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Health Risk Assessment
by Katherine Tomasco
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Overview
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Many organizations today understand the importance of helping their employees maintain good health and wellness. To this end, businesses increasingly are investing in programs and incentives to encourage their workers to stay in good health and live healthy lifestyles. A good first step in any wellness program, and one that organizations should repeat annually, is to conduct a health risk assessment (HRA).
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Function
A workplace health risk assessment provides an organization with a perspective on the health and wellness of its employees as a whole. An HRA highlights areas of health risk, such as smoking, obesity or predisposition to cancer, so that the organization can target workplace wellness initiatives to the areas of greatest need and most likely success. When repeated over time, an HRA measures progress and tracks health changes of the employee population.
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Format
Employees complete an HRA in the form of a questionnaire, which can be conducted via a paper form, online questionnaire or personal interview. Questions normally are organized according to health area, such as cancer risk, heart health, nutrition, fitness, health and safety awareness. Online HRAs have the advantage of being able to link employees directly to health and wellness resources related to their areas of risk, so that education and improvement efforts may begin right away.
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Reporting and Follow-Up
Following completion of an HRA, the employer receives an aggregate report, typically customized to the goals and data requirements of the organization. Once it has fully analyzed the report, the employer is ready to take action. Follow-up can include immediate and automated feedback to online HRA participants at the end of the questionnaire, subsequent health and wellness counseling, and incentives for participation in workplace wellness initiatives.
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Benefits for Employees
Participating in an HRA often motivates employees to become healthier. The assessment may be the first time employees become aware of serious health risks and the steps they can take to address them. An HRA may inspire employees to voluntarily participate in workplace wellness programs that can improve their quality of life.
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Benefits for Organizations
Healthy employees contribute more to an organization's goals and cost companies less in terms of health care expenses and lost productivity. HRA data helps employers identify employee health trends so they can develop wellness strategies to reduce the costs associated with prevalent health issues. HRAs also may reduce employee turnover, which represents a significant business expense, by raising the morale of participants who are engaged in the HRA process.
