Health-care consultant Patricia Halo says that in a small organization, one person with severe health problems can wreak havoc on your productivity as well as your health-care premiums. Some inexpensive preventive steps you can take include:

• A no-smoking policy. This improves the overall health of the worker and keeps passive smoke from affecting other employees.
• Healthier food in vending machines. Make sure the machines have something other than junk food to offer. If you don't control them, speak to your route driver. Better nutrition generally means healthier workers in both the short and long term.
• A healthier organizational culture. Discourage people from eating at their desks. Have lunch and break times that are scheduled in low-stress settings away from work.
• A walking program. Regular, low-impact exercise is a proven benefit.
• Public screening programs. This includes mobile screening services offered by local governments and hospitals for free or for very small cost to employees. Catch these diseases early, and you'll avoid a major jump in your health-care premiums and expenses. Among the screening programs you might find are diabetes, cardiac disease, prostate, breast and skin cancer, and osteoporosis.
• Public-health programs. These include flu shots, hospice care, and general checkups with charges based on a sliding scale tied to income.

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