A primer of online organizational assessment tools to support your Total Worker Health® effort

“Organizational assessment” might sound complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. And it’s just as important to a health improvement effort as it is to an injury prevention program. For a small employer, it could be as simple as asking employees what makes it easy—or difficult—to be healthy and safe at work. However, many employers will want more detailed information because these assessments are often used as a benchmark to measure performance over time. Assessment tools guide implementation and help to identify gaps. There are a variety of online tools available at no charge to you. Some guide you through the process of integrating wellness with your occupational safety and health program and other people-centered efforts around the clock. This strategy is what the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has dubbed Total Worker Health®. Other tools presented here are focused more on traditional wellness. Take a look and see if one of these tools is right for your company.

As with safety assessments, wellness program assessments are not a one-time activity. Repeat the assessment periodically to check and document your progress. Assessments take time up front, but can help you develop and execute a high-quality, effective program.

Total Worker Health®

online assessment tools

Assessment tool links(See full description on page 2.)

Total Worker Health Worksheet to Help You Get Started on Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

National Healthy Worksite Program Health and Safety Climate Survey (INPUTS™)

• Survey• Users guide

CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard: An Assessment Tool for Employers to Prevent Heart Disease, Stroke, & Related Health Conditions

Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Best Practice Scorecard

Health Management Initiative Assessment

Corporate Health Achievement Award

Award applications(See full description on page 2.)

American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award

American Heart Association Fit Friendly Employer Award

Healthiest Employer Awards

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Organizational assessment toolsTotal Worker Health Worksheet to Help You Get Started on Program Design, Implementation, and EvaluationThis one-page tool helps assess organizational readiness to begin a Total Worker Health program. It is brief and easy to complete, yet provides important issues to address before moving forward. This is a great starting point for any organization exploring Total Worker Health.

Available at:www.cdc.gov/niosh/twh/worksheet.html

National Healthy Worksite Program Health and Safety Climate Survey (INPUTS™)The INPUTS™ survey was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use in the National Healthy Worksite Program. It has less than 25 questions, so is fairly quick to complete and score. It is designed to assess employee perceptions of the work environment, working conditions, and the attitudes of supervisors and coworkers that support a healthy worksite culture. This is an excellent tool with a manual to explain scoring.

• Survey (PDF)

• Users guide (PDF)

CDC Worksite Health ScoreCard: An Assessment Tool for Employers to Prevent Heart Disease, Stroke, & Related Health ConditionsThis tool was released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2012. It’s a comprehensive tool that takes a systems approach to wellness program planning. It was updated in 2013 to include a few new modules, including stress management and occupational health and safety. An employer can complete this tool in its entirety (120+ questions), or focus on one section at a time (recommended). A scoring guide is included. This is a lengthy document packed full of helpful resources and tools. They provide templates for action planning and budgeting, as well as other resources.

Available at: www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/worksite_scorecard.htm

Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) Best Practice Scorecard The HERO Best Practice Scorecard is one of the better-known assessment tools for health and productivity management. It was developed by the Health Enhancement Research Organization in collaboration with Mercer. The site has a robust library of research articles, as well as links to the comprehensive tool. Search the site for a webinar with detailed instructions on how best to use this tool. This tool is free and has been used successfully by large and small employers. A free report is available upon completion.

Available at (click on “scorecard”): www.the-hero.org

Health Management Initiative AssessmentThis tool is embedded in two different documents, both of which were published by the Partners for Prevention through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These documents approach wellness from the health and productivity management perspective. The first document, Healthy Workforce 2010 and Beyond—An essential health promotion sourcebook for both large and small employers, is a complete implementation guide that helps the reader understand the link between wellness and injury prevention. The assessment tool is found on page 36. Leading by Example also contains the assessment tool, but this document is directed to an executive audience and can be a useful tool in helping them understand the importance of a collaborative approach to wellness and injury prevention.

Available at: www.prevent.org To access these two documents as well as several others, click on the Worksite Health link under Business Health.

Corporate Health Achievement AwardThis free assessment is part of an American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine award system. It is thorough, covering many aspects of health management, human resources, and safety. The assessment is available to organizations of all sizes, but organizations completing the assessment must have 500 or more employees to be eligible to go on to apply for the award.

Available at: www.chaa.org

Award applications as assessment toolsSome companies have used wellness awards as an assessment tool to guide implementation. There are many such awards available.

American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence Psychologically Healthy Workplace AwardEmployers must win at the state level before becoming eligible at the national level. The award evaluates applicants on their efforts in the following five areas:• Employee Involvement• Work-Life Balance• Employee Growth and Development• Health and Safety• Employee RecognitionYou can find more information about this award at:www.apaexcellence.org/awards

American Heart Association Fit Friendly Employer AwardThe application process includes an assessment tool that can be used to guide implementation. You can find more information about this award at: www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/WorkplaceWellness/Fit-FriendlyWorksites/Fit-Friendly-Worksites_UCM_460748_SubHomePage.jsp

Healthiest Employer AwardsThe Healthiest Employer Awards Program recognizes employers by evaluating six key areas of wellness: culture and leadership commitment, foundational components, strategic planning, communication and marketing, programming and interventions, and reporting and analysis. Applicants are ranked by size. The assessment tool contains a weighted scoring system that compares your company against employers from your market across the country. There is a charge to obtain your results. This award is well-recognized in Oregon.

You can find out more about this award here:healthiestemployers.com/awards/about-wellness-award/

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