In yesterday’s CED , attorney Frank C. Morris, Jr., covered legal issues around wellness programs; today, his take on how the ACA will make wellness even more attractive for employers. Your wellness program may get way more important under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), says Morris, a member of...

According to at least one study, for every $1 an employer spends on a wellness program, it saves $3 in insurance claims and an additional $2.73 in reduced absenteeism, says attorney Frank C. Morris, Jr. Furthermore, Morris adds, your wellness program may get way more important under the Affordable Care...

Part of your job involves making sure employees are working in a safe environment from the moment they clock in to the time they leave work. But what about all the hours before and after? What's your obligation to employee protection beyond the workday? The formerly clear distinction between on-...

Yesterday’s CED warned of potential legal hassles for wellness programs under HIPAA, the NLRA, the Internal Revenue Code, and the ADA; today, threats from GINA and state law. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) GINA (which prohibits discrimination on the basis of genetic information...

Wellness programs—win-win and no legal hassles, right? Actually, there are a number of legal pitfalls awaiting the unwary wellness manager. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the Internal Revenue Code, the Americans...

By Don Dressler, Don Dressler Consulting It’s been a warm winter and promises to be a hot summer – are you prepared for preventing heat illness? Although it’s only spring, the thermometer has hit triple digits in some parts of California. During the weekend of April 21-22, Death Valley...

By Don Dressler, Don Dressler Consulting Are you ready for Cal/OSHA inspectors? Each year Cal/OSHA inspects between 9,000 and 10,000 employers in California, with 240 field personnel devoted to this task. If one of your employees has a serious injury (which must be reported to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours...

Today we offer 13 low-cost tips for encouraging participation in wellness programs, and we'll introduce a new wellness webinar you won’t want to miss next week. Here are some tips from the New York State Physical Activity Coalition: 1. Provide incentives like t-shirts, caps, aprons, or paid...

Given greater participation rates and easier implementation, small companies just might have the edge in implementing wellness programs. Toyota Motor Company is not just a giant auto manufacturer—it’s also huge in the world of wellness. A few years back, as an adjunct to its massive Texas...

Wellness programs seem like a simple, appealing way to reduce skyrocketing healthcare costs. But be aware that some programs can run afoul of federal and state laws. Wellness programs encourage employees to adopt or maintain healthy lifestyles—or at least take the first steps toward learning about...

For more and more workplaces, the cure for the upward spiral of employee ill health and healthcare costs is workplace wellness. The benefits can be significant. For years, worksite health promotion was one of those ideas that employers talked about in a “How could it hurt?” kind of way. But...

Especially with online wellness programs, corporate branding and integration are essential, says wellness expert Barb Rouleau, APRN. In today's CED, she shares her "top nine keys" to building great wellness programs. Rouleau is chief wellness officer at PureWellness, a leading provider...

If you have employees worried about the potential effects of radiation exposure from last week's tragedy in Japan, California public health officials emphasize that there is no cause for concern. In a recent statement, the interim director of the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Howard...

Ergonomic injury can take 10 years to show up, and then last for life. Here are methods to stop its development long before symptoms appear. Plus—a valuable free ergonomics resource, yours for the asking. Are you lucky enough to have a 2-year old at home? If so, have you, like many parents, bought...

Ergonomics is fitting the job to the way the body works. Here are some nifty devices for doing it. Does your computer mouse vibrate? Does the seat of your chair ebb and flow beneath you like the waves of the sea? Have you worked a computer with your feet today? And how are you dealing with CVS? (And...

The California Division of Workers' Compensation (DWC) has just finalized regulations that change your posting requirements. All employers in the state are required to post a new "Notice to Employees—Injuries Caused by Work" poster (Form DWC 7) no later than October 8, 2010, and the...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) creates a grant program to assist small businesses with providing comprehensive workplace wellness programs. Grants will be awarded to eligible employers to provide their employees with access to new workplace wellness initiatives. The grants will...

H1N1 ("Swine") flu vaccination trials are underway in the United States, and so far, it appears that there are no major side effects, according to the Centers for Disease Control. That's the good news. The bad news for employers is that the vaccinations likely won't be available for...

Businesses aren't the only ones stressed and anxious about these difficult economic times. Employees (and their families) are also feeling the effects—and many employees are facing very serious financial problems such as burdensome debt, lost income, bankruptcies, and foreclosures. Employees...

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has issued two guidance memos for employers related to the current H1N1 flu outbreak—formerly known as “swine flu.” The first memo simply reminds employers that they cannot discriminate against employees on the basis of national...