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Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Poll: Employee Wellness Programs
Hi Girls!
I am trying to put together an employee wellness plan and am looking for some feedback on what you would like to see your company do.
Would you participate in Health Screenings (Fingerstick, 5 minute results, full lipid panel with diabetes screen plus optional testing like thyroid, PSA for men, etc)?
How about on campus group fitness classes during lunch or part of lunch?
Would you like to see classes on healthy brown bag lunches, quick and easy dinners, etc?
What would you like to see as incentives? Gift cards, cash, extra vacation time?
I am looking for ideas for my company and have to do a presentation. Thank you, thank you!!!
Re: Poll: Employee Wellness Programs
I've participated in all those events at some point. I work for the state and very rarely are there incentives but a few times gift cards were raffled off and meals/snacks were provided.
We had lots of fitness competitions and the incetives for those are usually larger but I think those have entrance fees.
My two favorite health promotions was a Womens' health series lunch done by an OBGYN. IT was 2 or 3 part series but it was nice to have and to hear the questions and answers of other women too. I know I feel rushed to ask 50 million questions during my visits so it was extremely informative. They have had other health professionals including a series for men ( But I skipped that one).
THe other one was a mini health fair where we had all those tests you mentioned plus some and we got lots of free swag and office supplies from the vendors.
Yes.
No, I don't want to be all sweaty or have to shower in the middle of the day.
Not really.
Any of those.
I would not do health screenings, and I've seen people up in arms worried about privacy issues associated with it.
I think a fitness class would be cool.
If there were nutrition classes, I'd be interested in something online and on-demand
GCs would work for me, but I'm easy to please.
Our little Irish rose came to us on March 5, 2010
Don't drink the water.
Disclaimer: I am not an MD. Please don't PM me with pregnancy-related questions. Ask your doctor.
My work has this as a way to get a discount on health insurance. Everyone does the health screening and it is not a problem. I would love fitness classes over lunch! I wish they offered this. I probably wouldn't attend food classes. Usually they offer classes on like breast screening, diabetes, etc. but I've never gone.
For us we have to get so many points each year to get a discount so they have challenges. We did a chug a jug where you drank so much water for a month, walking challenge, right now its weigh-2-win where you need to lose so much % in a period. You also get points for online seminars and local events like Race for the cure.
We don't have any incentives other than premium discount. I think I would want more vacation time.
I work for a very large healthcare organization that offers incentives toward health insurance premiums for participating in the very extensive wellness programs they offer. A few hundred dollars is given when programs are completed. Based on my personal experience employees almost have to be incentivised to get them to participate. The unhealthier the person is the harder it is to get them to participate. Incentives are the carrots. There is the stick method also: make employees pay more for their insurance if they don't participate.
It is advantageous for companies to try to keep thier employees as healthy as possible as your premiums are based on the group risk. Especially self insured employers.
I actually sell wellness programs to local employers along with other medical service offerings for this healthcare organization. We have 30K employees. Less than half participate, way less. AND that is with offering several hundred dollars.
The company has mandated flu shots for all this year. As a healthcare company they can do that, as a regular company it is much harder.
In our company we do a Health Risk Assessment, then blood screenings as well as biometrics (ht wt body fat) We have access to 8 on line educational programs. The company that houses the results of our risk assessments provides a custom healthy living program based on our results. Personal Health Coaching is offered to the employees to help them change the behaviors that made them unhealthy (smoking, weight gain, heart disease, asthma, etc.)
For those that are worried about privacy: DONT!
In healthcare we live in the HIPPA environment day in and day out. Privacy is federal law. No company or healthcare company will even take a remote chance of violating this federal law. We take it very seriously and escort employees out of the company same day if they violate HIPPA. No healthcare company will EVER share personal results from an emoloyee.
What will be shared is an aggregate report (of entire company) of risk factors: smoking diabetes heart disease etc. and that is all. Continuing your wellness program year after year can show improvments (or not) annually.
As an employee I enjoy the opportunity to reduce my premiums with the financial incentives. I like the free screenings and we have fitness centers at many of our sites already. Any seminars offered are also enjoyed by many employees.
Health and wellness fairs are usually offered during open enrollment periods at companies.
HTH! Best of Luck ...
My company reimburses employees for amounts spent on ongoing wellness activities such as gym fees, fitness classes, physio and the like. Our benefit is a repayment of 75% of the expense, to a maximum reimbursement of $125 each quarter.
I use mine for running race fees and gym fees. I think this is a good setup because is promotes use while being hands-off.