More workplaces are beginning to consider the benefits of offering wellness plans and wellness programs for employees. This blog post defines a workplace wellness program as well as explains why this type of program provides a significant set of benefits, delivering a sizable return for companies that invest in these plans and programs.
Defining Workplace Wellness Programs
Workplace wellness involves both education and specific health and wellness-relate activities that a company can offer to promote healthy lifestyles for their staff as well as their families. Examples of wellness programs and plans include everything from health education classes, subsidized fitness facilities and wellness treatment, company policies that promote healthy actions and behaviors and plans that help offset the expense that a wellness lifestyle can create.
Why Support Workplace Wellness?
In the past, companies may not have valued the real benefit of a wellness plan for their staff, thinking that it was not something that truly impacted their bottom line, talent retention, and competitive advantages. Now, there are some significant benefits that have been proven by those organizations that have adopted such wellness plans and programs:
· Wellness programs lower health care costs. Companies can reduce their health care costs, which have steadily been on the rise in recent years, because wellness programs have been shown to make happy and healthy employees. From on-site massages and health fairs to programs that help employees stop smoking, lose weight, and change their diets. The result is that healthier employees will then reduce insurance rates due to fewer claims.
· Wellness programs stimulate productivity. Studies indicate that those employees who have an employer that is focused on their health will have more energy from enjoying a balanced life, so that this translates in an increased level of productivity.
· Wellness plans improve morale and help with talent retention. Another byproduct of this energy and health is that employees feel good and they appreciate that their employers value their health and well-being by investing in them. This leads to lower absentee rates and talent that is more likely to stay with the company than leave.
· Wellness plans build a better company reputation. Companies that offer such wellness plans are often on those lists of great places to work, which sends a message about the company’s operating philosophy and that then enhances their brand and overall perception with clients, potential customers, the media and recruits. Attracting new clients and talent is well worth the investment in a wellness program.
Reporting on the Advantages
A recent article on CNBC noted some of the many advantages of wellness plans. The article discussed a survey by the Principal Financial Group, which noted that “employees enrolled in workplace wellness programs report reduced personal healthcare costs, most commonly because of fitness center discounts and free preventative screenings.”
Their research reported that medical costs improved “by an average of $3.27 and absenteeism costs improve by an average of $2.73 for every dollar spent on wellness.” Additionally, of the 1,121 wellness program participants surveyed, “over half said they are more productive as a result; 40 percent agreed that wellness programs encourage them to stay with their company, and over a third said they have missed fewer days of work.”
Employers need to create wellness programs that offer both education and wellness resources as well as tangible activities like onsite fitness centers, in-house flu shots, and nutritionists. Employees also need a life-work balance strategy where employers provide other services that help them have more balanced lives, such as flex-time, telecommuting, and onsite daycare facilities or services that help alleviate stress. All of these tactics combine to make a comprehensive program that covers physical and emotional well-being.
Want to learn more? Do you have questions about wellness plans? Leave your comment or question below and we’ll be happy to provide answers.
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