Wellness Resource Guide
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Table of Contents

Effectiveness of Program Administration

Establishment of Evaluation Timetable

ACCOMPLISHMENT OF PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

The evaluation of program outcomes focuses on the effects of the various interventions introduced to your employee population. Was the program able to accomplish the desired results? In order to have a successful program, the effects should be tied to specific program objectives. Objectives could include:

  • Improving employees' health habits
  • Reducing health care costs
  • Increasing the employees' level of physical activity
  • Reducing workers' compensation costs
  • Reducing absenteeism and turnover
  • Improving productivity
Multiple measures should be used to assess the accomplishment of the program objectives. As previously discussed an HRA can be used to collect baseline data on the employees' health habits and personal characteristics prior to implementation of the program. In order to assess whether health improvements have occurred, a follow-up health risk assessment should be administered after an appropriate time interval. A comparison of the baseline data and data collected during the follow-up HRA should indicate whether the interventions have made an impact on the employee population. Ideally, there should be an improvement (e.g., improvement in overall cholesterol levels or blood pressure scores) in the health risks factors identified in Time l versus Time 2 administration of the HRA.

Reviewing employee absenteeism data can also serve as an evaluation measurement. In order to use this data, you will need to identify what types of absenteeism are attributable to health and lifestyle factors. For example, are you only going to track absenteeism for illnesses and injuries rather than for vacations, leaves of absence, jury duty, etc.? You also need to be aware that other factors besides the employees' health can impact absenteeism rates and skew the data. These other factors may include: employees' morale and job satisfaction, outbreaks of flu and other illnesses at work and in the general community, age and health of the employees' children, etc.

Tracking utilization of disability and workers' compensation benefits and costs is also a way to evaluate whether the health promotion program is successful. During the design phase of your program, a review of your department's workers' compensation data may have identified specific problems or high-cost areas such as back injuries or repetitive strain injuries. If these specific disabilities are targeted by the interventions implemented in your program, then over time changes should most likely occur in your workers' compensation experience in these targeted areas. For example, the implementation of a healthy back and exercise program should result in a reduction in the incidence of back problems.

ball graphicBackground ball graphicPolicy ball graphicPlanning the Program
ball graphicProgram Design and Implementation