In the first part of this series, we mentioned that smoking can have a big, negative impact on how a person heals from injuries. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone that smoking is an expensive habit.

One of our clients decided to not only count how much money he was spending on cigarettes/tobacco, but also the incidentals: the lottery tickets, sodas, gum etc. he was also grabbing when he went to the convenience store. When that money saved paid for a vacation, he was able to convince his wife to kick the habit too.

But what is the cost to employers? Nearly $6,000 per employee.

The Surgeon General's office is responsible for providing the public with the most currect health information, and has released priorities that American's most urgently need to address. These priorities include tobacco- and drug-free living, mental and emotional well-being, healthy eating, and active living. 

These are the same priorities we have when developing wellness programs for our clients. Make sure you're addressing all of these, both in your personal life, and for your employees. 

One of our favorite phrases around here is “A healthy worker is a safe worker.” This is part one in a series to explain the many facets of what that means to us.

Benefitspro recently published an article on why employees aren't using their wellness programs-read it over on their website. 

A lot of the reasons employees cited are ones that TRS|Wellness has helped our clients overcome, and one of the biggest reasons employees are wary of participating is concerns over their privacy. As our programs are developed by healthcare professionals, we are experts at ensuring that our clients' private health information is respected and secure. The companies that we have worked with have found that having us manage health screens, incentives, and behavior based coaching has not only provided superior results, but that our professional team has eased these types of fears. 

Employers trust us to provide the best return on investment and employees trust us to help them to effect lasting meaningful changes in their health. What can we do for you?

The American Heart Association has released recommendations on workplace wellness programs. The major finding of their advisory panel is that although many employers offer wellness programs, the majority of them are not effective or comprehensive. The AHA states:

“A comprehensive workplace wellness program includes: health education; exercise areas; a supportive environment; integration into other organizational initiatives; employee health and safety programs; and wellness screenings.”