The nature of today’s workplace is rapidly changing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that Americans are working more hours, taking less vacation time and retiring later. Perhaps now more than ever before, stress poses a serious threat to the health of workers and, in turn, to the health of businesses.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, job stress is the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. Job conditions that may lead to stress include management style, interpersonal relationships, work roles, career concerns and environment conditions.

Stress from work does not only take its toll on the employee. NIOSH studies show that stressful working conditions are associated with increased absenteeism, tardiness and job dissatisfaction among employees, all of which can have a negative effect on the bottom line of any size business.

Organizational Change + Stress Management = Healthy Workplace
Here are some tips you can share with your managers to help prevent job stress:

• Ensure that the workload is in line with workers’ capabilities and resources
• Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation and opportunities for workers to use their skills
• Clearly define workers’ roles and responsibilities
• Give workers’ opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs
• Improve communications-reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects
• Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers
• Establish work schedules compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job

The Small Business Wellness Initiative offers stress management training that addresses stressors and teaches effective coping strategies. For more information, contact us at 817.921.4260, ext. 258.

To learn more about stress in the workplace, visit Stress at Work.  Download the Stress at Work booklet.

Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

1. Choose nonfat milk rather than whole milk.

2. Have diet soda instead of regular soda to save the sugary calories. Or start with half regular and half diet for a lower-calorie treat.

3. Grab the granola bar from the vending machine instead of the fudge brownie.

4. Order thin crust instead of thick crust pizza.

5. Use mustard or low-fat mayonnaise on your sandwich rather than regular mayonnaise.

6. When eating out, order smaller portions from the a la carte menu.

7. Select an appetizer as your main entrée.

8. For that chocolate craving, choose the snack the snack-size bar rather than the regular size bar.

9. Bake, rather than fry, your French fries.

10. Remove the skin from chicken pieces.

11. Replace 8 ounces of fruit juice or soda with water.

12. Ask for salad instead of fries as a side dish.

13. Choose fruit or vegetables over higher-calorie snacks such as cookies or chips.

14. At a fast-food restaurant, pick a small beverage instead of medium or large.

15. Ask for a take-home container and have the other half of you meal tomorrow.

16. Instead of 2 alcoholic beverages, have 1 and a glass of water.

17. Leave 3-4 bites of food on your plate at each meal.

18. Drink 1 less can of soda a day.

19. Eat half a sandwich at lunch and save the other half for dinner with a salad.

20. Ask for salad dressing on the side rather than on your salad.

Source:  Texas on the Move

Making changes in your lifestyle can be scary. You may be thinking how tough it will be. But once you believe you can successfully make changes, you will! Try this activity: Think of the non-active time you spend on TV, video, computer games, and surfing the Internet. Can you start reducing this time by 30 minutes each day?
Try to reach this goal on most days this week. Write down how you’ll reward yourself for success. You also may want to keep a journal this week and record how you feel, including what helped and what got in the way. You may soon be ready to increase the time you spend being active, too.
It’s easy. You don’t have to join a gym or buy expensive equipment. Just adding more steps to your day will get you moving. Can you imagine taking 2000 more steps? It may sound like a lot, but it’s really only 15-20 minutes more a day. You don’t even have to add it all at once; try 10 minutes of extra steps at a time. You’ll soon be a Texan On the Move! And once you start keeping track on your step counter, you may become more active right away.

Here are some ideas to add activity to your day:

• If it’s safe to walk in your neighborhood, take a walk with a friend, family member, or dog
• If you can’t walk outside, call the local recreation center and see what activities are available
• Put on your favorite music and dance
• If you take the bus to work, get off a few blocks before your stop and walk the rest of the way
• Use the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
• Rake the leaves or clean the yard with the kids
• Walk to a local place for dinner tonight
• Park at the rear of any parking lot to pick up a few extra steps
• Walk the kids to school.

Source:  Texas on the Move

While the benefits of an active lifestyle are well-known and documented, employees often just cannot find enough time to fit physical activity into their daily routine. Other times, employees struggle to maintain an exercise program because they are not motivated or have not set clear goals.

If the overall well-being of employees’ health is not enough to make any employer promote an active lifestyle in the workplace, employers should consider the cost benefit of employee wellness to the company’s bottom line. Research suggests that there is a link between active living and individual employee well-being. Research also suggests that there may be increased costs for organizations that have physically inactive employees. Fatigue, inattention, accidents and low productivity are more common among inactive employees.

Businesses do not have to implement an entire workplace wellness program in order to encourage staff to be active. There are several simple ways that employers can motivate employees and promote an active lifestyle, such as organizing a workout team or exercise group, sponsoring a fitness brown bag lunch or offering membership discounts to a local gym.

Employers who take an interest in the health and well-being of their staff are making an important investment. Studies show that employees who maintain an active lifestyle benefit from the following:

• Lower levels of stress
• Increased well-being, self-image and self-esteem
• Improved physical fitness
• Increased stamina
• Potential weight reduction

Furthermore, employers reap the benefits from employees with active lifestyles through:

• Enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees
• Improved health care costs
• Decreased rates of illness and injuries
• Reduced employee absenteeism

The Small Business Wellness Initiative offers an Active Lifestyle wellness program designed to motivate employees to get active.  For more information, contact us at 817.921.4260, ext. 258.

To learn more about the benefits of an active lifestyle, visit Small Step.gov.  See the Goals section to see how to set — and meet — realistic goals and try out the Activity Tracker.

Also, visit the CDC’s Physical Activity web site for tips on becoming more active.

The beginning of a new year brings with it a prime opportunity to make a change. Maybe you have been wanting to spend more time with family, reduce stress, work less, eat healthier, exercise more or quit smoking. Regardless of what change you want to make, there’s no better time than now to make it. However, change is never easy. Here are some tips to help you make new year goals and achieve them.

Set Goals
Decide what you want to achieve this year and write it down. Be specific. Set challenging, yet reasonable, goals for yourself. If your goal is too easy, you may not be motivated to achieve it. If your goal seems too difficult, you may give up easily. Your goals should also be measurable. It will be easier to see your progress if your goals are measurable. Measure how you are doing against your goals throughout the year, and adjust as necessary.

Make a Plan
Once you have established your goals, try to break them down. Determine how you can make even small changes in your life. Write down steps you can take toward achieving your goals. You do not have to make a complicated plan; just brainstorm (continued on page 2) enough ideas to give you a place to start. Do not try to do it all at once.

Getting Around Obstacles
You may encounter some obstacles when trying to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. For example, you may find that you do not have time to go to the gym or prepare healthy meals while traveling or during extended work periods. Develop strategies to help you get around the obstacles. Plan in advance how you will handle it if you encounter that obstacle. Building social support into your goal can also help you get around obstacles. Involving your friends and family in your plan can be very helpful strategies.

Seek Resources and Support
Find out if anyone else around you shares your goals. Maybe your co-worker is also trying to quit smoking. Use one another as a support system. Get your family and friends involved in your change. Non-profit or community agencies may also have resources available that can assist you in achieving your goals.

Rewards
Remember, change is a process. Establish rewards for yourself for each success. Do not wait until next year to look at your goals and see what you achieved or where you failed. Do this at all the measurement points you built into your plan.

Top 10 Most Common New Year Resolutions
1. Lose weight
2. Stop smoking
3. Stick to a budget
4. Save or earn more money
5. Find a better job
6. Become more organized
7. Exercise more
8. Be more patient at with others
9. Eat better
10. Be a better person

Source: www.GoalsGuy.com

The Small Business Wellness Initiative offers a variety of programs that utilize goal-setting strategies.  For more information, contact us at 817.921.4260, ext. 258.

It may sound like a silly question. However, if you think your company doesn’t pay for alcohol abuse, think again.  Statistics show that over 75 percent of heavy drinkers are employed. If your business employs at least 8 workers, there is a likely chance that your company is affected by the problems and costs associated with alcohol abuse.

Employees who have a problem with alcohol cost businesses through absenteeism, productivity, workers’ compensation and health insurance. Alcohol abuse costs American businesses about $134 billion in productivity losses nationally each year. Alcoholics and problem drinkers are absent from work 4 to 8 times more often than normal employees. When they do show up, substance abusers are 33 percent less productive. Furthermore, up to 40 percent of industrial fatalities can be linked to alcohol abuse. Between 38 and 50 percent of all workers’ compensation claims are related to substance abuse. Substance abusers are also three times more likely to use medical benefits than other employees.

A company’s cost for alcohol abuse increases for industries with a high risk of substance abuse, such as the construction, transportation and service industries. You can calculate your company’s costs for alcohol abuse at www.alcoholcostcalculator.org. There are ways you can help your employees and reduce your costs of alcoholism in your workplace.

Your company can:

• Provide confidential alcohol screenings for all employees. Offer brief intervention services for individuals who are not yet dependent on alcohol.
• Offer health insurance coverage to treat alcoholism the same way that other chronic illnesses are treated.
• Set up or strengthen your company’s Employee Assistance Program(EAP) to actively identify and assist people with alcohol and drinking problems.

The Small Business Wellness Initiative offers a variety of programs that address substance abuse in the workplace.  For more information, contact us at 817.921.4260, ext. 258.

To learn more about alcohol abuse in the workplace, visit Ensuring Solutions.  Utilize the Alcohol Cost Calculator for Business to find out how much alcohol abuse costs your business.

Source:  Ensuring Solutions