Nebraska's Leaders in Workplace Wellness
By Governor Dave Heineman
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
Recently, I recognized Nebraska's first recipients of an award created to highlight successful workplace wellness programs. This year we are honoring 38 employers for their efforts to promote wellness at work.
Nebraskans spend a significant portion of their day at work. It is a great place to provide education and the tools to help each of us develop healthier daily routines. The Governor's Excellence in Wellness Award recognizes Nebraska companies who incorporate wellness into their business plans.
Companies in Columbus, Hastings, Kearney, Lincoln, McCook, Minden, Omaha, Wayne, and West Point were honored with a 2008 Governor's award for encouraging workers to be more active. Many also helped their teams find out their risks for chronic disease and encouraged them to do something about it through healthier nutritional choices and managing stress.
Workplace prevention and wellness efforts have been shown to positively impact productivity and satisfaction. These efforts help companies and their workers control health care costs. These were exactly the kind of results our wellness award winners reported.
In addition to losing weight, several businesses reported lower rates of cigarette and tobacco use, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. More people received flu vaccinations. More women sought prenatal care in the early stages of their pregnancy and body mass indexes were better on average than state and national rates.
Employee participation increased over time, which led to fewer sick days. Several businesses connected participation in a wellness program to provide employees health insurance with a credit or discount on their monthly insurance rates.
Nebraska companies have been very creative in their workplace wellness efforts. Some used programs to help manufacturing workers prevent injuries. Cooking and food events provided education on better nutrition. Fitness books and DVDs helped many workers improve their daily exercise programs. Employees shared their success and expertise by leading wellness and fitness classes.
Award winners documented results including a significant improvement in employee morale and a nine to one return on the investment from developing a company wellness program. Several companies reported lower medical and insurance costs.
The key to long-term gains is consistent worker participation and improvement. By maintaining very high rates of worker participation and improvement, health insurance rates for one Nebraska business increased just 15 percent over five years. That is a dramatic improvement and it's a good indicator that wellness does indeed work.
We want to recognize new businesses and organizations that have developed their own successful workplace wellness efforts. Those interested in the Governor's wellness award can find application information online at http://www.Nebraska.gov.
I want to thank those who've helped sponsor this new recognition program. More importantly, I want to applaud the success of the 38 businesses that have taken the initiative to develop their own plan to promote workplace wellness. They are making Nebraska a healthier place to live.