Corporate Wellness Local Considerations

For many employers, a smoking ban would not even apply to all staff members. That is because currently 30 states and the District of Columbia prevent employers from banning off-duty smoking.21 Additionally, 13 states prevent employers from banning alcohol use away from work. Only six states have broad statutes that prevent employers from prohibiting any lawful behavior. Michigan is the only state that expressly prohibits discrimination on the basis of weight, however the cities of San Francisco and Santa Cruz, Calif., also have this provision (San Francisco makes exceptions for police offi cers, fi refi ghters and the San Francisco 49ers football team). When designing Corporate Wellness , employers ought to keep in mind local statutes as well as established common law. Savings of Voluntary Corporate Wellness = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (cost of program) Savings of Incentive-based Corporate Wellness = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (cost of program + cost of incentives and rewards) Savings of Mandatory Corporate Wellness = (number of participants x savings per participant) – (cost of program + cost of policy-related turnover + cost of limited talent pool) Constructing Corporate Wellness policies in a employer that employs unionized staff members can pose unique challenges. Corporate Wellness may be perceived by some unions as a condition of employment and therefore would be subject to collective bargaining between the parties. Nevertheless this situation can represent an opportunity for both groups, as a policy agreed upon between union leadership and management is likely to be received more favorably by staff members. The United Auto Staff Members and General Motors worked together to create and position a joint Corporate Wellness which has successfully reached more than 800,000 participants. (See Case Studies, UAWGeneral Motors LifeSteps Corporate Wellness , p.21).