from those speakers in San Francisco.
Employee wellness plans, privacy and compliance
1) Show employees their personal information is secure
Several speakers emphasized that organizations should show (not tell) employees that health and fitness data is secure.
Some employees initially hesitate to share step counts or other health data with their employers, according to Jim Huffman, senior vice president and head of U.S. Health and Wellness Benefits for Bank of America. These people worry that the information could negatively affect their insurance premiums, chances for promotions or opportunities for raises.
Bank of America is "loud and clear" when it regularly addresses such fears in employee communications and assures staff such information won't be used against them. Buffman said companies have to "prove it," too. In the second year of its wellness program, for example, Bank of America didn't increase health insurance premium rates for any of its U.S. employees, even though the company's own costs rose. Bank of America leaders felt it was important to "pay it forward" and demonstrate to employees that participating in its fitness programs is only beneficial. However, Huffman adds that organizations will "always have a portion of employees who will not share their information."
2) Go above and beyond to protect employee data
Wellness and fitness program managers should "take extraordinary steps" to protect sensitive information collected via wellness programs, Huffman said. He also suggested that companies work closely with HR managers to assure staff that their wellness program teams don't have access to sensitive data, such as employee health insurance claims.
Eric Dreiband, a partner with law firm Jones Day, stressed the importance of maintaining a secure "firewall" between data collected by wearable technology and personnel records. The goal is to keep staff health and fitness data away from supervisors or other decision makers, so that it cannot inadvertently affect employee pay or promotions.
If that data isn't kept separate, and there's an employee complaint, the government could investigate and file a lawsuit, according to Dreiband. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued companies in the past because their wellness programs allegedly violated federal anti-discrimination laws when they coerced people to participate.
3) Stay up to data on relevant regulations
Organizations that use wearables to collect employee data need to be clear on the potential compliance and legal issues related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Dreiband said. Wellness plans that collect medical information, such as heart rate and blood pressure, must be voluntary and may not carry a penalty for non-participation in any way, or they could violate the ADA, for example.
Putting employee fitness data to work
4) Compare anonymous fitness data and business goals
Whenever possible, it's a good idea to tie aggregated, anonymous data from corporate wellness program or fitness challenges to metrics that measure business goals, according to Liz Boehm, experience innovation network director for Vocera, a healthcare communication system vendor.
By combining these data sets, senior management can see how (or if) wellness program engagement helps the company achieve fewer manufacturing errors, lower employee turnover rates, or achieve other business goals. These insights can help keep senior executives bullish on the company's wellness and fitness programs, and convince skeptics the programs are worth the effort and expense.
5) Don't overthink baselines
Companies should avoid getting bogged down when they try to determine baselines for the wellness and fitness program data they want to measure, according to Jennifer Benz, CEO of Benz Communications, which specializes in helping organizations communicate health and wellness programs to employees. (Notable Benz clients include Intuit and Adobe.)
"There's already a lot of great baseline data out there, so you don't have to figure out precisely where your organization is to figure out how to measure improvements."
6) Keep it simple
Companies shouldn't get carried away and try to measure too many things, Benz said.
"Most successful organizations find a couple of metrics to track that are key to their overall business environment," she said.
Wellness programs can often have a "halo effect," as well, giving employees a better sense of their health, according to Benz, which is "something you may not be able to measure, but will be able to see and hear among people in your organization."
Tips for enhanced communication, outreach for fitness programs
7) No silver bullet
There is no single communications channel that's best for raising employee awareness and engagement, according to Benz. So, it's best to embrace multiple channels and formats. Most employees have preferred ways of receiving information, such as viewing online video or reading infographics and email, and the way to reach the largest audience is by using more communication methods.
Ultimately, the goal is "to change wellness behavior, not communications behavior," Boehm said.
Bank of America uses "every form of communications possible" to detail updates, features and benefits related to its wellness program and health challenges, according to Huffman, including the company Intranet, email, "snail mail" sent to employee homes, and team meetings. Before opening each day, Bank of America branches also have "team huddles," which are ideal for communicating information about company wellness programs.
8) Share employees' positive experiences
Several speakers at the San Francisco Fitbit conference said sharing testimonials is an excellent way to engage employees in wellness programs or fitness challenges.
"People love to read stories about their colleagues," Benz said. For example, an 'average Joe' who was a smoker for 20 years successfully completed a cessation program offered by one of Benz's corporate clients. The company highlighted 'Joe's' accomplishment in one of its employee newsletters, and nearly 100 fellow employees emailed him to say the story inspired them to join the program, Benz said. Joe also told his company benefits manager that, after all the recognition he received for quitting, he "definitely can't start smoking again."
Boehm added that organizations should find testimonials from all levels of the company and "keep putting them out there." Employees featured in testimonials can be a wellness program's "best advocates."
9) Focus over generality in communications
Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all approach to effective communication, Boehm said. "The more tailored your communications are (to individual interests), the more engagement you'll get." You're trying to get people to change their behavior, she said. But if your approach is too broad or general, employees might think the message doesn't apply to them.
10) Be timely and proactive
Organizations' communications should be timely and relevant whenever possible, according to Benz. She suggests following the "TaskRabbit model" by striving to make communications "helpful for others" and giving employees information they can act on. For example, if an employee needs an MRI, a company might provide information on affordable facilities that perform the test before the employee makes an appointment.
More tips for successful corporate wellness programs
11) It's not all about the Benjamins
It's never a good idea to depend solely on financial incentives to motivate employees. Many employers choose to increase financial incentives to motivate staff health improvement, but the majority of workers don't take full advantage of the incentives, according LuAnn Heinen, vice president, National Business Group on Health (NBGH).
In 2015, 79 percent of employers will offer monetary health incentives, up from 63 percent five years earlier, according to a 2015 NBGH and Fidelity Investments survey, which Heinen cited. The same survey also found the average maximum incentive amount rose to $693 this year compared to $594 in 2014, while only 47 percent of employees earn the full incentive amount, and 26 percent earn just a portion of the total.
Though important, financial incentives, as well as future health rewards don't always motivate sustainable participation in wellness challenges and fitness programs, Heinen said. The promise of fun, overall better quality of life, and higher energy levels are often more effective motivators, she said.
12) Help employees help themselves
Creativity can go a long way toward giving employees easy options to care for themselves. For example, mindfulness — the act of "being in the moment" —is gaining popularity in corporate wellness programs, according to Heinen. Pitney Bowes, for example, offers five-minute guided meditation for employees over the phone.
13) More physical activity isn't always better
The goal of increasing physical activity isn't always appropriate for all workers. Some workers, such as nurses or employees in packing and shipping departments are always on their feet, so increasing steps isn't necessarily a wise move, Boehm said. Instead, decreasing steps can make these types or workers more efficient in their jobs and "give them energy to focus on what matters most" at work and at home.
14) Cheaters never prosper
Organization shouldn't worry about fitness challenge "cheaters," or people who manipulate their fitness data. Companies that roll out a Fitbit Wellness program can enable or disable employees from manually logging steps, according to Amy McDonough, vice president and general manager, Fitbit Wellness. However, McDonough says Fitbit has "found that with good communications and transparency about how a program ties to incentives and what data is being shared, the majority of employees will be honest and will keep each other honest."
4 ways to maximize the benefit of your workday breaks
Take a look at your workday. When do you take a break? How long is your break? What do you do on your break? Do you take more than one break? Do you feel recharged after your break?
Those questions were the focus of a study done by 2 Baylor University researchers. Emily Hunter, Ph.D. and Cindy Wu, Ph.D. are associate professors of management in Baylor's Hankamer School of business. The pair surveyed 95 employees between the ages of 22 and 67 over a 5-day workweek. Each person was asked to document each break they took.
The research defined a break as “any period of time, formal or informal, during the workday in which work-relevant tasks are not required or expected, including but not limited to a break for lunch, coffee, personal email or socializing with coworkers, not including bathroom breaks.”
When compiling the total of 959 break surveys, Hunter and Wu were able to provide a greater understanding of workday breaks. Their findings offer suggestions on when, where and how to plan the most beneficial daily escapes when on the clock.
Key findings of the study include:
1) Best time to take a workday break: Mid-morning.
A typical work day may have you counting down to lunch, but the study found an earlier break is more successful in replenishing energy, concentration and motivation.
“We found that when more hours had elapsed since the beginning of the work shift, fewer resources and more symptoms of poor health were reported after a break,” the study says. “Therefore, breaks later in the day seem to be less effective.”
2) What to do on your break: Something you enjoy and not necessarily non-work related.
The study found no evidence that non-work-related activities are more beneficial. Instead, do things choose to do and like to do which could include work-related tasks.
“Finding something on your break that you prefer to do – something that’s not given to you or assigned to you – are the kinds of activities that are going to make your breaks much more restful, provide better recovery and help you come back to work stronger,” Hunter said.
3)"Better Breaks" = Better health, increased job satisfaction
Employee surveys showed those that took mid-morning breaks and did things they preferred led to less somatic symptoms like headaches, eyestrain and lower back pain after the break.
The study also found the employees also experienced increased job satisfaction and a decrease in emotional exhaustion.
4) But how long should the break be?
The study wasn't able to pinpoint an exact length of time for a better workday break, but it did find that more short breaks with associated with higher resources - energy, concentration, and motivation.
“Unlike your cellphone, which popular wisdom tells us should be depleted to zero percent before you charge it fully to 100 percent, people instead need to charge more frequently throughout the day,” Hunter said.
Hunter and Wu believe the results of the study benefit both managers and employees.
7 Unexpected Signs You're Totally Stressed
Originally posted by Emma Haak on Oprah.com
You're Hearing Sounds That No One Else Does
Why it could be stress: Exactly how tinnitus is linked to stress isn't clear, but research in BMC Public Health found that people who were worried about being fired or moved to another job were more likely to report tinnitus (hearing a noise like ringing, buzzing, clicking or even hissing) or hearing loss than those who felt secure in their roles.
Other possible causes: Earwax buildup, really loud noises and age-related hearing loss. If it's happening often enough to bother you, see an ear nose and throat specialist to nail down the cause.
You've Gone From Outspoken to Wallflower at Work
Why it could be stress: Stress can make you feel impulsive (it affects brain areas that keep our behavior in check), but it can also make you feel the opposite way, triggering withdrawal and a loss of confidence that's usually most noticeable at the office, says Susan Evans, PhD, professor of psychology in clinical psychology at Weill Cornell Medical College. "You may find yourself in a meeting where you'd normally voice your opinions without hesitation, but now you're holding back because you're not sure if what you have to say makes sense," she says. A small study in Neurocase found that simply watching a stressful movie for 30 minutes (in this case, Saving Private Ryan) made it harder to complete challenging word-association tasks than viewing more lighthearted fare.
Other possible causes: You guessed it—depression. Withdrawal is a classic symptom, but usually comes with other signs like a loss of interest in your favorite activities, feelings of hopelessness or changes in appetite.
All It Takes Is One Stranger's Sneeze and Suddenly You're Sick
Why it could be stress: Your immunity takes a hit when you're stressed, research shows, leaving you less capable of fending off whatever virus is making its way through your house or office. In one study, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, stressed-out people were twice as likely to get sick after being exposed to the common cold. The stressed folks also produced more pro-inflammatory compounds once the virus was in their systems, potentially making sniffles and sneezes worse.
Other possible causes: A consistent lack of sleep can also hamper your immune system. If you're sleeping well, not feeling stressed, but find that your sick-day tally keeps growing, ask your doctor whether a more serious issue could be to blame.
You Have an All-or-Nothing Relationship with the Bathroom
Why it could be stress: Things may stop moving because your body is diverting energy to more essential organs and systems to help you survive, says David Spiegel, MD, director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford School of Medicine. And research suggests that diarrhea may be triggered by the gut's response to a chemical called CRF that the brain releases under stress (your colon is full of CRF receptors).
Other possible causes: Backups can develop from too little fiber (women 50 and younger need 25 grams per day; 51 and up need 21 grams). As for diarrhea, non-stress-related causes include stomach viruses, contaminated food and certain medications. You could also be eating foods that just don't sit well in your stomach, like these 6 items that many people have trouble digesting.
You're Doing Some Very Weird Things in Your Sleep
Why it could be stress: It's rare, and would only happen under extreme stress, but parasomnias (abnormal events like sleepwalking, sleep eating and night terrors) due to stress, can happen, says Rajita Sinha, PhD, director of the Yale Stress Center. Blame a ramped-up, always-on-alert sympathetic nervous system. It flips on your fight-or-flight response, and in the case of incredibly stressed-out folks, it can overpower your body's calming system during sleep, leading to unusual activity, explains Spiegel. "I had one stress patient," he says, "who would get up in the middle of the night when he was traveling for work, get dressed, go down to the hotel lobby and talk to people, and have no recollection of it in the morning."
Other possible causes: Obstructive sleep apnea, medications and certain (though rare) brain disorders—your doctor can help you figure out which one is causing your sleep disturbances.
Your Periods are Leveling You
Why it could be stress: Your stressed body is pouring out chemicals that help you take action and dialing down production of those that would alleviate your distress, says Sinha. And that means you'll feel pain more acutely, including discomfort from your menstrual cycle. Women with higher levels of perceived stress reported more severe symptoms, including cramping and pain, during their periods, found one study in the Journal of Women's Health.
Other possible causes: See your doctor to rule out causes like fibroids, a copper IUD, pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis.
You've Got Numbness or Tingling in Your Arms and Hands
Why it could be stress: You may be holding all that tension you're feeling in your neck and shoulders, a very common problem for women, says Holly Phillips, MD, an internist in New York and a medical contributor for CBS News. With major stress, the tension can lead to compression of a particular bundle of nerves that goes into your arm, causing that numbness and tingling. "Leaning over computers and smartphones for hours a day, and being stressed out while we're doing it, can make these muscle issues worse," she explains. "Our ears should be directly over our shoulders, but with this poor posture, they're a few inches forward. It's an awkward and pain-inducing position."
Other possible causes: Carpal tunnel syndrome—it can lead to numbness and tingling, too. Any task that involves flexing your wrist over and over can cause it. Another potential but less common culprit is nerve damage. But the sources can be serious (diabetes, infections, trauma and autoimmune conditions, to name a few), so if you notice these symptoms, call your doctor and make an appointment to get checked out.