On any given day in our workforce, at least three-to-10 per cent of employees are absent from work. They are ill, caring for sick children or caring for sick, elderly parents. This absence accounts for approximately 15 per cent of payroll and can cost an organization anywhere from $2,650 annually for a salaried worker to $3,600 for an hourly worker. And with flu season coming our way, it is anticipated that absences will increase significantly.

According to The Lancet medical journal's online edition, as of June 15, 2009, nearly 36,000 people in 76 countries had been infected with influenza A (H1N1) and 163 have died. As a result, the pandemic alert level was raised to Phase 6 from 5 -- the highest level. Now, as we return to work from summer vacations, a new HR poll suggests that almost 70 per cent of workers are very worried about viruses at work. Organizations are ensuring hand sanitizers are available throughout their physical space, posters line the walls of public restrooms and extra careful plans for the coming flu season are being made.

Knowing that there is a "worry rate" among workers of 70 per cent is certainly more than worrisome for management. When people begin to feel overwhelmed and overpowered by an uncontrollable fear, they experience a sense of panic. If panic begins to creep in among a good number of your workforce, it will lead to a loss of focus and a loss of concentration which will cripple overall productivity. Not only that, the high costs of absenteeism can cripple your bottom line.

Many organizations have already learned that when it comes to employee health, it is wise to focus on the overall, year-round wellness of employees. They have learned that helping employees fight health issues such as obesity, high stress or lack of exercise as well as helping those employees with chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease simply helps to keep people at work and productive. So, where does one start? The following guidelines will help you to set up a basic workplace wellness program.

Establish a leadership committee -- No plan, no matter how well developed, will succeed without a leadership sponsor and program champion as well as resources specifically allocated to the cause. Select a committee of employees who have an interest in the issue and can be committed to making it work.

Conduct an assessment -- Before you get going, you have to find out what the status of the current situation is. Start by asking employees to fill out a health interest survey that assesses the general health environment, eating and exercise habits, personal levels of stress, problem solving and the general support for a healthy workplace program.

Build a multi-level program -- Develop a comprehensive program that will resonate with your workforce. Focus on the individual, yet take into consideration the different cultural values and attitudes toward the various aspects of health. Make sure you also focus on your organization and how to make it as health conscious as possible through ergonomics, cafeteria choices and HR policies.

Set goals -- Target the most important health issues. Offer something for everyone including those who are already fit and healthy. Provide the tools for individuals to assess themselves, set goals and motivate themselves.

Kick off the program -- To get people to participate, you will have to communicate and motivate them to join in. Hold a kick-off event, develop a logo and name for your program and prepare a series of events over a one year timeframe.

Reward and motivate -- People like to be rewarded and recognized so plan for things like posting photos of employees who have achieved success. Include celebrations in your employee newsletter. Offer inexpensive, fun giveaways.

Evaluate and share feedback -- It is important to track your program progress against the goals you have set for yourself. This enables you to make changes to the program as necessary. It also allows you to demonstrate the return on investment for your program.

A good example of wellness success is the familiar Mall of America located in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minn. This large facility employs a workforce of over 900 people and after only one and one half years of wellness programming, they are already experiencing evidence of success. This initiative began when managers were forced to examine what to do about increasing health-care costs. They decided that increasing employee deductibles and co-pays on their health care was simply not the right answer. Instead, they chose to focus on supporting their employees to achieve a healthier lifestyle.

First, they determined that their program would focus on behaviour change in the areas of weight management and smoking cessation as this issue appeared to be the easiest to implement. Within one year, the program was so successful that a full-time co-ordinator was assigned and two new programs, Shape-up and Walk to Wellness Club were implemented. Next, they added a Fruity Friday and Veggie Vensday to their program.

Another group of 10 participants acted as a test case for a new device worn on the waist that measured calorie burning during the day for each individual. This tool helped individuals to assess their own metabolism and put them in control of managing their weight. The Mall of America's walk to wellness program has now been opened to the public and over 2,500 people walk more than one mile a day.

At the same time, the management team at Mall of America knows that while its return on investment is expected to top 300 per cent, additional steps must be taken to help employees be accountable for their own health. As a result, as with many organizations in today's high-cost health-care environment, mall management is assessing the potential of adding an assessment component to all new hire processes. This means that as new employees are being signed up for health-care benefits, they will be immediately assessed for health risks such as high blood pressure, body mass index, and cholesterol.

Another benefit to implementing an organization-wide wellness program is that it can help to take away the fear, the stress and the focus on just one issue such as the much anticipated flu virus. Over time, health and wellness will become part of the organization culture -- simply put, it will be "the way we do things around here".

Source: The Lancet, Volume 373, Issue 9681, June 2009, Absence Management: Making the Critical shift from Transactional to Strategic, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., 2006.