Workplace wellness program - Articles

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Model workplace mental health programs

DuPont, Merck, Duke & a family business

November 5, 2019

One of the best ways to get started with a workplace mental health initiative is to learn about what other employers have done, especially those of a similar size and/or nature.

“Social Determinants” affect workers' health, the bottom line

October 23, 2018

Employers would do well to address social determinants of health (SDH) when deciding upon health insurance and wellness plans, according to a "fast-track" paper in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Helping workers to quit smoking boosts productivity

Jared Butt

March 7, 2018

Workers who smoke can cost their employers thousands of dollars per year more than their non-‐ smoking counterparts, new research has found. The study found smoking to pose a substantial burden on employers through increased costs from lost productivity. The US researches say it would be in an employer’s best interest to support smoking cessation programs that facilitate quitting among employees.

CDC program helps smaller companies invest in employee health

August 24, 2017

Small- to mid-size employers participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program increased their investment in evidence-based interventions to improve worker health, according to a study in the July Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Heath and wellness

Workplace weight management lowers costs, improves quality of life

Program has benefits even for participants who don't lose weight

November 11, 2016

Employees who participate in a workplace weight management program—even those without significant weight loss—have reduced health care costs and improved quality of life (QOL), reports a study in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Know what’s good for you? Stretch your legs.

Dave Johnson

June 1, 2016

About seven in ten U.S. employers offer a general wellness program, up from 58 percent in 2008, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

Policy brief: Nurses help build culture of health in the workplace

September 14, 2015

How are nurses in the workplace improving the quality of care and driving down costs? According to a new policy brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), momentum is building for an array of worksite-based care delivery and preventive health approaches that could produce such benefits and more, with nurses taking a leading role.

Proposed rule: How employer wellness programs can comply with ADA provisions

Mark Katchen MS MBA CIH

May 8, 2015

On April 20, 2015, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) describing how Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to employer wellness programs that are part of group health plans. The NPRM is available in the Public Inspection portion of the Federal Register.

APHA releases Occupational Safety and Health Policy book

April 3, 2015

The American Public Health Association (APHA) has released Occupational Safety and Health Policy, a new book that explores the role of policy in improving workplace safety.

Small businesses good candidates for wellness programs

Low cost, easy-to-adopt programs can improve employee health

January 13, 2015

Small businesses are prepared to adopt workplace wellness programs and, based on the kinds of health risks facing employees, are a good target for such health interventions according to new research published in this month’s issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine from the Colorado School of Public Health.