Best Practices in Developing a Holistic Well-being Strategy for Your Organization

• Nearly 1 in 2 adults has high blood pressure, yet only 1 in 4 has it under control to <130/80 mmHG.
• If left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can increase a person’s risk for heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, pregnancy complications, and cognitive decline later in life.

• 41.5% of US adults suffered from anxiety and depression in early 2021.  
• Overall, for every 1,000 U.S. employees, depression in the workforce costs about $232,000 in excess healthcare treatments and lost work time. 

• Overall, for every 1,000 U.S. employees, back pain in the workforce costs about $442,000 in excess healthcare treatments and lost work time.
• One in three employees with back pain also had obesity. Hypertensive disease afflicted one in four employees with back pain, while lipid metabolism disorder afflicted one in five. 
• Excess medical and pharmacy treatment costs for employees with back pain averaged about $2,400 per year. 
• Employees with back pain had an average of 2 excess sick days per year, at a cost of almost $600 in wages and benefits.

Identifying the modifiable risk factors among your employee population can allow you to develop population health strategies to reduce health risks and improve employee well-being.  

Modifiable health risks are behaviors and exposures that can raise or lower a person’s risk. They may be reduced or controlled with lifestyle modifications.

Well-established evidence from Oxford Academic  and Health Affairs shows shows that the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes share modifiable risk factors such as alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity which account for more than two-thirds of these diseases.  

Examples of modifiable health risk factors include:

• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• High cholesterol
• Excess weight and obesity
• Smoking
• Unhealthy diet
• Physical inactivity

• Provide a grassroots well-being program. 
• Use existing well-being resources from your insurance carrier(s) and employee assistance program (EAP).
• Partner with your MMA consulting team to develop a strategy and gain assistance with implementation.
• Engage a third-party vendor to provide a robust formal well-being program via an online platform.

Assess current programs.

• Communication plan development
• Multi-faceted approach
• On-going project management support
• Manage incentive program

Establish the foundation.

• Develop a three-year strategic plan
• Define priorities
• Evaluate and leverage existing resources
• Provide compliance recommendations

Gain leadership commitment.

• Engagement management
• Assess and remove barriers
• Establish committee leaders (champions, ambassadors)

Ensure employee engagement.

• Employee communication and education
• Workplace wellness committee support
• Customer employee wellness surveys

Develop annual operational plan/annual planner.

• Key objectives and goal setting
• Identify resources and vendors
• Finalize customized total health solutions
• Determine responsibilities and due dates

Measure effectiveness.

• Define measurements
• Evaluate and make recommendations