Reporting

The last step in the assessment process is to present and report what was learned during the workplace health assessment to key organizational stakeholders and decision makers. The report should contain both a summary of the information collected during the process as well as the analysis and interpretation of the findings that result in a set of recommendations for action. Additional points to keep in mind include:

• Organize the report around the needs of the audience(s). There may be many individuals interested in the results of the workplace health assessment, but each individual may be looking for very different information. Senior executives may be most interested in the leading health risks, high cost health conditions, and policy levers available to impact employee health and well-being; benefits managers may focus on the information related to health care costs and the design of the health plan; wellness coordinator or those responsible for managing a workplace health program will be interested in the wellness needs and barriers of managers and employees; managers may want just that information that pertains to their unit or employees; and employees may want to know how recommendations would affect their job and work environment. The report should be organized based on these needs and may require the creation of multiple reports tailored to individual audiences.
• The report should be concise and to-the-point
• Information should be clearly stated and well organized, so the reader can understand what steps were taken to reach each conclusion
• The text of a report is often reinforced by the use of key tables, graphs, and figures

  Meaningful tables, graphs, and figures should demonstrate trends and projections as well as the current status at the workplace. These help demonstrate the findings and provide quick and meaningful examples for employers

• In addition to findings from the assessment, it is important to show a health profile of the workforce – therefore laying out the case that the given population has potential health risks that could be addressed through workplace policies or programs
• The next task is demonstrating the connection between these health risks (e.g., obesity, stress) and the actual health of their employees. It is this connection that provides the business case for a workplace health program

Report types

It is beneficial to provide different formats of the report depending on the audience.

• Executive summary

  An executive summary, usually a 1-2 page document providing the general highlights of the assessment, provides necessary details for upper management and senior executives.

• Comprehensive detailed report

  A comprehensive detailed report, often lengthy, is better suited for program managers looking for specific feedback in their respective areas within the company, or for those deciding which programs and policies should take precedence at the workplace. This type of report is also valuable for wellness coordinators or staff that will be responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the workplace health program. Always state that additional information and detail is available upon request. 

The report should be a valuable tool for multiple stakeholders within the organization. The employee profile, health risks, site visit observations, and recommendations can provide the foundation for upcoming or potential policy and programmatic changes.

Upon reading recommendations, the workplace should prepare for a planning and implementation stage where goals are developed for health promotion activities, priorities that suit the organization are established, and specific interventions are selected and put into place.

Careful planning regarding program resources, implementation, program evaluation, and costs also need to take place. 

Topics of interest

Regardless of who performed the workplace health assessment, whether it was conducted in-house or through an external vendor, the employer would be interested in having a report summarize information related to all the areas the assessment covered (e.g., site visits, work environment assessment, employee surveys, review of health-related programs and policies, analysis of health care claims data). Examples of the topics that could be covered in an integrative report are shown below.

I. Assessment Goals

II. Workplace Assessment Process

III. Key Findings

A. Workforce

1. Demographics
2. Employee health and risk behaviors
3. Use of clinical preventive services
4. Health care and pharmaceutical use and costs
5. On-the-job injuries
6. Employee time and attendance
7. Individual barriers to improving the health of the workforce

B. Workplace

1. Health-related programs, policies, and benefits

 a.   By disease or risk factor (e.g., tobacco, physical activity, injury)

2. Physical work environment
3. Governance and management structure
4. Communications
5. Community linkages
6. Data collection and evaluation systems
7. Organizational barriers to improving the health of the workplace

IV. Recommendations for Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating a Workplace Health Program

A. Recommendations for Workplace Health Program Planning

1. Workplace Health Governance
1. Leadership support
2. Identifying a workplace health coordinator and/or committee
3. Dedicating resources
4. Developing a workplace health improvement plan
5. Communications
6. Workplace health informatics

2. Guidance for Establishing Priorities
1. Ease of implementation of recommendations
2. The proportion of employees who might be benefited
3. The potential health benefit of the program
4. The cost of implementation
5. The interest of employees in participating in the program offering
6. Perceived availability of a program across various subgroups of employees
7. Starting with actions that build momentum

B. Recommendations for Workplace Health Program Implementation

This section should be organized based on the health issues and risk factors identified for the worksite.  Some example topics are below:

1.  Physical activity

2.  Diet and nutrition

3.  Tobacco use

4.  Screening and use of preventive health services

5.  Ergonomics and injury prevention

6.  Work stress and mental health

Within each of these sections, the report described: 

a.  Program recommendations

b.  Policy recommendations

c.  Health benefits recommendations, and

d.  Recommendations for the worksite environmental support

C. Recommendations for Workplace Health Program Evaluation

1.  Careful tracking of participation and ongoing assessments

2.  Longitudinal assessment of changes, improvements

3.  Periodic analyses of data on use of preventive health services and health claims