What's the price? This, of course, is always one of the first questions many wellness and HR professionals have when starting the research process for an on-site biometric screening program.

The cost of a biometric screening varies according to level of service provided by national vendors and the total number of employees to be screened, but is typically $40 to $70 per participant. 

Before choosing any on-site biometric screening vendor, be sure to look into the whole cost of the program. Unfortunately, some biometric screening vendors tempt companies with low initial pricing but when you read the fine print you uncover hidden costs and additional fees you weren't expecting.

Summer and sunshine go hand-in-hand. But all that carefree summer fun means more exposure to the sun's UV rays. Sun exposure has been linked with melanoma and skin cancer. May is National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month and it's a perfect time to raise awareness among your employees. 

You're busy. We get it! Wellness practitioners and HR professionals must juggle daily operations, budget, industry trends -- not to mention changing the health and in turn, lives, of your employees. You're making a real difference in the world but sometimes you need a little pick me up. 

This year company flu shot programs will have access to an eggless flu vaccine. The new cell culture technology vaccine (Flucelvax, made by Novartis) was approved by the FDA in November 2012 for adults aged 18 and older. 

Can you imagine how now nice it would be if your stakeholders could get a snapshot of the overall health of your company's wellness initiative in less than 15 seconds? Well then, consider creating a data dashboard.

Health risk assessments (HRA). Health appraisals. Personal health assessments. Well-being assessments. Whatever you call them, they are valuable tools for measuring the key drivers of health and risks for future illness.

More than half of workers say they don’t know enough about their company’s wellness programs to participate in them according to a 2012 Colonial Life survey. Yet well­ness programs only work if your employees par­tic­i­pate.

Big changes are coming to flu vaccines for the 2013-14 flu season. U.S. health regulators approved a new seasonal influenza vaccine that fights against four strains of influenza. This will increase the protective value of flu vaccines, since to date, flu vaccines contained only three viruses.

It’s no secret that social media is transforming the way people communicate in the workplace. Today more companies are realizing the value of engaging their employees online and are using tools, like forums, blogs and social networks, to enable their staff to converse, collaborate and connect.

There is no doubt about it that some of the most successful worksite wellness programs are supported by a network of enthusiastic employees at the grassroots level. Most organizations call them "Wellness Champions" and they are the drivers for building a culture of wellness and encouraging participation in a company’s wellness program.