The workforce as we knew it just five years ago is not the same workforce that exists today. With team-based projects, electronic collaborations, global business and telecommuting, employees are more inter-connected and more demanding of tools to meet their work-life needs than ever before.

Amidst an evolving workplace, health remains the top concern among employees and employers across the United States, and for good reason. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, expenditures in health care continue to rise, expected to reach $1.66 trillion in 2003.

“Employers walk a fine line between the rising costs in health care and the benefits of a healthier, more productive workforce,” explains Kyle Harris, vice president of marketing for the American Cancer Society’s Great West Division. He identifies increased job satisfaction, improved morale, reduced absenteeism, lower worker’s compensation and disability management costs, and an enhanced corporate image as benefits of a successful employee wellness program.

Employers have also become increasingly aware that obesity, lack of physical activity, and tobacco use adversely affect the health and productivity of their employees and, ultimately, the businesses’ bottom line.

This trend is convincing large numbers of companies to flock toward employee wellness programs in search of cost-effective solutions. A recent study conducted by Hewitt & Associates revealed that 95 percent of surveyed companies indicated they currently offer some form of wellness program.

To bridge the gap, the American Cancer Society recently introduced a low-cost alternative to the traditional wellness program. The Society’s Workplace Wellness Program is backed by 25-years of science-based research and is designed to address the year-round health needs of every employee.

The backbone of the program rests on one simple idea: to influence positive behavioral change among employees as it relates to nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco use. According to the Society, these three factors contribute to nearly 60 percent of all cancer diagnoses in this country, not to mention heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

“Americans spend more time at work than anywhere else outside of their homes,” explains Harris. “That’s why we’re taking our cancer prevention message into the workplace.”

To do this, the Society’s wellness program incorporates cutting-edge technology solutions to deliver information to employees on a mass scale. Program components include team-based activities, an incentive points system, a monthly wellness e-newsletter, and 24-hour access to the nation’s leading wellness and cancer information resources at www.acsworkplace.com and 1.800.ACS.2345.

The Society also notes that, in repeated surveys, employees indicated stress management as the most desired health resource, second only to obesity. To meet this demand, the Society’s program offers tools to reduce workplace stress and encourage team-building opportunities.

“One of the best ways to fight poor health in the workplace is social support,” continues Harris. “We help companies identify tools and team-building events that enhance employees’ lifestyle choices through social support and ultimately help us win the ‘war on cancer’.”

For more information on the Society’s Workplace Wellness Program or local events, call (800) ACS-2345.