Volume 1, Number 8, August 2009

Employee Wellness

Drink water - not soft drinks. Water is a natural lubricant and helps everything in your system slide through your system. But it also has another great advantage: water fights bad breath. As bacteria come up from your stomach to your mouth, it can become stagnant - which is what causes bad breath. Drinking water will help break up that stagnant bacteria and move it along, rather than having it greet people every time you say hello. It's essential to keep your body hydrated with 64 ounces (eight glasses of eight ounces) of water a day.

These programs have the potential to decrease medical claims costs and also may reduce absenteeism and improve employee productivity.

Volume 1, Number 7, July 2009

Employee Wellness

Consider these health facts:

• One-third of all U.S. deaths are attributable to three unhealthy behaviors: poor eating habits, physical inactivity, and smoking*1
• More than 75 percent of employers’ healthcare costs and productivity losses are related to employee lifestyle choices*2
• Three-fourths of all healthcare costs stem from preventable chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes*3

*1 U.S. Surgeon General, 2003
*2 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
*3 National Business Group, 2004

Why not a comprehensive wellness program at your worksite? A good program could include:

1. Smoking cessation
2. Gym membership
3. Health risk assessment
4. Offering health screening at work
5. Weight management program at work (ex. Weight Watchers)

These programs have the potential to decrease medical claims costs and also may reduce absenteeism and improve employee productivity