New Year’s bonanza: Renewed employee enthusiasm, participation
New Year’s bonanza: Renewed employee enthusiasm, participation
Timing, marketing, understanding help ensure programs’ success
When it comes to boosting participation rates, wellness professionals will take all the help they can get. That’s why they let out a collective cheer when Jan. 1 comes along New Year’s resolutions can do wonders for employee enthusiasm.
"After having gone through the holidays and feeling guilty [about overdoing], we see a readiness for individuals to make lifestyle changes that can improve their health. That readiness is greatest in the first quarter of the year," notes Rhonda Day, director of client services at Richmond, VA-based Health Management Corp. (HMC), a wellness consulting firm.
"We definitely see a greater potential for participation around New Year’s," adds Joan Cantwell, MA, BSN, manager of health services at Quaker Oats Co. in Chicago. "For us, within our programs as well as from a behavioral standpoint with individuals, it’s a time to set the calendar it’s a time for planning and for a fresh start. Philosophically, it’s a new year, an opportunity to put the past behind you."
The numbers don’t lie
While observations about renewed employee enthusiasm may be anecdotal, sign-up figures are not, and wellness professionals report they really do see greater participation at the start of a new year.
"We’ve always seen an increase in program participation weighted toward the beginning of the year," says Cantwell, who oversees all of Quaker Oats’ wellness programming. "We see more participation especially in programs that address diet and exercise. Employees tend to overindulge during the holidays, so they don’t want to have to deal with diet then." Some of the most popular programs, she says, include weight management, cholesterol management, exercise, and stress reduction.
(For help emphasizing your employee assistance programs, see story, p. 3.)
Carol Doniek, MS, manager of the Quaker Oats fitness center, concurs. "Our utilization in the fitness center is the highest in January. The only other time it is that high is in April when we have our companywide competition," she notes.
"Our registrations consistently go up among all programs," adds Day. "I would say probably by 10%."
Harnessing the enthusiasm
Doniek notes that Quaker Oats has developed a number of strategies to turn New Year’s resolutions into lifestyle changes.
"We have a few things going on now," she notes. "First is our Healthy Holidays program, which is in its 10th year. It starts in late November and runs through Jan. 10."
What does a program during Thanksgiving have to do with New Year’s? "We try to help employees maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout the holidays, so it will not be as overwhelming to look at making changes on the first of the year," she explains. "It also helps with stress reduction." (See chart on p. 4 for a sample employee handout used in the program.)
For this year’s program, titled "Feelin’ Great in 98," participants are asked to perform some type of aerobic exercise (20 minutes) three times a week for six weeks out of the eight weeks in the program. In addition, they are asked to fulfill the FDA’s Food Guide Pyramid for two days and to implement two stress management techniques such as going to a comedy club or renting a movie.
The wellness department will also offer a program called Life Steps, which is specifically devoted to nutrition and weight management. During the 10-week program, which will run from Jan. 7 through March 25, a registered dietitian will be brought into work with employees. "The program emphasizes nutrition information, behavior modification, and increased physical activity," says Doniek. "It is not a weight loss program; it is a lifestyle program."
In addition, notes Cantwell, open enrollment begins in November, which requires employees to look ahead to the new year. "We have Healthy Lifestyle Credits available during open enrollment, which involves employees pledging to lead a certain lifestyle," she explains. "If employees fulfill their pledge, we give them credits in terms of money that can be used for medical expenses."
Open enrollment reinforces awareness of wellness issues, Cantwell notes, which is the first part of a "one-two" combination. "The programs you offer in 1998 can be reinforced by marketing tools," she suggests. "Something like, If you pledged to lose weight in 1998, here’s your opportunity to do it.’"
Don’t try to overreach
Doniek’s emphasis on helping employees set realistic goals during this critical time of the year is echoed by Jean Stuart, RN, BSN, MeD, a training and quality assurance specialist with HMC.
"A lot of people are overwhelmed by all they need to do to improve their health, so we help them prioritize," Stuart observes. "They may want to take a larger piece of the pie than they can achieve; we show them how to scale down their goals so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
"Say an employee is severely overweight, is diabetic, and is not checking their sugars; we’ll focus on that because it puts them at a greater risk for becoming hospitalized."
If that employee has a long-term goal of losing, say, 25 pounds, they might begin by setting a short-term goal of losing one or two pounds a month. "So, you can set six-month goals, but it is important to set monthly goals," says Stuart. "Then, you can meet monthly to see if that goal was met and what can be done if it hasn’t."
"A worthwhile goal might even be to maintain weight and not to gain any," notes Day.
There are several professional insights that are most likely to help bring about change. "People need suggestions on dietary changes and different types of exercise especially during cold months," Stuart notes. "We do a lot of brainstorming with employees and help them keep on track with their goals. We talk about nutrition plans, how to make changes in their diets, foods to stay away from after they determine what they want to do for themselves."
Going over food labels and helping employees become more aware of the fat and calorie content of their favorite foods is extremely important, says Stuart. "We also cover maintaining a good physical fitness schedule. We try to point them in the direction of what they like to do and the types of exercise from which they would derive the most benefit."
Keeping the momentum going
Getting employees to show up for a wellness program is one thing; getting them to maintain lifestyle change is quite another. What are the keys to taking long-term advantage of New Year’s enthusiasm?
"There need to be ongoing programs throughout the year," says Doniek. "For example, we offer another major program in April usually a divisional competition." The winner, she notes, is determined by which division of the company had the highest percentage of participation, so the emphasis is on group achievement, rather than on a particular individual.
Success requires regular reinforcement, notes Day. "Our nurses help the employee develop a goal plan, with individual milestones, and at each point, she inspires them to continue along that path," she explains. "When we set goals at this point in the year and help manage the employees through the holidays, we follow up immediately and see if we were successful. If we were not as successful as we wanted to be or at all it’s an excellent time to start fresh."
This brings us full circle to the positive spin wellness professionals emphasize at this time of year. "Weight management is extremely complex, and it’s also controversial," notes Cantwell. "If an employee has not been successful in the past, now is the time to put that behind them this is a fresh opportunity."
[Editor’s Note: For more information on New Year’s programming, contact: Joan Cantwell, Quaker Oats Co., 321 North Clark Street, Suite 1513, Chicago, IL 60610. Telephone: (312) 222-8548.]
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