Worker Productivity | Physical Activity Evaluation Measures

Worker productivity measures for physical activity1-3

Healthier employees are less likely to call in sick. Companies can sometimes assess sick day use as the most direct measure to determine whether health programs are increasing worker productivity.

Baseline

  • Determine the average number of sick days per employee over the previous 12 months for health conditions related to physical inactivity such as hypertension
    • This measure may be less useful if there has been a large increase or decrease in numbers of employees over the past 12 months
  • Determine the costs of worker absenteeism including costs of replacement workers, costs in training replacement workers, and loss and delay in productivity
  • Determine time employees spend during working hours participating in physical activity-related worksite programs

Process

  • Re-assess the average number of sick days per employee for physical inactivity-related conditions at the first follow-up evaluation
  • Periodic repeats of other baseline measures

Outcome

  • Assess changes in the average number of sick days per employee for physical inactivity-related conditions in repeated follow-up evaluations
  • Assess changes in time employees spend during working hours participating in physical activity-related worksite programs
  • Assess changes in costs from baseline
References

1.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Framework for program evaluation in public health. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1999;48(No. RR-11): 1-40.

2.  US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical activity evaluation handbook. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2002.

3.  Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ. Program evaluation. In: O’Donnell MP, editor. Health promotion in the workplace, 3rd edition. Albany, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning; 2002. p 116-165.