Human Resource Executive Forum: Are Your Wellness Programs Effective?

How effective are wellness programs in the workplace?

It’s not an easy question to answer.  There is no shortage of sites dedicated to providing insight on how well various programs work in order to help reduce overall healthcare costs in organizations.  What interests me most though is hearing about ideas organizations are actually using that lead to improved well-being of employees and what are the various metrics we need to be measuring.  I want to hear about everything from internal health fairs, creative workspaces that promote activity, healthier food options in cafeterias, and other innovative ways organizations are affecting wellness.

I’ll be attending the Human Resource Executive Forum this week and they’re offering a wellness session that will provide insight from top professionals including:

• Jennifer Benz, Chief Strategist and Founder, Benz Communications
• Mark Bukowski, Senior Health and Clinical Consultant, Aon Hewitt
• William D. Katz, Vice President of Human Resources, AmeriGas Propane Inc.
• Michael L. Taylor, M.D., Medical Director for Health Promotion, Caterpillar Inc.

I’ll be sharing what I learn with you here later in the week.  I encourage you to come experience the Human Resource Executive Forum for yourself.  The learning comes not only from the discussion by the expert panel, but from the roundtable discussions that you will be part of.

In the meantime, share your most creative workplace wellness ideas with me in the comments.  None are too crazy.  My favorite one lately is having separate “healthy” checkout lines in workplace cafeterias to promote healthy eating.  What are your ideas?