ANSWER
- Embed wellness and health promotion in each aspect of organization structure - adding agenda items to new hire orientations, manager training, staff meetings, and vendor/ health plan relationships to create opportunities to communicate and reinforce wellness as a strategic priority
- Facilitate wellness program participation to help create an atmosphere where employees can thrive.
- Visibly demonstrate and cultivate a workplace that values good health
- Introduce and endorse wellness initiatives and programs through videos, broadcast emails or postings on the intranet.
- Recognize wellness achievements and efforts toward becoming more savvy healthcare consumers.
- Commit organizational resources to foster awareness about personal health and to build a supportive workplace environment that encourages and motivates employees to take daily healthy actions.
- Orient new employee to the UCI Wellness Program and all that is offered for health and well-being for the entire UC System and here at UCI.
- Encourage and support staff to take advantage or the wellness programs available at UCI.
- Arrange for wellness workshops and programs for the department or staff meetings
- Encourage employees to be Wellness Ambassadors in their department
- Participate in Staff Assembly
- Attend the Wellness & Safety Fair
KEYS TO PREVENTING LIABILITY
- Employees’ wellness program participation must be VOLUNTARY. “Voluntary” is defined as the following:
- Does not require participation
- Does not deny access to health insurance or benefits to an employee for non-participation
- Does not retaliate against, interfere with, coerce, intimidate or threaten any employee who does not participate or fails to achieve certain health outcomes
- Provides a notice that explains the medical information what will be obtained, how it will be used, who will receive it, and the restrictions on disclosure
- Complies with incentive limits
- Wellness programs must be reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease. For that to be the case, it must:
- Have a reasonable chance of improving the health of, or preventing disease in, participating individuals
- Not be overly burdensome, a subterfuge for violating the ADA or other laws, or highly suspect in the method chosen to promote health or prevent disease
- Not exist merely to shift costs to employees based on their health
- Not be used only to predict an employer’s future health costs
- Use the health information collected from participants to provide follow-up information or advice to those participants or design a program that addresses at least some conditions identified
- Not impose unreasonably intrusive procedures, an overly burdensome amount of time for participation, or significant costs related to medical exams on employees
- The maximum reward or incentive limit is limited to 30% of the cost of employee-only coverage
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UCI Wellness supports employees and retirees in achieving a more balanced and healthy lifestyle both at work and at home.
Wellness Ambassadors are volunteers that help to create a culture of health within the workplace by promoting employee participation and engagement in Wellness programs, services and events.
Staff Assembly – a volunteer organization created by and for staff. It aims to promote the interests of staff and to bolster communications between staff and the administration. It provides input to the decision-making process on issues affecting staff and the University. It supports and develops activities which serve UCI, the community, and the University.
Wellness & Safety Fair – Held annually by the UCI Wellness and Safety Partnership. It helps connect employees to campus and community resources and includes booths with safety and wellness information, fitness and health screenings, emergency preparedness, work life balance resources, giveaways, and more.