AAOHN’s survey reported that more than half of employees (61%) want to receive health and wellness information from a health care professional, such as a consultant or an on-site occupational health nurse (OHN), compared to pamphlets or brochures (18%) or human resources staff (15%).

OHNs can develop, implement and evaluate components of work site Worksite Wellness Programs such as screening programs, exercise/fitness courses, Stress Management Programs, smoking cessation, nutrition and weight control programs, as well as chronic illness management programs. Plus, OHNs can help employees navigate through complicated health plans and may even serve as a triage point between employees and their personal health care providers.

Employees might refrain from seeing their health care provider when it means time away from work, inconvenient parking, waiting time in the office and co-pays. In situations where employees are under treatment for chronic diseases like heart disease, on-site nurses can routinely monitor risk factors such as blood pressure or cholesterol on a regular basis.

It’s frequently easier for an staff member to ask an on-site nurse for information about symptoms or prescription medication than it is to schedule a follow-up visit to a personal health care provider. Benefits realized by employers include enhanced staff member morale and retention, a recruitment advantage, increased productivity and decreased time away from work.

In businesses with a safety department, the OHN can evaluate and address work-related health issues, including participation in workstation evaluations to correct potential ergonomic problems, and proactively addressing muscle strains by developing stretching programs and involving employees in leading stretches.

By Sandra Simpson, APRN, BC, COHN-S, manager in Occupational Health Services at a Fortune 500 organization in Memphis, Tenn., and a member of the board of directors of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN). For a copy of the AAOHN wellness survey, visit www.aaohn.org, or call (800) 241-8014, x0.

In today’s hectic world, most of us are spending more time at work, and have increasingly less time to look after our health. For a long time, employers have understood the benefits associated with keeping workers well – increased productivity from reduced rates of absence and lowered disability claims. For these reasons, coupled with the fact that many businesses realized double-digit health care costs last year, businesses should consider Worksite Wellness Programs as a way to keep employees healthy.

But just how important are these programs to employees? How frequently are they willing to take part in programs designed to positively impact their health and wellness? Who do employees trust to provide them with important information about their health?

Answers to these questions and more were recently garnered from a study commissioned by the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Inc. (AAOHN).

The AAOHN survey questioned 500 employees nationwide about their perceptions of Worksite Wellness Programs. More than three-quarters of all participants indicated these programs are a good way to improve their overall health, and nearly 60% consider these offerings an incentive to remain with their current employer. staff member retention and turnover impact the bottom line, so building Worksite Wellness Programs into the work site culture is a valuable way to help retain talented employees in addition to enhancing personal health and workplace productivity.

Health wish list

Employees appear to have their own agenda when it comes to their health. With new pressures resulting from an unstable economy, national security threats and work/balance issues, it’s not surprising that 85% of survey respondents cited Stress Management Programs as a priority topic for work site wellness.

In addition to stress, other preferred topic areas include screening programs (84%), exercise/physical fitness programs (84%), health insurance education (81%) and disease management seminars (80%).

In addition to lifestyle and personal health issues, those asked expressed concern about work-related health issues, including strains and injuries resulting from lifting or task-oriented muscle repetition, exposure to harmful substances, personal injury, vision changes due to computer work and workplace violence.

What you should do

With such a broad range of health concerns, a key goal for employers is finding a way to proactively address the health needs of the largest number of employees, and effectively change unhealthy behaviors, promote wellness and ward off disease and illness.

Printed materials such as brochures, posters, fliers or pamphlets present an easy solution. But it’s important to remember that different individuals require different formats for learning. A good rule of thumb: provide information in a variety of learning formats such as videos, pamphlets, health-related quizzes, display boards, lunch-and-learn presentations and reimbursement or incentive programs.

This assumes you’ve overcome the first hurdle – getting individuals to sign on to a Worksite Wellness Program. While survey respondents indicated health and Worksite Wellness Programs are important, just six out of 10 (60%) reported that they participated in the Worksite Wellness Programs at their businesses. The other 40% cited lack of interest and lack of time as deterrents.

This points to the need for a broad-based, structured Worksite Wellness Program using a innovative approach, with an incentive for participation and effective program marketing.

By investing in an organized Worksite Wellness Program headed by a qualified health care professional such as an on-site nurse, businesses can give employees the access to the health information they want, and increase participation and generate interest at the same time.

The result: employees become savvier health care consumers who feel more in charge of their personal health. And healthier employees make for a healthier bottom line.