Nati9109's List: Compensation & Benefits Paper

• Make employees feel appreciated, and they will work harder and be more loyal.
• Managers responding to the survey ranked promotions and cash bonuses as the two most effective ways of recognizing employee accomplishments, but workers said they preferred an in-person thank-you or having a job well done reported to senior management

• Physical health and work performance go hand in hand. Mental and physical health plays a very important role for an employee’s growth and productivity. It helps to improve the efficiency of the employee, leading to better performance. 
• Good physical health of workers helps in long-term cost benefit saving. Job performance can be predicted through physical health and physiological wellbeing. The productivity can be increased by good physical health of the workers

• There is scientific evidence that a correlation exists between an individual's unhealthy lifestyle and injury, disability and certain chronic illnesses such as heart disease, hypertension, strokes and premature mortality. Some health risk factors that are the precursors to disease and disability include:
• The report shows that over 67% of Americans are not regularly active and 25% are not active at all.
• Last year alone, heart disease accounted for more than $137 billion in national medical costs and lost productivity
• • $1,100 a year for every employee who kicks the smoking habit,
   
  • $269 a year for every employee who progresses from couch potato to fitness enthusiast;
   
  • $1,200 a year on employees who reduce their cholesterol levels from 240 milligrams to 190 milligrams, and
   
  • $177 a year for every employee who goes from obesity (more than 30 pounds overweight) to a healthy weight.

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• Healthy eating and exercise don't just feel good; they help you perform better on the job. And proper timing can help you reap the full benefits of any exercise program
• . Exercising before a meal will raise the body's metabolic rate and help you burn calories more efficiently for as long as 24 hours afterwards.

• • Increased energy
   • Improved concentration
   • Adequate sleep so employees are well rested and functioning on the job
   • Enhanced problem solving
   • Improved memory
• If employees do not consume nutritious foods they are likely to become less energetic, less able to think clearly and less able to do their jobs.  The good news is that Canadians want to eat healthier.  A 2005 Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of President’s Choice showed that finding the time to prepare and eat healthy meals is a priority for 82% of Canadians. 

• • Are managers willing to participate in worksite wellness programs and encourage others to do so?
   
  • What do they see as the benefits of worksite wellness programs for employees and the organization?
   
  • What kinds of worksite wellness activities are they willing to allow?
   
  • What is the level of employee interest in various types of wellness program activities, the most convenient times and places to schedule activities, and/or suggested organizational changes to promote a more healthful work environment?
• • Discover how employees want to receive program information (e.g. electronically, strategically-placed bulletin boards, memos, etc.).
   
  • What health components (nutrition, physical activity, tobacco) are they most interested in addressing and how?
   
  • What types of groups might employees be most inclined to join (e.g. walking, yoga, cooking, biking, weight-loss, dance, martial arts, nutrition, etc.)?
   
  • Which employees have expertise that may be useful to the program?

• Mr. Bates recommends that employers, coalitions, insurance companies and / or  anyone interested in having effective employee wellness programs should seek the services of an experienced and knowledgeable wellness consultant.  By doing so employers will generally end   up with more effective employee wellness programs. 
• orporate wellness programs are designed to nurture wellness in workers, regardless of the work environment. Corporate Wellness programs could be found in factories, corporate offices, large corporations, and small corporations alike.
• Corporate wellness programs have evolved from offering exercise equipment on site for staff members to utilize, to offering heart healthy choices in the cafeteria, to even having available, a real individuals to talk with about healthcare needs.

• Just because an individual has diabetes does not mean they have all the most up-to-date information on how to best live with diabetes. Oftentimes, diet and exercise alone can control diabetes and eliminate the need for medication or more invasive treatments.

   

  corporate wellness pr

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• per capita and as a percentage of GDP — than any other nation on Earth, according to the Organizati
• n for Economic Cooperation and Development. In 2010, that amounted to approximately $2.6 trillion
• . Between 1999 and 2009, spending on healthcare in the U.S. rose from $1.3 trillion a year to $2.6 trillion based on federal data — a growth rate roughly twice that of inflation. As a result, the share of the nation’s GDP devoted to healthcare reached 17.9%, up from 13.8% a decade earlier.

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• increased relaxation, better sleep and mood, strong immune function

• Benefits are forms of value, other than payment, that are provided to the employee   in return for their contribution to the organization, that is, for doing their   job. Some benefits, such as unemployment and worker's compensation, are federally   required. (Worker's compensation is really a worker's right, rather than a benefit.)
• Prominent examples of benefits are insurance (medical, life, dental, disability,   unemployment and worker's compensation), vacation pay, holiday pay, and maternity   leave, contribution to retirement (pension pay), profit sharing, stock options,   and bonuses. (Some people would consider profit sharing, stock options and bonuses   as forms of compensation.)

• For the first time, healthcare costs for the average employee who gets health insurance
• through their employer will
• top $10,000 in 2012, a new study indicates
• According to global human resource consulting firm Aon Hewitt, the average total healthcare premium per employee for large companies is anticipated to rise to $10,475 next year, up from $9,792 in 2011 and $9,111 in 2010.
• The sum employees will contribute out of their paychecks is also expected to increase, as $2,306 - or 22 percent of the total premium - will come from workers. Out-of-pocket costs, which include copayments, coinsurance and deductibles, are projected to jump approximately $200 next year, totaling $2,275.

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• Employers will continue to offer workers cash or other incentives to take health assessment surveys and get screened for potential problems, such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol. In addition, a small but growing number of employers are penalizing workers who decline to participate in such programs, either by refusing to cover them or charging them a higher premium, according to Towers Watson.

• Preventable illness makes up approximately 80% of the burden of illnesses and 90% of all health care costs.
• mployers get an average of $3.48 back in reduced health care costs and $5.82 in lower absenteeism cost for every dollar spent on employee wellness.
• Employees with more risk factors, including being overweight, smoking and having diabetes not only cost more to insure, they also pay more for health care than individuals with less risk factors. To take a stand against this startling fact, many employers are now offering some type of workplace wellness program to offset the rising costs of health care.

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• Fit employees have more energy. One of the many benefits of regular exercise is increased and sustained energy throughout the day. This energy allows the employee to stay focused on the task at handing, bringing the best of themselves to each task.
• Fit employees have more self-confidence. A fit and healthy individual tends to have a high level of self-confidence, because they have proven to themselves that they can accomplish what it takes to obtain a level of physical fitness. This self-confidence empowers the employee to challenge themselves, and strive for higher levels of achievement in the workplace.
• Fit employees inspire confidence. An persona who maintains a high fitness level, tends to be a person in whom others have confidence.
• Fit employees tend to take on more leadership roles. Because of the many positive benefits of a lifestyle, a fit individual tends to make a good leader
• Fit employees set and achieve goals. Extraordinary fitness often demands that an individual set and reach goals related to their fitness. Learning to stay true to your goals and see them through to completion is a skill that is naturally brought into the workplace. An employee with the proven ability to set aggressive goals, and then REALIZE those goals, is a valuable asset to any organization.
• Fit employees tend to have better attitudes. Fit employees generally "feel good". They tend to have a physical and mental "balance" that results in a more positive attitude in the workplace.
• Fit employees are less stressed. Regular exercise releases the physical AND emotional tensions that life brings our way, thus a fit employee tends to have lower overall stress levels than an employee who does not engage in regular exercise.
• Encouraging fitness demonstrates a concern for employee's well-being, and pays off! Employees NOTICE when an employer shows concern for the health and well-being of their employee base through a variety of wellness programs. Further, it has been shown that employee turnover is significantly lower among employees that take advantage of a wellness program implemented by their employer.

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• University of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout before going to work - or exercised during lunchbreaks - were better equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.
• It also found that people's general mood improved on days of exercise but they became less calm on non-exercise days.
• 'Critically, workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all three areas we measured, known as mental-interpersonal, output and time demands.'
• Seventy two per cent reported improvements in time management on exercise days compared to non-exercise days.

• Seventy nince per cent said mental and interpersonal performance was better on days they exercised.
  

  Seventy four per cent said they managed their workload better.
• Those who exercised were also 21 per cent higher for concentration on work, 25 per cent for working without unscheduled breaks and 22 per cent higher for finishing work on time.

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• Worksites are crucial to improving the health of their workers. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a prime venue for promoting healthful habits.
• • Weight reduction
   
  • Improved physical fitness
   
  • Increased stamina
   
  • Lower levels of stress
   
  • Increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem
• • Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
   
  • Reduced healthcare costs
   
  • Decreased rates of illness and injuries
   
  • Reduced
• • employee absenteeism
   
  • Improved employee relations and morale
   
  • Increased productivity
• • Reduced healthcare costs by 20 to 55 percent
   
  • Reduced short-term sick leave by six to 32 percent
   
  • Increased productivity by two to 52 percent

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• New research finds that busy professionals who exercise during the day feel more productive. They're also less likely to spout off at colleagues and slam down the phone after they've worked up a sweat.
• Six out of 10 workers said their time management skills, mental performance and ability to meet deadlines improved on days when they exercised.
• overall performance boost was about 15 percent
• xercise improved mood
• hysical activity can be both energizing and tranquilizing
• participants said exercise seemed to help them deal better with the demands and pressures on the job. "After exercise, people adopted a more tolerant attitude to themselves and to their work," says McKenna. "They were more tolerant of their own shortcomings and to those of others." They didn't lose their temper as much, for example, or yell at coworkers or slam the phone, he notes.
• less likely to suffer bouts of afternoon fatigue known as the "post-lunch dip"
• improving mood or easing stress.
• Public-health researchers agree, though, that fitting exercise in during one's workday is a worthy goal for maintaining good health.
• McKenna says his findings should give companies an additional incentive to offer workplace exercise programs, which may also help cut down on sick days and reduce health-care costs.
• employees appreciate the convenience of exercising at work and the fact that their companies offer the benefit.
• "It certainly improves employee morale and decreases the turnaround

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