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.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), six in 10 people – have one a chronic health condition, and one in four adults had two or more chronic health conditions. These chronic diseases and conditions – including diabetes, heart disease, obesity, arthritis, and certain types of cancer – are some of the most common, deadliest, and costly health issues in the United States.

The good news is many of these chronic diseases and conditions can be prevented. However, many adults don’t practice preventative behaviors to help lower their risks for these diseases. This could be because many people are uneducated about the power of prevention or how to live a healthier lifestyle to combat these risks. One possible solution for this is developing a workplace wellness program that focuses on prevention. Focusing on the power of prevention could help educate employees on how to reduce their risk for these serious health problems before it’s too late.

Employers should view prevention as a priority for employee wellness. Not only do these chronic diseases and conditions slow down a workforce, they’re extremely costly too. In fact, the CDC states that 86% of the nation’s $2.7 trillion annual healthcare expenditures are for people with chronic and mental health conditions. Because many of these costs can be reduced through preventative healthcare, it’s crucial that employers emphasis prevention in their employee wellness programs.

Did you know that numbers could save your life? Sure, you probably know “911” as the ultimate life-saving number, but your health numbers are just as important to know by heart!

When it comes to measuring individual health, knowing your numbers helps you take control of your health and your life. These key numbers help you assess your risk for serious illnesses, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.  

Unfortunately, many of us are uninformed about our health numbers and why they are so important. A recent study by Cleveland Clinic shows that many Americans worry about dying of heart disease, but are unaware of their basic risk levels. For example, nearly half (46%) of those surveyed knew their bank account balance, while just 18% could state their body mass index and only 38% knew their blood pressure.

Hopefully you’ve done a biometric screening at your workplace (if not, please click here—for your own good!). If you’ve done a screening at work, you probably noticed that some of your employees were less than thrilled about it.

At any biometric screening, some people will be scared of needles or getting their fingers stuck. Some might be worried about the time spent at the screening, or even annoyed to be taking time out of their work day.

Most biometric screenings culminate in some type of aggregate wellness report indicating the health status of your workforce. That aggregate report can be so valuable for your company—if you use it right.

Unfortunately, not every company uses their aggregate report correctly. Some companies don’t use it at all. Other companies don’t even host biometric screenings because they’re convinced the data won’t help them or that it’s none of their business.

And that’s a huge missed opportunity.

Are you planning to host a biometric screening during the summer? If so, there are a few things you might want to be prepared for.

Each season offers its own unique challenges when it comes to hosting wellness events. In all honesty, though, there is no bad time for a biometric screening. It’s always a good idea to get the conversation about health started in your office.

Something things you might run into during the summer season…

Biometric screening events are an excellent preventative service for your employees. They’re designed to help your employees learn the status of their health so they know where they might make some changes. A screening is an excellent first step on the journey towards better health.

If your company is new to biometric screenings (or if you’re new to being in charge of your screenings), you might not know exactly what to expect. We know it can be a bit nerve-wracking to welcome a team of health professionals into your office, so we want to do everything we can to ease some of your uncertainty.

Employee privacy can be a very common barrier to corporate wellness participation. Many employees worry their health data won’t be safe when collected at the workplace. They also might worry that their health data could end up in their employers’ hands.

At most wellness events, the concerns employees have about privacy are addressed and the risk is minimized. If you work with a vendor for things like biometric screenings, there are probably certain safeguards in place to keep your employees’ health information safe.

As their employer, privacy is definitely something you need to focus on. It’s true at any wellness event. Any time health data is involved, privacy is important. Employee health data is very sensitive information. Different employees might value that information differently. So a high level of focus on privacy across the board is vital.

So you’ve done your biometric  screening event. You did the organization, recruitment and it was a success! A few weeks later, you received your aggregate results. But now what?