This document discusses strategies for improving employee health and wellness in order to reduce costs and save time. It outlines various facets of wellness including nutrition, fitness, and stress management. Risk factors that affect employees like cardiovascular disease and obesity are examined. The benefits of a healthy workplace including fewer sick days and better productivity are contrasted with the characteristics of an unhealthy workplace. Specific health issues at work like back pain, alcohol/drugs, mental health, and HIV/AIDS are addressed. Methods for confronting obesity and improving sleep, movement, and stress levels are proposed. The document concludes with questions to consider.

1. Reducing costs and saving time
through health & wellness
by Toronto Training and HR
February 2014

2. CONTENTS
3-4
Introduction
5-6
Facets of wellness
7-9
Risk factors for every 100 employees
10-11
What does an unhealthy workplace look like?
12-13
…and what about a healthy workplace?
14-15
Managing back pain
16-17
Tackling stress
18-20
Dealing with alcohol and drugs
21-22
Mental health
23-24
Try a mental detox program
25-26
Moving and walking
27-28
Gamification
29-30
Sleep
31-34
HIV at work
35-38
Confronting obesity at work
39-40
Survey questions
41-43
How much does health & wellness cost?
44-46
Measures
47-48
Become calmer
49-50
Conclusion, summary and questions
Page 2

3. Introduction
Page 3

4. Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and
human resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
10 years in banking
15 years in training and human resources
Freelance practitioner since 2006
The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR
are:
Training event design
Training event delivery
HR support with an emphasis on reducing
costs, saving time plus improving employee
engagement and morale
Services for job seekers
Page 4

5. Facets of wellness
Page 5

6. Facets of
wellness
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Nutrition
Fitness
Sleep
Work-life balance
Preventative care
Relationships
Finances
Spirituality
Interventions
Responsibility
Page 6

7. Risk factors for every 100
employees
Page 7

8. Risk
factors for
every 100
employees
1 of 2
• 25 have cardiovascular
disease
• 8 are asthmatic
• 11 are diabetic
• 33 have high blood
pressure
• 15 have high cholesterol
• 34 are overweight
• 19 smoke
• 31 use alcohol excessively
• 20 don’t wear seatbelts
Page 8

9. Risk
factors for
every 100
employees
2 of 2
• 33 don’t exercise
• 44 suffer from stress
Page 9

10. What does an unhealthy
workplace look like?
Page 10

11. What does
an
unhealthy
workplace
look like?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Poor management
A bullying culture
Poor customer service
High levels of absence
Reduced productivity
Unreasonably high work
demands
Page 11

12. …and what about a
healthy workplace?
Page 12

13. …and what
about a
healthy
workplace?
•
•
•
•
Go that extra kilometre
Give great customer service
Take fewer sick days
Provide commitment and
creativity
Page 13

14. Managing back pain
Page 14

15. Managing
back pain
• Assessing the risk of back
pain by involving
employees
• Keep in touch with
employees who are off sick
• Encourage employees to
stay active where at all
possible
Page 15

16. Tackling stress
Page 16

17. Tackling
stress
• ‘Open door’ day
• Training
• Greater involvement in
future changes
• More effective job design
• Consistent policy for
dealing with bullying
Page 17

18. Dealing with alcohol or
drugs
Page 18

19. Dealing
with
alcohol or
drugs 1 of 2
• Keep accurate but
confidential records of poor
performance
• Interview the employee in
private
• Concentrate on the
instances of poor
performance
• Ask the employee to provide
reasons for poor
performance without
mentioning alcohol or drugs
Page 19

20. Dealing
with
alcohol or
drugs 2 of 2
• If appropriate discuss the
organization’s alcohol or
drugs policy and the help
available inside or outside
the organization
• Agree future action
• Arrange regular meetings
to monitor progress and
discuss any further
problems
Page 20

21. Mental health
Page 21

22. Mental
health
• Keep an open mind
• Learn the facts about
mental disorders
• Be flexible
• Seek expert advice and
guidance
• Listen and give the
employee time to talk
Page 22

23. Try a mental detox
program
Page 23

24. Try a
mental
detox
program
• Add exercise to the routine
• Plot out the day in advance
• Do your top three to-dos
first
• Finish what you start
• Seek small, continuous
improvement
• Recharge your mental
battery
Page 24

25. Moving and working
Page 25

26. Moving
and
working
• Staircases
• Treadmill workstations
• Walking meetings
Page 26

27. Gamification
Page 27

28. Gamification
• Expected elements
• Personal motivations
• Social relationships
• Best practices for
designing effective health
games
• Things to remember
Page 28

29. Sleep
Page 29

30. Sleep
• Benefits of deep sleep
• Physical outcomes of sleep
loss
• Stage two sleep
• Mental outcomes of sleep
loss
• REM
• Emotional outcomes of
sleep loss
• Facilities, services and
education
• Sleep deprivation

31. HIV at work
Page 31

32. HIV at
•
work 1 of 3
People living with HIV who
took part in the research
were generally satisfied with
their working lives and were
able to play an important
part in the workforce
• More than half of
respondents living with HIV
reported that HIV had no
impact on their work at the
moment-most respondents
had not made any changes
in their working lives
because of their HIV status

33. HIV at
•
work 2 of 3
When working practices were
reported to be affected by a
person's HIV status, initial
diagnosis, starting or
changing medication were the
most common 'flashpoints'
• Over a third of HIV positive
survey respondents had not
taken any days off to attend
their HIV clinic in the last
twelve months
Page 33

34. HIV at
•
work 3 of 3
Requested adjustments to
work-life activity usually were
straightforward, involving
flexibility around working
hours to attend clinics or a
change in hours worked
• Over 60% of HIV positive
respondents had disclosed
their HIV status to someone
at work-less than one in ten
reported a negative response
when they disclosed their HIV
positive status
Page 34

35. Confronting obesity
Page 35

36. Confronting
obesity
1 of 3
• Look at overall health and
long-term weight goals
• Focus on reduction of
cardio metabolic risk
• Come from an evidence
base that is
biological, behavioural and
psychological
• Teach people lifelong skills
• Emphasize engagement
Page 36

37. Confronting
obesity
2 of 3
• Offer healthy food at
worksite cafeterias
• Provide healthy foods and
water at workplace
meetings or celebrations
instead of sweets or other
unhealthy foods and drinks
• Offer consultations or
counselling with dieticians
to help employees identify
how they can make
improvements in their
eating habits

38. Confronting •
obesity
3 of 3
•
Produce free exercise and
yoga classes
Encourage employees to take
walks with their colleagues
• Create an environment that
encourages physical activity
• Avoid singling out or
penalizing those who are
overweight
• Incorporate a range of
support tools including online
health coaches and social
media

39. Survey questions
Page 39

40. Survey
questions
• Safety belt use
• Healthy foods during
workday
• Low-fat/healthy food
options available
• Exercise during workday
• Smoke-free environment
provided
• Healthy lifestyles
recognized publicly
• Leaders model good health
Page 40

41. How much does health &
wellness cost?
Page 41

42. How much
does
health &
wellness
cost? 1 of 2
• Health calendar, $1-$3 per
copy
• Newsletter (paper), $0.25$0.75 per issue
• Newsletter
(electronic), $0.10-$0.30
per issue
• Health risk appraisal
(paper), $9-$20
• Health risk appraisal
(online), $3-$5
• Self-care books, $5-$8 per
Page
copy 42

43. How much
does
health &
wellness
cost? 2 of 2
• Nurse advice line, $0.40-$1
• Health portal, $0.75-$1.25
• Biometric screening, $35$75
• Health coaching, $100$200
• Disease management,
$175-$250
Page 43

44. Measures
Page 44

45. Measures
1 of 2
• Days lost from absence
• % of working time lost per
employee from absence
• Days lost from
presenteeism
• % of working time lost per
employee from
presenteeism
• Average turnover cost per
employee
Page 45

46. Measures
2 of 2
• Number of claims due to
accidents and injuries per
year
• Average cost per claim
• High risk factors
• BMI
• Cholesterol
• Blood pressure
• Tobacco use
• Absenteeism
• Attrition
Page 46

47. Become CALMER
Page 47

48. Become
CALMER
•
•
•
•
•
•
Communication
Assessment
Lifestyle enhancement
Medical self-care
Education
Reporting
Page 48

49. Conclusion, summary and
questions
Page 49

50. Conclusion, summary and
questions
Conclusion
Summary
Videos
Questions
Page 50