Alan Kohll, founder and president of TotalWellness, was honored at the William M. Kizer Light of Wellness Awards Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 8. Governor Dave Heineman and Dr. Joann Schaefer, chief medical officer of the State of Nebraska, attended the ceremonies at the Mutual Of Omaha Dome. This year, 19 winners were recognized in one of three categories: leadership, Health Transformation, or Health Inspiration. 

Effective internal communication is critical to driving high employee participation in worksite wellness programs. Unfortunately, in today’s work environment of information overload, employees are inundated with messages. Human Resources and Health Promotion professionals have to cut through the noise of other competing messages and work priorities if they hope to have success with their wellness efforts.

Research indicates that wellness programs reduce health care costs, with reductions for large companies averaging $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs, according to a policy brief from Health Affairs.

More employers are encouraging employees to quit smoking with incentives (or penalties!) According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) 2018 Employee Benefits survey report, 16% of employers provide a discount on health insurance premiums to people who do not use tobacco products, 10% offer a discount for participating in a program to quit smoking and 18% impose a smoking surcharge.

Given the often high-valued health care discounts, many employers are turning to nicotine testing to discourage dishonesty and ensure incentives are appropriately distributed. 

“The purpose of worksite wellness is not to change people, but to change the culture.”
-Dr. Dee Edington

What does "Workplace Wellness" mean to you? Is it a business necessity or just a fluffy HR benefit?

Our very own National Account Executive Sara Garcia wrote a feature article for the ACSM’s Health & Fitness Journal® September/October 2012 issue.

Have you ever thought about how important a strong foundation is for your worksite wellness program?

It's like building a house without a solid base — you can put up walls and a roof, but without that foundation, it won't stand strong for long.

Creating a strong foundation is really vital for a successful worksite wellness program. Just like a house needs a solid base, your wellness program also needs some key essentials to thrive. Let’s explore how you can create a strong foundation for a wellness program that really lasts.

Why are millions of people glued to their TVs relishing in the excitement of the London Olympics for two weeks? One word: Stories. It's hard not to be inspired as you hear the stories of the top athletes from around the world. The personal stories about their backgrounds, journeys, struggles, and victories have us cheering at the top of our lungs. From Usain and Missy, to Jessica and Rebecca, to Ryan and Cavendish – we feel like we know them and we become engaged with their story.