Health problems can be sneaky.

Sometimes, it isn’t until you feel that twinge in your chest or shortness of breath that you realize something is seriously wrong. In other cases, you may feel fine. Nothing shows up out of the ordinary until the doc runs bloodwork.

Like it or not, there are several health conditions that develop quietly with few — or zero — symptoms.

Luckily, biometric screenings may detect early warning signs so employees can address conditions before they become problematic. Even if you don’t host biometric screenings in your workplace, encouraging your employees to do their annual blood tests can save a life.

Here’s a look at three often symptomless conditions biometric screening results can detect:

Just like that, the new year is roaring in.

January is the time when everyone is making their resolutions to eat healthier, get stronger, and hit the gym more.

In general, people are interested in creating positive lifestyle changes.

To ride that wave of wellness enthusiasm, it’s smart to snag your employees’ attention about getting a biometric screening. These screenings are a perfect starting point for your employees to track their health from January and on.

It may also inspire them to knock out the rest of their necessary annual testing, too.

Below we dive into several important health tests and screenings everyone should schedule in 2020 for a happy and healthy new year.

In 2020, wouldn’t you love to see your staff healthier?

Other than creating a healthy work culture, you have other ways to support your staff in achieving their health goals.

Biometric screenings offer an inside look at how healthy your staff is so you can tailor wellness initiatives to meet your employees where they’re at. When it comes to health checks like biometric screenings, we find there are a lot of misperceptions and questions.

We’d love to clear those details up.

This post will cover questions both employers and employees want to know — like how to get employees to attend screenings and if it replaces an annual physical exam.

Since many people focus on health initiatives in the new year, we thought it’d be a good time to address the role biometric screenings play in employee health.

Here we bust myths and answer all your pressing biometric screening questions.

Is your company leadership thinking about hosting a biometric health screening?

The results of a biometric screening can drive wellness initiatives that create an overall healthier workforce.

It's also a great investment in the health of individual employees. These screenings can help employees take the first step to healthier living by knowing what their baseline of health looks like.

A biometric screening includes:

• Blood pressure
• Height/Weight/Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Waist circumference
• Glucose
• Total cholesterol
• HDL
• LDL
• Triglycerides

On-site biometric screenings are an easy way for employees to get instant results and health directives. It also provides leadership a full picture of the overall health of their team.

Curious about the benefits of hosting one? 

Here are five reasons why hosting an on-site biometric health screening is a great idea:

Have you been thinking about scheduling a biometric health screening for your workplace?

If so, it’s probably less time intensive than you think. While there are some downfalls you can’t control — how many people will participate?! — there are a lot of positives to getting the overall data on the health of your employees.

Here we dive into the details — including pros and cons — of biometric health screenings.

Each year, TotalWellness collects extensive data to better understand the health status of U.S. employees. In 2018 alone, we conducted over 100,000 biometric screenings across workplaces in the United States.

Our biometric screenings consist of a variety of health measures including:  

• Cholesterol
• Blood sugar
• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Blood pressure
• Waist circumference

These screenings offer pertinent insight to the well-being and health of employees — both men and women. From C-suite leadership to blue and white collar workers, we’ve screened everyone in-between to get a thorough idea of employee wellness. Once the results are finalized, we share a report with each company’s wellness team to better support employees through wellness programming.

Now, we want to share the nationwide results with you.

Employee health screenings are one of the most important aspects of a successful workplace wellness program. Why? Because without annual screenings, an employer can’t accurately gauge the health and wellness needs of their workforce. Not to mention, employees are likely to be in the dark about any potential risks to their health.

Biometric screenings are an effective preventative service for your employees. The results obtained from these screenings give employees a snapshot of their current health status. Screening events help employees learn if they are at risk for high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses. The results show employees where they might need to make some changes in their daily habits to improve their overall health.

Planning an employee biometric screening is a great step in the right direction in providing preventative healthcare assistance for your employees. However, we know that planning these types of events – especially if it’s your first time – can be a bit challenging. As you begin to plan your event, you’ll probably have some questions. 

Hosting an onsite employee biometric screening is a great way to kick-start the summer with some new wellness initiatives. If you plan on hosting a health screening this summer, there are a few things you might want to be prepared for.

Each season offers its own unique set of challenges when it comes to hosting wellness events. However, while there might be some potential challenges, the summer is definitely a great time to host a screening. Since your wellness initiatives might lose some steam over the warmer months, it’s always a good idea to get a fresh conversation about health and wellness started in your office.

The following are a few challenges you might run into while planning a biometric screen during the summertime, plus some tips to help you make your summer screening successful. 

Biometric screenings are a fantastic tool for employers to utilize. Screenings are an easy way to get employees involved in your workplace wellness initiatives and learn more about their current health status. They provide helpful information for both employers and employees by collecting health data that can be translated into actionable goals. It’s a convenient and free opportunity for employees to take a more active role in their health and gain some motivation to develop healthier habits. 

Typically, a biometric screening consists of a simple finger prick or venipuncture blood draw and measures the following health factors: 

• Body Mass Index (BMI)
• Blood pressure
• Waist circumference
• Glucose
• Total cholesterol
• HDL and LDL cholesterol
• Triglycerides

Offering an annual biometric screening is an essential step in creating a successful employee wellness program. Results obtained from the screenings provide a baseline for employee health, and employers can use these results to track wellness progress, trends, and changes over time. Most screening providers provide an aggregate report after your company’s screening has been completed. While these reports are beneficial for collecting data, many employers aren’t exactly sure what to do with this data.

Hopefully your company offers your employees the opportunity to participate in an annual biometric screening (if not, please click here for your own good!). Yearly screenings are one of the most important aspects of a successful workplace wellness program. Results of these screenings can offer a lot of valuable insight to your employees’ overall health and provide them with their key health numbers, including body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

These results can be used to track wellness progress year after year, and help keep employees motivated to making healthier lifestyle choices. If your company has done a biometric screening before, you might have noticed that not every employee was thrilled with their results.

It’s normal for most employees to be a bit nervous about what their screening results will say. No one wants to see their numbers fall into unhealthy ranges! It’s important that your employees understand that a biometric screening is just a snapshot of their health at any given moment. It shows them what their numbers are on the specific day and time of their screening. While the screening can be an excellent indicator of overall health, it doesn’t always paint the whole picture.