The organization level assessment collects and examines data and information routinely
collected by the organization during the normal course of doing business. The data and
information you will seek out will be related to employee health and wellness/wellbeing. In
some cases, however, you may need to specifically generate new data/information as part of the
overall assessment process.
While the primary focus of the assessment process is to identify needs and gaps, you don't want
to overlook strengths and existing resources. So, as part of the assessment process, you want
to be sure you identify all the relevant resources you can tap into that are available through
the other benefits and services provided by the employer. A couple of classic examples here
would be the insurance broker, the health insurance provider, the workers' compensation
provider, the EAP (employee assistance) program and the safety program Health And Wellness Tips For winter .
Typical areas of data and information to collect and examine would include:
• Insurance claims data
* Health and prescription drug utilization
* Disability
* Workers' compensation
• Absenteeism/presenteeism
• Productivity
• Safety, injury, accident, near-miss records
• Engagement/turnover
Additional areas of assessment might include a review of the organization's policies and an
assessment of the workplace's physical environment. Policy and environment play a critical role
in the effectiveness and success of a worksite wellness program and should not be overlooked
during the assessment process.
The assessment process might also include the use of the CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard. This
tool was designed by the CDC to help employers assess the extent to which the employer has
implemented evidence-based health promotion interventions or strategies related to specific
health related topics such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, etc.
Data Analysis
Identifying and collecting the data is just the start of the assessment process. Following
collection, you need to organize, analyze and interpret the data and information you collect.
In your analysis, you want to look for useful information, patterns, trends, connections and
other conclusions you can draw to support your decisions regarding your wellness program.
Data should be the foundation upon which your program is built. You always want your worksite
wellness program to have clarity of purpose, be data driven and outcomes focused.
