Healthy Lifestyle Toolkit

When your employees are healthy, they can be more productive and creative at work. Whether you’re looking to help them achieve health and wellness goals in the new year or year-round, this easy-to-use toolkit can help foster a culture of health and potentially lower your business’s health care costs. Our resources and sample communications are your road map for a successful workforce well-being program.

Contents

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Ready to get started?

Our activation guide templates contain sample messaging to help you launch a well-being program in your workplace.

Get the activation guide

Why a healthy lifestyle matters

Our health is influenced by many factors. For instance, people who are overweight are at greater risk for serious health conditions like stroke, and physical inactivity can influence diabetes and heart disease risk.1

Workers with diabetes miss about 6 more workdays per year than workers without it.2

1 in 7 adults have diabetes, making it a common workforce health issue.3

Being inactive for 10 hours a day causes a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.4

The annual cost of obesity

The health risks associated with body mass index (BMI) vary according to body shape, ethnic group, and age. While BMI doesn’t directly assess body fat, or account for muscle or bone density, it can be used in combination with other health risk factors for overweight and obesity.5

Health care costs for obese workers are 67% higher than for employees without obesity.6
 

Employers incur

$4,257

per year in additional direct medical costs for each employee who is overweight or obese.7


Each 1-point decrease in BMI annually saves

$367

for employees with hypertension

$752

in health care expenses for employees with diabetes.8
 

What you can do about it

Explore the tools and resources below to launch an employee well-being program with your team.

 

Current Kaiser Permanente customers: Reach out to your account manager or Workforce Health partner if you’d like more guidance.
 

Tools to guide your well-being program

Worksite health survey: How healthy is your workplace?

Before you start, gauge where your employees may be on their health journeys.

Download the worksite survey
Employee health interest survey

Use this questionnaire to find out which health issues matter most to your employees.

Download the employee survey
Plan your communication strategy

Access our prewritten templates to draft emails, newsletters, and more for your employees.

Access the activation guide

Resources to share with your employees9

Tools for Kaiser Permanente members

Total Health Assessment

Ask your employees to take this health assessment, and we’ll guide them toward their goals.

Take the Total Health Assessment
Wellness Coaching by Phone

Work with a coach to quit tobacco, manage weight, get active, reduce stress, and more.

Find a wellness coach
Health classes and support groups

Sign up for programs designed to help you achieve your health goals. Options vary by region.

Search the directory
Fitness deals

Take advantage of reduced rates on studios, gyms, fitness gear, and online classes.

Explore fitness deals

Get the activation guide

Use these templates to communicate with your employees as you launch your workforce well-being program and continue to support healthy lifestyle choices.

Download this toolkit

Save this toolkit to access offline or share with your colleagues. You’ll find the same resource links included in the downloadable toolkit.

Footnotes:

  • 1“Health Risks of Overweight & Obesity,” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/adult-overweight-obesity/health-risks, accessed February 2, 2024; “Know Your Risk for Heart Disease,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm, accessed February 2, 2024.

  • 2Oren Zack et al., “The Correlation Between Clinical and Demographic Parameters and Sickness Absence in Diabetic Employees,” Healthcare, September 30, 2021.

  • 3“National Diabetes Statistics Report,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report, accessed February 2, 2024.

  • 4Carl J. Lavie et al., “Sedentary Behavior, Exercise, and Cardiovascular Health,” Circulation Research, February 28, 2019.

  • 5Sara Berg, “Use of BMI Alone is an Imperfect Clinical Measure,” American Medical Association, www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/ama-use-bmi-alone-imperfect-clinical-measure, June 14, 2023.

  • 6Abhilasha Ramasamy et al., “Direct, Absenteeism, and Disability Cost Burden of Obesity Among Privately Insured Employees,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, February 2020.

  • 7See note 6.

  • 8Kenneth Thorpe et al., “Weight Loss-Associated Decreases in Medical Care Expenditures for Commercially Insured Patients With Chronic Conditions,” Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, October 2021.

  • 9Kaiser Permanente members may need an account on kp.org to access these tools.